Combat Rising Electricity Bills Without Sacrificing Comfort

As electricity prices continue to escalate, homeowners and businesses alike are looking for ways to stay comfortable without breaking the bank. One of the biggest contributors to high electricity bills is the cost of running heating and cooling systems. However, there are ways to save money and reduce energy consumption without sacrificing comfort. This article will explore the rising cost of electricity, the impact of heater running costs, and how the innovative airQ System can help homeowners and businesses save money while staying comfortable.

Electricity Price Trends Over Time

It won’t be news to anyone that electricity prices increase over time. The average residential rate for PG&E customers in California has increased by over 57% in just four years, with more rate increases already planned for the near future.

At airQ we recently had to release a software update to our touchscreen controller to increase the maximum selectable electricity price due electricity rate increases, bringing the price per kW/hour over 50 cents for some plans (our previous maximum setting)!

A new approach to home comfort

Up to half of your residential energy bill is dedicated to space heating. Recent technologies to improve heating efficiency, such as heat pumps, help to keep your energy bill under control. However, even the most efficient systems still cost a lot to operate, especially for larger and older homes, potentially costing dollars per hour.

airQ takes a different approach by using solar energy harvesting to heat your home during the day. Instead of using a lot of electricity directly heating, airQ instead moves already hot air into your home for a fraction of the cost.

Solar irradiance (energy from the sun) is about 1,000W/m2 (approximately 90W/sqft).  Your entire roof acts as a solar collector, heating your attic.  A typical American home with 1,500sqft can produce tens of kilowatts of heat during the day. airQ uses this otherwise unwanted heat to warm your home as you need it.

Because airQ is not an active heating device it only costs cents per day to operate. An airQ System can deliver several dollars in free solar heating per day (depending on your location, house construction and personal temperature preference you could save over $1,500 yearly on heating and cooling). On cold but sunny days some existing customers are receiving over 70kW/hours ($25+) in solar heating for only $0.11 spent (COP over 200!).

Efficiency Matters

Coefficient of Performance (COP) is a common measure of the energy efficiency of heating devices. An electric space heater has a COP of 1, where every kilowatt used produces one kilowatt of heating. The best residential heat pumps have a COP of 3-5, so for every kilowatt of energy used you get 3-5 kilowatts of heating. Heat pumps are able to put more energy out than you put in because they move heat from outside to inside your home, rather than directly converting electricity to heat. 

airQ uses a similar principle, using a small amount of electricity to move already hot air into your home. airQ Systems regularly achieve COP values over 50, and in some installations over 100!

An example of a Winter day in the San Francisco Bay Area:

• airQ cost to run per day = $0.10 (0.3kW/h)

• Heat delivered in Winter per day = $5+ (15kW/h+)

• Coefficient of Performance (COP) = 50+

That means for every $0.01 of electricity used, you get $0.50 or more of heating!

How much are people saving with airQ?

The graph below is real data taken from a single family home in Daly City during Winter 2024 (a typically cool geographic area with frequent cloud / fog cover).

• Averaged delivery of $6.80 heating per day (19.4kW/hours) for only $0.11 spent (COP = 62).

• Even on cloudy days there was significant heating.

• The days with virtually no savings were rainy days (2024 has been a wet year in California)

Conclusion

With energy costs set to rise indefinitely, making your home more efficient will save you increasing amounts of money each year. Using solar energy can cost less than a cent per hour and deliver kilowatts of heating, and doesn’t require installing solar panels or other visual changes to your home.

An airQ System can drastically reduce the amount you spend on heating, and can make your home more comfortable day and night. Contact airQ now for your free consultation.