Power bill- Wowsa!

amberbamber · #1 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 07:58 AM

Our power bill for December was 375.82!!!!!!
I am not understanding this at all. Our other house was power/gas and our combined bills never reached over $250.00. Now this house is around 800 sq ft less, heated with a heat pump, and all electric and the bill is $375! I need help quickly as we are leaving this evening for 10 days. Is there anything I can do while we are gone that's going to help save money?

And then when we get back what do you recommend? We already have our thermostat at 65 degrees, I try to keep as many lights off as possible all day/night. I've gone around and unplugged unnecessary things-such as phone chargers, etc. I need ideas! First thing when we get back, my husband is going up in the attic and looking at the insulation! This is ridiclious!!!!! HELP!!!

tinapbeana · #2 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 08:05 AM

wow, i'm so sorry!!!

try bumping the thermostat down a degree a week. it won't be a drastic change all at once, but you might reach 62 or 60 and find you're still comfy. oh, and while you're gone you can probably set the thermostat to 55 or 58 and the house'll be aok. do you have a programmable thermostat?

make sure your windows aren't sabotaging you. do they feel cold to the touch? or drafty? if possible, tack a light blanket or flannel sheets from a thrift store around windows.

check outside doors, too. weather stripping, a draft stopper at the base of the door, and a flannel sheet over those you don't use often might help.

what kind of light bulbs are you using? cfls do make a large difference.

is your water heater electric? try moving the temp setting down 5-10 degrees.

checking the insulation is definitely a must!

and, well, how much do you use the stove/oven for cooking? could you microwave more, or possibly bring hot food home once a week? you might pay a bit more on the food front this way, but i doubt it would be $125 more per month...

good luck!

amberbamber · #3 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinapbeana

wow, i'm so sorry!!!

try bumping the thermostat down a degree a week. it won't be a drastic change all at once, but you might reach 62 or 60 and find you're still comfy. oh, and while you're gone you can probably set the thermostat to 55 or 58 and the house'll be aok. do you have a programmable thermostat?

make sure your windows aren't sabotaging you. do they feel cold to the touch? or drafty? if possible, tack a light blanket or flannel sheets from a thrift store around windows.

check outside doors, too. weather stripping, a draft stopper at the base of the door, and a flannel sheet over those you don't use often might help.

what kind of light bulbs are you using? cfls do make a large difference.

is your water heater electric? try moving the temp setting down 5-10 degrees.

checking the insulation is definitely a must!

and, well, how much do you use the stove/oven for cooking? could you microwave more, or possibly bring hot food home once a week? you might pay a bit more on the food front this way, but i doubt it would be $125 more per month...

good luck!

Well, I can't get the themostat down much lower, I have 3 kids under 4 and they've been sick alot. I can't afford the doctor bills, much less the heat bill! I will work on all of these, most of them we already do.

PrincessPerky · #4 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 09:11 AM

I have three kids, they are under 5...but...the temp of the house actually doesn't make much difference in sick or not, though I understand the desire for comfort...I have shied away from going lower than 65 in the day too...but...I am working on it.

anyway insulation is very important, aslo keep windows covered except when in direct sunlight.

Cheetahwoman7 · #5 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 09:52 AM

Amber,

Call your local energy company and see if they do FREE energy audits of homes in your area. They will send someone over to check where your heat loss is coming from, if the filter on the heater needs to be changed, if windows should be replaced, and a variety of other things. It doesn't cost a thing and they'll use thier computers to figure out how much you'll save if you make the changes they suggest. They also have energy kits for low income familys that have things like shriink wrap window sealers, draft dodgers to block cold air coming in from under the doors.

If your company doesn't have that, they should have the names of businesses that do for a pretty reasonalble price.

Hope that helps,
CJ

lgslgs · #6 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 10:09 AM

Check to make sure that there was an actual meter reading, not an estimated one. And it if is actual, compare it to your meter to make sure there wasn't a typo.

If it was estimated, and higher than your reading today, call the power company and have them recalculate and re-estimate the bill - pro-rating from today's reading.

Lynda

lgslgs · #7 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 10:11 AM

One other thing, check the billing period. If it is a first bill at a new house it might be for more than one month's use.

Lynda

Ima saver · #8 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 10:24 AM

My husband is a builder and he NEVER puts heat pumps in any houses. Only two customers insisted on heat pumps so he put them in. Within 2 years, both customers had them taken out and gas heat put in.(propane) That might be your problem. My house is 3200 square feet and my bill was $90.
Also, I keep my hot water heater (electric) turned off unless running the dishwasher or someone taking a shower. We put a switch in each kitchen so the hot water heater can be turned off easily.

JBinKC · #9 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 10:37 AM

Lots of electric utitlities are raising rates. All I can suggest is did you get the winter rate with your utility. Many utilities offer a lower rate for customers who are all electric.

amberbamber · #10 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBinKC

Lots of electric utitlities are raising rates. All I can suggest is did you get the winter rate with your utility. Many utilities offer a lower rate for customers who are all electric.

I've never heard of this!

As far as a heat pump goes- they are much more effecient and are supposed to be more cost effective than the price of natural gas or propane.

I did call the energy company and they do audits, but it's over the phone!? So, I'm not sure that would really help. I'm guessing when we get back from the holidays we'll be checking into the insulation and then changing out light bulbs and trying to do much more energy saving! Thank you all!

While we are gone, do you think it would be wise to put the themostat on 60 or lower?

banana · #11 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 11:26 AM

I would also call up the electric co and see if they give discounts on the rates being that you are all electric. How much do you pay per kwh? Was the billing period for longer than 1 month? Maybe you can talk to the electric co about going on balanced billing. I do that and it really helps me avoiding getting high electric bills in the summer when the central air is on. I also make it a habit of reading my meter, I try to read it everyday it really helps me to see exactly what I am being charged for. I dont use my electric dryer since that uses a lot of electricity, also turn off your hotwater heater when you dont need hot water.

I think you would be ok turning it down to 55 while you are away.

Have you had the heat pump inspected to make sure it is working correctly?

Ima saver · #12 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 02:30 PM

I am soryy, I wish my husband could talk to you. He says that heat pumps are not energy efficient at all if the temp. is 42 degrees outside or lower. That is why they are ok in florida, but not good in other states. He has built over 80 homes and put propane in all but the two I mentioned. After high energy bills, the owners had the heat pumps taken out and installed gas heat.
While you are gone, set the heat as low as it will go. You only need it about 40 to keep the pipes from freezing. BTW, all the electric companies really push heat pumps cause it makes them money.

Ima saver · #13 (**permalink**) 12-24-2006, 10:14 AM

Amber, I talked to my husband last night.He says it is the heat pump that is costing your so much money. He says that the heat they put out is 10 degrees colder than put out by gas heat, so they have to work that much harder. I wish he could explain it to you, but he does not know how to use a computer.

froggie · #14 (**permalink**) 12-24-2006, 11:09 AM

You've gotten some really good suggestions so far. I don't know if this would be applicable for you and your family but our electric company allows people to "pay up" when they're paying their monthly bill. People round up their bill to the next dollar and the electric company puts the extra into a fund to help families that qualify pay their electric bills.

Hoping that next months bill is much lower!!!

Ima saver · #15 (**permalink**) 12-24-2006, 11:42 AM

Our electric company has something like that . You can add $1 or $5 to your bill and it will help someone that can't afford to pay their power bill.

JoyJoy · #16 (**permalink**) 12-24-2006, 05:15 PM

I was shocked at our electric bill this month too! $186.20. That was a normal bill when the boys were home, but with just hubby and me that's pretty high.

Two suggestions:

(1) We pay our bill through National Grid (though this may not be your electric co.). To save energy and money they suggest we go online for information to help us save energy and save money on our energy bills @ www.nationalgridus.com/knowhow You may find some help there.

(2) We have a budget plan (we aren't on it for the electric but for the gas we are). The budget plan helps by spreading your payments more evenly across the year. Perhaps your company has a budget plan too.

s.saver · #17 (**permalink**) 12-30-2006, 04:14 PM

JoyJoy has a good point, you can have your electric company look at your bills and they will average them throughut the year, and by doing this you have a more consistant bill, and definitely not suprise bills like the one you have now.

Marcymox · #18 (**permalink**) 01-01-2007, 02:38 PM

just wondering how the OP is doing with her bills- maybe she's already back from her holiday??

My house is set at 59 at night, and when no one is home, and when people are home, it's at about 63 or so. hubby whines about being cold, but he;s sitting there in a t-shirt- one thing I keep telling hubby is Ya gotta wear clothes!!! When my kids were little I had them wear undershirts, and those footie pajama things. Sweatshirts, sweaters, all will keep you warm in the house. No need to bundle up-fleece is the best.

another point I wanted to make is the temperature of your house should actually be COOLER if you are battling colds and germs- why do you think hospitals are so cold- and operating rooms? germs breed more easily in warm ( and moist) air. A warm heated bedroom with a vaporizer for a stuffy nose is a germ factory. It's like that old wives take if you go outside in the cold with wet hair, you will catch your death> umm- no colds are caught by viruses, not cold air.

ANYWAY, op- you got good advice about heat pumps- see also if your electric company has time advantage- ours does- electricity is less expensive from 9pm to 9 am so you are supposed to run your dishwasher, washing machine, and every other electric hogging machine during that time.

besides the other good insulating advice you got, you can do other things- you probably know these already- letting your dishes air dry ( open the dishwasher door) instead of electric dry. Use the shortest possible cycle on the washer, ( mine is a 6 minute agitation) ect. use more blankets on your bed. You can easily set your temps at 59 for the night and be fine. maybe let the kids sleep together for warmth?

good luck - keep us posted on what you do- I'm very interested!!

Ima saver · #19 (**permalink**) 01-01-2007, 02:47 PM

Marcy, you make a good point. I keep my house very cold and wear sweat pants and a shirt with 2 sweaters. I am almost never sick, germs can't live in this cold house.

amberbamber · #20 (**permalink**) 01-02-2007, 12:11 PM

We are back from vacation. We left the house at 59 degrees while we were gone. Since we rent this house from our in-laws we talked to them about the insulation while we were with them. They are willing to pay to have the heat pump inspected and any insulation we might need. Which is good!

Another thing to ponder- we have a crawl space and that is where our hot water heater is located. I can't get to the heater easily enough to turn it on and off. We have a water heater blanket around it, but should there be insulation around the entire crawl space? I'm thinking at least on the ceiling there should be. It would certainly help keep our entire floor (all wood floors through out the entire downstairs) much warmer!

I'll be calling the power company tomorrow and asking about budget billing. I know they do not give cheaper rates during the evening because it's on a meter- they just read the numbers and calculate it based on amount used. Make sense?

Thank you all for your advice, I'll see whatelse we can work on for saving money around here. And currently our thermostat is now set on 66.