Your Electricity Bill Is Skyrocketing. These Are The ‘Energy Hogs’ Driving Up Your Costs

If you’re trying to reduce energy usage in your home, your first instinct may be to unplug your phone charger.While this is all good and well, it won’t make as much of a difference as you might expect. It’s the larger appliances—like HVAC systems and water heaters—that secretly drain electricity and cause your utility bill to surge.“Energy hogs” use more electricity than they should because they run longer, work harder, or have become less efficient over time,” says Amy VanWagner, vice president of operations and sales at AJ Manufacturing in Kansas City, MO.Knowing which appliances and devices use the most energy can help you use less electricity and potentially save more money each month.The energy drains worth paying attention to Though you may not think about these appliances as much as your phone charger, they may be the ones quietly driving up your energy bill.Loading...The age of your HVAC does play a role in how effectively it works.Getty ImagesHVAC system"The greatest energy hog in a home is usually the HVAC system,” explains TJ Laury, licensed HVAC technician and president at Ben's ProServ in Vineland, NJ.According to Clint VanRossun, contractor and owner at VanRossun Cont...