Why Your Electric Bill Doubles Every Winter

October: $112. January: $231. Same house, same two people, same thermostat. My nephew Daniel laid that bill on our kitchen table and asked if the power company made a mistake. They hadn't. It took us three weeks to find where the money went, and it was right there on the wall in letters a quarter inch tall. Part of it was my fault. In this video: • Why a house loses heat more than twice as fast in January as in October • Four kinds of houses, and how to compare kilowatt-hours a day instead of dollars • Where the winter kilowatt-hours really go: the heat itself, the heat pump's backup strip, the water heater and the dryer • The heat strip: why it uses about three times the electricity, and the two-degree rule • Space-heater math with a pencil: when it saves money and when it quietly costs you • Three ideas checked: "the Amish never pay an energy bill," the special heater, and cranking the heat up every morning • Space heater, water heater and carbon monoxide safety, and when to call a professional • Six old farm habits that still cut the bill, most of them for nothing Tomorrow morning's homework: right after the heat kicks on, look at your thermostat. Does it say AUX? Then read your meter twice, 24 hours apart, and write down the difference. What do you heat with, and how many kilowatt-hours was your biggest winter bill? Tell me where you live, too. I read them. CHAPTERS 0:00 Daniel's bill on our kitchen table 0:49 A winter bill is four or five quiet things 2:06 Why the house loses heat twice as fast 3:25 What kind of house are you in? 4:50 Follow the kilowatt-hours: the heat itself 5:30 The heat pump's backup strip 6:43 When the strips come on, and EM HEAT 7:29 The water heater hiding in plain sight 8:14 The dryer 8:53 Space-heater math with a pencil 10:32 Myth: "The Amish never pay an energy bill" 12:03 Myths: the special heater and the morning crank 12:53 What was on Daniel's wall 13:42 Safety: space heaters, hot water, CO 14:41 When to call a professional 15:11 What Daniel and Sarah changed 16:08 Six old farm habits that still cut the bill 17:35 Your homework 18:06 Back to Daniel's refrigerator I don't sell anything here. If I get something wrong, I'll pin the correction at the top of the comments. Safety: keep space heaters 3 feet from anything that can burn, plug them straight into the wall, and turn them off when you leave the room. Keep a working carbon monoxide alarm if anything in your house burns fuel. General information only; for heating problems, call a licensed heating professional. #ElectricBill #HeatPump #Homesteading