How Extreme Heat Can Affect Your Electricity

As summer approaches, homeowners often find themselves relying heavily on their air conditioning units to not just get their homes to a comfortable temperature, but maintain it through the hottest parts of the day. However, increased AC usage can significantly impact your home’s electrical system, especially during extended periods of extreme heat – leading to things like tripped breakers, damaged appliances, and high energy costs.

Understanding how rising temperatures affect your electricity and what you can do to mitigate these effects is crucial for maintaining a comfortable and efficient home throughout the rising amount of heat waves we see in Virginia. In this blog, we’ll explore the impact of extreme heat on your home’s energy consumption and capacity, the benefits of better home performance, and the importance of upgrading your electrical panel.

The Impact of Extreme Heat on Energy Consumption

When outdoor temperatures soar, the increased heat will push its way into your home and increase temperatures, meaning your AC unit has to work harder and longer to keep your home cool. This uptick in workload leads to higher energy consumption, which can quickly translate into elevated utility bills. Here’s a closer look at the symptoms of high heat strain on an air conditioner:

Increased Runtime: During heatwaves, AC units run for extended periods, consuming more electricity to maintain the desired indoor temperature. This prolonged operation is a primary driver of higher energy bills.
Strain on Electrical System: The constant demand for cooling can strain your home’s electrical system. Older or undersized electrical panels may struggle to handle the sustained load, leading to potential issues like overheating and tripped breakers.
Reduced Efficiency: High outdoor temperatures can also reduce the efficiency of your AC unit. As the system works harder, it may become less effective at cooling your home, further increasing energy consumption.

Reduce Your Cooling Load with Insulation and Air Sealing

One effective way to combat the effects of extreme heat is by enhancing your home’s performance through proper insulation and air sealing. These measures help maintain a stable indoor temperature, reducing the burden on your AC unit. Home performance upgrades that provide the most benefit to homes in the 757 include:

A properly insulated home will resist heat transfer, keeping the cool air inside and the hot air outside. This reduces the need for constant AC operation, lowering energy consumption.

Air sealing home’s envelope prevents air leaks, ensuring that your AC system operates more efficiently. By maintaining a consistent indoor temperature, you can minimize energy usage and reduce wear and tear on your AC unit.

Encapsulating your crawl space can significantly impact your home’s overall performance. By controlling humidity and preventing heat infiltration, crawl space encapsulation helps create a more comfortable and energy-efficient living environment.

Install Energy Efficient Heat Pumps

If your air conditioner is old, damaged, or just struggling to keep up with your comfort needs, upgrading to a heat pump or system of ductless mini splits is an effective way to upgrade both the efficiency and comfort of your home, and for Hampton homeowners, our Hampton air conditioning replacement services can help you make the right choice. Not only are heat pumps a great replacement for air conditioners, they also provide heating and can replace or supplement your heating system as well.

Electrical Panel Upgrades: Preparing for an All-Electric Future

Once your home is performing at peak condition, and your heating and cooling system is operating efficiently, it may still be necessary to upgrade the capacity of your electrical panel to ensure it meets all of your needs on the hottest of days. Plus, increasing the electrical capacity of your home is becoming increasingly important as modern heating, cooling, plumbing, and even cooking appliances are moving toward all-electric models. Here’s why you should consider an upgrade:

Increased Capacity: Upgrading to a higher-capacity electrical panel ensures that your home can support the increased load from AC units, electric vehicles, and other appliances without overloading the system. This prevents issues like tripped breakers and power outages.
Compatibility with Renewable Energy: A modern electrical panel is essential for integrating renewable energy sources like solar panels. By upgrading your panel, you can seamlessly incorporate solar power into your home’s energy mix, reducing reliance on the grid and lowering energy costs.
Enhanced Safety: Older electrical panels may pose safety risks due to outdated components and inadequate capacity. Upgrading to a new panel enhances the safety of your home’s electrical system, reducing the risk of electrical fires and other hazards.

Prepare for Extreme Heat with Worley’s

Extreme heat can significantly impact your home’s energy consumption and electrical capacity. By improving your home’s performance through insulation and air sealing, and upgrading your electrical panel, you can mitigate these effects and prepare for an all-electric future. At Worley’s Home Services, we’re committed to helping homeowners maintain comfortable, efficient, and safe homes.

How Extreme Heat Can Affect Your Electricity