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11-11-2006, 08:41 AM
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#1 of 51 
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Member
Location: Wausau, WI
Join Date: Mar 2002
Local Time: 04:38 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 1,070
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My electric bill is way high..... why?
I live in a 2 story 3 bedroom apt.
I do no laundry (at my house atleast)
3-4 Showers (family) a day
1 dishwasher a day
2 lcd screens
computer
1 tv
40 degree weather, so a little electric heat but not much........
im somewhat uneducated as to electric bills. They were always for my family of 5 right around 160-200 which people even told me was high.
any idea why my bill is 350.00? it seems so crazy, and if it keeps like this, when we get our cold wisconsin winter and its 0 degrees out my bills gonna jumpo to 600 !!
Anybody with knowledge care to add anything?
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11-11-2006, 09:22 AM
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#2 of 51
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Thomas
Member
Location: Columbus, OH
Join Date: Dec 2001
Local Time: 05:38 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 6,337
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Re: My electric bill is way high..... why?
It can be the small things that count. Do you leave chargers for your cell phone and iPod plugged in? Make sure there are no empty power strips that are turned on that are connected to outlets. Scan your entire house for potential power-sucking culprits. Has your bill always been this high, or is this an unusual spike?
What do you turn your heat up to?
The man I loved - the man who vanished - he never came back at all. But maybe he's still out there, somewhere. Maybe some day, when Gotham no longer needs Batman, I'll see him again.
Last edited by ThomasC : 11-11-2006 at 09:26 AM.
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11-11-2006, 10:17 AM
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#3 of 51
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Member
Location: Charlotte, NC
Join Date: Dec 2003
Local Time: 05:38 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 2,544
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Re: My electric bill is way high..... why?
Since you're in Wisconsin, your utility company may be billing you on the average. This allows you to pay the same every month instead having really crazy bills in the coldest month.
However, your bill seems really high. I lived in an area for the past couple years that would stay in the teens and 20's during the night in winter. I paid gas and electric on average and combined they were about $180/month for an 1100 sq ft place.
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11-11-2006, 10:19 AM
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#4 of 51
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Mark
Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Local Time: 05:38 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 11,644
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Re: My electric bill is way high..... why?
Check your bills and compare to previous months...they should tell you how much electricity you've used and the rate. Either your rate has increased, or you've used a lot more elec. (as Thomas has explained) - or both!
My elec. bill increased immensely when they raised the rates and I started leaving my desktop PC on all the time.
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11-11-2006, 11:13 AM
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#5 of 51
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Local Time: 05:38 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 7,403
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Re: My electric bill is way high..... why?
Or, someone might've tapped into you? You could kill the main breaker and see if the meter still spins. Also, your utility company may be able to provide you with a loan of a power consumption meter that you can place on various devices to determine the kW consumption.
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11-11-2006, 11:53 AM
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#6 of 51
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Local Time: 09:38 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 126
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Re: My electric bill is way high..... why?
You pay by the kilowatt hour, first off.
Has that increased lately versus the old bills????
This link is easier than me trying to type it out!!!
http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cost.html |
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11-11-2006, 12:09 PM
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#7 of 51
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Local Time: 09:38 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 126
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Re: My electric bill is way high..... why?
Now, what to do about it????
Get pissed???? Change things???
All compact fluorescent in use here. Total cost about $200, saves me $18 per month on average and havent changed one in 2 years. That I cant say for the normal bulbs I once used.
Jacket on hot water heater and pipes insulated where they can be. Now I've lowered the base temp of the water heater to get the same water temp at the faucets. Saves on average $8 per month, $75 cost to do.
Those are just 2 simple examples, but I've gone one better.
WINDMILL!!!!!
Lets just say I went from a budget of $180 per month to $50!!!! With grants, special loans etc, it will have paid for itself in 5-6 years and last 15+ years.
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11-11-2006, 12:49 PM
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#8 of 51
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Member
Location: Charlotte, NC
Join Date: Dec 2003
Local Time: 05:38 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 2,544
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Re: My electric bill is way high..... why?
How old is the place you live in? If your windows and doors are leaky then you'll want to take care of that before it gets much colder. Check out the weather-stripping section at Home Depot or Lowes. It's really not all that expensive. Also, there is some clear plastic stuff that you can put over windows and shrink it with a hair dryer if your windows leak.
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11-11-2006, 01:41 PM
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#9 of 51
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Member
Location: South Jersey
Join Date: Jan 2000
Local Time: 05:38 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 2,507
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Re: My electric bill is way high..... why?
If you don't have AMR (Automatic Meter Readers), there is a possibility the the meter reader just read the meter incorrectly. You can request a new reading or just wait until next month when you will have a very small/no bill due to the previous month's reading error.
J
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11-11-2006, 06:28 PM
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#10 of 51
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Member
Location: Northern Indiana
Join Date: Jun 1999
Local Time: 04:38 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 568
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Re: My electric bill is way high..... why?
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