somdfunguy
not impressed
$90 last month
Electric Bill
- Thread starter Dakota
- Start date
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
I am not sure ours has EVER been that low every year I have lived here.
I do wish there was a decent alternative to cranking up the water heater level - it does seem that no matter how high we crank it, it's never very hot.
Aren't most water heaters insulated already? I know when I set the heat setting, I have to peel back a layer of insulation. So, do water heater blankets do anything?
GWguy
*
Mixed reviews on whether a blanket actually does much good. Probably better off with a newer high efficiency heater.
As far as temps go, you could have a faulty thermostat or coil on the heater. Cheap enough to swap out. I'll bet none of your pipes are insulated either, so you could be losing heat there.
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SamSpade
Well-Known Member
That's my thought, although I'll have to see if that helps at all. The water heater is nearly new, so I don't think the thermostat is the problem.
Hot water gets shipped all through the house, but I never thought that there was much loss through the pipes. It wasn't until they did those ductless mini-splits on the radio that any heat was "wasted" heating the ducts themselves.
migtig
aka Mrs. Giant
We replaced our washer and dryer last year in December and cut an average of $50 a month off our electric bill. We saved even more when we used the clothesline over the summer. That was the only change we made and it made a noticable difference. Now I want to replace all our appliances with energy efficient ones. 
stockgirl
Stocki
We replaced our washer and dryer last year in December and cut an average of $50 a month off our electric bill. We saved even more when we used the clothesline over the summer. That was the only change we made and it made a noticable difference. Now I want to replace all our appliances with energy efficient ones.
The tax credit is great!
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
I can't figure it out. We've replaced virtually every device in the house over the last few years, and it still barely dents our electric use. New fridge, stove, heat pumps, water pump, water heater, washer, dryer. We've even added propane backup heat.
We don't even have substantially lower bills in the spring and fall, when heat/ac use is non-existent. It goes down, but maybe 30%. It's still high.
I've heard a lot about "vampire power" but my experience with it - by measuring with different tools - is, it's really not a lot. Saving five bucks a month when your bill is 100 sounds great. Not so much when it's 400 or more.
migtig
aka Mrs. Giant
Maybe you should have an energy audit done. I think SMECO does it for a nominal fee. With all your replacing, you really should have seen some major savings.
stockgirl
Stocki
Are all of those new appliances energy efficient?
somdfunguy
not impressed
go into your attic and look at your insulation. how much do you have?
GWguy
*
Maybe get one or two of the Watt Monitors. Maybe it can help pin-point something you're overlooking.
P3 - Kill A Watt
P3 - Kill A Watt
somdfunguy
not impressed
Get one of these to find cold spots in the winter.
Raytek MT4 Mini Temp Non-Contact Thermometer Gun with Laser Sighting - Amazon.com
Fix the cold spots
Raytek MT4 Mini Temp Non-Contact Thermometer Gun with Laser Sighting - Amazon.com
Fix the cold spots
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
Did that, years ago. Wasn't impressed with their results - and I had to pay for it.
The ONE good thing they observed and I got out of it was, there was heat loss through the FLOOR of the area over my garage. They gave me coupons for insulation, and by and large, that was money well spent.
They gave me coupons for things like CFL's - which we mostly don't use, largely because if your room is dark, the last thing you want is a bulb that takes a while to light up.
They told me I have heat loss through a sliding door to my laundry room - but they had no idea how to correct it.
They insulated some pipe in my cabinet above my stove leading out of the stove hood. And they put a few lengths of insulation on my hot water pipes, but only about a yard's worth - the rest they left alone.
And that's about it. I think they charge about twice as much now, but I won't be doing that again.
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
Got one - actually, THIS one -
Amazon.com: Black & Decker TLD100 Thermal Leak Detector: Home Improvement
I've used it everywhere, but I haven't seen any evidence of anything significant.
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
Yup - got one. They also sell this device to turn off a whole bunch of devices by remote, and I got that too.
I checked the consumption of electricity of all the major devices in the house. I was surprised to find how LITTLE electricity they actually use over time - such as the computer, or the fridge.
I think it's in my top desk drawer somewhere.
somdfunguy
not impressed
I hang heavy curtains in front of the sliders. Before that I used comforters. Doesn't look pretty but removes the chill from the room.
If you have any other windows you should also use curtains/blinds to shield them.
MMDad
Lem Putt
I'd look for hot water leakage since you mentioned needing to keep the heater turned up. Mine is set at 120, and we have never run out of out water (except during power outages) even if we run simultaneous and back to back showers, dishes, and laundry. And that's with a 19 YO water heater.
Another thing to look for - I don't know the correct term, but I call it crossover - the hot water is mixing with the cold water due to poor plumbing design. You end up with hot water going places it shouldn't, like to toilets and outside faucets.
Sump pump or well pump? Maybe running too much?
GWguy
*
Hmm. When SMECO came out, did they check the meter? They don't fail often, but it could account for your high bills. Also, check your bill for something called a meter multiplier. Different meters use different multipliers, and they may have one too high for your meter. We had this recently at a facility on base. Brand new "intelligent" meter, but they had a multiplier of 10 when it should have been one. We were getting outrageous bills for extremely little usage.