Electric Bills

Solar power installation is spendy. I'm struggling to pay my elec bill in the winter- can't afford solar install. Wish I could.

Well, There's your problem.

you must have a "dumb" meter installed...even during a hot month my electric bill is under $200....normally it's about $75 a month. Gas? it was $20 last month. I'm in SoCal

One time my kid, I have three, comes home after brainwashing at school and give me a lecture on carbon emissions from coal burning power plants...so I sit there and listen, and at the end he asks why I haven't said anything...I said hey Mr. Green, you just left 42 lights on in the house...and he said "But dad we have solar power"...and I felt like a dumbass...

You need a new unit. An energy efficient one that is (it makes a HUGE difference). Those old clunker units suck energy bad and drain your pockets.

Unemployed here, also. I wait to turn the central air unit on until it is almost 90 degrees and will dress up for winter so I can keep the heater set low. Will use a heating pad of some sort or 25 watt light bulb under the coffee table top for the aging animals heat source.

You need a new energy saving unit also.

I have actually managed to decrease my summer bills this year just by turning on the central air unit a little later than sooner.

Are you grid tied?

now you do have a pinned thread. my pleasure.

hopefully this will generate some advise or info.

put everything on surge protectors and turn them off when not in use!led bulbs,i get them on clearance,and why not look into solar panels.

Yep, my wife when we were talking about bills told me our monthly bill has been in the $500-$550 range all summer. I about shit a brick.

we all have to tighten our belts my dryer is the biggest electricity hog i stopped running it = 80 less then i tryed unplugging everything in my home the meter was still running make it look like i diddnt unplug nothing i live in maine usa and now there installing whats called a smart meter i can just imagined these will be more efficent but time will tell

I am a renter. And my landlord WON'T DO IT. I have begged. I am just stuck I think. I duct tape the windows too. Hmmm... Food - or the power to keep it cold?
I am sorry that So Many Others have it as bad, or worse than I do. We are being scammed I think. But - what to do? You can't exactly boycott the electric company for any length of time. You would get arrested for something I think. CRAP.

P.S. - who decides about pinning threads? My First. THANK-YOU.

I just can't help, after all these wonderful suggestions to ask the queston....Is Electricity(or substitute healthcare) a right or a privilege? haha

Okay, where are you? That's insane.

We're in the PCNW we have a hot tub, a renter with her own washer/ dryer, a family of four, a window air conditioner in our bedroom, and we paid $363.00 for two months. Our hot water and some appliances run on gas.

Of course, that will jump in the winter months.

I wonder if it's because WA state has it's own natural sources of electricity (hydro dams)?

50$/month :D:5a:

If you unplugged everything and it's still running, you need to call your utility company out. Someone is stealing from you.

I "feel" that both electricity and healthcare are Basic Human Rights, or should be. It is 2011 after all, not 1911.

But - this is the USA in 2011. And it turns out....that practically NOTHING is a Basic Human Right.

Um, hello, I work for state government in Florida and we haven't had a raise in five years, and this year we all got 3% pay cuts (now we have to contribute to our pensions, our health insurance co-pays have gone way up and on top of that, there have been massive, massive layoffs with more coming. It used to be that in working for state government, you traded a small salary for good benefits and stability. No longer. Many other government workers are in similar situations. It is quite fashionable these days to villianize government workers but we are hurting along with everyone else.

say hi to snookie

doesnt it suck living there now ?!

I would love to go the solar route. But the prices I am seeing for install are nuts. Its not as easy as throwing a 2 X 4 panel on the roof and pulling it in.

Brief seems to have the knowledge on all this, maybe he could point to a good suggestion.

in this case, i do. this is very pinworthy. i used my karma. that's what i do with mine, spend it pinning other peoples threads. i give back to the community.

Yes, my bill is slightly over 100 a month and I ran the AC almost 16 hours a day.

San Diego it's gone from $200+ to around $350 average. Had SDG&E do an evaluation of my usage for me, got a letter back that said they could save me $5 a month. Now I had Google power usage way before my smart meter was put on my house, and since then with the smart meter it has gone up and up, but my efforts to conserve and change has been real and I am trying.

Now I was pissed at SDG&E because I had showed them that over the years of my Google charts power usage, that there was no way I could be using more power, (no "AC" usage all summer).

This from SDG&E shortly after"

We'd like to let you know that Google has decided to retire its PowerMeter gadget. You will be able to view your electric energy data on Google PowerMeter until Friday, September 16.

We have developed a new option called "Energy Charts" that is similar to PowerMeter and available now through My Account.

With Energy Charts, you will be able to:

View graphs of your hourly electric interval data by the day as well as view weekly and monthly graphs
View energy use in relation to outside temperature data
Compare your energy use from one period to another
You can access Energy Charts now:
- Log into My Account
- Select the “My Energy” tab
- Click on “View Energy Use Charts”
- Click on “I understand. Continue to Charts”

We have enjoyed our collaboration with Google and are pleased that, together, we have been able to provide you with useful information from your smart meter about your energy use.

If you have any questions, please email us or call us at XXXX

They are thieves, now they control everything, screwed no matter what.

Shut off your main at the beginning of your billing cycle.
Leave it off until the end of the billing cycle.
If your bill doesn't drop to $0, there's a problem.

the power companys has many ways to screw us. once you catch them, they are already moving on to a new scheme. thieves they are.

A couple of points here....

Your AC system is 10 years older, so it may not be running at peak efficiency. When is the last time you had it checked and the coils and blower cleaned?

In the ten years I lived in my current house, this year was by far the hottest. Not just during the day but high 80's and humidity all night long. Your bill is definitely more extreme than mine (it doubled, but I expected it), but the extreme heat had to have a hand in your bill. I'm pretty sure my AC ran 24/7 for quite a while.

Did you compare the actual cost per kilowatt hour between the 2 bills? I bet that one gone up slowly over the years and you may not have paid attention as it was not a large amount. Double the usage and it becomes extreme.

NEVER EVER USE BUDGET BILLING! THEY ALWAYS GET THEIR MONEY!

If you haven't gone solar already...or can't afford it...a suggestion.

Many companies offering this.
The only issue is....you are locked into that contract for quite a while....but at least you know what your rates will be for MANY years.


Solar Leasing
[link to www.solarcity.com]

The Solar Lease
[link to www.sungevity.com]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to villianize government workers. I am in total support of keeping collective bargaining rights. My Dad - gone now - was President of the local Government Workers Union for many years. He would be horrified at what is now happening.

I will stick to the greedy bloodsucking vampire bankers from now on.