Look, we’ve been in this trade for two decades. We’ve crawled through dusty attics in Morristown, wired finished basements in Wayne, and fixed panels in homes that were built before the Titanic sank.
If there is one thing we hear constantly from homeowners in Northern New Jersey, it’s this: "Why is my electric bill so high?"
We pay a premium to live in this part of the country. Property taxes, tolls, groceries, it all adds up. So when you open that bill from PSE&G or JCP&L in the middle of July (or January) and see a number that makes your eyes water, it hurts.
Most people think the only solution is to suffer, turn the thermostat down, wear a thick sweater indoors, or yell at the kids to turn off the lights every five minutes. But honestly? That’s barely scratching the surface.
The real problem usually isn't your kids leaving a bathroom light on. It’s the infrastructure behind the walls. As a home upgrade electrician in NJ, we see homes every day that are bleeding electricity and money because they are running on outdated tech.
If you are looking to make investments that actually put cash back in your pocket, here is the stuff that matters.
Let’s Talk About Your Lights (It’s Not Just About the Bulb)
Everyone knows about LEDs by now. You don't need us to tell you that an LED bulb uses a fraction of the power of an old school incandescent.
But here is what most people miss: The Heat Factor.
We walked into a kitchen in Bergen County last week. Beautiful house, granite countertops, the works. But they had twelve recessed “can” lights in the ceiling, all burning 65 watt halogen bulbs. Standing in that kitchen felt like standing under a heat lamp at a buffet.
In the summer, your AC has to work overtime just to fight the heat your lights are generating. You are paying to light the room, and then paying again to cool it down. It’s a double whammy.
When we do energy efficient electrical services in NJ, we don't just screw in new bulbs. We often replace the entire trim of those recessed lights with sealed LED units. Why? Because those old “can” lights are practically chimneys. In the winter, your expensive heat shoots right up through the gaps in the fixture into the freezing attic. Sealing them up stops the draft. That’s where the real savings happen, not just on the lighting portion of your bill, but on your HVAC costs too.
A Quick Note on Dimmers: Here is something else the box at the hardware store won’t tell you. If you switch to LEDs but keep your old rotary dimmer switches from the 90s, you’re going to have problems. Old dimmers were built for high resistance filaments. When you put a low voltage LED on them, they flicker, buzz, or don't dim all the way down. That buzzing? That’s wasted energy and a sign of incompatible tech. We swap those out for LED rated dimmers so you get smooth light without the headache.
The Phantom in the Living Room
Walk around your house right now. Look at your TV, your cable box, your game console, that printer you use once a year. See those little red or green standby lights?
That’s money burning.
We call these “vampire loads”. It sounds dramatic, but it’s real. Your electronics are sipping power 24/7 just so they can turn on two seconds faster.
We’ve started installing a lot more smart outlets and centralized control systems. You can set it up so that when you leave for work, a single “All Off” command kills the power to those non essential circuits. It stops the slow bleed. It’s not going to make you rich overnight, but over five or ten years? It pays for the upgrade.
The Panel: The 200 Amp Standard and The Danger Zones
We have to be honest with you, if you are still rocking a 60 amp or 100 amp fuse box or an old breaker panel, you are fighting a losing battle.
Old panels get hot. Heat is wasted energy (resistance). If your lights flicker when the fridge kicks on, or if you can’t run the microwave and the hair dryer at the same time, your system is struggling. A struggling system is an inefficient system.
The Bad Brands: If you live in a development built between the 1950s and 1980s in NJ, go check your panel brand. Does it say Federal Pacific or Zinsco? If yes, stop reading and call us. These panels are notorious for not tripping when they should. This isn't just an efficiency issue, it's a massive fire hazard. Many insurance companies won't even renew your policy if they know you have one.
Upgrading to a 200 amp service isn't just about safety (though, trust us, it’s safer). It’s about giving your home the bandwidth to run high efficiency appliances properly. Modern high efficiency AC units and heat pumps are great, but they need a clean, steady supply of power to run at their peak rating. If you starve them of voltage, they work harder and die younger.
The Good Electric Heat vs. The Bad Electric Heat
In Northern NJ, we have a lot of finished basements and home additions that rely on electric baseboard heaters.
Let’s be blunt: Electric baseboard heat is one of the most expensive ways to heat a home. It’s 100% efficient at turning electricity into heat, but the cost per BTU is astronomical compared to gas or a heat pump.
If you are relying on baseboards, the best energy efficient upgrade you can make is electrical support for a Mini Split Heat Pump.
We run the dedicated 240v lines to the outside condensers. These units move heat rather than creating it, which makes them 300% to 400% more efficient than those old baseboards. You spend money on the electrical install upfront, but we’ve seen homeowners cut their winter electric bills in half by ditching the baseboards.
The Ceiling Fan Trick
This is one of our favorite “low tech” solutions.
NJ summers are humid. It's sticky and humid. Sometimes you crank the AC just to get the air moving, even if the temperature isn't that high.
Installing ceiling fans in your bedrooms and main living areas changes the game. It creates a wind-chill effect on your skin. That means you can set your thermostat to 74 or 75 degrees, but it feels like 70.
For every degree you raise that thermostat, you save a significant chunk on your cooling bill. Plus, in the winter, there’s a little switch on the fan motor most people ignore. Flip it. It reverses the fan, pushing the hot air that rises to the ceiling back down to where you are sitting. It’s simple physics, and it keeps your furnace from running constantly.
The EV Charger Equation
If you’ve bought an electric car, or you're thinking about it, don’t mess around with the standard 120 volt plug that comes with the car.
We see people trying to charge their cars with an extension cord running out the garage door. It takes 12 plus hours to get a charge, and it’s inefficient.
Installing a dedicated Level 2 charger (240 volt) is the move. It charges the battery faster and more efficiently. When you factor in that charging an EV is already roughly equivalent to paying $1.50 per gallon of gas, getting that charger hard wired professionally makes the ROI incredible.
Pro Tip: Check with your utility provider (PSE&G, etc.). Many offer “Time of Use” rates where electricity is cheaper at night. With a proper Level 2 charger, you can schedule the charge for 2 AM when rates are lowest, saving you even more. We can set that up for you.
Why Doing It Yourself Usually Costs More
We love the DIY spirit. We really do. But when it comes to electricity, trying to save a few bucks often backfires.
We can’t tell you how many times we’ve been called out to fix a “handyman special” where someone used the wrong gauge wire or loose connections. Loose wires cause resistance. Resistance causes heat. Heat increases your bill and risks a fire.
When you hire Sperry Electric, you aren't just paying for us to twist some wires together. You are paying for the expertise to know how to route that power efficiently. You’re paying for the peace of mind that your new high efficiency heat pump is actually getting the power it needs to save you money.
The Bottom Line
You don't have to overhaul your entire house in one day. Start small. Maybe it’s swapping out those drafty recessed lights. Maybe it’s finally getting that panel upgrade so you can install a smart thermostat and an EV charger.
The point is, your electrical system shouldn't be a drain on your wallet. It should be an asset.
If you are in Northern NJ, whether you’re in Morris, Bergen, Sussex, or Passaic and you’re tired of sending too much money to the utility company, give us a shout. We’ll come and take a look, give you a straight answer on what needs to be done, and help you stop the waste.
Sperry Electric NJ, Your Local Experts.
Give us a call. Let’s get that meter slowing down.
