Hi All,

Looking for some advice with my home energy use and how to save some money. Had to shop for a new electric plan today for the first time in three years, went from paying ~.10/kwh to about ~13.5/kwh which sucks but seems to be the best I could find across several different websites.

Moved into the house 2 years ago. Since moving in we have replaced two of the three A/C units with high efficiency variable speed Daiken units. The other unit is a Trane from 2020 so hopefully won't need replacing anytime soon. I was hoping to see decent reduction in energy use after the two new units but have not so far. House is one story, 4000sf, with a concrete tile roof, built in 1991 with original single pane windows and a pool with a newish variable speed pump that runs at lower speed for longer time most of the year. We do have plantation shutters throughout the house that are kept shut all summer long.

Energy Usage from the past year looked like this

Jan 2026 kwh
Feb 2500 kwh
March 3995 kwh
April 4500 kwh
May 5503 kwh
June 4320 kwh
July 5072 kwh
August 5590 kwh
Sept 4460

We do keep the sleeping areas cold at night for comfort (68 degrees/72 during the day).

Three adults living in the house with two working from home most days.

So far we have gotten a quote to replace all windows for about 50k, and another to replace just the large windows on the back of the house for about 20k (all of the back living areas have large window with a small transom window above which accounted for some of the savings).Not sure if that is worth the investment?

Also recently been reading about solar panels, but with the concrete tile roof and just the quality of the technology in general it seems to be not really worth it, but not sure if our exorbitant summer usage would change that math?

Also not sure how much I should look into re-doing the insulation in the walls and or attic. The attic just has loose fill so I think i could blow in additional fill by myself, correct? Seems like a fairly easy DIY project and I know the big box stores rent the equipment, I just haven't done much research on it TBH.

Would it be worth getting an energy audit and if so does anyone have recommendations for who to call on that?

Thanks in advance for reading and for any advice given.

I'd assume an energy audit will be the first step if you're serious and would qualify for a tax credit of up to $150. I believe any findings and changes you make could potentially qualify for additional credits (like replacing windows or adding insulation).

But.....keeping the thermostat at 68/72 in a 4,000 sq ft house is going to result in a high electric bill.....

IRS: Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit

Quote:

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Home Energy Audits
A home energy audit for your main home may qualify for a tax credit of up to $150.
In order to qualify, the home energy audit must:

• Include a written report and inspection that identifies the most significant and cost-effective energy efficiency improvements with respect to the home, including an estimate of the energy and cost savings with respect to such improvement, and
• Be conducted and prepared by a home energy auditor

Starting in 2024, the following additional requirements must be met:

• The inspection must be conducted by a qualified home energy auditor, defined as an individual who is certified by one of the qualified certification Programs listed on the Department of Energy certification programs for the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (Section 25C) at the time of the audit, or under the supervision of a qualified home energy auditor;
• The written report must be prepared and signed by a qualified home energy auditor, be consistent with industry best practices, and include:
  
  • The qualified home energy auditor's name and relevant employer identification number (EIN) or other type of appropriate taxpayer identifying number, if the auditor does not have an EIN;
  • An attestation that the qualified home energy auditor is certified by a qualified certification program; and
  • The name of such qualified certification program

We recommend home energy auditors apply for and receive an EIN if they do not already have one. Apply for an EIN Online.
For more information, see Notice 2023-59PDF.

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Any chance you have any recommendations for someone to do the audit in the Spring/Houston area?

drumbeat10 said:

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Any chance you have any recommendations for someone to do the audit in the Spring/Houston area?

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I don't but will be following. We have a vaulted living room ceiling with an upstairs loft off it. Feel like with it and where the upstairs thermostat is we have a lot of wasted AC run time.

That and a few other things are making me consider an energy audit myself....

Am I reading that your May bill might be only $275 for 4000 LivSF?
If so, impressive for many that might not fret so much.

Would like to know which unit is freezing the sleeping areas ... and any other areas,
plus any more details on the older Trane & its zone coverage.

On to the ideas:

Windows (no): once upon a time in Austin, an architect's research on single pane windows
(confirmed by a local engineer, as well as one in Aggieland) suggested strongly that
single pane can perform as well as double pane in energy studies if
exteriors SHADED from solar gain.
Further, many times double pane offers only ~R-2 compared to ~R-1 single pane,
so compare those to a plain spec.house wall ~R-15+
$50k investment might pay off when?

Solar (not yet): many are reporting best done on the ground, Google has more on that. Only my
retiring Exxon execs have planned for such and later I see only one has partially applied them
to roof. Solar shingles, et al. are coming ... sometime ... to save us all ....

Insulation (yes!!): in the attic is a no brainer and anyone in/near the biz will suggest this first;
foil/radiant barriers, other options offer low costs, EZ application and fastest rate of returns.
Beware only the "Law of Diminishing Returns" (as each additional inch of depth nets less energy savings)
The walls would be a real challenge to augment with caveats ... best to SHADE all you can, esp.
West setting sun solar gains & HVAC solar gains with things vertical (evergreens?)

Audit (not unless you feel a draft or suspect duct leaks): usually your power company schedules these during their slow times and
should include a blower door test; some HVAC companies provide this service;
Amazon/others offer the equipment to DIY

HVAC (maybe possible): bragging rights belong to past clients that Zoned their HVAC systems and the more systems,
the lower the energy bills; e.g. sleeping areas have their own HVAC system that might share with adjoining bathrooms;
work areas, et al. have their own system & daytime/social areas, their own.
Some might choose West side, East side if solar gains are greatly afoot.
You can appreciate how each system has a rest period, embellished if also a Variable stage system.

If you Google my emails I can share past clients' odd (or fascinating) ideas
that worked a bit for them but nothing dramatic. e.g. one replaced their comforter for
a light blanket for sleeping, took a shower before bedtime, then turned on a fan to find that
the bedroom could support the same quality sleep at 5-7 degrees warmer in summer (your highest bills, I read).

Bottom line:
Investments in SHADE & Attic INSULATION offer fast & better paybacks.

Those May and August bills have me lightheaded...

I have a placeholder renewal with my current provider for 13.5 cents starting in December, up from 10 cents, like you. I'm likely to get a 36-month plan around 12.5...but still a 25% increase.

I think it is going to take an incredibly long time to earn back the $70k (!!!!) in the cost of new windows. Just spitballing the math, if you were to get a 25% reduction in energy costs, it would take you about 400 months or 38 years to recoup your costs.

tgivaughn said:

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Am I reading that your May bill might be only $275 for 4000 LivSF?

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I think that May bill is >$550 at 5,503 kWh and 10 cents. Next year, it'll be >$700.

dodger02 said:

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tgivaughn said:

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Am I reading that your May bill might be only $275 for 4000 LivSF?

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I think that May bill is >$550 at 5,503 kWh and 10 cents. Next year, it'll be >$700.

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Yes this is correct and why I'm getting very concerned already for next summer.

Bad news about shading the windows along the back of the house is we have a pool and not much planting space. And then along the back fence line we have power lines in the neighbors yard so haven't planted any large trees in that area.

We use large cantilever umbrellas to keep the pool shaded all summer so the temperature stays nice for swimming and not like a bathtub. I wonder if we could do a similar setup for the windows? They're about $600 a piece but seems like it might be worth it?

One thing I will say in disagreement with the single pane windows is that is assuming they are installed correctly. My original single pane windows on my 1987 house had gaps between wood/brick and the window. Like 1" wide gaps.

When I replaced the wooden ones, I changed the siding as well and installed windows with wings; essentially new build types. Those windows are now super tight and highly comfortable.

The brick one are better than before but not as good as if we ripped the wall down and redid it.

But I would suspect your caulk is probably bad and could be replaced. That's letting cold and warm air in and resulting in higher bills.

I would argue that raising your thermostat to 75/78 in the day will go much farther in saving money, assuming you have fans in the house and in rooms.

~egon

Get a window quote from window world

Solar screens on the east and west facing windows.
Blow insulation into the attic. Add radiant barrier if accessible.
Turn your AC up. 76 sleeping under a ceiling fan is plenty doable.
Buy a thermostat that allows you to prioritize rooms.
All above DIY and much more bang for buck than new windows.

Glad that anything less than 78 freezes the wife out.

I have a 5500 sq ft home and my usage is about 500kw more a month than yours. I do have a pool but variable pumps so not a big deal. We have 3 HVac systems and all rooms are zoned. So about 1/3 (Gym/game room/media) turned off 95% of the time so I would say out home use size is similar to yours.

Our house was built efficiently and review from company a few yrs ago said there is not much more we could do to increase efficiency.

I think your house sounds pretty efficient.

I've thought about this more.

I'd be looking for the most cost effective solutions, first, before thinking about additional insulation, windows, etc. I just don't see how the breakeven point works out in your favor for improvements that will cost tens of thousands of dollars.

I would start with getting comfortable with temps 71/73. Use more ceiling fans than A/C and more blankets than heat. A programmable thermostat would also be a relatively inexpensive item to have so you can easily adjust temps on a regular schedule, especially when you're not at home. However, if you crank the temps up to 80 when you leave the house and then immediately down to 70 when you get home, your AC unit is going to work overtime to get you back down and maintain that temperature and likely negate any savings you experienced.

I don't know the price of solar screens or their efficacy. But, I'd be looking at something that would keep the windows from transmitting heat in the summer. Solar screens, tint, something. You didn't post December usage. But my wife is soon to realize a crap ton of outdoor twinkle lights at Christmas ain't happening anymore.

Isn't that pool going to keep your electricity usage high?

Looks like it is averaging about 133kwh/month running 12 hours a day at 2000 RPM. I'll probably lower it down to around 8 hours a day in another month or so.

Have you checked with Thigbe to see what they can offer? Email them and they'll get back to you asap. they got me into a 6.1c 18month plan a few months ago. https://www.thigbe.com/

Who quoted your windows? How many? What type? We had 33 done recently for the low 20s, just beat the price increase, so it'd probably be about 25k now. Don Young 8200 single hung aluminium.

drumbeat10 said:

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Looks like it is averaging about 133kwh/month running 12 hours a day at 2000 RPM. I'll probably lower it down to around 8 hours a day in another month or so.

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You can lower it to 8/day now, no need to wait.

Call a tint shop and get a quote on 70% ceramic tinting some south/west facing windows. You're probably talking under $100/per normal sized window. Would be worth a shot before spending $500+ per replacing.

I generally find solar screens to work better than tint. Keeps the heat outside the building envelope. Honestly, it (or tint) is one of the few ROi sensible upgrades left in the typical newer already pretty efficient home.

Don't think the newer led Christmas lights use all that much. Know i no longer see the "Christmas Spike" in my holiday bill.

Maybe modern tint film is better than what we had installed on the large east facing windows in a house we sold about 5 years ago. But I remember having to peel that stuff off after it started coming loose using a razor blade and spray bottle of ammonia or vinegar. It probably lasted 15 years. Solar screens are more effective because they keep the sun from hitting the window. And you can take them off in the winter.

Blown in insulation is a cheap and easy way to get this fixed, or even better get the spray foam insulation. I did this last year and it knocked my AC run time down a ton.