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Old 09-12-2016, 10:10 AM   #41
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My electric bill for August was $135 for a 2500 sq ft home with 2 AC units. This August was pretty mild vs prior years, but don't recall many bills that were much more than that. We keep temp at 76 degrees.
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Old 09-12-2016, 10:31 AM   #42
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I live on Long Island, an expensive area for electric power. But I live in a studio apartment in a co-op, so the power users are the fridge and (summer only) the A/C. My average bill, non-summer, is $35-$40. In the summer, it rises to about $70-$75 per month, with the August bill the highest because the billing cycle runs from the 20th of the month to the 20th of the next month.


I also pay a small part of the co-op's overall electric bill for the power used for its common areas (lights, mainly; and laundry room, and A/C for the super's office). This runs about $15 a month.
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Old 09-12-2016, 10:58 AM   #43
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There is probably an increase in electric use when more than one person lives in the home--ours for two people, house <2000 sf, for central AC, lights, clothes washer, etc., is around $80 in the summer and $60 in the winter, while gas (hot water, furnace, dryer, cooking) is just under $20 in the summer and $100 in the winter. I know both would be a little less for a single person as we are using lights in more than one room, doing more laundry, washing more dishes, but we are still well under our "most efficient" neighbors according to Comed--all of whom have much bigger homes and more bodies living there. Another huge factor is that we are gone on and off six to ten weeks of the year and set the thermostats accordingly, so the utility costs would certainly be higher if we stayed home more.
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Old 09-12-2016, 12:00 PM   #44
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Originally Posted by Sunset View Post
Probably most folks are quoting the actual bill number which would include delivery charge, account fee, taxes, etc.

How is your's so cheap ?
I pay roughly 20 cents per kwh. That's including network costs and taxes. Actual production is about 4 cents, the rest is distribution and taxes.

I have no fixed service fee - managed to find a contract without (hard to do, most charge about $5 per month).
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Old 09-12-2016, 12:00 PM   #45
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9,200 Kilowatt hours per year
$780 per year

That's average for the last three years.

1,200 sq ft ranch in Iowa. We have central air, two fridges, and an electric clothes drier.
We have natural gas heat.
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Old 09-12-2016, 12:05 PM   #46
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Originally Posted by Independent View Post

9,200 Kilowatt hours per year
$780 per year

That's average for the last three years.

1,200 sq ft ranch in Iowa. We have central air, two fridges, and an electric clothes drier.
We have natural gas heat.

How much does it cost to heat in winter ?

.
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Old 09-12-2016, 12:24 PM   #47
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The refrigerator in my last apartment used more than that -- 2 kwh per day. That's when we were traveling and it was sealed shut.
I only use the refrigerator sporadically. A new model small size only should use about 0.5 kwh daily.

Europe does have high standards for energy efficiency though, so it may be different your side of the pond.
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Old 09-12-2016, 12:26 PM   #48
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How much does it cost to heat in winter ?

.
Our annual natural gas cost has averaged $870 over the last 3 years. (that's 996 "therms")

Our lowest summer bills are around $25. That's the cost of hot water and a gas stove.

Natural gas prices are variable. We paid more than $1.00/therm in early 2014, and we've been around $0.60/therm this year.

Our highest single monthly bill was $193 in Jan 2014.
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Old 09-12-2016, 01:47 PM   #49
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1700 sq. ft. all-electric Florida ranch, one person: $50 / month without A/C (4 months of the year); $70 / month with A/C (8 months of the year).
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Old 09-12-2016, 01:50 PM   #50
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The refrigerator in my last apartment used more than that
I admit: we have three frigs. A normal one in the kitchen, then two in the garage. One is a Gladiator - built for garage use. It has no problem with keeping the freezer compartment properly cold in the winter. For us it's mainly a bulk freezer. We also have a smallish regular frig for drinks and other random items. We thought of getting rid of it, but DW uses it extensively during the holidays.

They cost, but we use them and so it's worth it to us.
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Old 09-12-2016, 02:08 PM   #51
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  • Upstate SC
  • 1800 sq ft
  • Gas for Stove, Hot Water, Clothes Dryer, Furnace and Fireplace
  • Past 12 months $849.16
I have 5 ceiling fans. T'stat set at 79 in summer, 72 in winter.
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Electricity
Old 09-12-2016, 02:08 PM   #52
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Electricity

$723 total for the past 12 months. Vermont. 3600 SF home plus 900 SF in law unit we rent out. No central air but two electric vehicles we charge at home. We do have 15kw of solar on the roof though which is good because we pay $.18/kWh here.

Now if we could just get out massive winter propane bill under control!
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Old 09-12-2016, 03:06 PM   #53
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1700 sq. ft. all-electric Florida ranch, one person: $50 / month without A/C (4 months of the year); $70 / month with A/C (8 months of the year).

Those are great stats for AC in Florida.

.
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Old 09-12-2016, 03:33 PM   #54
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Those are great stats for AC in Florida.
I suspect that I'm more aggressive than most folks in minimizing electric consumption. For example, when I'm home and using personal electronics, the thermostat is set to 80F. If I'm sleeping, the thermo is set to 77F. Otherwise, it's set to 86F (essentially, the A/C is off).
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Old 09-12-2016, 03:40 PM   #55
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This is 2 year electricity graph that shows effect of (2) new HVAC systems, beginning May 2016. Reduction in KwH is pretty dramatic. I don't have exact numbers handy, but it appears to be 40-50% less useage.

This is for 3,000 SqFt in NJ. We have natural gas heat, so the savings in winter will not be as dramatic.

Sep column is actually August temps, and the bill was $140.
Important to add, that we went with gas dryer conversion after moving in 25 years ago. That has saved a bunch. However, we stuck with an electric oven and cooktop when upgrading the kitchen. Also run a dehumidifier in the basement May thru October or so.

Coincidentally, received two rebate checks from the state today for the HVAC systems, each for $300.
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Old 09-12-2016, 03:44 PM   #56
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Without much extra analyses:

Lowest usage - 194 kwh, March 2016
Highest usage - 1641 kwh, August 2011 (one of the hottest summers on record in DFW)

Checked my spreadsheet: (1650sf, one occupant, gas heat/water heater, elec dryer)

ELECTRIC

2010 - 7287kwh, $1064
2011 - 7925kwh, $1162
2012 - 7092kwh, $1082
2013 - 6206kwh, $990
2014 - 5983kwh, $1029
2015 - 6388kwh, $1117

NATGAS (No natgas usage numbers for earlier years, but do have billing data)

2010 - $440
2011 - $371
2012 - $364
2013 - $375
2014 - 350ccf, $540
2015 - 217ccf, $468

TOTAL ENERGY COST

2010 - $1504
2011 - $1533
2012 - $1446
2013 - $1365
2014 - $1569
2015 - $1585
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Old 09-12-2016, 05:44 PM   #57
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For example, when I'm home and using personal electronics, the thermostat is set to 80F. If I'm sleeping, the thermo is set to 77F. Otherwise, it's set to 86F (essentially, the A/C is off).
If I did this, I know our money would last the rest of my life.
Because my wife would kill me within a week.
And, I would thank her, from the bottom of my sweat-soaked heart.
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Old 09-12-2016, 06:06 PM   #58
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$197.00 a month level billing everything electric except oil heat. Summer use spikes the bill due to central A/C and pool pump.
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Old 09-12-2016, 06:41 PM   #59
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If I did this, I know our money would last the rest of my life. Because my wife would kill me within a week. And, I would thank her, from the bottom of my sweat-soaked heart.
If I leave the house for several hours in the afternoon in deep summer, the house interior temp rises to 84F; however, the interior humidity stays low (need to discourage mold & mildew). After I return and put on the A/C, the temp quickly falls back into my comfort range (but not yours ).

I find most air-conditioned public spaces too cold, and always bring a jacket. Having a BMI of only 19 may help explain why.
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Old 09-12-2016, 09:58 PM   #60
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I also read that one of the secrets of millionaires is that they stay put, but the way I read it was the reason that was such a wealth builder is that they didn't continually upgrade to a more expensive house and neighborhood.
? then who they heck is buying all those multimillion dollar 5000 sq foot properties in NYC, non millionaires?
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