*snip*
Like, good lord, basic solution, how hard is it to do laundry on different days? (Actual difference: 20-30$/month) I'm not even hassling him to hang it up, just don't run the dryer 3 times in the same day!! (Hydro more than doubles the cost of power after you reach a certain amount per day... works out to the first load of laundry costing less than 1$ but further loads being $$$) and also if you don't let the laundry pile up we all have clean clothes... how wonderful, to not run out of underwear... *ahem*
*frustration*
Yes, for all who asked, Kitsune is saying that higher usage of electricity ("hydro") increases the cost per unit. I haven't run into this in the US, though I know some electric companies in the US have electric prices that vary based on the time of day, another interesting system.
Yes! Exactly! To clarify further: hydro Quebec is our power company, and is provincially owned and run with usually cheap electric rates... until you go above a daily threshold and then the rates mpcan more than double. And if you're doing that in winter and some of your heat is electric and you're already raising the heat, any power-using decision pushes your bill that much closer to double-billing territory. Usually 2+ loads of laundry in the dryer in one day will do it. And then ANY extra power used is at higher rates (oven, heating, water heater, etc...) so there's definite incentive to use less overall. Its not a direct cost-per-use calculation
Aaaaand this came up again yesterday. With friends. Sigh. WHY can adults not understand cause/effect??!
Friend: "I don't understand why our power bill is so high! We turn off the lights in rooms we're not in, we're frugal, we plastic the windows, we live in a small apartment... "
Meanwhile: its -25C outside. The outside walls are badly insulated and Ice cold to touch (so heat out, cold air in...). The kitchen is so much colder, and there's an actual breeze coming in a crack from the back door.
The apartment is heated to 22-23C. I mention that their power bill is the same as ours (and we heat a HOUSE that's at least 6-8x the square footage, gets north wind off a lake hitting the front door, and is about 500m higher in altitude with the associated colder temperatures), and mention that we lower the heat to 16-17C at night and wear flannel PJs, have flannel sheets, and sleep under thick duvets.
Response: "*gasp* oh, no, we couldn't lower our heat! We're not hardcore, we LIKE being warm!"
... well then there's your answer as to why your power bill is so high. It's fine to make that decision, but don't tell me you "don't understand".
Also, its winter, and a COLD day. WHY are you heating your drafty apartment to 23C and then wearing long-sleeved thin cotton shirts with no sweaters?? I like being warm too - that's why Sweaters and wool socks exist!
At least Husband has mended the issues that were increasing the power bill, and we've all made more of an effort to heat with the wood stove, which should mean that our next power bill won't spike upwards despite the freezing temps outside. Small blessings.