Electric Bill Nightmares Here!!!!!!

[speakerman39]

It would be smart of us to conserve more but I am just not willing to be uncomfortable at home. I am lucky that I picked a career in the Medical Field so I have a decent "worst case scenerio" fall back job. We are going to spend less money the next few years since losing my "real job" scared the crap out of me

Yeah, many of us are scared about our job security. I am degreed myself, yet I sell car audio for a living. I used to manage the place and made a bit more money. However, I also had all the head-aches too. Sometimes, or better yet quite often, people are so hard to please no matter what you do. Guess, it grew old on me so I just sell now. I still get stuck with opening and closing at times but hey I can live with it. Better jobs here are so politically dominated that I have to take what I can get if you know what I mean. Western KY is one of the, if not the lowest, paid wages in the nation. The cost of living use to be quite low as well. However, things have changed and it is much harder now to just get by let alone have anything extra. Guess that is why I am still single. No money to go hunting.......LOL!!!!!

 

[ParadigmDawg]

That does stink but if you are single, move to a better state

Yeah, many of us are scared about our job security. I am degreed myself, yet I sell car audio for a living. I used to manage the place and made a bit more money. However, I also had all the head-aches too. Sometimes, or better yet quite often, people are so hard to please no matter what you do. Guess, it grew old on me so I just sell now. I still get stuck with opening and closing at times but hey I can live with it. Better jobs here are so politically dominated that I have to take what I can get if you know what I mean. Western KY is one of the, if not the lowest, paid wages in the nation. The cost of living use to be quite low as well. However, things have changed and it is much harder now to just get by let alone have anything extra. Guess that is why I am still single. No money to go hunting.......LOL!!!!!

 

[speakerman39]

That does stink but if you are single, move to a better state

Wish I could but have to look out after my aging parents. I also just bought a new home. So, I am here for the long haul. I have been married a couple of times. Just not very long..........LOL!!!!! My daughter is now grown and still living w/her mother. I have dated some but it is so hard to find anyone decent. Most seem to be after money or material things nowadays. I know there are some decent ladies out there but never seem to meet any of them. As such, been focusing on getting moved and turning the small br into a dedicated ht room. Lived alone for so long not even sure I could do it again. Maybe, I should of had been a Priest eh? After my parents pass, I am basically all alone as those that I was very close to has now done passed. Life is just hard, but some how some way I am getting by-barely. Just have to stay positive and hope for the best as well as take (1) day at a time. This is why I throw myself into this hobby so much. It is people that come to these forums that help me get through the day. Lord knows, I still have lots to learn. You do make a valid point, but one that is not do-able for the time being.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

...make me feel bad for cussing as I was just mowing the lawn a few minutes ago. I fired my lawn guy when I got laid off so I was doing it myself and I was pissed about it. Guess I need to do a reality check

Wish I could but have to look out after my aging parents. I also just bought a new home. So, I am here for the long haul. I have been married a couple of times. Just not very long..........LOL!!!!! My daughter is now grown and still living w/her mother. I have dated some but it is so hard to find anyone decent. Most seem to be after money or material things nowadays. I know there are some decent ladies out there but never seem to meet any of them. As such, been focusing on getting moved and turning the small br into a dedicated ht room. Lived alone for so long not even sure I could do it again. Maybe, I should of had been a Priest eh? After my parents pass, I am basically all alone as those that I was very close to has now done passed. Life is just hard, but some how some way I am getting by-barely. Just have to stay positive and hope for the best as well as take (1) day at a time. This is why I throw myself into this hobby so much. It is people that come to these forums that help me get through the day. Lord knows, I still have lots to learn. You do make a valid point, but one that is not do-able for the time being.

 

[trnqk7]

In our new home (just finished in October) our electric bill runs about 60-80 bucks so far...but about 180 bucks for the gas heat...I figure it'll be about the same in the summer as far as the total bill goes, somewhere between $200-$300 with some spikes over $300. I don't think it's too bad for a 2,500 sq. ft. home but it still sucks to pay it.

However, working for the power company, specifically a coop, the honest truth is that although we are raising rates, we aren't even raising them enough to cover all of the costs to us. This may just be a cooperative thing, not an investor owned utility (IOU) deal. We try to keep costs down, but with all the government regulations in place and req. for reducing emissions, etc-money doesn't last very long.

I believe the one thing I heard was for a .1% decrease in emissions (it may have been less than that) "we" (the association we are in) spent over $500 million at one coal plant. Ridiculous, but necessary. And people around here are scared to death of nuclear for the most part (at least, new nuclear plants)...not to mention the outrageous startup costs of those...last time it was looked into, over $2 billion.

Reasons like that are why I don't care "too" much about my 7-10 cents a kWhr electric rate

 

[speakerman39]

Have someone qualified come in and inspect your insulation too, check for leaks, drafts, etc., anywhere in the house where you could be losing A/C and/or heat depending on the time of the year. When I switched to CFL's I noticed a significant reduction on my electric bill. Inside Temperature at my house: 70F. But I also replaced the roof not long ago, and installed light-colored asphalt shingles - I'm sure that has helped down here in the intense Florida sun. We run the laundry machines once a week, dishwasher 2-3 times per week, A/C continuously on auto, set to 70, computer set to standby after 10 minutes, and HT operating pretty much anytime I am at home and awake.

Average electric bill? About 150 bucks a month. Not too shabby.

Not shabby at all. I am moving into a much newer home than I reside in now. It is much better insulated and as such should help to lower my electric bill. I choose not to own a dryer as I only have to wash for myself. I just hang everything up and in no time it is dry. I am a diabetic so really don't use my stove too much. Mainly, my lil George Foreman grill whenever I do cook. I also use my slow cooker a lot. I try to watch what I use and conserve as much as possible. Sounds like you have things under control there.

 

[speakerman39]

In our new home (just finished in October) our electric bill runs about 60-80 bucks so far...but about 180 bucks for the gas heat...I figure it'll be about the same in the summer as far as the total bill goes, somewhere between $200-$300 with some spikes over $300. I don't think it's too bad for a 2,500 sq. ft. home but it still sucks to pay it.

However, working for the power company, specifically a coop, the honest truth is that although we are raising rates, we aren't even raising them enough to cover all of the costs to us. This may just be a cooperative thing, not an investor owned utility (IOU) deal. We try to keep costs down, but with all the government regulations in place and req. for reducing emissions, etc-money doesn't last very long.

I believe the one thing I heard was for a .1% decrease in emissions (it may have been less than that) "we" (the association we are in) spent over $500 million at one coal plant. Ridiculous, but necessary. And people around here are scared to death of nuclear for the most part (at least, new nuclear plants)...not to mention the outrageous startup costs of those...last time it was looked into, over $2 billion.

Reasons like that are why I don't care "too" much about my 7-10 cents a kWhr electric rate

Very well spoken there. I also find it interesting to say the least. I believe it is a cooperative here too. But, it is also is about how much money they can get out of you. Seems to be the theme these days. You know, give you less and then charge you more mentality. Forget about customer service. As all I ever hear them saying is "we are doing the best we can". All I see my local city and county government being good at and that is quite frankly taxing, billing, and collecting. Where are they when you need them? Just look at our roads and the condition they are in. Our local school board just gave our superintendent a hefty $15,000 raise yet our teachers have to ask parents to send paper towels, kleenex, and school supplies to school because these items were "cut" from the budget. Did you get a $15,000 raise this year? It is going on locally as well as on the state level not to mention federally. This needs to stop and stop now.

 

[Nomo]

My year round average here is probably $250. Furnace in the winter. AC and pool in the summer.

This month the sump pump has been running 24/7. I'm looking forward to this months bill. Not.

 

[speakerman39]

...make me feel bad for cussing as I was just mowing the lawn a few minutes ago. I fired my lawn guy when I got laid off so I was doing it myself and I was pissed about it. Guess I need to do a reality check

Hey, no offense taken Greg. Oh, need to mow my yard too but once again it is raining. Guess what, it is going to rain tomorrow and tomorrow night and then an even bigger storm system moving in late Wednesday early Thursday. Supposed to get 3" or rain just on Thursday. Never ever seen anything like this.

 

[speakerman39]

My year round average here is probably $250. Furnace in the winter. AC and pool in the summer.

This month the sump pump has been running 24/7. I'm looking forward to this months bill. Not.

I hear ya Nomo. It must be going on all over this country. I heard today gas prices are supposed to be $4 a gallon by the end of April. It just doesn't seem to ever end.

 

[Sheep]

Suckers! I don't have to cool my igloo in the summer, and I have roaring fires in the middle during the winter.

My Dog sleds don't run on gas either, it's actually what they pollute!

SheepStar

 

[speakerman39]

Suckers! I don't have to cool my igloo in the summer, and I have roaring fires in the middle during the winter.

My Dog sleds don't run on gas either, it's actually what they pollute!

SheepStar

Hey Sheep at least pooper scoopers are real cheap......LOL!!!!

 

[cbraver]

I'm sure glad I live in a van down by the river.

 

[speakerman39]

I'm sure glad I live in a van down by the river.

Hmmmm.........sounds like a song I heard once OR twice.......LOL!!!!!

 

[MDS]

In the winter months of roughly November to March, my electric bill is less than $60 but the gas bill is around $120 (gas heater, stove, dryer).

In the summer months it flip-flops so the electric bill approaches $150 (electric AC) but the gas bill goes way down, sometimes as low as $19.

Water is what is expensive because the sprinkler system runs off the city water (we can't use a well). I've got it down to between $120-$150 and the grass looks fine so I probably water enough. When I first had the sprinklers installed along with new sod, I had to run it every day but promptly forgot about it and went on vacation for three weeks. Watering 3.5 hours per day for three weeks straight resulted in a very nice $482 water bill.

 

[speakerman39]

In the winter months of roughly November to March, my electric bill is less than $60 but the gas bill is around $120 (gas heater, stove, dryer).

In the summer months it flip-flops so the electric bill approaches $150 (electric AC) but the gas bill goes way down, sometimes as low as $19.

Sounds very reasonable to me. People here that heat w/gas always have bills bigger than mine. Just how it is here.

 

[TLS Guy]

Suckers! I don't have to cool my igloo in the summer, and I have roaring fires in the middle during the winter.

My Dog sleds don't run on gas either, it's actually what they pollute!

SheepStar

Yes it has been very cold in the Minnesota lake country this winter. Still below freezing today and no open water on the lake yet.

So far this winter , I have used around 15,000 KWH of ripple electric heat, but that is cheap, 4 cents a KWH roughly. I have used 500 gallons of propane for back up heat, at $1.80 per gallon on my contract this year. I have also burnt between six and seven cords of wood. Now all that is quite a carbon foot print, but I don't see global warming round here at present! Bring it on!

 

[Nomo]

My Dog sleds don't run on gas either, it's actually what they pollute!

SheepStar

I've seen enough pictures of your "sled dog". You obviously don't get out much.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... My hot water heater is not turned up real high either.

If that is an electric heater, get a gas in the next house. The energy cost of electricity is very high compared to the energy cost of gas.
Turn off your computer when not in use. It eats about 150 watts/hr, 24hr/day, etc.

 

[stratman]

My worst month is August and my a/c bill comes in at about 180.00, my city gas bill hovers at about 30.00 year round, if I take away all the taxes more like 20.00, during "winter" by electric bill is about 80-100.00.