Electric bill shocker...

[brerrabbit]

Exactly why ours is set in the 80s during the day...living in Clear Lake area over here...we did commit to the 2 year plan...but we are only at 11 cents per KWh here, which IS a bummer in the winter months...but what can you do? I can't handle the bills in the summer.

For all of you with the plans to pay the same every month. Very nice for you and where you are. It isn't an option here. You just have to figure out a way to deal, which involves that 80s set temp during the day...

Hey TxRabbit! I live on the east side of Pearland off Dixie Farm Road so we are not far apart. I get crazy thinking about how much we pay for power. I to signed up for the 11 cent rate with TXU but we still get $400 bills plus in the summer.

I think that a huge difference for us that a lot of people don't understand is that while our a/c's cool another huge part of the reason we run them is the humidity. The a/c units take the moisture out of the house and it is amazing the amount of water that comes out of the units. I am sure most a/c's are designed this way but around here the drains from the coils are piped directly into the house drains because we extract so much water from the air. We have to run the a/c in the cooler months as well as the summer just to de humidify the air. In lower humidty areas in cooler weather opening windows to cool off is an option but here it is not. We keep the temp at 78 degrees and while others would say that's to high if you come inside from a 95 degree day with 90% humidity into a 78 degree house with 30% humidity it feels like you walked into a freezer.

 

[MomToOne]

We were just switched to "Smart Meters" and my bill went way up. PG&E says it's more accurate then the traditional meters. Any one else get these and notice that the numbers on the meters do not go back to 0?

I've had one of the PG&E Smart Meters for well over a year now (we seemed to be one of the first installs). I haven't had any problem with the meter. What do you mean by "the meters do not go back to 0"? I'm not sure what you are expecting to go back to 0.

I keep our bill low - under $40/month so far this summer - by just refusing to turn on the air conditioning unless it hits about 82 in the house. We just use fans if we are hot before that point. And even when I do turn on the air conditioning, I do it just to get the house cooled down to about 78, then turn it off again. I never leave it on at night since even on the hottest nights it will cool down below 70 outside, and we leave the windows open to take in that cooler air. Fans, fans and more fans get us through. And we aren't miserable, really!! I also have good insulating blinds on all windows and keep them closed during the day when it's hot. The house is over 80 years old, and there is absolutely no insulation in the walls and only a bit in the attic, but I can still usually keep the house below that 82 degree mark even on 100 degree days!

 

[bored]

Mine stays at 74 all summer. Our bill last month was $155.00 with the AC blasting 24/7 and pool running 8 hours a day. With out 70% humidity whenever it cools down it's still sticky and I like it cold so we just pay. 1500 sq ft house w/basement

 

[Jubilee]

For those of you considering moving to FL, just wanted you to know my bills here in a very modest sized rental home (less than 1500SQFT) have been 250 and 325 respectfully thus far. Thank GOD my landlord just replaced the A/C. Can't wait to see what it will be this next month....

 

[DawnM]

Ours was the highest it has ever been this month too. The heat is just killing us.

Our normal bill is around $150-$200 depending on use of air/heat and this month it was $300.

Dawn

 

[Nickimouse]

Hey TxRabbit! I live on the east side of Pearland off Dixie Farm Road so we are not far apart. I get crazy thinking about how much we pay for power. I to signed up for the 11 cent rate with TXU but we still get $400 bills plus in the summer.

I think that a huge difference for us that a lot of people don't understand is that while our a/c's cool another huge part of the reason we run them is the humidity. The a/c units take the moisture out of the house and it is amazing the amount of water that comes out of the units. I am sure most a/c's are designed this way but around here the drains from the coils are piped directly into the house drains because we extract so much water from the air. We have to run the a/c in the cooler months as well as the summer just to de humidify the air. In lower humidty areas in cooler weather opening windows to cool off is an option but here it is not. We keep the temp at 78 degrees and while others would say that's to high if you come inside from a 95 degree day with 90% humidity into a 78 degree house with 30% humidity it feels like you walked into a freezer.

Ah, other Houston area people who feel my pain. I had no idea our electric would run so high when we moved here almost 4 years ago. Our 2600 sq.ft. house is all electric, 2 A/C's (the new one doesn't seem to have helped the cost much) and pool pump. $500-$600 bills in the summer easy. Our A/C is set at 78 too and heat at 68 in the winter. Sadly our lowest throughout the year is in the $250-$280 range.

 

[tar heel]

Ours was $410. About $80 of that was water and sewer (we have atrocious rates). Our August bill is usually our highest -- I can't wait.

 

[tinkmom2]

My bill comes out around the 27th. I am not looking forward to it. We have had hot, hot, hot, weather. I have had one if not both of my air conditioners working around the clock. I am sure my bill will be close to $300! I will let you know what the damage is!

 

[disney1990]

Ok, so we got our electric bill today.

2400 sq ft house, new A/C system put in about 2 years ago, new windows put in this past spring.

The bill was $182.00.

Our A/C is set on 80 degrees.

 

[bucket o' butter]

Our electric bill is usually around $200 which is ridiculous, but we have become used to it! This month is was almost $300! I about had a heart attack! But we have had an incredibly hot summer and the fact the DH works nights, we run the AC 24/7! I think it is going to be turned up though. I can't handle another one like that!

 

[shoes99]

We live in hot New Jersey. We have a small house, two adults only, and last month JCPL was $150, got the E-bill today and it is $250.
Last year the same period was $147 and $248.
Its already 89 degrees at 12 noon and going up.

 

[straightstreet1]

The rate caps for PPL expired already on 12/31/2009 (I think), and they will expire for Met Ed on 12/31/2010. This has and will cause large increases in your bill.

 

[straightstreet1]

I was trying to find the estimated increase for Met Ed customers when I ran across your posts.

If you are a Pennsylvania customer, you can save by switching your electricity generation supplier. One that I know of is:

http: //kensenergy. ichoosesavings dot com

They give you $500 savings dollars when you sign up, and $100 savings dollars per month.

Also there is no charge to leave them, no credit checks, no enrollment fee.

I hope this helps.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

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[dclfun]

I refuse to be miserable in my own home and pop up the a/c over 80 degrees. Our a/c is usually set at 68-70. We live in a two bedroom apartment in Central Florida and our summer bill is usually around $300. It was $250 last month. Of course with our cold winter this year and the fact that I didn't have to run our heater at all, I saved quite a bit for those months. I have a son in renal failure and I have a disability also that affects my respiration so we do actually need cool air and lower humidity, but I budget for the a/c in the summer knowing the costs will be exorbitant. I just consider it a necessary expense.---Kathy

 

[mommy2_3]

ours was the same way! last month it was $80 this month over $200. we have been running our a/c 24/7 just to keep it somewhat cool in our house. we are getting a new unit. we had a few people come out and say ours was to small for our house so its going to cost about $3000 for a new unit. at least we will be getting the tax credit when we do our taxes! it would have been alot more but we got like 3 discounts. the unit was on sale -about $300, this other sale thing they had -about $1000 then the guy was super nice and gave us a friends/family discount that was -about $200!

 

[Disnee4Me]

Does anyone live in Northeastern PA and have PPL? I want to change to a different electric supplier. I went to the site PA Power Switch to choose a supplier, but I don't know which one to choose. Has anyone done this? Which one did you choose and did you see a difference in your bill?

 

[WheelCEO]

I used to set the A/C at 82, and DH put the thermostat on a 3-degree variance.

I've now upped the thermostat to 85.

Wow... I am going to keep comments to myself on this one, but more power to you... hopefully you do realize the higher you set your thermostat the LESS energy efficient you are being. FPL (if that's who you have) will come out and give you a FREE consultation on how to improve your energy bill. Recommended setting is 78 degrees on your thermostat, but obviously you can vary slightly but 85 is just insane.

 

[Muushka]

Wow... I am going to keep comments to myself on this one, but more power to you... hopefully you do realize the higher you set your thermostat the LESS energy efficient you are being. FPL (if that's who you have) will come out and give you a FREE consultation on how to improve your energy bill. Recommended setting is 78 degrees on your thermostat, but obviously you can vary slightly but 85 is just insane.

Is that only if you are lowering when needed or is it if you keep it at a constant higher temp?

In other words, for example, I keep it at 85 24 hours a day. Period or

I keep it at 85 until I get home from work, then I lower it to 78.


If it is the first one, raising it and lowering it, I would imagine that it might not be as energy efficient because of the work the A/C has to do to lower the temp. But if it is at a constant 85, why would that not cost less in electricity than keeping temp at 78 constantly?

 

[rumrunnergirl]

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