Author Topic: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous  (Read 8687 times)

chloe1733

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Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« on: December 07, 2015, 07:19:57 PM »
Long story short, my electric bill is out of control. It had been running about $300 a month during the summer (we live in Texas...and, no, I'm not going to go without a/c when it's 90+, even if it means working a few more years...) and about $100 in the cooler months.

Then last year, we installed new energy efficient windows, redid our siding, and installed a radiant barrier in the attic.  It should be going down, right? It's not. It's going up. We hit $450 at our highest month this past summer, and even for November, when we didn't even use the a/c at all (nor the heater, except for a couple nights) it still was nearly $300 (for a 1,600 sq foot house). What's going on?

We've replaced about 1/2 of our lightbulbs with LED, and are slowly replacing the others as they burn out. We got a wattage meter and tested most of our plug-in appliances, and nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

So that leaves me with the things that weren't easy to energy test - our major appliances (which we just replaced off Craigslist about six months ago, but the new appliances are all energy-star rated), our ac/heater on the fritz somehow, or perhaps one of our pets building a nuclear reactor in the attic...

Thoughts? Advice? People who have been through it?

coopdog

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2015, 07:27:06 PM »
What kind of heat and air system do you have? My first thought is you have may some emergency heat strips installed in your heat and air unit that are stuck on.

Travis

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2015, 07:29:55 PM »
Does your electric company track your usage on a daily or hourly basis online?  You can experiment unplugging some appliances for a few hours or a day and see if you have a substantial drop in usage.  It couldn't hurt to simply turn off your power at the box and see if your meter is still going just to rule that out.

chloe1733

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2015, 07:34:25 PM »
Does your electric company track your usage on a daily or hourly basis online?  You can experiment unplugging some appliances for a few hours or a day and see if you have a substantial drop in usage.  It couldn't hurt to simply turn off your power at the box and see if your meter is still going just to rule that out.

Unfortunately, no.  Austin Energy charges some of the highest energy rates in the country, and provides very little service in return. And they have a monopoly on the area.

What kind of heat and air system do you have? My first thought is you have may some emergency heat strips installed in your heat and air unit that are stuck on.

It's a gas furnace but electric AC.  Gas stove and water heater as well.  AC was replaced about 7 years ago (before we moved in).  It's slightly undersized for the house.

Frankies Girl

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2015, 07:50:11 PM »
Have someone in to inspect your HVAC system for efficiency with special attention to the ductwork. They should be looking for any leaks, tears, or misalignment and also how well the unit actually works and if it is sized properly for your house.

We had a month of really high electric bills and discovered a tear in some ductwork; basically we were air conditioning the attic. Fixed it and all is well now.

If no one is home, then turn the A/C up to 80 and program it to come down about one hour before the first person gets home (or set it down once you get home and use the ceiling fan to cool down until the A/C cools the house. If you have animals, this still won't cause them discomfort; my cat never cared. I turn mine completely off during the day, and the highest it got inside during the heat of summer was in the 80s, and as long as they have water and a dark room, they will be fine. (and I live in Houston, so I know heat/humidity)



Get some surge protectors and put all of your televisions/electronics on those and turn them off at the surge protector when not in use. This stops the vampire drain that many larger appliances are known for.

johnny847

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2015, 07:54:52 PM »
The only way you're going to figure this out is if you measure it. Whether it's with a Kill A Watt, or measuring the power from the circuit breaker panel (so turn off everything but one circuit, see how much power you're using, go find the devices on that circuit).

Or have an energy audit done.

sirdoug007

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2015, 08:00:02 PM »
Set this up and experiment a bit with a/c on and off and various appliances unplugged. https://austinenergyapp.com

You can also get a killawatt to track your 120v appliances.


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chloe1733

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #7 on: December 07, 2015, 09:08:25 PM »
Set this up and experiment a bit with a/c on and off and various appliances unplugged. https://austinenergyapp.com

You can also get a killawatt to track your 120v appliances.


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This is great. Had no idea this existed. Just installed.


pbkmaine

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #8 on: December 07, 2015, 09:10:06 PM »
Is it possible your windows were installed incorrectly?


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Monkey Uncle

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #9 on: December 08, 2015, 04:31:21 AM »
And just to cover all the bases, check your past bills to see if the rate went up.

albireo13

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #10 on: December 08, 2015, 05:20:10 AM »
Do you use an electric dryer?  Those can be a power hog

justajane

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #11 on: December 08, 2015, 05:45:03 AM »
Is it possible your windows were installed incorrectly?


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That's what I was thinking as well. A window is only as good as its installation.

Penny McSave

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #12 on: December 08, 2015, 06:12:49 AM »
Are you accidentally using the emergency or auxiliary setting on the AC? Also +1 to the tumble dryer, those are major hogs.

Jacana

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #13 on: December 08, 2015, 06:16:41 AM »
When was the last time your coolant levels were checked in your a/c unit? If it isn't charged properly it will not run efficiently.

teen persuasion

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #14 on: December 08, 2015, 09:59:02 AM »
First, don't compare $$, compare kWh used.  Rates change all the time.  Are you actually using more electricity?

The fact that it is higher both summer and winter sounds like some new added load.  As others said, get measuring your usage.  Break it down per day.  Watch the meter - is usage evenly distributed per day, or are you seeing spikes?  Try to find the circuit with the big usage - flip off breakers and watch the meter for a while.  What is on the circuit that speeds up the meter?  Use the kill-a-watt device on individual devices on that circuit - do they add up to the mystery usage?

We had a mystery electric vampire in our 4 unit house (electric included in rent - one bill for all).  It didn't go away when tenants moved out, so was not their usage.  Tracked it down to one circuit - it seemed to be a wire wrap buried in a floor somewhere.  Any chance you have pipes wrapped with heating wires to prevent freezing, and critters may have nibbled on them?

ohana

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #15 on: December 08, 2015, 10:02:47 AM »
Maybe you should spring for an energy audit.  Pricey but it sounds like you would get a good return on investment in this situation.

MustachianKentuckian

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #16 on: December 08, 2015, 10:08:34 AM »
Some utility companies offer energy audits for a very low cost.

Knitwit

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #17 on: December 08, 2015, 10:14:51 AM »
Long story short, my electric bill is out of control. It had been running about $300 a month during the summer (we live in Texas...and, no, I'm not going to go without a/c when it's 90+, even if it means working a few more years...) and about $100 in the cooler months.

Then last year, we installed new energy efficient windows, redid our siding, and installed a radiant barrier in the attic.  It should be going down, right? It's not. It's going up. We hit $450 at our highest month this past summer, and even for November, when we didn't even use the a/c at all (nor the heater, except for a couple nights) it still was nearly $300 (for a 1,600 sq foot house). What's going on?

We've replaced about 1/2 of our lightbulbs with LED, and are slowly replacing the others as they burn out. We got a wattage meter and tested most of our plug-in appliances, and nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

So that leaves me with the things that weren't easy to energy test - our major appliances (which we just replaced off Craigslist about six months ago, but the new appliances are all energy-star rated), our ac/heater on the fritz somehow, or perhaps one of our pets building a nuclear reactor in the attic...

Thoughts? Advice? People who have been through it?

I think something must be going wrong. Based on your bill amount and the cost of electricity charged by your supplier, to get a bill approaching $300, you need to be using more than 2000 kwH per month. That's a lot of electricity. Just to compare, I live in a similar sized house and in our non-A/C months we use about 550 kwH a month. Hope that helps.

tjscanlon

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #18 on: December 08, 2015, 10:31:22 AM »
I have a similar situation in Minnesota.  Replacing many lights with LED's - nominal impact.  I need time to dig into this, but my guess is I run my HVAC fan continuously to even out temps throughout the house.  When I purchased newer HVAC about 7 yrs ago during remodel I asked for furnace with DC motor, not sure I got that or not.  In any case my bill is considerably higher than neighbors with similar houses. 

deborah

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #19 on: December 08, 2015, 12:52:14 PM »
Kill-a-watts are often available from libraries, and they may have other energy efficiency things as well (where I live they actually have an energy efficiency kit you can borrow which includes a kill-a-watt and an infrared detector). Check out what your appliances are using with this. If you have access to an infrared detector, you can wave it at the work you have had done to see if it is leaking.

Apart from what has already been mentioned, which mainly involves checking out what is using the volts, you may want to check a how well insulated your house is. That would be easier with an infrared detector, but can also be done by eyeballing. You might see if someone has moved your insulation when they were doing the work (a hole in your roof insulation will let out a lot of warm air, or let in a lot), whether pests have eaten it, or moved it, whether the house has shifted (as they do when it rains more or less than usual), and you have gaps that are letting air in or out. You might also get your utility to check that their meter is working correctly.

chloe1733

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #20 on: December 08, 2015, 06:09:33 PM »
These are all great suggestions, thanks everyone!

We're going to schedule an HVAC check to see what's going on with the coolant levels, and with that app that SirDoug007 recommended (not sure why Austin Energy makes it a separate app you have to register for instead of just available to all, but whatever...) we can do a little more specific investigating. I'll report back once we (hopefully) figure out what the issue is.


bacchi

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #21 on: December 08, 2015, 07:10:34 PM »
Unfortunately, no.  Austin Energy charges some of the highest energy rates in the country, and provides very little service in return. And they have a monopoly on the area.

Wait, what? I see 7.9c for the first tier. That's hardly the highest in the country (even with the fees; see the 1000 kwh example).

https://austinenergy.com/wps/portal/ae/rates/residential-rates/residential-electric-rates-and-line-items/

http://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/

Anyway, with the current weather, you shouldn't need either the ac or furnace for a few days. Go up in the attic and turn it off with the switch and then go to the meter and record what it says. Record it again on Saturday. That should at least eliminate the ac/furnace as the source of the problem.

Sorry for being obvious..but you're looking at the electric portion of the bill right? And not the combined bill with water and wastewater? Because knitwit's right -- you're using in excess of 2000 kwh a month (closer to 2500, it looks like). !!

redcedar

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #22 on: December 08, 2015, 07:15:16 PM »
Austin? So a few blocks from the sun? Would solar panels be an option?

SirFrugal

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #23 on: December 08, 2015, 08:06:53 PM »
Long story short, my electric bill is out of control. It had been running about $300 a month during the summer (we live in Texas...and, no, I'm not going to go without a/c when it's 90+, even if it means working a few more years...) and about $100 in the cooler months.

Then last year, we installed new energy efficient windows, redid our siding, and installed a radiant barrier in the attic.  It should be going down, right? It's not. It's going up. We hit $450 at our highest month this past summer, and even for November, when we didn't even use the a/c at all (nor the heater, except for a couple nights) it still was nearly $300 (for a 1,600 sq foot house). What's going on?

So from what you are telling me, in November when you didn't use heat or a/c, your bill was still abnormally high.  This would lead me to believe that it is not your heat or a/c that is causing the problem, AND that it is probably not your windows, as your windows would become an irrelevant factor without running the heat or a/c, and you still had a high bill.

We've replaced about 1/2 of our lightbulbs with LED, and are slowly replacing the others as they burn out. We got a wattage meter and tested most of our plug-in appliances, and nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

I really wouldn't expect a small load like a light bulb to be causing such a major increase in electricity usage.  If it was something small like that you'd probably have burned your house down already.

So that leaves me with the things that weren't easy to energy test - our major appliances (which we just replaced off Craigslist about six months ago, but the new appliances are all energy-star rated), our ac/heater on the fritz somehow, or perhaps one of our pets building a nuclear reactor in the attic...

Well from what you said previously, I'm going to go on the assumption that its not the a/c or windows...this pretty much leaves the fridge, and a hot water heater if you have an electric water heater, and whatever other appliances you just replaced.  My primary suspects would be a fridge or water heater though.  Heating and cooling systems can turn into electric hogs if they have any issues, and these are things that are plugged in and running 24/7.  You can give them a quick inspection easy enough...just look for proper drainage flow, everything is clean and not dirty/dusty, and nothing is making any noises that don't seem right.  It might just be something minor like dirty coils that are killing your efficiency, or if you water heater is electric and is old it might just be getting ready to die.

deborah

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #24 on: December 08, 2015, 08:22:23 PM »
The water heater is gas according to what OP says, so it is the fridge.

Or, if he could remember what he did at that time, it could be the dryer, or some guest thinking they must have heat, or deciding to use power tools...

teen persuasion

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #25 on: December 08, 2015, 09:59:11 PM »
Unfortunately, no.  Austin Energy charges some of the highest energy rates in the country, and provides very little service in return. And they have a monopoly on the area.

Wait, what? I see 7.9c for the first tier. That's hardly the highest in the country (even with the fees; see the 1000 kwh example).

https://austinenergy.com/wps/portal/ae/rates/residential-rates/residential-electric-rates-and-line-items/

http://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/

Anyway, with the current weather, you shouldn't need either the ac or furnace for a few days. Go up in the attic and turn it off with the switch and then go to the meter and record what it says. Record it again on Saturday. That should at least eliminate the ac/furnace as the source of the problem.

Sorry for being obvious..but you're looking at the electric portion of the bill right? And not the combined bill with water and wastewater? Because knitwit's right -- you're using in excess of 2000 kwh a month (closer to 2500, it looks like). !!

That's 70 to 80 kWh per day!  Holy cow - we have a big, drafty old farmhouse and 5 kids, and that's 10 times our usage!

Altons Bobs

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #26 on: December 09, 2015, 10:16:55 AM »
Could someone be stealing your electricity?  Anything weird going on at your meter?

Tres_Staches

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #27 on: December 09, 2015, 05:54:20 PM »
Check to make sure you aren't cooling (or heating) unoccupied space under stairs/under house. Re-routed HVAC might be doing that. HVAC settings might be running fans all the time and/or have abnormal start up (gas heat might have electric start up).

kpd905

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Re: Need advice on why my electric bill is so ridiculous
« Reply #28 on: December 09, 2015, 07:31:15 PM »
What is your temperature set at during the day and at night throughout the year?