Electricity bill

[getforfree]

Originally Posted by poundwise

A suggestion: Check to see if your power company offers an alternative rate schedule.

My provider has two plans. The first is the basic, default arrangement whereby you pay a basic customer charge plus a certain amount per kilowatt hour for energy usage.

The alternative is called a time-of-use plan whereby you are charged a different customer charge and have, instead of one constant rate for usage, two rates; on-peak and off-peak. The off-peak rate is considerably lower that the standard flat rate.

The idea is, with the alternative plan, that you plan to do more energy intensive tasks, like washing and drying clothes, utilizing other appliances, etc. during off-peak hours and thereby save money overall.

I am looking into this with my provider. Its a certainly an alternative worth considering if your provider makes it available to you. They typically will not 'advertise' this but if you ask or examine the rate schedules online, you can typically find out relatively easily.

One thing I like about my provider, is that switching to the time-of-use plan doesn't cost anything (they have to replace your meter with a special one) and it is month-to-month. Be sure to check on these types of terms if you inquire with your provider about similar plans.

Ours doesn't offer alternative rate schedule. If it would, it wouldn't help much. We don't use AC in the night, and I don't think, I would want to get up at 2 am and to my laundry.

[boomeyers]

I think $90 is pretty good!

[poundwise]

Originally Posted by getforfree

Ours doesn't offer alternative rate schedule. If it would, it wouldn't help much. We don't use AC in the night, and I don't think, I would want to get up at 2 am and to my laundry.

The schedule here during the warm-weather months puts off-peak hours at before 10am and after 9pm Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday are also off-peak all day.

Also, as I mentioned already, the on-peak rate is lower than the standard flat rate anyway.

Anyway, rates vary and not every company offers the alternative, but among those that do, I believe a frugal-minded person could easily benefit from a time-of-use plan.

[poundwise]

Originally Posted by mschluckbier

But I did mention the tankless water heater to my fiancee, and we're going to do some research into that.

You will find out that high efficiency gas tankless water heaters can offer a substantial savings (though after the intial cost it may be a few years before you reach the break-even point), however, electric tankless heaters offer little to no advantage over conventional hot-water heaters.

[Ima saver]

It costs about 50cents in electricity to run the dishwasher for 85 minutes. Not too bad. I turn off the hot water the minute the cycle ends.

[neguy11]

I just got my first electric bill in my new apartment. I was for May 1-18, yet I moved in on the 15th. Somehow I used 50 kWh in three days, which seems awfull high considering I didn't have much of anything hooked up. I am nervous to get my bill for the next period. I've used my AC more than I wanted to, but I can't sleep at night -- I've literally woken up every night at 4 am and had to turn on the AC because I'm too hot. I have an air purifer running 24/7 on low but I might just turn it off when I leave the house.

If I use a powerstrip, and I turn off the powerstrip when I leave, are the appliances plugged into it (TV, lamps, alarm clock, etc.) still going to drain power?

Thanks this is the first time I've had to pay an electric bill!

[Ima saver]

I don't know about the power strip. Your bill might just be for a minium that the company charges.

[mschluckbier]

I would call and find out about that bill...did the landlord maybe switch it into your name for you? What a deal if they did! LOL! I've been renting too long, and have always switched my own utilities, but the companies have always asked the date I wanted the transfer to take place. So I would definitely call and find out why I was billed for 2 weeks before I lived there. Good luck!

[Ima saver]

I have gone almost 2 days without running the a/c, but it is really getting tougher. It is supposed to be 90 today.

[vsjhoc]

We can't realistically compare our electric bills ("mine's bigger than yours!") because there's lots of variables:

* How big is your house/apartment?
* Where (what part of the country) do you live?
* At what temperature do you maintain in the house? Do you vary this by time of day?
* Is the TV on 24/7?
* Do people in the house leave lights on in rooms they don't use?
* Do you use energy saving light bulbs and appliances?
* Do you unplug appliances when not in use (TV, computer, etc. when you're away for a weekend)?
* Did your electricity company just hike everyone's rates by 38% (that's exactly what happened here on June 1)????


vsjhoc

[Ima saver]

Our house is 3200 sq. feet, plus we have an extra garage with an efficency apt. and bathroom. I live in N. Ga., but it gets hot here. (cools pretty good at night) I used to keep my house around 72-73, I am trying a little higher starting this week.
Yes, the tv is on a lot cause I am home all day.
No energy saving bulbs.
I do not unplug appliances or turn off the computer.
Our electric company did raise rates last month,but I don't know how much.
I budget $160 a month cause that is the highest bill I have recieved, this has been my budget for over 10 years.

[debtfreeme]

The one thing I miss from my old home was the use of the solar box cooker. It is impossible for me to do it her in such a small yard, and I don't get sun until after 2 but that really can make a difference in your electric. We can cook about 3 to 4 days a week with the cooker, from soups and stems with raw meat (heat up so hot animals won't get close to it or else they get burned, to desserts like cakes and brownies (only if you are home and can check it.) but it is great. We have also used it camping. And that really cuts down on how hot the house is and not using any electricity to cook. the total investment was about 40 dollars for the cooker itself and then about 15 in the right materials to cook in (found at junk stores as they have to be dark pots.) but also fun to teach kids about solar energy and saving energy. When you explain that they can make a cake or brownies all cooked by the sun...they get really amazed. Great lessons for those parents at home. Does not take a lot of work to make the cooker, each kid could make their own.

[debtfreeme]

And we had a tankless water heater put in about 3 years ago and the gas bill is only about 20 a month compared to 47 with the old heater.

my electric bill in this current house, which i share with 3 room mates, is betwee 70 and 90. During the summer it will be higher but i am going to upplug a coupld more things in my room.

does anyone know if using a power strip thing is cheaper? I want to see if i can make the electric go down to 70 again with all three of us there. Hey it save me money!

[poundwise]

Originally Posted by debtfreeme

And we had a tankless water heater put in about 3 years ago and the gas bill is only about 20 a month compared to 47 with the old heater.

my electric bill in this current house, which i share with 3 room mates, is betwee 70 and 90. During the summer it will be higher but i am going to upplug a coupld more things in my room.

does anyone know if using a power strip thing is cheaper? I want to see if i can make the electric go down to 70 again with all three of us there. Hey it save me money!

"One solution is to unplug appliances when not in use, Kammen said. An alternative is to group appliances on one surge protector or power strip so that all can be turned off at once. This works well for entertainment systems or for a computer and its associated printers, scanners and other peripheral devices."

from: UC Berkley - Eliminating standby electricity loss

[Ima saver]

I have been reading my meter every day, and I cannot seem to get it to go down. I guess it is just too hot right now.

[cashqueen]

I turned off the A/C when I left this morning. WHen I went home for lunch it was still plenty cool in there and it's over 90 degrees outside. I will probably turn it on a bit when I get home to cool it off and then turn it down when it's 'cooler' outside. I can just put the fan on at night. I couldn't keep it off at night if DH was home, he is so warm blooded and our bedroom is the hottest room in the house (coldest in the winter).

[Ima saver]

Our house is comfortable downstairs, I just can't get the upstairs to cool down.

[cashqueen]

Luckily right now we don't spend too much time upstairs. I will go up there in the evening to play on the computer but I can live with just the ceiling fan.

[Ima saver]

I ran the dryer today and watched the meter. I think it cost about 30 cents to run the dryer for 40 minutes.

[getforfree]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

It costs about 50cents in electricity to run the dishwasher for 85 minutes. Not too bad. I turn off the hot water the minute the cycle ends.

How much does it cost to run the water for about 20 min to handwash the dishes?

I have dishwasher, but I don't use it. I think it's cheaper to wash the dishes in the sink, is that right, or maybe I am wrong.