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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,257
Registered: ‎05-05-2010

Re: Can we talk Summer electric bills!

I live in an upper level condo, 1500 sq. ft.  I keep my central A/C set at 76.  It's not cold, but it's summer, it's not supposed to be cold.  I'm on the budget plan for my electric bills and they just went up from $46 to $58/month.  The budget plan is a little wacky because one year you may pay too little, so they raise it twice as much the next year to make up the difference.  But, whatever, I like my bills to be more consistent throughout the year. 

 

My building has lousy insulation, but I got new tinted windows a couple years ago and that helped tremendously all year round. 

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Frequent Contributor
Posts: 83
Registered: ‎08-12-2013

Re: Can we talk Summer electric bills!

Hi! I live in NM, where it's very hot all summer. My house is 1100 sq ft, and I have a "swamp cooler" which I keep going 24-7. My high bill this summer is about $68. Central air conditioning would be much more expensive. You can do things to make your home more energy efficient. Not knowing what state you live in, have you called your utility and asked if they can do a review of yoru home? Most utilities provide that service, they can show you how to keep your bills lower. Do you have  CFL bulbs in every lamp? Keep your non-essential items unplugged? Have outdoor lights on a timer or used minimally? Allt hose things can drain your usage.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,349
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Can we talk Summer electric bills!

[ Edited ]

@SharkE wrote:

@Marienkaefer2 wrote:

I live in the PNW.  Our bill runs about $40/month in summer.  In fact, it hardly varies between $35-45 month year round.  We do have a/c, and have run that a few times that month, so that will add a few dollars, but it's not much usually.  2100 sq ft house, 2 story. ETA:  We keep the a/c at 73-75 when we run it. If it's going to come on, it is usually around 5pm when the sun starts hitting the main part of the house directly.  We have had some warmer than usual weather this year.

 

Yeah, but, those heating bills are a b ouch I bet come winter. We either pay in the summer or the winter depending where we live. LOL


 


***My heating bill averages about $60 in the winter.  We have natural gas for heat, hot water, range, and dryer.  We live in a moderate climate plus we have had the benefit of hydropower (Bonneville dam.)  I have lived in the PNW off and on for the last 20 years, and our utilitg bills, including water, have always been reasonable.  Smiley Happy  ETA:  We have a tankless water heater, which I have noticed really helps.  Our gas bill in a 2100 sq ft two story house is about the same as the 1400 sq ft condo we had three years ago.  I think the water heater makes the difference.  Also, I keep my heat at 67-68 in winter. Our normal winter temps are lows in 30s, highs 40s.  We can get colder, but only for a few days. Last winter was unusually warm.

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.--Marcus Tullius Cicero
Honored Contributor
Posts: 36,048
Registered: ‎08-19-2010

Re: Can we talk Summer electric bills!

Thank God we're on water well , no water bill, period,or my tight husband would take away my jacuzzi. LOL   Mine is like 6 ft by 4 ft that thing eats water. One bill I dont have. Yay !!!!!!!!

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,349
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Can we talk Summer electric bills!


@SharkE wrote:

Thank God we're on water well , no water bill, period,or my tight husband would take away my jacuzzi. LOL   Mine is like 6 ft by 4 ft that thing eats water. One bill I dont have. Yay !!!!!!!!


***At least you get a break there, since your other utility bills can be high.  Smiley Happy

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.--Marcus Tullius Cicero
Honored Contributor
Posts: 36,048
Registered: ‎08-19-2010

Re: Can we talk Summer electric bills!

Yep, it's always 6 of one and half dozen of the other. We don't have kids, so, that saves a fortune. LOL  Cellphones are Tracfone's only to be used for emergencies like electricity goes off, calling home , calling tow trucks. I got like 5,000 minutes on my Tracfone. Just take the 100 a yr. plan.

 

I talked to this one kid at Target who has a fancy phone guess it's a Iphone or whatever these kids have nowdays that pays 200 a month for it !

Yikes !!!!!!!!!!!! out of our league.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 41,253
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Can we talk Summer electric bills!


@brii wrote:

@sunshine45 wrote:

our highest so far has been around $800......single family home, rancher, central air.

i rarely touch the thermstat and keep it at 78 day and night.


sunshine, do you cook with gas or electric?


 

 

hi brii, stovetop is gas, oven is electric

********************************************
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,945
Registered: ‎08-12-2013

Re: Can we talk Summer electric bills!

IF YOU CAN GO SOLAR I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. OUR BILL IS $16 with the price of energy costs going up it was a no brainer! 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,104
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Can we talk Summer electric bills!

There's a bit of a con game the providers play with estimated bills. Locally you pay a varied rate depending on how much electricity you use. For the first 800 kWh you pay less than you do for kWh over that amount. They'll often underestimate your estimated bill and bill you at the under 800 kWh rate, then when they read your meter you'll get billed extra at the higher rate.

 

Let's say you typically use 800 kWh per month, then you get an estimated bill for 600 kWh. The next month when they read your meter they'll bill you for 1000 kWh (the 800 kWh for each month minus the 600 kWh you paid on the estimated bill) so you get to pay extra for the 200 kWh that they didn't estimate correctly. They also do the reverse and intentionally estimate you higher than normal to squeeze out the extra revenue on the front end.

 

Suffice to say their estimated bills pretty much never favor the consumer. If they're going to use estimates, then the rate should be a simple flat rate with no escalators. Individual homeowners don't suffer enormously from this game, but the revenue it provides when multiplied by all of the customers can be quite large for a power company. An extra couple of bucks of pure profit from every customer isn't bad if you're a power company and to the best of my knowledge none have ever been spanked for playing this game.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,415
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Can we talk Summer electric bills!

I expect high gas bills in the winter (gas fireplace) and higher electric in the summer due to ac....we just got solar as well ...need a couple more panels but it is well worth it. Electric prices will only continue to go up. The more electric a household uses raises it to a higher tier/increase in rates...it's a losing situation.

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.... ~ S & G