Electric Bill

[SamSpade]

go into your attic and look at your insulation. how much do you have?

THIS might be part of the problem, although it really would only explain the high cost of heat during very cold months. It certainly doesn't explain the cost of electricity during the months we neither heat nor cool the house.

During our energy audit, all they did was measure its depth and said it was adequate. They DID say the door TO the attic, however, leaked. So there would be some loss there.

I just learned about a week or so ago, you can rent devices to blow insulation in your attic yourself.

I think insulation is PART of the problem. We have a brick home, and the way they were designed is that they have almost zero insulation on the exterior walls. Between my sheetrock and the elements, there's a bit of furring, some cinder block and the outside brick - and that's it. Still, the point of insulation is to hinder airflow for heat loss - it's not conducted out the house. And I suspect that our windows aren't the best.

Most of our appliances rate well - we did get front loaders in the laundry room, which if nothing else, are at least efficient in water and soap use. The heat pumps have about average efficiency - the guy who installed them said to get the really high SEER ratings, you'd probably never recover the cost put into it over the expected lifetime of the heat pump - meaning, you might save 100 bucks, but it might take you over ten years to recoup the extra cost. Most people want to save money right away.

Our electric bills are around 200-450 a month for a house > 3000 sq ft. I just assumed that was normal.

 

[SamSpade]

Sump pump or well pump? Maybe running too much?

Replaced a poor well pump - it had failed and our pressure was nearly zero, although by some peculiar design, even AFTER I had it replaced, we have near zero pressure - and for ####s and giggles, I went over and pushed a valve leading to a hard water device, and BOOM! everything worked.

There's little doubt in my mind that the water in my house is designed badly, but I don't know what to do about it. With rare exception it functions adequately, meaning you can get a hot shower and bath, the toilets flush and the washer gets hot water. The only exasperating thing is that the taps always take time to get hot water to them - you turn on the hot water, and it's cold for the first couple minutes (unless someone did it recently).

 

[somdfunguy]

I think insulation is PART of the problem. We have a brick home

there you have it

 

[MMDad]

THIS might be part of the problem, although it really would only explain the high cost of heat during very cold months. It certainly doesn't explain the cost of electricity during the months we neither heat nor cool the house.

During our energy audit, all they did was measure its depth and said it was adequate. They DID say the door TO the attic, however, leaked. So there would be some loss there.

I just learned about a week or so ago, you can rent devices to blow insulation in your attic yourself.

I think insulation is PART of the problem. We have a brick home, and the way they were designed is that they have almost zero insulation on the exterior walls. Between my sheetrock and the elements, there's a bit of furring, some cinder block and the outside brick - and that's it. Still, the point of insulation is to hinder airflow for heat loss - it's not conducted out the house. And I suspect that our windows aren't the best.

Most of our appliances rate well - we did get front loaders in the laundry room, which if nothing else, are at least efficient in water and soap use. The heat pumps have about average efficiency - the guy who installed them said to get the really high SEER ratings, you'd probably never recover the cost put into it over the expected lifetime of the heat pump - meaning, you might save 100 bucks, but it might take you over ten years to recoup the extra cost. Most people want to save money right away.

Our electric bills are around 200-450 a month for a house > 3000 sq ft. I just assumed that was normal.

My new high SEER heat pump is saving me at least $100/month, and up to $200/month. I put in an extra $2K, got $1500 back in rebate, and paid for it in just a few months.

I don't think your $200-$450 for >3000 is out of line though. My house is about 2000 sq ft., so I should have lower costs.

 

[SamSpade]

My new high SEER heat pump is saving me at least $100/month, and up to $200/month. I put in an extra $2K, got $1500 back in rebate, and paid for it in just a few months.

I don't think your $200-$450 for >3000 is out of line though. My house is about 2000 sq ft., so I should have lower costs.

I did notice however, that the devices around the TV's and my laptops put out a LOT of heat. Even though they are in low power mode and not being used - if they're using half the energy 20 hours a day and full energy for four, it might be better to take them off standby and just turn them OFF.

I think the SEER rating for my heat pump meant a doubling of the cost, and I think I have a 5 ton for the house. And when you don't have the money, it really doesn't help to "save".

I think this weekend I'll have to make a once around the house to check everything, since we're fast approaching the time of year when I do the dreaded plastic crap over the windows we don't use thing.

 

[DEEKAYPEE8569]

I did notice however, that the devices around the TV's and my laptops put out a LOT of heat. Even though they are in low power mode and not being used - if they're using half the energy 20 hours a day and full energy for four, it might be better to take them off standby and just turn them OFF.

I think the SEER rating for my heat pump meant a doubling of the cost, and I think I have a 5 ton for the house. And when you don't have the money, it really doesn't help to "save".

I think this weekend I'll have to make a once around the house to check everything, since we're fast approaching the time of year when I do the dreaded plastic crap over the windows we don't use thing.

Just curious.....
Do you go so far as to check for air leaks around wall outlets? I hear that they are causes of heat loss.

 

[SamSpade]

Just curious.....
Do you go so far as to check for air leaks around wall outlets? I hear that they are causes of heat loss.

No, not typically. I will add that to my checks.

It also occurred to me to check for electric use of multiple items by means of a surge protector strip - I usually just check the TV by itself. The DVR must remain connected, but I can probably shut everything else off rather that rely on standby.

 

[stockgirl]

My bill came in yesterday. It was $300. My bill has NEVER been this high. I'm an electricity nazi. Lights and TVs must be turned off while nobody is in the room. I don't even turn the lights on when the kids are in bed. I light candles.

 

[GWguy]

Mine was $67. A third of that was fees and taxes.

 

[stockgirl]

Mine was $67. A third of that was fees and taxes.

Mine should be about that. I have no idea why it was so high. I am going to have SMECO come out and recheck the meter. Although, I can imagine that they'll never find an error in their part.

 

[migtig]

Mine was $67. A third of that was fees and taxes.

Ours was $123 ($10 less than last month) and $45 of that was fees and taxes, so a little over a third of our bill.

 

[SamSpade]

Ok, question - why would the meter be so far off? And how could they correct it to a "true" value?

Doesn't the bill show a kilowatt usage?

 

[stockgirl]

Ok, question - why would the meter be so far off? And how could they correct it to a "true" value?

Doesn't the bill show a kilowatt usage?

It does. It'll have to do the numbers and take a look at last month's bill. We did use more kilowatts, but not double the amount. The bill doubled.

 

[somdfunguy]

It does. It'll have to do the numbers and take a look at last month's bill. We did use more kilowatts, but not double the amount. The bill doubled.

Was it an actual reading last month or an estimate?

 

[stockgirl]

Was it an actual reading last month or an estimate?

I'll have to go look at the bill.

 

[DEEKAYPEE8569]

Remember To Read From Right To Left

I'll have to go look at the bill.

A while back, I learned how to read an analog meter.
Start with the dial to the far right and read from right to left.
If the dial is between numbers, you go to the next higher number. YW