Author Topic: How many kWh and how expensive is it?  (Read 4545 times)

notmyhand

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How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« on: July 22, 2017, 01:53:46 PM »
I am currently paying about $400 a month for electricity in Pennsylvania.  No natural gas is available at my location so heating/cooling is included.

I am currently using about 3300 kWh per month which is three times the national average.  Average price is $0.106 per kwh. 

Our furnace/ac system is brand new.
Our washer/dryer is about two years old.
Our fridge/microwave/oven are at least ten years old.
Our dishwasher is 5-7 years old. 
We use one 42" 10 year old plasma tv and one 32" ten year old LCD.
We only use LEDs, all bulbs and outdoor lighting.

The house is not built for energy.  Built in 1980 but we are an A-frame so lots of heat goes out through the glass.  Plus we are 2800 sq ft in a ranch so we lose a lot to heat rising. 

If you have no natural gas, please tell me what your average electricity bill, what you are paying and how big the house is.  I am trying to figure out what to do to fix my energy usage and trying to get a gauge as to how low I can get it.

Thank you!
« Last Edit: July 22, 2017, 01:56:43 PM by notmyhand »

MrSal

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2017, 04:41:04 PM »
is that 10.6 cents counting everything? Distribution plus generation?

Who is your provider? I am in Pennsylvania with PPL and my current rate is 5.3 cents in the generation vs the 8.5 cents of PPL ... you might want to try those providers that give you unlimited kWh or cheaper night rates where you can move most of your consumption to that period.

teen persuasion

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2017, 06:49:25 PM »
This may not be useful to you.

Our last electric bill was just shy of $30, $17 of that is base fee before any usage, 133kWh.

Boiler/hot water is oil-fired, approximately 700-800 gal/yr.
No AC.
Washer 20+ years old, no dryer (line dry).
No dish washer.
Fridge ~5 years old (replacing old one dropped our bill noticeably), microwave similar, stove is propane.
One tv probably 40" LCD, other an old CRT with converter box.

Our electric usage recently dropped when DH switched from a PC to a laptop. 

ETA: forgot - our house is a big old drafty farmhouse circa 1840.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2017, 06:56:14 PM by teen persuasion »

Bracken_Joy

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2017, 07:20:40 PM »
Delivery + usage = $0.0857/kWh, and then a $20.50 basic service charge regardless of usage. So a total of $68 this month.

June we has 555 kWh of usage.
Highest was in December, at 1000kWh, when we had 6 extra people staying with us, and 17 people over for Christmas Eve and day.

We have AC, dishwasher that we use, etc. Heat is mainly electric heat pump, but we have a backup gas furnace for when it's very cold. Our dryer and water heater are both gas. Stove is electric, but induction now so this is pretty negligible. Oven is electric though and gets used heavily.

House is 1900 sq ft, was built in the 90s, well insulated.

Jaayse

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2017, 07:22:02 PM »
I live in a HCOLA and my price per kWh changes per month based on months with more usage.  So not only do we get charged more, but we use more because it is hot out... that said, my price last month per kWh was $0.2029 and $1.2967 per therm of natural gas for a 32 day billing cycle and my bill was $66.07 with 280 kWhs and 3 therms.  This was for a 1326 square foot townhouse with one person.  I keep the thermostat at around 76-78 degrees.

I am super jealous about other people's cost per kWh...

respond2u

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2017, 01:04:39 AM »
I am currently paying about $400 a month for electricity in Pennsylvania.  No natural gas is available at my location so heating/cooling is included.

I am currently using about 3300 kWh per month which is three times the national average.  Average price is $0.106 per kwh. 



That seems insanely high to me!

Unless you've got stuff always on, I'd guess (and you can check) that most of that is coming from your a/c\furnace.

If you plan on living there long, I'd look into upgrading the insulation and windows, and checking that the a/c is working correctly.

Or change plans and move. $4800 a year is a high premium to pay...


gooki

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2017, 05:08:02 AM »
Agreed, that's stupid high energy use.

We're using 1000kwh per month middle of winter, electric everything with a family of four, in 200 sqm. Insulated ceiling and walls only, single glazed windows.

Check your hot water isn't overflowing. That's the most common energy waste in ourside of the world othervthat user behaviour.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2017, 05:29:15 AM »
Yeah 110kWh a day is basically 4.5kW going 24:7. Most likely aircon/heating.

My current rates are as follows:

Base per kilowatt hour rate: 23.5c/kWh
less 30% Pay on Time Discount: - 7.05c/kWh
plus 100% GreenPower surcharge: + 9c/kWh = 25.45c/kWh
plus 10% GST on the lot = 27.995c/kWh (28c give or take)

plus a daily supply charge of $0.9295 + GST = $1.02245 per day

So effectively 28c/kWh plus $1.02 per day supply charge (Aussie dollars).

I'm in a ~400-450sqft apartment (estimated 1950s-1960s build, but honestly I've got no idea, it was renovated circa 2002) with two electric space heaters, no aircon, one TV, a newish (2011) fridge, an oldish (early 2000s) dishwasher and a ~2009 vintage washing machine. In spring/summer/autumn (ie: October until about May), usage is about 3kWh per day. In winter it ramps up considerably due to said heaters (to probably 12-15kWh on a typical day, but it goes up a lot on weekends if I'm home all day).

I recently received a bill covering from the 21st of April until the 17th of July, and it was $355 all up (av 10.78 kWh per day). The prior bill covered from the 24th of January until the 20th of April, and it was $170 (av 3.33kWh per day).

I miss the gas central heating I had at my old place.

Morning Glory

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2017, 06:48:00 AM »
OP, could you post a more detailed breakdown so we know if you are paying more in winter vs summer? Also how much of that bill is facility charge? What are your typical thermostat settings? Do you have a well and septic system? These have pumps that use electricity but you make up for it by not paying for water and sewer.  You can lower your bill a little if you stop using the clothes dryer and the plasma screen, but I think the only way to get it into reasonable territory is to put in another type of heat, which will cost $$$$ but might pay for itself depending on the cost of the system and type of alternative fuel. It is also worth checking out the math on solar.

 I am on a rural coop as well and my facility charge is about $35, then it is 0.11/kWh after that. My bill averages about $200/month and that is with propane for heat (blower uses electricity) and no AC or clothes dryer use at all. I have also done all the easy things like switching to LED bulbs and turning down the water heater temp.  The water heater is electric and I am thinking about switching to propane when it dies, but propane prices can swing wildly so I'm not sure if the savings would last. I have looked into solar but it would be something like 30 years to make my money back on it.

notmyhand

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #9 on: July 23, 2017, 08:04:41 AM »
OP, could you post a more detailed breakdown so we know if you are paying more in winter vs summer? Also how much of that bill is facility charge? What are your typical thermostat settings? Do you have a well and septic system? These have pumps that use electricity but you make up for it by not paying for water and sewer.  You can lower your bill a little if you stop using the clothes dryer and the plasma screen, but I think the only way to get it into reasonable territory is to put in another type of heat, which will cost $$$$ but might pay for itself depending on the cost of the system and type of alternative fuel. It is also worth checking out the math on solar.

 I am on a rural coop as well and my facility charge is about $35, then it is 0.11/kWh after that. My bill averages about $200/month and that is with propane for heat (blower uses electricity) and no AC or clothes dryer use at all. I have also done all the easy things like switching to LED bulbs and turning down the water heater temp.  The water heater is electric and I am thinking about switching to propane when it dies, but propane prices can swing wildly so I'm not sure if the savings would last. I have looked into solar but it would be something like 30 years to make my money back on it.

I may be wrong but it looks like we have a split ac/heat pump system.

June - 1946 kwh (actual reading)
June - 1763 kwh (prorated reading?)
May - 1193 kwh (actual reading)
April - 5887 kwh (estimated reading)
March - 5887 kwh (estimated reading)
February - 630 kwh (estimated reading)
January - 5888 kwh (estimated reading)
December - 10998 (actual reading, this is where the heater went out so emergency heat via the heat pump had to be used)
November - 2665 (estimated reading)
October - 2663 (actual reading)

I don't think the thermostat works very well as it is set at 70 in the summer and 78 in the winter and while the hallway (where the thermostat is) is appropriately cold/warm, the living room and bedrooms are usually far from that temperature and thus we also have electric baseboards on in the winter.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #10 on: July 23, 2017, 08:57:42 AM »
OP, could you post a more detailed breakdown so we know if you are paying more in winter vs summer? Also how much of that bill is facility charge? What are your typical thermostat settings? Do you have a well and septic system? These have pumps that use electricity but you make up for it by not paying for water and sewer.  You can lower your bill a little if you stop using the clothes dryer and the plasma screen, but I think the only way to get it into reasonable territory is to put in another type of heat, which will cost $$$$ but might pay for itself depending on the cost of the system and type of alternative fuel. It is also worth checking out the math on solar.

 I am on a rural coop as well and my facility charge is about $35, then it is 0.11/kWh after that. My bill averages about $200/month and that is with propane for heat (blower uses electricity) and no AC or clothes dryer use at all. I have also done all the easy things like switching to LED bulbs and turning down the water heater temp.  The water heater is electric and I am thinking about switching to propane when it dies, but propane prices can swing wildly so I'm not sure if the savings would last. I have looked into solar but it would be something like 30 years to make my money back on it.

I may be wrong but it looks like we have a split ac/heat pump system.

June - 1946 kwh (actual reading)
June - 1763 kwh (prorated reading?)
May - 1193 kwh (actual reading)
April - 5887 kwh (estimated reading)
March - 5887 kwh (estimated reading)
February - 630 kwh (estimated reading)
January - 5888 kwh (estimated reading)
December - 10998 (actual reading, this is where the heater went out so emergency heat via the heat pump had to be used)
November - 2665 (estimated reading)
October - 2663 (actual reading)

I don't think the thermostat works very well as it is set at 70 in the summer and 78 in the winter and while the hallway (where the thermostat is) is appropriately cold/warm, the living room and bedrooms are usually far from that temperature and thus we also have electric baseboards on in the winter.

First of all, 78 in the winter!? That's kinda insane. Why so much higher than room temperature? Why would you keep your house WARMER when it's cold outside? That just seems super wasteful. 72F is a great room temperature year round that requires no real badassity to achieve.

Second- I'd bet baseboard heat is a big part of what is killing you. Baseboard and those little oil space heaters cost a metric TON to run.

MrSal

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #11 on: July 23, 2017, 09:03:07 AM »
holy crap.

78 F in winter and 70 in summer? those are my temps but in reverse! 78 for summer and 66-68 for winter!

Id be sweating at 78F during winter time!! and 70 in the summer?!? that would be cold!

notmyhand

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #12 on: July 23, 2017, 09:06:47 AM »
I don't think our thermostat is correct.  Setting it to 78 in the winter still causes my fingers to freeze even when I am wearing an undershirt, shirt, and hoodie.  I even wear a hat indoors in the winter and usually gloves unless I am typing.  The house is a frankenstein house - it was a tiny little ranch that had additions put on it and I'm not sure the duct work is sufficient to heat the living areas.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #13 on: July 23, 2017, 10:13:04 AM »
I don't think our thermostat is correct.  Setting it to 78 in the winter still causes my fingers to freeze even when I am wearing an undershirt, shirt, and hoodie.  I even wear a hat indoors in the winter and usually gloves unless I am typing.  The house is a frankenstein house - it was a tiny little ranch that had additions put on it and I'm not sure the duct work is sufficient to heat the living areas.

Sounds like you need to invest some time/energy/money into getting your house fixed up then. Better insulation, checking to make sure duct work is adequate and adequately sealed, etc. Both for cost savings and, it sounds like, for livability/comfort. But first, you can get thermometers very cheap and put them around your house so you know what you're heating/cooling to =)

valsecito

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #14 on: July 23, 2017, 11:06:29 AM »
I don't think our thermostat is correct.  Setting it to 78 in the winter still causes my fingers to freeze even when I am wearing an undershirt, shirt, and hoodie.  I even wear a hat indoors in the winter and usually gloves unless I am typing.  The house is a frankenstein house - it was a tiny little ranch that had additions put on it and I'm not sure the duct work is sufficient to heat the living areas.
Check your thermostat sensors.

Check your insulation:
* Identify drafts
* Check the insulation in places where it is most cost efficient, like roof or attic.

Plus a random mustachian hint for winter: bubble wrap on crappy windows. Cut bubble wrap to the size of single pane windows, spray some water onto the inside of the window and stick the bubble wrap to it. In rarely used rooms, do this to the full window. In somewhat more frequently used rooms where you don't want to do the full window, do it to the part above eye level.

Personal note: almost always when I hear personal energy related stories from outside northwestern Europe, I feel like I am the silly person spending time and money on energy/environment while it is not even on the radar in most other parts of the world, including eastern Europe, the US and Canada.

With three adults, we spend 1750 KWh of electricity per year living a comfortable life at this house, plus 7200 KWh of natural gas for heating, so under 10k KWh per year...

Dee18

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #15 on: July 23, 2017, 11:11:00 AM »
Do check your duct work.  My electric bill went up one year and I deiscovered some duct work was disconnected under the house and I was air conditioning the great outdoors for a month.

But the main reason I generally have low utility bills is I set the temp for 78 in the summer and in the winter I do 65 in the day and 58 at night.  I agree with MMM that winter clothing should be worn in the winter, especially a hat if anyone is cold.

Le Barbu

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #16 on: August 05, 2017, 06:06:07 AM »
OP, could you post a more detailed breakdown so we know if you are paying more in winter vs summer? Also how much of that bill is facility charge? What are your typical thermostat settings? Do you have a well and septic system? These have pumps that use electricity but you make up for it by not paying for water and sewer.  You can lower your bill a little if you stop using the clothes dryer and the plasma screen, but I think the only way to get it into reasonable territory is to put in another type of heat, which will cost $$$$ but might pay for itself depending on the cost of the system and type of alternative fuel. It is also worth checking out the math on solar.

 I am on a rural coop as well and my facility charge is about $35, then it is 0.11/kWh after that. My bill averages about $200/month and that is with propane for heat (blower uses electricity) and no AC or clothes dryer use at all. I have also done all the easy things like switching to LED bulbs and turning down the water heater temp.  The water heater is electric and I am thinking about switching to propane when it dies, but propane prices can swing wildly so I'm not sure if the savings would last. I have looked into solar but it would be something like 30 years to make my money back on it.

I may be wrong but it looks like we have a split ac/heat pump system.

June - 1946 kwh (actual reading)
June - 1763 kwh (prorated reading?)
May - 1193 kwh (actual reading)
April - 5887 kwh (estimated reading)
March - 5887 kwh (estimated reading)
February - 630 kwh (estimated reading)
January - 5888 kwh (estimated reading)
December - 10998 (actual reading, this is where the heater went out so emergency heat via the heat pump had to be used)
November - 2665 (estimated reading)
October - 2663 (actual reading)

I don't think the thermostat works very well as it is set at 70 in the summer and 78 in the winter and while the hallway (where the thermostat is) is appropriately cold/warm, the living room and bedrooms are usually far from that temperature and thus we also have electric baseboards on in the winter.

Your house may have no insulation at all?! Or no windows?!

Here in Québec City, we use 20,000kWh/year for a 2,000sq.ft house, 4 people, a pool and a hot tub and a/c pump

Looking Pensyvania average temperature charts, I assume our household would need 10,000kWh/year or less...

tj

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Re: How many kWh and how expensive is it?
« Reply #17 on: August 05, 2017, 03:57:43 PM »
i LOVE the dirt cheap energy costs here in Arizona.

I have a gas water heater and furnace. The main electric appliances are the A/C, fridge and oven/stove.

My Aug 2017 billed usage was 620 kWh and July 2017 was 578 kWh.

It's 11.48 cents per kWh for the first 700 kWh in July, Aug, 10.82 cents in May, June, Sept and Oct and 7.93 cents for Nov- April.

I have a monthly service charge of $20 that's in addition to the electricity usage.

For gas, I used 5 therms last month, which I guess is equivalent to about 146 kWh. There's a basic charge of $10, $5 of usage and some taxes.
« Last Edit: August 05, 2017, 04:03:10 PM by tj »