Freaking out over my electric bill/meter...

GrannyG · #21 01/28/11, 12:25 PM

Ours is always HIgH ! Drives me crazy...and we are having to pay for those smart meters...will be 10 years to pay for one...how crazy is that ! They belong to the company, they should pay for the meter...makes no sense to me at all.....

**Cabin Fever** · #22 01/28/11, 12:26 PM

Looks like you used an average of 45 kWh more per day during January. That's roughly the equivalent of running an electric room heater (1500 watt) for 3 hours per day.

agmantoo · #23 01/28/11, 12:26 PM

RedTartan

Has your meter been changed from the old type to the new "smart meter'?

TnAndy · #24 01/28/11, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedTartan

Ok, I have the actual numbers:

The bill for Jan usage: KWH used = 2615

Dec usage: KWH used = 1261

Nov usage: KWH used = 1585

Last Jan usage: KWH used = 1211

The price of my electricity has remained unchanged during this time. I pay .06 per KWH

OK....so WHERE did the 900kw/hrs come in ?

And by the way....for a house with gas heat/water heater and dryer, you're using quite a bit of electric power.

kirkmcquest · #25 01/28/11, 12:28 PM

These are crazy numbers I'm hearing. My electric bill is rarely over 60 bucks in a month.

RedTartan · #26 01/28/11, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agmantoo

RedTartan

Has your meter been changed from the old type to the new "smart meter'?

No. This meter is probably older than I am.

RedTartan · #27 01/28/11, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TnAndy

OK....so WHERE did the 900kw/hrs come in ?

And by the way....for a house with gas heat/water heater and dryer, you're using quite a bit of electric power.

My husband works from home and is a video game developer. We have at least 3 computers running at any given time. He won't let me shut off power strips at such at night because it takes forever to get everything up and running again.

kirkmcquest · #28 01/28/11, 12:31 PM

Are you running an indoor farm with grow lamps?? Geez

TnAndy · #29 01/28/11, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

Looks like you used an average of 45 kWh more per day during January. That's roughly the equivalent of running an electric room heater (1500 watt) for 3 hours per day.

Uh, don't think so...believe you missed an "ought".....

45kw/hrs is 45,000 watt hours. 45,000/1500 = 30 hrs.

You'd have to use that 1500w heater 30 hours per day......which, on the face of it, doesn't seem possible.

RedTartan · #30 01/28/11, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

Looks like you used an average of 45 kWh more per day during January. That's roughly the equivalent of running an electric room heater (1500 watt) for 3 hours per day.

Are you saying that my space heater (which I used last year too BTW, note last Jan's #'s) doubled my electric bill?

**Cabin Fever** · #31 01/28/11, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TnAndy

OK....so WHERE did the 900kw/hrs come in ?

And by the way....for a house with gas heat/water heater and dryer, you're using quite a bit of electric power.

The way I understand it, the electric company read the meter yesterday and her dh read the meter today. The difference in the two readings was 900 kWh.

I think there are two issues going on here:
1. The difference between the Dec and Jan bills, and
2. The difference between yersterdays and todays meter readings.

agmantoo · #32 01/28/11, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedTartan

Ok, I have the actual numbers:

The bill for Jan usage: KWH used = 2615

Dec usage: KWH used = 1261

Nov usage: KWH used = 1585

Last Jan usage: KWH used = 1211

The price of my electricity has remained unchanged during this time. I pay .06 per KWH

If the above is the actual kilowatts used where did the 900 kilowatts in the original posts come from? You did not buy an Eden Pure heater did you?

TnAndy · #33 01/28/11, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedTartan

My husband works from home and is a video game developer. We have at least 3 computers running at any given time. He won't let me shut off power strips at such at night because it takes forever to get everything up and running again.

Ok if you don't mind paying for it.

Typical desktop computer will use 500watts ( that's what mine measured when I put a Kill-a-watt recording meter on it ). So, 3 of them running 24hrs/day will use 3x500w=1500w x 24 = 36,000w/hrs or 36kw/hrs per day.

A typical desktop computer will ACTUALLY USE more power than an older model fridge, by the way !

Over the course of a month, that 36x30= 1080kw/hrs. IF he would cut the fool things off when he is not actually using them, you'd cut your power bill significantly.....or if they HAVE to stay on, you need to write that much off as business expense.

RedTartan · #34 01/28/11, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agmantoo

If the above is the actual kilowatts used where did the 900 kilowatts in the original posts come from? You did not buy an Eden Pure heater did you?

The 900 kw is what the electric company's operator told me was the difference between what the meter reader recorded yesterday and what my dh read this morning. DH's reading was 900 kw HIGHER than yesterday's reading. We both checked. My DH read the meter right.

I didn't buy anything new. Nothing has changed between this month and last month.

RedTartan · #35 01/28/11, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TnAndy

Ok if you don't mind paying for it.

Typical desktop computer will use 500watts ( that's what mine measured when I put a Kill-a-watt recording meter on it ). So, 3 of them running 24hrs/day will use 3x500w=1500w x 24 = 36,000w/hrs or 36kw/hrs per day.

Over the course of a month, that 36x30= 1080kw/hrs. IF he would cut the fool things off when he is not actually using them, you'd cut your power bill significantly.....or if they HAVE to stay on, you need to write that much off as business expense.

My husband's computers are anything but typical

They're beasts. With 28 inch monitors. Multiple 28 inch monitors. He makes good money, so I usually don't mind paying it when the bill has been accurately measured. But something is wrong here.

mnn2501 · #36 01/28/11, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirkmcquest

These are crazy numbers I'm hearing. My electric bill is rarely over 60 bucks in a month.

Mines never under $170 and summer time its close to $400 a month

**Cabin Fever** · #37 01/28/11, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedTartan

My husband's computers are anything but typical

They're beasts. With 28 inch monitors. Multiple 28 inch monitors. He makes good money, so I usually don't mind paying it when the bill has been accurately measured. But something is wrong here.

So, where the behmouth computers also running during the months you gave us electric readings for or just this past month?

TRAILRIDER · #38 01/28/11, 12:49 PM

I don't know anything about electric meters, let me say that first.
But I got a water bill that said we used 10,000 more gallons one month than ever before. First thing I did was make sure every water outlet was turned off, nothing running, even checked foir drips etc. Then I looked at my meter and the dials were not turning what so ever. No leaks. Is it possible to check an electric meter that way? Flip all the fuses than turn one on at a time, and see if the meter starts going crazy?
My water bill, by the way, was a mistake by the meter reader. When I cleaned off the face of the meter (it was dusty) it was 10,000 gallons lower than thier reading.
Don't know if this will help. Good luck.

RedTartan · #39 01/28/11, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

So, where the behmouth computers also running during the months you gave us electric readings for or just this past month?

Oh, yes! My DH has been a developer working from home for 8+ years. The computers aren't new either.

TRAILRIDER · #40 01/28/11, 12:52 PM

I am using an oil filled radiator in one room, I have turkey poults in there. My electric bill was 150.50, up from 82.00 the month before. It was also up from the year before, same month.