How much is your electric bill this month?

[Ol'FashionHen]

, mine was $225.10 this month, that is the highest it has EVER been. I could'nt believe my eyes. I am definately setting the timers in the coop to turn on only at night when its the coldest. Now weather forecasts are saying the 20s will be the high in a couple of weeks

....any suggestions I already put up house wrap on the walls inside to help it stay warmer.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

We turn our heat down at night (not off, just down to about 55-60; you do not want the pipes to freeze) and just put extra blankets on the bed.

Look into heating your home with a woodstove. They are extremely efficient heaters and cost nothing if you have a source of wood (and you can find it free all the time during the summer, at least in our area, since there are lots of trees -- my parents, who heat their house primarily with wood, just go and get ones that have fallen over during storms, so it's not damaging the forests).

Don't get one of those space heaters and leave it on all night; those things are extreme fire hazards.

 

[AussieSharon]

$170

 

[gapeachy]

178 here that is high but we ran electric heaters and they eat power up....do you have those new energy saving light bulbs? ....they really help....

 

[EllyMae]

$235...that was before we had our woodstove/chimney cleaned. Now that they are usable, it should be much lower.

 

[ChickenToes]

Ours is around $100. We heat with a woodstove. Never leave appliances plugged in, they still use energy even when they are turned off. If you have to leave something plugged in (like a TV or computer) plug it into a power strip and when you're done turn the power strip off.

Turn lights off when you leave a room and use CFLs.

Try putting more insulation in your attic if that's an option.

Insulate your chicken coop and don't bother with heat lamps. They'll be fine without them. If you have a light on to encourage egg laying, use a CFL bulb and put it on a timer.

Hang your clothes up instead of using a dryer. I have a clothes rod in my laundry room and that's where I hang up my clothes in the winter. In the summer I hang them outside to dry.

 

[UrbanMama]

170's....my hubby thinks it may from all of the brooders....

Hmmmm...ya think?

 

[1acrefarm]

No way it could not be the brooders.

My last electric bill living by myself was about 40 bucks. I had some family members move in now they are over 200. They are paying the bills no so I am not complaining.

 

[ams3651]

$90 my usage is up from this time last year but I dont know if its the heat lamp which I only turn on if its below 25 degrees or just the fact that winter started earlier this year and hasnt let up.

 

[Ol'FashionHen]

Thanks guys and to answer some questions....
TheChickenLady
We will be installing our woodstove this summer need to save some $$$ for the triple wall stuff DH says it's expensive. We had one in our old home and loved it our bill was like $66 in the winter.
We have plenty of wood for a stove. I would love to turn our heat to 60 degrees but hubby takes meds that cause his hands and feet to be cold and he has thyroid problems and is sensitive to the cold

, and I am hot natured

.
ChickenToes
I hang a majority of our clothes on the balcony and on shower curtain rod to dry, and a clothesline for the summer.
I use the energy bulbs too, but not in the coop. I'll put that on my list.
And we are gonna insulate the coop when we redo the inside, just have to wait for some better weather

.

Urban Mama
Yeah my hubbie says it is from the two heat lamps I have been using constantly in the coop, I was scared they would get to cold, but I guess they will do okay with one on cold nights.