Power bill- Wowsa!

[amberbamber]

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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]

Re: Power bill- Wowsa!

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.