Just got my electric bill and am doing the happy dance!

[Tink-aholic]

Hi all! I just had to share my good news. I am in the middle of a very nasty divorce and my son and I just moved back into our house after spending nearly five months in a hotel (talk about a money hemorrhage ). Based on what my STBX (soon to be ex) told me about electric bills, I was expecting them to be around $300. Just got our first bill and it was $85!!! That is with running the AC every day! Whoo hoo!

Creating a budget has been very difficult, because we had four people living here (two teenage boys before -- just my son and I now). So I created a budget and threw in base numbers to begin with and spent what I felt I needed to this month. I am happy to report that every one of my budget items was either EXACTLY on or waaaaay under! My grocery bill was only $180 of $350, and now that my electric bill (which I was hoping for $160 but dreading the $300) has just made me so happy!

The boys used to leave their video games on, leave tvs on, every computer in the house would be running all the time...plus my husband liked the AC to be set so low that I would wear long sleeves in the house all summer. We have been shutting things off, keeping the AC much higher, and been very careful to try to save electricity since we moved back in. And it pays off!

Sorry, but just had to share!

 

[bitty246]

That is AWESOME!!!

We have been paying over $300 a month and as high as nearly $400 for almost the last year. Our house is pretty small, but older and not very well insulated (we rent, so replacing insulation isn't going to happen). I just got our bill yesterday and I have a credit of $165 going into the summer, that is a huge relief. Obviously they have been overcharging us, which is not cool, but I'll take it this month!

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

That's great but make sure it's an actual reading not an estimate.

 

[Tink-aholic]

That's great but make sure it's an actual reading not an estimate.

That's a good point, Belle. I know this one was an actual reading because it is my first bill on a new account (I set up a new one after STBX had to leave). But I have no idea how many of the last readings were actual or estimates. Still, based on past consumption in this house, wouldn't they estimate it high rather than low? I know I can read the meter...I just have to learn how to read it.

Bitty: We have terrible insulation, too. Do you leave a lot of electronics on and/or plugged in? We used to leave all our computers on 24/7. Do you have central AC? We have been raising the temp and using fans. Is your dryer electric? Can you hang your clothes on a line? Hope this helps!

 

[disneychrista]

Another thing to check is how many days this bill covers, often times the first bill is not a full month because the first reading is in the middle of the billing cycle for your neighborhood.

 

[mommyoftwinfants]

I was super excited when I got my $77 bill too then I read it closer and it only included 14 days in the billing cycle

 

[Tink-aholic]

You had me all nervous about mine...just checked the website and my bill was for 29 days. Thanks for helping me figure that out, though!

 

[disneychrista]

You had me all nervous about mine...just checked the website and my bill was for 29 days. Thanks for helping me figure that out, though!

That is great. I moved into my parents house for a while and all the talked about was how expensive their bill was. I never had a bill as high as they talked about, even when running the A/C, heater, etc.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Mine is never that low.. even when not using the A/C, and going away for 2 weeks.. you are lucky!

 

[abmitch01]

good job in coming in under budget, that's a great feeling

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I am not sure you can still do this but I have always went to the utility companies and had them give me the numbers on the address of any houses we were contemplating buying. It is not always accurate because different families have different habits but it dose give you a range.

BTW, is your bill for Budget Billing or what you actually used for the month? I like BB because I always know what my bill is going to be. It is adjusted a couple of times a year to keep it stable.

Best of luck to you and have a happy life!

Slightly Goofy

 

[bitty246]

Tink - To answer your question, yes we pretty much leave everything plugged in. My hubby and I work opposite shifts,there's someone using it almost 24 hours a day. I tend to keep the thermostat at 76 - 78 but my husband HATES to be hot, so we have thermostat wars. We're in Texas, so it gets super hot during the summer months, but we did have an unseasonably cold winter this year. I don't remember ever using my heat as much as we did this winter. Also my 4 year old sleeps with the light on every night.

We've lived in this house for 2 years. In all the other homes we've lived in, our most expensive bill was probably around the $300 mark, but it has just gotten ridiculous in the last year. I can't wait until we can move into a more modern, and better insulated / energy efficient home!

 

[nordkin]

I am not sure you can still do this but I have always went to the utility companies and had them give me the numbers on the address of any houses we were contemplating buying. It is not always accurate because different families have different habits but it dose give you a range.

I work for an electric company and we are no longer doing this because of the law that went into effect earlier this year that says nothing about an individual account can be discussed with anyone but the account holder. There is a very hefty fine for doing it and possible loss of your job. Not worth it to break the rules. This is a federal law so I doubt any utility will give out the information in the future. Just ask the person you are buying from to provide the information from the utility and you may get lucky and they do it.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

nordkin, since we had bought our current home over 33 years ago I had thought that might have changed. Thanks for the suggestion to go through the current owners for when we buy our next/last home. We live in a small town and I have been able to go and pay on someone's water bill by giving their name or to just donate money toward anyone they think is in need of the help but have never asked for nor figured I would get info on how much they owed etc. Nor wanted it. I believe it is possible to do on a similar basis with other utilities and is a great way to help out without embarrassing anyone.

bitty246, we live in an 106 year old home with 18 living areas and except for very unusual weather, and Indiana has its share of winter, our bill seldom reaches the $300 mark. It is not just the age of a house but how it is built, laid out and the lifestyle of those who live in it.

Slightly Goofy

 

[thebeesknees]

Yay! Keep up those good habits!