electric bill help

[Jayvn]

So... if anyone wouldn't mind... I'm under the impression my electric has some serious issues.. I turned off the breaker to the inside stuff, flipped off the AC which didn't shut off at the time..then checked the meter and it's still moving..We have a family of 4, in a singlewide, we hardly use anything in the daytime, the kids pretty much just use the tv/ps2 at night plus Fridge, Microwave, hot water heater. Anyhow can anyone who feels like it post their last months KWhours and how much it cost them? and possibly how many people are burnin electric in your house and stuff..
They're saying we used 2500 KWhours at about 260 a month for the last 3 or 4 months..this is ridiculous =/
D/Jayvn

[The Ponzzz]

I don't have a statement off hand, I should get a bill though in a few days... But that seems really really high...

[Bobmuhthol]

That's interesting, because it doesn't seem very high to me cost-wise (I have no idea on the amount of electricity) in a house of 4. You might be getting screwed if you don't use a ton, though... we've got 4 computers on most hours, 4 TVs, PS2, AC/heating, etc.

[Aenstaas]

uhhh mine has been $500-650 the last 4 bills i have gotten. Hell the bill from February was $280 and our heater runs off natural gas and only flips on with electricity. My dryer and hot water heater are also gas. Family of four also. I would clap with excitement if I got a bill of $280 in the summer months!

[The Ponzzz]

Javyn, who's your power provider? And what state?

In Upstate NY, my bill for just myself in a 1 bedroom apartment is about $200-300 in the winter and $150-200 in the summer. But RG&E sucks ass for rates.

[Gan]

So... if anyone wouldn't mind... I'm under the impression my electric has some serious issues.. I turned off the breaker to the inside stuff, flipped off the AC which didn't shut off at the time..then checked the meter and it's still moving..We have a family of 4, in a singlewide, we hardly use anything in the daytime, the kids pretty much just use the tv/ps2 at night plus Fridge, Microwave, hot water heater. Anyhow can anyone who feels like it post their last months KWhours and how much it cost them? and possibly how many people are burnin electric in your house and stuff..
They're saying we used 2500 KWhours at about 260 a month for the last 3 or 4 months..this is ridiculous =/
D/Jayvn

2500 kwh / $260 = 9.61 cents per kwh. (depending on where you're at, thats a great rate). My rate in Houston (77024) is averaging 12 cents and higher a kwh ( http://www.powertochoose.org/ ). Factor in miscellaneous fees and your rate is even less.

As far as usage goes, mobile homes are notorious for being inefficient. Having an electric water heater doesnt help.

How many sq. ft. is your singlewide? This isnt an apples to apples comparison, but I have a 2k sq. ft. brick home in Houston (A/C running alot in 90+ degree August days) and I just crossed over 2400 kwh this last bill. My average price is 14.4 cents per kwh right now.

[Jayvn]

no idea on the footage, btw we turned the ac up to 82 so it wouldn't run to try to cut it down... Gulf power, Panhandle of fl

[Gan]

Check your water heater setting and usage (if its indeed electric).

Also consider installing a programmable thermostat that will set your A/C usage to better match when people are around to use it, if you dont already have one installed.

You might consider buying tint (please dont use tin foil) for your windows to help reduce sun/heat transfer through the windows. Close storm windows if you have them.

Might also consider adding an additional roof coating to help insulate/reflect the sun bearing down on it.

Check the a/c ductwork underneath and make sure its all in good shape and attached.

Is your clothes dryer electric? Is it on a lot?

Just a few ideas.

Edited to add:
http://www.fleetwoodhomes.com/fpf/models.asp
I'm guessing you're around 1100 sq. ft.

Also check your filters in your a/c unit. Are they clean so your fan doesnt have to work as hard? When was the last time your a/c was checked for cooling capability (freon), or had the coils cleaned? Is it working harder than it should? Also make sure the tonnage matches your sq. ft. (cooling capacity vs. area to be cooled) if you have central air style a/c.

If you use window units, then that presents a whole new list of variables depending on where they are located and what size they are, and how often you keep them running. (I'm guessing you dont use these, since you posted that you adjusted a single thermostat)

[Jayvn]

we don't run the dryer, hell or washer, I just take em down the street once a week, AC is perma 82 right now, I need to check the water heater, and all the windows have thick thick blinds on em. I opted for the tin foil to reflect back the shitty neighbors but the wife said no :)

[Amber]

Kinda outdated, but in 2001, American families used an average of 10,656 kWh per year, or 888 kWh per month. I'd say you've got something going seriously wrong if you're using 2600 per month. http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/enduse/er01_us_tab1.html

I'd suggest checking the gaskets around your fridge and freezer. I was in an apartment once with cracked gaskets on the freezer. Once I got a new fridge/freezer, my electric bill went down an average of 120 a month.

[Martaigne]

Here's my bill history to compare. This is an all-electric 1800sqft house in GA. I keep the thermostat at 78 in the summer and 68 in the winter. Water heater temp is 115. We only had one spike in February due to a wicked cold snap.

September 2007 1,741 $196.15
August 2007 1,544 $172.16
July 2007 1,574 $175.81
June 2007 1,470 $163.14
May 2007 1,070 $97.37
April 2007 1,194 $107.12
March 2007 1,564 $136.18
February 2007 2,546 $199.52
January 2007 1,610 $131.08
December 2006 1,743 $140.80
November 2006 1,376 $113.96
October 2006 1,051 $90.18
September 2006 1,485 $156.93
August 2006 1,710 $183.12

[Krendeli]

My electric bill for last month was just a shade under $60. My house rocks. In the winter with my heat pump running, my highest bill is going to be about $160.

[Jayvn]

I think amber may have it, the seal on the door to the fridge looks all warped in one place, can feel air comin out of it, i'll check the water heater too, but I'm going to address this pretty quick I think. Thanks everyone for all the input too

[Celephais]

I'd suggest checking the gaskets around your fridge and freezer. I was in an apartment once with cracked gaskets on the freezer. Once I got a new fridge/freezer, my electric bill went down an average of 120 a month.


I think amber may have it
Wow! Nice! Gan, pull out the PC pom poms!

[Gan]

Wow! Nice! Gan, pull out the PC pom poms!

:rah:

Wouldnt you have noticed the freezer having a hard time keeping things frozen? What about condensate appearing inside (even frostless can show condensate if warm air is continuously allowed entrance.

Good shot though, I never figured that as an issue sans tell tale signs from inside the unit. :nod:

[Haywood J.]

Holy cow. I set my thermostat at 68 degrees in the summer, and 70 in the winter. How the hell can you stand 82!?

[Gan]

Ours is programmed as follows.

9pm - 7am 72
7am - 10am 74
10am - 4pm 78
4pm - 9pm 74
loop

[Jayvn]

82 heh I've lived in florida at least 22 years of my 27 ;) yeah the fridge usually had water all in the bottom of it, but didn't associate it with using THAT much energy.. still got to check things... like the power meter still spinning with all the known power in my house turned off.. Is there a way to replace just the seal on a fridge? i'm pretty decent with gaskety type stuff.. one of the side effects of mechanicing those couple years. We're renting and I hate having to deal with the landlady for crap, so if I can do a temp fix to seal it it'd be 100% better. Thanks again for all the info
Jayvn

[Jayvn]

a side note.. the fridge has acted all kinds of possessed lately, so seeing water in it, or the fact one day it froze everything in the fridge just made me think it was an old piece of crap, still didn't know fridges ate that much juice.

[The Ponzzz]

Sadly, anything that freezes/cools or heats eats the most power in your home.

I went to a power saving meeting for new home owners 3 years ago and they were saying how a hot bath everyday could cost you $150 a month...

[Sylvan Dreams]

Hm.

My electric bill is $35. I must be doing something right.

[Gan]

82 heh I've lived in florida at least 22 years of my 27 ;) yeah the fridge usually had water all in the bottom of it, but didn't associate it with using THAT much energy.. still got to check things... like the power meter still spinning with all the known power in my house turned off.. Is there a way to replace just the seal on a fridge? i'm pretty decent with gaskety type stuff.. one of the side effects of mechanicing those couple years. We're renting and I hate having to deal with the landlady for crap, so if I can do a temp fix to seal it it'd be 100% better. Thanks again for all the info
Jayvn

See if you can find your owners manual/parts manual for your refrigerator/freezer and order a replacement seal. You might even google it since it might be considered an aftermarket item. Shouldnt be too expensive and would be really easy to install.

[Sean of the Thread]

My bill has been over $400 all summer. Sucks. Can't wait for teh $100 winter months to come back.

Last apartment that I had problems with turned out to be the water heater... and oddly enough the icemaker in the freezer was shorting and pwning electricity nonstop.

[Sean of the Thread]

Ours is programmed as follows.

9pm - 7am 72
7am - 10am 74
10am - 4pm 78
4pm - 9pm 74
loop

I'm jealous.

[Shifted]

I'm jealous of central air.

Well, that and cheaper power. I'm paying 26 cents/Kwh for daytime and 13 cents/Kwh nighttime. Needless to say, I don't run the A/C very often. At least water is solar power.

[Jayvn]

So.. an update... so far all I've done is opened up the super secret panel in the kids closet and turned the water heater down from JESUSCHRIST Fucking hot that the repair guy left it on and put it at like..warm/hot... we even turned the ac down slightly from 82... it was pretty unbearable... last bill was 1500 kwh... .. seriously..does a hot water heater use 1000 kwh a month?? .. anyway it was like a hundred bucks less or so..

[Lomoriond]

Hm.

My electric bill is $35. I must be doing something right.

My last bill was $18... Living in a pissant 700 sq foot 1 bedroom apartment has its perks...


On a more useful note... when my family's farm house starts to have electric bill spikes (luckily I don't live there except when I am helping out and don't have to pay that bill) we go on bug patrol and fix/deactivate any electric device that's not being used or is sucking up useless energy... one year we managed to drop several hundred KWH a month by turning off the motion sensor lights, the garage door opener (since we never parked in there anyways) and deactivating the attic electrical circuit (another place we never used)

Anything that sucks out an idle charge or gets worn and inefficient can add up overtime... something as trivial as replacing old lightswitches or thermostats can show a marked improvement... but that'd depend on just how crazy you want to go to trim up the power bill.

[Skeeter]

So.. an update... so far all I've done is opened up the super secret panel in the kids closet and turned the water heater down from JESUSCHRIST Fucking hot that the repair guy left it on and put it at like..warm/hot... we even turned the ac down slightly from 82... it was pretty unbearable... last bill was 1500 kwh... .. seriously..does a hot water heater use 1000 kwh a month?? .. anyway it was like a hundred bucks less or so..

well, it takes energy to keep water that hot all the time. Not like it only heats up when you use it.

[The Ponzzz]

A hot bath can cost as much as $5 a use.

And my KpH usage this month was 286.

You have a lot of LEDs in your house? Nightlights? Bad plugs?

[Shifted]

Got the bill saturday for the last 4 months.Total was $64, so for me i average around 100 KwH per month.

[Sean of the Thread]

So.. an update... so far all I've done is opened up the super secret panel in the kids closet and turned the water heater down from JESUSCHRIST Fucking hot that the repair guy left it on and put it at like..warm/hot... we even turned the ac down slightly from 82... it was pretty unbearable... last bill was 1500 kwh... .. seriously..does a hot water heater use 1000 kwh a month?? .. anyway it was like a hundred bucks less or so..

I straight up turned my AC off for most of the last two months. It was as high as 96 degrees a few times but this month it was mostly in the low to mid 80's in here.

Results: energy bill down from $400ish to 200ish.

Was it worth it? I dunno. Living in that kind of Florida heat almost transformed me into Janet Reno.

To be honest you get used to it after a couple weeks.


Not that the money really matters considering how much I waste on just entertainment but I've been on a fucking mission with this energy bill just for shits and giggles.

Turned down the fridge.
Turned down the water heater.
Shortened the dryer cycles.
Been turning off the computers. (I know).
Turning off the entertainment center via master switch every evening.



I'm running out of things to tweak. Ceiling fans are on for damned sure anytime we're home but I wonder if I can do some maintenance on them to make them run more efficiently.

[Sean of the Thread]

My last bill was $18... Living in a pissant 700 sq foot 1 bedroom apartment has its perks...

...
Anything that sucks out an idle charge or gets worn and inefficient can add up overtime... something as trivial as replacing old lightswitches or thermostats can show a marked improvement... but that'd depend on just how crazy you want to go to trim up the power bill.

Wow $18... I just can't fathom that. I'm going seriously OCD over our power consumption.. light switches?

I am going to look into tweaking up all the fans in the house. Thermostat is a big problem for me as well. Idiots put it on the wall that connects to the garage right next to the air handler as well. The wall is usually very warm to the touch so the air runs a lot more often than needed.


This is a 2 year rental so we're not going to go too ape shit. More of a science project.

[The Ponzzz]

Shit, I'm in a 1BR 780 sqft place and I don't got no $18 a month bill.. Fuck!

[Sean of the Thread]

That's just insanely low. I'd imagine some federal fees or some shit would be at least that much off the get go.

[The Ponzzz]

I'm terribly worried this Plasma TV is going to kill my bill. The fucking thing gives off so much heat, I don't even think I'll need to turn on the heat this winter.

[Tsa`ah]

Before sinking cash into switches and the like, look into lubing all of your electric motors.

The factory lubes are fine, but after about a year or two of use ... it tends to turn into gum while idle and puts more stress on the motor when turned on. Once heated up it works well enough but the damage and increased wear will put consumption through the roof.

Any hardware store will sell electric motor lube. Hit your fans, fridge, HVAC, washer/dryer, etc.

I tend to do it twice a year. Toolbelt, vac with a hose, bottle of lube, and 2 hours. Take off the covers when needed, use the vac on the dust build up first, locate the lube screw(s), remove, insert the valve tip, squeeze, replace screws and cover, move on.

One of those life lessons dad never explained until I bitched about a 360 bone bill on our first apartment. My bill dropped by 125 bucks by doing what the maintenance guy should have been doing every year.

As soon as I finish jumping through 2 sets of mafia hoops, those fuckers will start paying me and my bulb and motor life will triple at least.

On the subject of hot water ... it sounds like your water heater is either outdated or in some serious need of repair. Look into replacing the heating element (rather cheap). Anything more than that and you may need to replace the entire unit. Also consider insulating at least feet of the water outlet.

[Sean of the Thread]

I'm from upstate NY and I haven't a clue what a heated towel rail is.....

[Sean of the Thread]

Before sinking cash into switches and the like, look into lubing all of your electric motors.
.

That's my mission this week. I'm even going to hit up all our box fans with some.

When I made the decision to go full bore Janet Reno I went and picked up 4 big ass box fans.. claim to cost 2 cents a day to run.

[Jayvn]

Here are some of the tips we give our customers:

- Use the sun to dry your clothes instead of the dryer
- Do cold washes instead of hot when doing laundry
- Turn off the heated towel rail - do you really need it?!
- Switch everything off at the wall - don't leave your electronics in stand-by mode
- Reduce shower times - cut down on baths
- Turn off the beer fridge during the week and switch it on for the weekends only :)
- Install a water-efficient shower head

As for the disc still spinning, if the power is off at the main switch, I'd get that checked out asap.

Lol ya...wtf is a heated towel rail? laundry mat = clothes
I already pwnd the beer fridge :( it's RIPing now
i'll try an find motors to lube... short of that.. our landlady is a stingy bitch.. who can't remember crap.. apparently someone is coming to look at the fridge... i'm not holding my breath

[Sean of the Thread]

I know my fridge sucks and is sucking up energy most likely.

I don't want to buy a nice one for a rental however. A) bitch to fucking swap them B) Bitch to fucking take it with me.

I guess I do live in Florida... I could always go find a "day laborer" at 7am in front of Home Depot to help me.

[Tsa`ah]

Any hardware store will sell it. Any hardware store worth a damn will explain how to locate the lube screws on any electric motor.

In my experience, anyone responsible for rental property doesn't give a shit about any bill you pay other than rent ... which is kind of counter productive in many ways.

[Sean of the Thread]

That's the truth.

[The Ponzzz]

I'm from upstate NY and I haven't a clue what a heated towel rail is.....

2x

[TheEschaton]

3x

And seriously, if you have a heated towel rail, do you really care what your electric bill? That sounds like something rich people have.

[Lomoriond]

Shit, I'm in a 1BR 780 sqft place and I don't got no $18 a month bill.. Fuck!

They had JUST renovated my apartments when I moved in, so I ended up with all brand new energy star appliances and we use some really high-tech newfangled gas-powered communal water heater... so I don't pay to heat my water.

They even had high efficiency washer dryers put into the laundry room, with a crazy ass device that lets you pay for cycles with your debit card and e-mails you when the cycle is complete.

I got the power bill for my first two weeks and it was $6... I actually called to ask wtf happened, but they said these apartments get pretty cheap bills... So I feel as if maybe I picked a winner. Now if only I could find out how to get rid of the white trash rednecks who live above me...

[Lomoriond]

3x

And seriously, if you have a heated towel rail, do you really care what your electric bill? That sounds like something rich people have.

My grandfather actually put one of these in once... It's really really nice on a winter day to pop out of the shower and have a really warm towel there to greet you. The one we had, you just set your towel on it and clicked it on when you jumped in the shower, and clicked it back off once you got back out (though no one ever felt comfortable operating electrical devices while soaking wet, so it got left on a lot)

Was one of the first devices to go when the power costs started sky rocketing.

Now I just throw my towel in the oven when I get in the shower, so it's nice and toasty when I get out.


~L

That oven bit is a joke... I don't even own towels, I just run out on the porch and shake like a dog.

[TheEschaton]

My showers are so steaming hot anyways that the towel, and everything in the bathroom, is boiling when I get out of the shower.

[CrystalTears]

That oven bit is a joke... I don't even own towels, I just run out on the porch and shake like a dog.
Now there's a fun mental image. Right up there with the one where Sean2 told Drew2 to do carpet angels to get dry after a shower.

[Sean of the Thread]

Carpet angels... ftw.

[Celephais]

Carpet angels... ftw.
Okay, that made me laugh IRL... Ugh... I can't imagine how bad a carpet would start to smell if you reguarly just rolled around on the floor to dry off.

That is a funny mental picture though, funny disturbing, but still funny.

[Clove]

My usage ranges from 420 to 595 kwh and averages 491/mo. We pay 16.97 cents a kwh and a $9.99 monthly service fee and our bills are about 100.00 a month. Two people in a 1200 sq ft house gas heat and hot water. Significant electric appliances: washer, dishwasher, dryer, stove, fridge, 60 gallon aquarium (heater, pump, lights). All lights are florescent and all tv's and monitors are LCD.

[Shifted]

solar water heater... solar water heater. i have not run out of hot water during the summer ever

[CrystalTears]

What do you need hot water for in the summer?

Now for the winter, that would be nice.

[Shifted]

Well it don't work too well in the wintertime here cause the sun isn't out as much. winter is the cloudy and rainy season. Winter i'll turn on the oil heater for about a half hour and that heats up the water.