Electric bill shocker...

[nunzia]

Have you checked your rates per KWH or however they decide that in your area? Our part of the state is in a huge battle with the electric co who is trying to raise our rates upward of 50%..they had purchased some other company awhile back and had to keep rates the same, yadayada and now they are trying to really hit this area with ridiculous rates to 'catch up"..so maybe check you rate and useage to last month?

 

[DisneyShannon]

my bill was 300.00 dollars.

 

[Mom2Ben02]

We got our bill, and July was lower than June. Why? I am not pregnant anymore.

 

[Halbleib1]

Has your power company (PPL?) begun preparing you for when PA price caps on electricity expire? I have First Energy/Met-Ed and they have not done so, nor do I think they plan to, but I have heard that PPL was considering it, at least in the Allentown area. I think the state is still working to keep a price cap in effect.

The price cap for ppl actually came off at the end of Dec. 2009. Met-ed comes off in January. The local news channel wgal has done stories on the price of electric from ppl (people were showing where their bills more than doubled when compared to the same usage the year before) and they have also had the electric suppliers at the harrisburg mall so that people can bring in their bill and shop in one place for a new cheaper supplier. Not sure if they did this everywhere or just in this area though. Also here is the states website to look this info. up online- http://www.papowerswitch.com/ There are no competitors listed for Met-ed though. But we do have electric choice still. Just means doing the work on your own. Also PPL before the cap came off allowed their customers to set up a payment plan to pre-pay some of the cost.

While the state has talked about keeping a price cap on that has not happened and I will not hold my breath expecting it at this point. States all around us have removed their caps and prices have gone way up for those customers.

Here is more info on the rate cap expirations: http://www.mwn.com/files/FileContro...9aa917d8cf/Presentation/File/RATE CAP FAQ.pdf PPL rates actually went up higher than what they were announcing would happen. And also: http://www.puc.state.pa.us/general/consumer_ed/pdf/Rate_Caps.pdf

 

[Halbleib1]

We got our bill, and July was lower than June. Why? I am not pregnant anymore.

I am with you on that one my husband has compared me to Father of the Bride 2. Unfortunately for him I will not deliver until Sept. so he has a couple more months to put up with.

 

[Halbleib1]

Has your power company (PPL?) begun preparing you for when PA price caps on electricity expire? I have First Energy/Met-Ed and they have not done so, nor do I think they plan to, but I have heard that PPL was considering it, at least in the Allentown area. I think the state is still working to keep a price cap in effect.

Also PPL seems to be working with the state on their "green" energy policy. They also received money from the state for smart meters so that people can monitor their usage online as well. Other electric companies have not gotten the same treatment from the state.

 

[ferrytale]

I am with you on that one my husband has compared me to Father of the Bride 2. Unfortunately for him I will not deliver until Sept. so he has a couple more months to put up with.

Lol...I delivered our little one on June 28th, but still have the air going 24/7! Only b/c it's been over 90 everyday with the exception of the week I had him - yuck.
Anywho. 2 years ago, we had an old AC unit and our bill was RIDICULOUS, I called the electric company thinking that there had to be a problem, but they assured me everything was correct, we just used more for the month. She asked about the AC unit(it was summer then too), and said if it was an old unit it was probably pulling more energy than a newer model. Sure enough last year we bought a new one and our bill dropped dramatically for the summer. So if you have an older AC unit that might be part of the issue too.

 

[CF'er]

I know here in GA we get what they call "summer rates" too. Meaning when you need elec most they will charge you more.

 

[TxRabbit]

I wonder about laundry? Sometimes, when we go on vacation my laundry doubles trying to get all the clothes ready for vacation and then the aftermath of cleaning all the things taken on vacation. Dryers are big time electricity users too...

 

[disny_luvr]

We have been running our a/c since april and it has been set to 68 degrees. Our bill is only slightly higher from last year. Still over 100.00 but not much higher from the year before. We have met-ed though and we have not been deregulated just yet. If you have PPL they deregulated at the end of last year so their rates have gone way up. It was reported on wgal 8 news that their rates have gone up about 60%. At one point in time they were one of the cheapest electric providers in the state. You might want to look into the electric choice program and switch to a cheaper company.

Gas on the other hand is pretty affordable. We heat with gas and our bill was not more than $50.00 this past winter. We live in a 3 story town-home that is just under 2000 sq ft. so very cheap compared to other sources.

Thanks to the state deregulating the electric companies we all are going to see higher rates. The point of deregulating was supposed to be so that our rates went down based on the companies being able to freely compete but that is not what has happened with it. I am not looking forward to the end of the year when met-ed is deregulated.

A tip to help lower your bill some OP: if you have not changed/cleaned the filter on your a/c in the last month you should do that. A dirty filter will cause the unit to work harder and cost you more money in electric. This should be changed/cleaned every month.

OP here. We live in Palmyra, just east of Hershey, so, yes, we have Met-Ed too so we haven't been deregulated yet. I'm not looking forward to that. I did check last months bill and it was estimated so I'm thinking that may be a small part as to why my bill was higher than expected. I did raise the AC temp to 80 degrees (DH isn't too happy). Thanks for the tip on the filter, I'll be checking that today.

 

[stm61]

have you checked your appliances? When I called our co-op about my bill, they said check everything that uses power, starting with the well pump and water heater. Turned out it was our pump. It never shut off, but we couldn't hear it because it's not in the house, and we never lost water pressure so we didn't realize anything was wrong until the bill went up. Also, they said to check the elements on the water heater, one can go out, which puts the bill up while you don't always lose hot water.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

Op what have the temps been like compared to last month? Even though you didn't lower your thermostat, if it's in the high 90's this month compared to high 80's last month, the a/c will have to work harder to keep it at the same 79 degrees.

 

[mistysue]

I was shocked when I got my last bill too. In the past 7 years, our highest use month ever was ~550 KW. That was when a tree fell on the house and we had to run the A/C and dehumidifiers for a couple days with a hole in the roof!
Then last month- we suddenly used 1400!?! Nothing happened, we went out of town and I turned the thermostat up 5 degrees from what it had been before.
All my meter reads say actual- I honestly believe the meter person did something to the meter because it makes no sense.

 

[rapriebe]

I was also shocked this month with my electric bill. June's bill was $80 (546 Kilowatts) and July's bill was $180 (1496 kilowatts). Temps have been horrible but I didn't expect it to be that high. Can't imagine what August's bill will be.

We keep our house (1700 sq. ft.) at a constant 77 but we do have a small window unit that we run in our bedroom at night. I can't sleep if it's hot and I love a cold bedroom.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Maybe they estimated your bill last month and they estimated it a little too low. Then this month you would not only have a higher bill but also the shortage from the previous months estimated bill?

That's probably it. Our water company does that. They round down. If you use 3,999 gallons, they only charge you for 3,000 and then add the 999 to the next months bill. So we get a jump that appears weird but it's catch up.

Our electric bill was high but not too bad considering the heat lately. But we have a tiny house and we conserve like crazy. I hate living so cramped but I would hate a double or triple bill for more space so we deal for now.

 

[disney1990]

To some of the people that have already posted their electric rates, and to those that have not, if you think about it, put the sq footage of your house in your posting so there is a little more information to compare.

We haven't gotten our bill this month yet; it doesn't come until the end of the month. Our June bill was $130 . We have a 2400 sq ft house and keep our A/C on 80 degrees.

Lately, to try and lower the cost, we have been turning off the A/C and opening the windows in the evening when the outside temps have dropped to lower that 80 degrees. We then turn the A/C back on in the morning.

I work for a homebuilder and saw the invoice today for one of our model houses. It was $1001.16.

 

[Disney_Freak56]

I guess I'm in the minority here. Yes, it sucks to see your bill hugely increase from the previous month's, but has anyone considered signing up for a Level Payment Plan? We do it and it is so nice knowing each month how much my electric bill will be. No surprises in the summer. Yes. I suppose it would be nice to pay less in the winter, but with Christmas lights, etc., our bill isn't always that much cheaper in the winter.

I have set up my own Level Payment Plan with MGE (our gas/heating provider). My bill in the summer is less than $50, but I pay them $100 so I'm not hit with huge bills in the middle of winter. I love getting those statements in the summer that say I have a huge credit -- no payment is due -- yet I still send them that $100 monthly payment so I don't pass out from a $300 heating bill in January.

Yes. I shouldn't let the utility companies have my money interest-free for a few months, but getting hit with a huge electric bill in the summer and a humongous heating bill in the winter are not my idea of fun.

 

[leebee]

yet I still send them that $100 monthly payment so I don't pass out from a $300 heating bill in January.

Oh, what I would give for a $300 heating bill in January! 100+ year old (poorly insulated) house, oil heat, living in Maine...

I dread looking at the electric bill. It's been in the 90's here, too, for the past month, but nobody up here has a/c in their homes. In fact, there are businesses and restaurants in town that don't have a/c. We have been running 3 ceiling fans 24/7 (to keep air moving, the humidity is a BEAR!) and an additional three floor fans whenever we are home. Our bills usually hover around $100 a month, and I dread seeing what June/July/August will come to!

 

[Halbleib1]

Lol...I delivered our little one on June 28th, but still have the air going 24/7! Only b/c it's been over 90 everyday with the exception of the week I had him - yuck.
Anywho. 2 years ago, we had an old AC unit and our bill was RIDICULOUS, I called the electric company thinking that there had to be a problem, but they assured me everything was correct, we just used more for the month. She asked about the AC unit(it was summer then too), and said if it was an old unit it was probably pulling more energy than a newer model. Sure enough last year we bought a new one and our bill dropped dramatically for the summer. So if you have an older AC unit that might be part of the issue too.

So true. Our bill hasn't been bad considering the heat we have been having. Our a/c unit is not even 4 years old yet. But the apt. we lived in before moving into our house had a very old a/c unit that cost much more in electric to run. It was an electric heat pump unit that was about 20 years old.

 

[Halbleib1]

OP here. We live in Palmyra, just east of Hershey, so, yes, we have Met-Ed too so we haven't been deregulated yet. I'm not looking forward to that. I did check last months bill and it was estimated so I'm thinking that may be a small part as to why my bill was higher than expected. I did raise the AC temp to 80 degrees (DH isn't too happy). Thanks for the tip on the filter, I'll be checking that today.

Oh ok. I wasn't sure exactly where you lived or where the cutoff was between PP&L and Met-Ed service in that area. We lived in Colonial Park Harrisburg for 5 years and had PP&L. They were much cheaper back than though. When we lived in Harrisburg we use to shop at the Palmyra Walmart all the time so I know where you are. Much nicer/cleaner Walmart than the Harrisburg store.

No after hearing on the news what ppl customers are paying I am not looking forward to the deregulation either. Hopefully maybe once all the electric companies caps come off the price will lower with more competition. Just have to wait and see and hope for the best.

The estimated bill was probably most of your problem. I hate when our bill gets estimated because you never know what the following month will bring. It is always nice when the following month is cheaper though.