Prairie~Phlox Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Just curious. Last summer our highest was $130, it was our first summer in this house. So far, we've installed 2 ceiling fans and shades over the patio doors (that were letting in a lot of sunlight last summer, not sure why we didn't do it then) Anyway, our highest bill so far was $114.00, I think the weather has been a little bit cooler, we haven't had the A/c on as much as last summer, but August is supposed to be hot. Anyway, our house is just under 2000 Square ft. So what have your bills been like? Our gas bill was $51.00 Phlox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Here in zone 10a Florida, our air conditioning is on almost all year long, normally at 78. We also have electric heating and everything else is electric too including the pool pump and the pool vacuum system. Anyway we were shocked that our bills always hover around 300. I have never had electric bills this high anywhere else but understand that it is rather commonplace here. We don't live in a mansion but rather a one-story, 2100 ft. under air house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanie Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Just curious. Last summer our highest was $130, it was our first summer in this house. So far, we've installed 2 ceiling fans and shades over the patio doors (that were letting in a lot of sunlight last summer, not sure why we didn't do it then) Anyway, our highest bill so far was $114.00, I think the weather has been a little bit cooler, we haven't had the A/c on as much as last summer, but August is supposed to be hot. Anyway, our house is just under 2000 Square ft. So what have your bills been like? Our gas bill was $51.00 Phlox You're doing great on that bill...last month mine was $600! Of course, we've recently found some insulation/ac/and electrical probs in our home, but still we have to pay the bill! We're working on lowering it...I'm actually excited to get the bill to see if our attempts to lower the bill have worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Book Crazy Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 We live in Central Florida, in a double wide mobile home; no insulation; crap windows;a/c that is at least 15 years old and is always on. Landlord won't fix and of the problems. Our last two electric bills have been $240. I use the dryer once a week; the TV is hardly on; my laptop is of most of the day. I keep the bedroom doors closed, with the vent in those rooms blocked off. The ceiling fan is on all day. It gets about 5 degrees less the outside temp in the house, with the a/c and ceiling fan going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 We live in a 1960s colonial, 2400 sq. ft. - VERY well insulated. Our gas and electric are on the same bill. Two months ago we paid $120. Last month we paid $124. This month we've had the AC on nearly all month, so I'm sure it'll be higher. But, I'm hoping not over $150! This is so much better than our old 1920s poorly insulated 1400 sq ft house where our average electric/gas bill was $220! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 low $300s!! :eek: but we are on the Gulf Coast - hot and humid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 I am waiting on pins and needles to see our first bill. We are trying not to use our a/c too much, mostly to keep the humidity down in the house. I have done so little laundry it is not funny. When we get back from this trip I am putting up a clothes line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 We have just under 2,000 sq. feet also and our last electric bill was $115. Last year this time it was $160. We have been hanging clothes, installing CFL's, and we got a new electric water heater installed (no longer running the oil burner to heat water), we also have 4 window unit air conditioners which we keep set at 74 degrees. Three of the units are fairly new and they seem to be much more efficient than the old ones we had. We also have 2 less people living in the house than last year, but I don't know how much of a difference that makes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 2800sf, needs new windows and added insulation badly, heat pump/ac is older too. We've gotten our level pay down from $440/mo to $230/mo. But our usage was higher than that according to the bill. OUr level pay was $220 before my parents moved in with us for a few years. We also went from an old meter to a new one - and yikes, that hurt. We lost all our tree cover on the south side due to hurricanes and a tornado. We keep it dark, have fans running all the time, thermostat set at 79-80. I wish the window fairy would swoop in and help with that..... i need $2800 worth of dental work NOW (and the same on the other side in the next year), i guess it won't happen for forever :( Sigh.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 $300. Central Texas, 2-story, 3000 sq. ft. house. I expect our next one to be higher, as there have been several days of 100+ temps. On the up side, I can go almost 6 months without using heating or cooling, so I guess it works out. I've been thinking of asking our electric company if we can average out the electic bill for the whole year and pay a fixed amount each month, KWIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 We don't have A/C. But this winter ask what my heating bill is. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaMere Academy Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 It was $187 last month. We're in a house that's 3 years old, N.E. FL, I run it constantly in the summer but keep it at 78, sometimes 79 if it's too chilly in here. The house stays really cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Our highest has been $125.00. 2000sf, slab foundation, south Louisiana. We keep it on 78-80 and that keeps the house cool, we have plenty of trees to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 We have just under 2400 sq ft. in hot, hot, hot Texas. Our bill for June was $345. Normally we don't hit that until the July and August bills. Power companies are charging more this year than last for the same amount of electrical service. We keep our A/C on 82 degrees in the summer, witha ceiling fan going in whatever room we are in. Our home is all electric, so it adds up quickly. More large shrubs and small trees are going in around our home. We see tremendous benefits from the shade we have already on the west side of our house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista in LA Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 We live in hot and humid Louisiana so our a/c runs a lot. Despite that, our electric bill never really goes above $140/month for our 2000 sq ft house. Our builder did a great job of insulating and using an efficient a/c unit because all our neighbors in similar sized houses built by a different builder have electric bills twice what ours is. Now if I could only get our water bill down - it's nearly $100/month with all of the lawn watering we have to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 We had a great electric company, super low rates....and apparently they went out of business. The first I knew about it was when I received a letter from a different company saying we'd been placed with them as POLR - Provider of Last Resort. So our rates almost doubled, and it's going to take to the next billing cycle to get switched to a lower company. This month - $566.00 - and that's with the temp set at 80-82. We also don't have good insulation. Anyone know how much adding the rolls of pink stuff to the attic costs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammy Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 I live in south Florida....my house is about 1900 sq.ft. and I keep my thermostat on 82 degrees! Tammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2GirlsTX Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 We had a great electric company, super low rates....and apparently they went out of business. The first I knew about it was when I received a letter from a different company saying we'd been placed with them as POLR - Provider of Last Resort. So our rates almost doubled, and it's going to take to the next billing cycle to get switched to a lower company. This month - $566.00 - and that's with the temp set at 80-82. We also don't have good insulation. Anyone know how much adding the rolls of pink stuff to the attic costs? ACK that is awful, I'm worried the same could happen to us. We are with Spark and signed a 3 year agreement at about 12c kwh which is way cheaper than TXU is now, I wonder if they will go under. Im so sorry you have to go through all this. We just got our bill, it was $315 and our house is about 2700 sq feet and the a/c was set about 82. We do have a pool pump running at night too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Okay, I'm really depressed. I thought our energy bill was "okay". We don't even have central A/C, just 3 window units (one in the main area of the house, one in my bedroom and one in dd11/2's bedroom. Our energy bill as $250 this past month! That's W/OUT central A/C that runs all the time! I'm moving! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailaena Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 I now feel so much better about our paltry $304 for July, our most expensive month. And that was with our a/c being broken for 3 days! This year we kept the temp at a solid 81 90%+ of the time and have so far saved over $100/mo from last year. However, the guy that came and fixed the a/c put in a smaller motor (why????), so who knows where the bill will go now. I live in Phoenix where they scoff at insulation and double-pane windows. I do, FORTUNATELY, have shade screens which surprisingly help considerably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshire_parkin Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 last month was $900! this month was $600 (after increasing the temp inside) hopefully it will be less this month, we just had the A/C serviced We have a 4000sqft house in central Texas downstairs set to 78° upstairs set to 79° Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 My bill for June was $134 - but we were gone for two weeks on vacation (still left the a/c on, though, just not as cool as usual, in case a heat wave struck - our four cats were still home (fed etc. by neighbors). I am sure our bill for July will be closer to $160ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Mouse Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 We haven't yet hit the $100 mark. We have a small, well-insulated house and keep the thermostat at around 78 degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 total electric, and our most recent bill was $226. The previous two months' bills were around $150, I think. Our house is 2500 sq.ft., and the main part of the house (about 1800 sq.ft.) uses a central heat & a/c system that is 4 or 5 years old. The sunroom addition (200 sq.ft.) has a 1-ton through-the-wall heat & a/c unit like the ones in hotels/motels, and another addition (500 sq.ft.) is cooled with 2 small window units. Our plan is to (eventually) run ductwork to the 500 sq.ft. addition to tie it in with the central unit, eliminating the need for the window units. This should lower our bill considerably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 We are in Arkansas and July's bill was $351. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Texas ladies, I am sharing your pain. Our bill for mid-June to min-July was $625.57. Ugh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Just curious. Last summer our highest was $130, it was our first summer in this house. So far, we've installed 2 ceiling fans and shades over the patio doors (that were letting in a lot of sunlight last summer, not sure why we didn't do it then) Anyway, our highest bill so far was $114.00, I think the weather has been a little bit cooler, we haven't had the A/c on as much as last summer, but August is supposed to be hot. Anyway, our house is just under 2000 Square ft. So what have your bills been like? Our gas bill was $51.00 Phlox Ours has been about the same as yours. We live in an older, smaller house with some leaks we can't fix (we rent) so we just make do. I am hoping our bill won't jump too much higher this month given our average 105 degree heat index for the last week and the foreseeable future, but I am going to set aside a little more just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Our bill last month was right about $1050. We have 2900 sq.ft. of heavily-insulated, dual-pane windows, 78* a/c home. No pool. Water heater & stove are propane. I hang out almost all of my laundry. Fluorescent bulbs in heavily used areas of our home. We have lined draperies at almost every window. I try to do laundry, etc, on off-peak hours. Even our nighlight is motion-sensored to it's not on all the time. WHY!!??? :confused: I have contacted PG&E, to no avail. They advise that the thermostat should be set no lower than 82*. I know 78* is on the low side, but sheesh! When I consider all the factors it just doesn't seem like the bill should be that high overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda S in TX Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 We live in Central Texas in a 950 sq ft house. We run three window units. We have poor insulation and no way to add any. There is a ceiling fan in the bedroom, but ceilings are too low to install ceiling fans in the rest of the house. June's bill was $340. I'm dreading July's bill since the temps are now over 100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Ours has been close to $200/mo. It's pretty hot here, and I like to keep the house cool, so the thermostat is usually set to 73-74. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee22 Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Our home is four years old and about 2700 sq. ft. and our bill for July was $144. I keep the downstairs at about 75 and the upstairs at 77. We are getting some really hot temps right now so I'm sure my bill for August will be more towards $200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 1490 sq ft. Nevada desert. $230 was our last bill. I feel so much better when compared to some of the other poor souls here! We have a nice southern facing house and only 2 west facing windows in which we place insulated sheets (like the kind for car windscreens but heavier) in the summer to reflect some of the heat. Thanks ladies! I feel so lucky now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill- OK Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 House is about 1800sqft, and we live in central OK. (100 degrees here, today). (I'll come back and edit this if dh tells me we've had one over a hundred dollars, but to the best of my knowledge, none have been.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 I have contacted PG&E, to no avail. They advise that the thermostat should be set no lower than 82*. I know 78* is on the low side, but sheesh! When I consider all the factors it just doesn't seem like the bill should be that high overall. Well, my bill was almost $200 with PG&E when we moved 4.5 years ago. Gas for water, heating & cooking. Decently insulated 1800sf built in 1980 house on the central coast (no AC, single pane windows). I figure mine being about the same with AC here isn't bad.... but i can open the drawers in the kitchen and have HUGE amounts of heat coming out of them :( I just don't know when we are supposed to be able to do something about it. I was hoping this winter - but we got hit with my $2800 dental work that has to be pre-paid. Demand PG&E come check your meter. UGH. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaMere Academy Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Wow, you TX ladies have it rough. That's where dh and I are from and I can't remember what our bills were there...it's been 9 years. I'm not so upset about my $180 something bill...and I'm hoping that my next bill will be a little less, that's when I increased to 79 and our A/C was broke for 2 days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakitty Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Last summer we were living in St. Louis....now we are living North of Seattle....we don't even have an A/C here! And have yet to have a day that I wish I did!!!!! Last year our cooling costs were around $200/month....so, I am in heaven....LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Gosh! The cost of A/C is something I've never thought about.:001_huh: Another great reason to live in the Pacific Northwest, I suppose. Our electricity bill is always much lower during the summer months. The laundry gets dried on the line. Lights don't go on in the house until dusk. All the windows and doors are open to let the fresh air in, and the furnace stays off until October. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2GirlsTX Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Wow, you TX ladies have it rough. That's where dh and I are from and I can't remember what our bills were there...it's been 9 years. I'm not so upset about my $180 something bill...and I'm hoping that my next bill will be a little less, that's when I increased to 79 and our A/C was broke for 2 days... Texas electric rates are insane! They deregulated Texas in 2002 ago to save the average person money, ha ha! :tongue_smilie: Since 2002 our electricity rates are up 58% Other states are up to, here is more information from USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2007-08-09-power-prices_N.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinMominTX Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 This is our first "full" summer in our house. It is 3200 square feet. We keep upstairs and downstairs about 78 during the day and about 74 at night. We've averaged less than $200 per month. Our only utility is electricity as we have a well that uses electricity as well as electric hot water heaters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted August 2, 2008 Share Posted August 2, 2008 New England, 2800 s.f., $427 last month. RC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseballmom Posted August 2, 2008 Share Posted August 2, 2008 I feel your pain. We average between $900-$1,000 in the summer. We also live in Central Texas and keep the temperature between 76-80 degrees. We also have over 4,000 square feet of living space, but we also have a pool. I can't wait for winter. Dorothy last month was $900!this month was $600 (after increasing the temp inside) hopefully it will be less this month, we just had the A/C serviced We have a 4000sqft house in central Texas downstairs set to 78° upstairs set to 79° Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenschooler Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 About $225/month for a very small house that I keep like an icebox (around 70-74). We live in TN. My jaw is dropping over those TX utility bills!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenschooler Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 I should clarify that's for electric, gas, and water (it's all on one bill), and we live in a very old house, but it seems to be pretty well-insulated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenschooler Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 More large shrubs and small trees are going in around our home. We see tremendous benefits from the shade we have already on the west side of our house. I've already been planning to add some shrubs and trees to the west side of the house this fall. We have awnings that provide some shade, but we don't have any big trees on one corner of our house - the SW corner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citrusheights5 Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 one month was 150.00, Last month was 93. Who knows how much the next one. We run the ac all day @ 80. Our prices are so much lower than they were before we moved here . We were paying 200 average for no a/c, in a much cooler climate, in a smaller rental. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl in NM Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 We switched back to an evaportive cooler this year and our highest bill has only been $96. The previous years with refrigerated A/C our highest summer bills were: June $150, July $200, Aug. $250. We live in NM, which thankfully is dry most of the time so the evap works just fine. We have 3 weeks in late June/early July that the temps are over 100 - 105 degrees. The rest of the summer (late May to late Aug.) the temps are around 95 degrees. The up side is that I can wait until July to plant my garden and still harvest in the fall. Then I can "can" when it's cooler (like 80 instead of 95). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maisy Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 We don't have a choice of provider, and we're paying 19.5 cents per kwh! We live in a 1-story 2300 sq. ft. house and last month's bill was $525.00 (includes about $50 water/sewer). The thermostat is on 79 most of the time, and we're in week two of day after day of 100+ temperatures (at 8:00 p.m., it's still 101 degrees). Maybe that's why we're all crabby around here! :mad: Leaving for Michigan on the 12th! Can't wait!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Ours is $209 year round. We set the air conditioning to 82 degrees and hold during the summer. That is as warm as we can stand. I would guess that the actual bill is around $380 during the summer and very low during the winter. Our heat bills in the winter are tiny, like under $50. We could much easier live without heat than we could live without air conditioning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laylamcb Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 An average of $225/mo for electric (basically A/C) this summer in a ~2700sf SFH in outer Northern VA. Gag me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamagistra Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 We live in a forest, basically, and our highest summer bill has been around $450 (in a house that's under 2,000sf). I thought that stunk but I guess it's not bad, considering that I keep it pretty frosty (72°-74°) and all our appliances are electric, too. Our funky ol' heat pump recently gave up the ghost, so hopefully a new, energy-efficient unit will yield greater savings still. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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