Dec electric bill

[SarahBeth9394]

OMG I almost passed out when we got our electric bill for Dec. It's higher than our highest summertime electric bill. It's been a real cold Dec and we've even been using the fireplace a lot to help hoping that would save us just a little. Yeah it'll get paid but geez we even are on a set rate as well so higher rates can't even be blamed. Can't wait to get the Jan bill because it's been even colder.

 

[little horse]

hi, we have not got ours this month but i know its going to a huge bill but what can we do, i also do as much as i can to cut and be aware of not over using but when its cold you have to have the heating on but on my the bill!!

 

[fordmommy]

yep. That time of year!

Our's goes up, put not extremely. I do A LOT for energy effecientsy. But we still have Christmas and with that comes lots of lights. But our neighbor got their bill and it was around $300 she said. She actually said that she thought that they must have switched the bills. I don't know what she runs over there but I sure it must be some kind of electric heater. You wouldn't believe how much your bill will go up with just a small electric heater. It could be $100's!!!! Truely!

Poor woman! She gave me her last chickens and a guinea hen because she didn't want to run the light out in the barn any more. And it doesn't raise my bill to add a few to my flock. Too bad.

 

[HEChicken]

Wow, I guess I feel lucky then - we are a family of four living in a 4-bedroom house and I haven't had a bill over $50 since I can remember. Our electric company offers a "conservation rate" that must be qualified for each year. To qualify, you have to keep your rate below a certain limit for each of June, July and August. If you do, then you are on the conservation rate through the following August. So, each summer, I avoid running the A/C except on the hottest of days, in order to qualify for the conservation rate for the rest of the year. The thing is, they don't publicize this very much. I wouldn't have known that it existed except that I noticed on the bottom of my September bill one year, a little note that said "You qualify for the conservation rate. Call 555-555-5555 to find out more". Even though I had qualified, I didn't actually get the conservation rate until I called them to turn it on. My point? Many other utility companies likely have a similar scheme and it would be a good idea to check into it - because they're not going to knock your door down to tell you about it.

A few things I do year round to keep my bill low are: hang laundry out to dry (yes, even in the winter. I use the weather forecast to plan laundry days), keep the thermostat set at a high temperature in summer and a low temperature in winter, use energy saving light bulbs everywhere, cut down on showers (i.e. we don't shower EVERY day), only run the dishwasher when it is completely full, and so on. To keep warm, we wear more clothes, use hot water bottles, cuddle up together under a comforter to watch TV. It IS possible to keep the bill down even in cold months like this but it takes a little work and commitment from the whole family.

 

[teach1rusl]

Our heat is propane, which we're going through pretty quickly despite keeping a fire in the woodstove going pretty regularly. I'll be interested in seeing what the heat lamp in the coop is doing to our electric bill though...haven't got it yet...

hechicken - WoW!! That requires buy-in from the whole family and dedication! Good for you guys!

 

[greyhorsewoman]

using the fireplace

Can be a very BAD if you do not at least have glass doors. Without glass doors it just sucks more heat out of the house than it gives to the house. The only way a fireplace really does any good is if you have a brick fireplace wall. Once the wall heats up, it will radiate into the house. If you have have a fireplace without a brick face ... it won't do you any good at all. (A woodstove insert is a totally different thing.)

If you do use a fireplace, you need to turn OFF your furnace when you are using it. Then you notice that the room with the fireplace with feel warmer (however, the rest of the house will get cold). This is a VERY abbreviated explanation. (Hubby was a chimneysweep for twenty years.)​

 

[fordmommy]

Quote:
Can be a very BAD if you do not at least have glass doors. Without glass doors it just sucks more heat out of the house than it gives to the house. The only way a fireplace really does any good is if you have a brick fireplace wall. Once the wall heats up, it will radiate into the house. If you have have a fireplace without a brick face ... it won't do you any good at all. (A woodstove insert is a totally different thing.)

If you do use a fireplace, you need to turn OFF your furnace when you are using it. Then you notice that the room with the fireplace with feel warmer (however, the rest of the house will get cold). This is a VERY abbreviated explanation. (Hubby was a chimneysweep for twenty years.)

Absolutely! We found that out. Even though we had glass doors, it still sucked the heat up and out. We replaced it with a pellet stove insert! It's the best!!!!! We had 2 fireplaces. Replaced the 1 and kept the other in case of emergency. But it's just the open concept with stone surounding. But it's pretty and I put candles in it!

 

[lighthawk]

Last months electric bill was the highest I have had since I moved here in 1991. But just so you know the prior month my total electric KWH charge came to $13.00. After you add up all the line charges, fed use chgs, taxes, pwr cost adjustment fees etc. They charged me $30.00 to buy 13 bucks worth of power.
Go figure.

 

[Crazyland]

Our bill almost tripled.

Only because we ran out of propane. Just don't have $300 extra to put in 100 gallons that will only last 2 weeks in this cold weather. So we have to go by space heaters for now. Will save up for a stove as we already have the fireplace they closed years ago. They left the bricks. Plus we have been cutting trees down in our woods for next winter.

 

[DuckLady]

We use a wood stove primarily and have one space heater in the basement but the ducks have 4 heat lamps on their barn when it is below 20 degrees. With it getting dark so early we are using more lights, so I can see how our bill went up about $50.