Electric bill shocker...

[torinsmom]

Okay, I would DIE if I had my house at 87 degrees! My A/C has been working so hard and the temp. still creeps up to 78 by 4pm, even though it is set at 72 degrees. It is so humid here in NC that even 78 feels stifling. My bill this month was $272 for an 1100 square foot house, but I gotta stay cool. Last month, it was $186 and last year for this month, it was $198. I just had some ceiling fans put in and hopefully that will help with the A/C. And hopefully, August will not be as bad as July!

Marsha

 

[Muushka]

Yes, please do tell!

I don't see how we are being less energy efficient if we don't use our A/C. What is insane? Do you think we like keeping the thermostat at 85? We'd love to have it at 78, but our only income right now is DH's unemployment which is $300 per week. With mortgage, water, phone, car insurance, gas, car payments, etc. - well, there isn't much left for a big electric bill. We'd rather be hot and have a bill we can pay, then be more comfy and have to seek outside help to pay the bill.

We have Lee Co. Electric Co-op.

Hugs to you. I hope things get better for you.

 

[QVCshopper]

My gas & electric bill was less than $100 ($25 of that was gas) for July. I live in PA and was away for one week, but we're had many 90+ days with some 100+ days and high humidity.

We really watch our usage. I keep the house at 78 when I run the AC, which is 18 months old. I turn it off when I go out; it's usually around 82 when I come back. I open windows at night if it's colder than 75. I keep all curtains and blinds closed to block out the sun. I also have our TV/computer on switches to cut off all power to them, and we unplug most appliances. I run two ceiling fans when we're under them; wish I had more. Also, we have only CFL bulbs; I work from home at night with one CFL bulb. There are ways to cut back on your electricity; these tips work for me.

 

[Muushka]

I really can't complain. Our was $130 last month. We keep it at 81 during the night, 80 during the day and 79 in the evening. But it was much higher than it usually is because we ran a dehumidifier in the basment for the entire month. I stopped that and think it will come down to $110 or so this month.

I also have all windows well covered if the sun hits it. CFL/LED for all bulbs. And when the weather is a little cooler, I have a whole house fan (of sorts) that I run in the early AM and it sucks all of the hot air out of the house.

 

[helloirishkitty]

Ours was the same way! We keep our AC at 72, and the electric bill was around $275. Last month it was less than $100. Hopefully it cools down a bit soon.

 

[emdav]

Ours was $363 and quite frankly, I was relieved. It's our first summer in the house and we had no idea what to expect. In June we were out of town for a week and the bill was $215. July has been much hotter. We keep the a/c at 76 24/7.

 

[gilby]

95.00 for a month, here.
We put a energy saving switch on and it saves us 15%.

 

[brerrabbit]

The small amount people pay here is shocking to me. Here around Houston you pay a lot period. I guess what would be more interesting to see would be how many KwH people are using, and what they actually pay per KwH. I say that because if you do any search for the highest rates in the country per KwH you will see we pay some of if not the highest in the nation and the reason is because we are suffering all the "benifits" of deregulation. While I grown about it I also realize that it is shocking to me what other parts of the country pay to heat their houses with oil in the winter, and what they pay for other things as well. I know my cost of living and while some things are really high, others are not so it balances out in some ways.

Just like what you set your thermostat at. The actual number is based on where your thermostat is in relation to your living areas and how well it is calibrated. I can freeze you out in my house if I set it at 75 degrees because of where the thermostat is and how cold the rest of the house will get before the area it is in actually cools down to that level. We also are forced to run our unit at times when you would think it's cool enough not to use just to take the humidity out of the house. That's the reason we have two dehumidifiers in the house. When it's cooler but very humid we run those and can get away with the ac.

 

[ouran92]

I know! Our bill is very high too

 

[torinsmom]

The small amount people pay here is shocking to me. Here around Houston you pay a lot period. I guess what would be more interesting to see would be how many KwH people are using, and what they actually pay per KwH. I say that because if you do any search for the highest rates in the country per KwH you will see we pay some of if not the highest in the nation and the reason is because we are suffering all the "benifits" of deregulation. While I grown about it I also realize that it is shocking to me what other parts of the country pay to heat their houses with oil in the winter, and what they pay for other things as well. I know my cost of living and while some things are really high, others are not so it balances out in some ways.

Just like what you set your thermostat at. The actual number is based on where your thermostat is in relation to your living areas and how well it is calibrated. I can freeze you out in my house if I set it at 75 degrees because of where the thermostat is and how cold the rest of the house will get before the area it is in actually cools down to that level. We also are forced to run our unit at times when you would think it's cool enough not to use just to take the humidity out of the house. That's the reason we have two dehumidifiers in the house. When it's cooler but very humid we run those and can get away with the ac.

I used 2117 KWH last month and my bill was $272.39, which rounds out to 13 cents per KWH. Is that good?

 

[shoes99]

I used 2117 KWH last month and my bill was $272.39, which rounds out to 13 cents per KWH. Is that good?

Here's mine, small house, Central NJ.
basic generation service 1,325 KWH x .123894 164.16
delivery service charges 1,325 KWH x .069223 91.72
customer charge 2.20
Total for June 25 to July 23, 2010 $258.08

 

[brerrabbit]

I used 2117 KWH last month and my bill was $272.39, which rounds out to 13 cents per KWH. Is that good?

That's about what we pay in the Houston area and it makes a lot more sense to me than people just saying "ours was $100 for a 1,500 sqft house"

I signed up for a two year deal with TXU that locked me in for 12 cents which at the time was a very good deal. Floating rates last summer topped out at 17.5 cents per KwH. Our usage numbers tend to be higher than yours but as I said before we have 3,000 sqft, a pool and two a/c units for the house. Last month we used around 3,800 KwH and our bill was about $450. In non deregulated areas of Texas like Austin where the state capital is they pay 7.5 to 8 cents per KwH because they are municiply owned and generate all their power with coal and lignite and only pay actual cost of generation because the power provider can make no profit. In Houston and Dallas we are subject to Reliant Energy and TXU who are for profit companies who championed deregulation as a way to make profits for them.

 

[Ava]

After getting a bill for almost $200 last month for a 1000 sq ft apartment, I called ConEd & got on their level payment plan. Now my bill will be a flat $85/month for at least the next 4 months; then they'll evaluate my usage & adjust my payment if necessary. Best decision ever, now I don't have to stress about what my electric bill will be every month. We'll still do everything we can to conserve energy so we don't end up owning them at the end of a year, but at least now I know in advance what my bill will be each month. I wish I'd switched sooner, I paid high bills for two months before I bit the bullet & called them!

 

[shoes99]

Here's mine, small house, Central NJ.
basic generation service 1,325 KWH x .123894 164.16
delivery service charges 1,325 KWH x .069223 91.72
customer charge 2.20
Total for June 25 to July 23, 2010 $258.08

*********************************************************
Just received another JCP&L bill
basic generation service 1,455 KWH x .124282 $180.83
delivery service charges 1,455 kWH x .071175 $103.56
customer charge $ 2.20
Grand Total $286.59
Total for July 24 to August 23, 31 days

 

[Jey12]

Wow I guess I'll stay in the Kansas City area as far as electric bills go. Does no one else's electric and gas companies offer an even payment plan for the year? I have just browsed through the posts here and didn't see that mentioned? I have no idea what we pay per KW, but for a 1200 sq. ft house we pay $80 each for gas and electric every month. Sure we use less of one and more of another depending on the season, but it evens out. This is why we are charged around the same amount every month. It sure makes budgeting for these costs very easy. At the end of every year the companies average the actual cost for each month and adjust our even payment for the next year. We are always given a 3 month notice of any price increase on the even payment plan. The humidity here is crazy, usually around 80-90% or higher in the summer months. We have had a heat index over 105 for the past few weeks. Even in the winter the humidity ranges between 60-75%. They don't call us the "armpit" of the midwest for nothing. We keep the thermostat around 80 in the summer and around 68 in the winter.

Seriously how do you deal with hundreds even thousand dollar utility bills? Our bill comes every month and we know exactly what we'll be paying, this year it's $80 each. Thanks to a hot summer and a cold winter I am expecting an increase for next year, but nothing more than $20 a month or so. I could not imagine trying to budget for an extra couple of hundred dollars depending on whatever whim the head of the utility board had. I might not have any nice scenery outside of my door but trees, concrete and suburbs, we might not have beaches or mountains to play in, but by golly we know what our utility bills will be and it seems at $80 a month is beyond a steal!

Oh now I see just a few posts up the PP is on the level pay plan. To the OP you may want to call your utility companies and see if they offer this service. I don't think it is well advertised, but if they do offer it then being able to budget your costs is SO much easier!

 

[Purseval]

Georgia, so plenty of hot hot weather. 2700 square feet on 3 levels. 2 zones with a transfer valve so 1 zone controls 2 levels, which means we can control the temps on each level. Programmable thermostats on each level. 76 during the day, goes up to 78 between 11pm and 7am. $195.36 this month, $139.96 this month last year. Total cost with taxes included was 8.76 cents/kwh

We also live in a condo, our second one. The first one we lived in was an end unit but when we moved we went out of our way to find an interior unit. Now our neighbors on either side help insulate our house and we don't have 3 sides exposed to the elements like we did with an end unit. I think that helps tremendously with our energy costs.

 

[Disney_Freak56]

Kansas City here, too. 1700 Square feet with a tri-level home. We keep the thermostat at 77 during the day and 74 at night -- I like a cool house for sleeping -- and our level pymt plan is at $118 a month. Got our last bill and we've had the hottest summer in several years and our bill would have been $225 without LPP -- so I love the LPP.

Once again, love knowing that my electric bill will be during the summer.

 

[dturner]

Got my electric bill from July 26 - August 24 - $368.00 and I live in a
1,200 sq ft apartment. My thermostat is set at 78 so it's not ice cold inside either.

We've had record 100 day heat in Texas for the last month, I knew it would be higher than last month but was still shocked to see the bill. I haven't had a bill that high in a couple of years.

 

[TxRabbit]

So many things can make a difference in the bill.

Just got our first electric bill after moving. Two-story, under 2500 sq ft (so only one heating/cooling system), with TXU just under 12 cents per kWh, thermostat set at 80 during the day and 78 at night. $151.00! Totally pumped.

brerrabbit, you're just up the road, we are in the Clear Lake area.

 

[Friendly Frog]

Got my electric bill from July 26 - August 24 - $368.00 and I live in a
1,200 sq ft apartment. My thermostat is set at 78 so it's not ice cold inside either.

We've had record 100 day heat in Texas for the last month, I knew it would be higher than last month but was still shocked to see the bill. I haven't had a bill that high in a couple of years.

Basically the same for me here in Dallas.