Heat Pump

With an average wattage of 4,700 watts, heat pumps cost you around $0.56 per hour. These are indeed more cost effective than baseboard heating, but even then if you’re not using your heat pump right, it can rack up costs.

It could cost you around $13.54 a day if you let it run all day. That means, at the end of the month, you’ll be paying an extra $420, especially during winter.

When you’re not at home, make sure to turn it off. Keep it unplugged during warmer months, and shut off heat or cooling to rooms that aren’t being used.

Water Heater

Water heaters cost us about 54 cents an hour- unsurprising given their average wattage of 4,500 watts. The one silver lining is that these do not run all day and instead turn on when they’re heating water. That’s why you’ll spend less money on a water heater than you would on an air conditioning unit. If you use yours for about 3 hours every day, this could mean you’re spending $50 a month.

Still, there are ways to cut that down too! First, adjust your water heater to a lower temperature so that when you do use it, it doesn’t need that much energy. Secondly, try to use hot water only when necessary. For example, don’t run the dishwasher unless it’s completely full, and wash clothes with hot water only when you need to- not all types of clothes need it!

These methods, as opposed to plugging and unplugging your water heater all the time, are far more efficient ways to save energy and money.