Kevin D. Nelson - Insulating Your Mobile or Manufactured Home

Sudden High-Bill Problems

Your utility measures electrical usage on your home in kilowatts of power used each month by reading the numbers on the meter outside your home and subtracting it from the previous months reading to come up with the current months usage.

The utility usually keeps your consumption history on file or computer for four to six years and will give you a copy of your kilowatt consumption history upon request.

By obtaining a copy of your kilowatt history for three to five years, it will be easy to note any sudden changes or where problems first started to occur.

Looking over your kilowatt-per-hour usage over a five- or six-year period in each month will first tell you if you are using close to your normal usage for that month or if there was a drastic change, which will note either a current problem or a change in lifestyles.

Mobile homes tend to show an overall increase in kilowatt hours of power used over the years. These readings help to indicate the overall conservation condition of your mobile home.

Kilowatt hours of power usage on a mobile home will vary with the size and number of people living in the home and their chosen lifestyle.

Question: What kind of kilowatt-hour usage can you expect to use in your mobile?

Answer: Single wide mobiles up to 1466 feet with four people in the home generally will use from 1500 to 2000 kWh of power per month, whereas a mobile 2460 might use and average of 1800 to 2500 kWh in a month. This is not an unusual amount.

The time to start being alarmed is when the kWh usage reaches or surpasses 3000 for a period of two months straight.

Question: What makes the kilowatt-hours of power usage to gradually climb over the years?

Answer: Mobile homes tend to shake loose from vibrations over the years, causing areas such as ducts to loosen and part at the seams and sleeves as well as the crossover duct to deteriorate and come apart, often causing your bill to rise in amounts as high as $100 to $200 a month. Animals having access to your crossover duct can tear away or make holes in it as well. The normal life expectancy of a flex-type crossover duct system is between twelve to fifteen years. If yours is this old, it may need to be replaced.

Question: What will cause the kilowatt-hour usage to jump suddenly to high usage?

Answer: Your forced air-electric furnace usually will have three elements. If one element should go out the other, two will work harder to provide the same heat to the home. The difference can cost you upward of an additional $100 a month. When your water heater had an element quit working, you may again see an increase of $100 to $200 in a month. To avoid these problems, it pays to have your furnace and water heater checked by an electrician at least once a year before the winter-heating season begins.

An improper reading by your utility-meter reader can also cause a high reading. Human error is a possibility. If you suspect your meter has been misread, ask the utility company to reread it.

One of the biggest causes of sudden high bills, especially during the winter-heating season, is when the crossover duct separates from the sleeve holding it to the plenum or an animal has made a hole in it. Check the condition of your crossover duct before the onset of the winter-heating season.