Power usage

[Van Chocstraw]

I noticed that I used 237 kilowatts last month but only used 140 kilowatts a year ago last month. I don't do anything different from last year than this year.

[Pete C.]

Analyze your loads. Space heaters, laundry loads, cooking / baking, degree days, etc.

[Tony]

What kind of heat? Was it colder than normal?

[Kurt Ullman]

Is one an actual read and the other an estimate?

[Bill]

What are the dates on the two statements? How many days each?

[Tony]

I'm not the OP, but thought I'd mention that they now read my new digital meter from their office. They send a little signal and it sends a little signal back to them. They even read my meter while on the phone with me. Oh, I think their new system is set to read every meter every 30 minutes for current usage so they can better monitor usage and prepare for it. They had a big problem at first, the whole system was attempting to read all the meters every 30 seconds! Talk about computer overload.

[AZ Nomad]

a bad fridge or heatpump can really drive up the electric bill if it is always running. Don't worry about the little stuff like clocks chargers, etc.; they don't use enough to matter. About the only always-on device that can be a pig is a cable box or computer. A blocked duct on an electric clothes dryer can also cause it to use much more power per load. Ditto for a washer that does a lousy job spin drying.

[hibb]

Reminds me that I am not looking forward to my electric bill this month. I expect the bill anytime but there has been snow on the ground the whole time and no footprints of anybody going out back of the house to read the meter.

Last year I noticed that they guestimated my usage two months in a row and I got bills that were nearly $300 and then a couple of months later I got a bill that adjusted for their over guestimate that was for only around $40.

David

[JIMMIE]

Really, I think they only read them here about 3 times a year. Same for the water bill although they claim to read it every month. Not without disturbing the grass growing over the lid.

Jimmie

[jamesgangnc]

If you have a heat pump check and make sure it's working correctly. A lot of them simply run the resistive heat when they can't keep up even if it's because the compressor is not working at all.

[Tony]

I had one estimated a few years ago and they estimated way too high. I just went out and read the meter and they re-billed me using my meter reading. You can't really cheat. If you do they will get the real reading next time around.

[Van Chocstraw]

Wood heat..

[Jim Elbrecht]

Really? 140 to 237? I consider my household just slightly above average for 4 adults & we went from 1740 to 2370. and then I remembered I left the 1000w stock tank heater on in the pond.

You're talking about 90KwH- Two 60w light bulbs left on 24/7 would almost get you there.

Jim.

[hrhofmann]

Think attic or crawl space lights forgotten about.

[IGot2P]

I certainly don't know what your problem was but I would definitely trade you bills. The two of us used 1,201 last month. 597 On Peak and

704 Off Peak. And no, we don't have electric heat.

Don

[Phisherman]

You don't need to. You may have not done anything different but I'm sure the temperature was not the same. You'll have to do more thinking about what you have now and not a year ago.

[ransley]

Around here they can estimate a reading one month, estimate it wrong, read it wrong because they are careless, happens to me all the time. So you checked the meter reading? A frige going bad, low freon, bad door seal, defrost timer locked on, and not clean coil is common to increase load. Use a meter on your frige and main panel so see what things pull, even a boiler pump or blower motor going bad will pull more juice, maybe somethings shorting, check everything.

[ransley]

1740, you waste it, my tv or computer is always on, 8 room lit at dusk, 11 malibu lights and 4 cfl floods and only about 300kwh mo. everything is cfl but malibu lights. Buy Kill A Watt and figure out the wasters

[Existential Angst]

Good observations about cable boxes and poor spin drying. Those cable boxes are weird -- I can't imagine what makes those things run so goddamm hot. Heat = $$. Seems to be symbolic of the cable ripoff in general. As soon as I can get that cable needle out of my arm, I'm kicking the addiction. I'll be doing a lot of tree climbing, to get a nice high antenna.

I also wonder what shennanigans the power companies might be pulling with these effing remote-read digital meters. Seems they can tack on an extra 10,20,30,100 kWhrs with a mouseclick, if they want to -- free money.