Foo - why is my electricity so cheap?

if i were living anywhere but tx my bill would probably be about $28, but here i am glad indeed for it to only be $57. the thing is, this time last year my bill was about $80 to $90 each month, i was in the same apartment i am now, and i had my a/c set lower than it is now. so, what gives? the plan is still the same 13.3 cents per kwh. it makes no sense. you think they counted wrong?

Your meter may be broken.
When you move pry it off the wall and take it with you.

Have a trusted friend call the power company and ask. Do not call yourself. Maybe set up a savings account in case the power company has another look at your bill and wants 6 months back payments all at once.

this year has been cooler in Dallas I believe.

this year has been cooler in Dallas I believe.

Not according to my electric bill it hasn't.

Your bill is cheap because they know you are. And it would be a pain to get you to pay it.

I am lucky that heat doesn't bother me. It's been routinely 110-115, and I've run the AC twice.

I was going to get a solar panel, but my apartment faces away from the sun all day long, and they won't let me mount it on the roof. :mad:

I'll be getting a solar panel next time I move.

The neighbor tapping into your circuit moved.

Have a trusted friend call the power company and ask. Do not call yourself. Maybe set up a savings account in case the power company has another look at your bill and wants 6 months back payments all at once.

I fail to see the legality of them doing that

$28 is cheap for someone living alone in an apartment? I don't go out of the way to save energy, and my electricity bill is half of that.

I am lucky that heat doesn't bother me. It's been routinely 110-115, and I've run the AC twice.

It's a midwest thang

:thumb:

The concrete insulating the walls of your apartment is insuring you use less electricity.

$28 is cheap for someone living alone in an apartment? I don't go out of the way to save energy, and my electricity bill is half of that.

$57. and it's not that hot where your at, i think????

****, I would LOVE a bill like that. I run the A/C [if at all] at 78-80 degrees, have CFLs in every light, turn off every light when I leave the room, line dry clothes, etc and the total utility bill is still close to $200. When I was in an apartment, $80 was a high high bill. I friggin hate inefficient houses!

$57. and it's not that hot where your at, i think????

Yes, I understand you're paying $57. But I wouldn't even consider $28 (what you think you'd be paying elsewhere) to be cheap. It's not hot here, but it did get hot and humid in Boston. And cold in the winter, with electric heat in my apartment eating into my electricity bill. Yet my electricity bill when I was in Boston was no higher. On the worst months, I think it was around $17.

[edit] Admittedly, I kept my heat at 55 at night or when out, and 60 when at home. And my air conditioning, when on, at 85 plus. But I found those temperatures to be reasonably comfortable. More comfy, and it became really uncomfortable to leave the apartment.

our local paper says we have the most expensive electricity in the nation.

blazing sunshine and steady tradewinds most of the year.

what did our politicians choose? deisel powered turbines.

:roflmao2:

if i were living anywhere but tx my bill would probably be about $28, but here i am glad indeed for it to only be $57. the thing is, this time last year my bill was about $80 to $90 each month, i was in the same apartment i am now, and i had my a/c set lower than it is now. so, what gives? the plan is still the same 13.3 cents per kwh. it makes no sense. you think they counted wrong?
Altering the temp is the best way to reduce your bill. In an apt, surrounding units not only provide insulation, but they will tend to heat/cool your place. The cheapest resident always wins...

****, I would LOVE a bill like that. I run the A/C [if at all] at 78-80 degrees, have CFLs in every light, turn off every light when I leave the room, line dry clothes, etc and the total utility bill is still close to $200. When I was in an apartment, $80 was a high high bill. I friggin hate inefficient houses!

Turn your computer off for a month...

When we bought our house last year, I was a bit wary of the 30-year-old electric furnace and rinky-dink looking, builders grade, ten-year-old AC unit. My fears were justified when I called the power company and found out that the previous owners were paying around $450/month for electricity in the winter. The average summer bill was around $200.

So we talked the sellers down a few grand and installed a new HVAC system shortly after we moved in. Our max winter bill was $177, and we've seen a lot of $60 and $70 bills in the warmer months.

I think the rates for electricity vary widely depending on location and provider.

Yes, I understand you're paying $57. But I wouldn't even consider $28 (what you think you'd be paying elsewhere) to be cheap. It's not hot here, but it did get hot and humid in Boston. And cold in the winter, with electric heat in my apartment eating into my electricity bill. Yet my electricity bill when I was in Boston was no higher. On the worst months, I think it was around $17.

[edit] Admittedly, I kept my heat at 55 at night or when out, and 60 when at home. And my air conditioning, when on, at 85 plus. But I found those temperatures to be reasonably comfortable. More comfy, and it became really uncomfortable to leave the apartment.

60? 60 in the winter got me an $80 bill!

and i keep it at 85-95 in the summer.

they are not reading your meter.

I can only dream of a $60 electric bill. It's called a fantasy.

****, I would LOVE a bill like that. I run the A/C [if at all] at 78-80 degrees, have CFLs in every light, turn off every light when I leave the room, line dry clothes, etc and the total utility bill is still close to $200. When I was in an apartment, $80 was a high high bill. I friggin hate inefficient houses!

So do what my grandpa did:

He built a house outta styrofoam. For real. When he did the calculations for the furnace/ac, he said that without the windows, he could heat the whole house (this is a pretty big house) with a candle.

****, I would LOVE a bill like that. I run the A/C [if at all] at 78-80 degrees, have CFLs in every light, turn off every light when I leave the room, line dry clothes, etc and the total utility bill is still close to $200. When I was in an apartment, $80 was a high high bill. I friggin hate inefficient houses!

get some of those small, quiet, office kinda fans. turn them on you. turn the a/c to 85 or 90 and leave it off when not home. your bill will drop.

I'll try it. I have ceiling fans and desk fans, so I'll try that out. I haven't been turning it off when I leave, so I'll do that too. Another problem is that this house has an addition, which is just a big room. My room mate uses the big room as his bedroom/studio, and I pretty much use the rest of the house. The addition actually has it's own A/C system. I can't say how low he runs that thing either. I'm pretty sure it's a lower temp than I run mine. I'll try shutting this computer down as well. There is one computer I have to keep running, because it's a dedicated PBX.

$56 last month, for me, with 2 bedrooms. A local friend was amazed. She's paying a couple hundred, easily. Next door neighbor with the same layout says he got a $150 bill last month. I went in his house, and it was f---ing cold. Plus, they leave their windows open. :rolleyes:

In addition to having an A/C timer, I also unplug all unused appliances/ electronics. Apparently, the "draw" through the cord of an un-used VCR , toaster, microwave, or stereo can burn electricty, as well.

if i were living anywhere but tx my bill would probably be about $28, but here i am glad indeed for it to only be $57. the thing is, this time last year my bill was about $80 to $90 each month, i was in the same apartment i am now, and i had my a/c set lower than it is now. so, what gives? the plan is still the same 13.3 cents per kwh. it makes no sense. you think they counted wrong?

My electric bill for June was $557.

My electric bill for June was $557.

Christ man, that's unheard of! :eek: I initially thought you must be from some midwest area, where homes are cheap but utilities can be high. Sounds like you are getting it from both sides.

My last one was around $300.

My electric bill for June was $557.

5 years of your electric bills would buy you some tannoy westminster royals. HOW CAN YOU WASTE IT ALL ON COLD AIR?! HOW?!

5 years of your electric bills would buy you some tannoy westminster royals. HOW CAN YOU WASTE IT ALL ON COLD AIR?! HOW?!

I had to look that up.....