Electricity Bill Quadrupled! - Energy Questions

Billy · 2003-08-27T01:42:28+00:00

Our electricity usage for this month in our 2000 sqft split-level home herein the NE USA is nearly 4 times that of last year and we can't understandwhy. My usage for July/03 was 1825 kWh and cost about $275, but our Augustusage was 3768 kWh at a cost of a whopping $458.Granted, we've only been in for about three months, but I researchedhistorical data with PSE&G and it doesn't add up. Last years historyrevealed July/02 at about the same as this year - 1825 kWh, but revealsAugust/02 at only about 1000 kWh.We ran our 22 year old 4 tone A/C unit at about 70° every day in the pastseveral months, and had a small 2' x 1' dehumidifier in the basement runningfairly constant. However, I just don't think these could push the kWh thathigh based on observations of using similar appliances in our previous home.We are not excessive with lighting usage.Could a bad appliance or faulty electrical wiring cause this problem? Howabout a faulty meter?FYI - I looked at the meter today and it revealed my usage as 1500 kWhhigher than the reading taken just 6 days ago. At that rate, I could usenearly 7000 kWh this month. This freaked me out. Could a home really bepulling this much energy from standard appliances?

Aug 27, 2003 25 Replies

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Billy 23 years ago

How much should I expect to pay for the parts and installation of a 4 tone

19.5 seer w/ a good name? I liked my 2 tone Rheem in my previous home. It even looked nice (green color that matched our trim) and worked very well.

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CBHvac 23 years ago

Its ALWAYS the thermostat...didnt you know this?

NO..its probably NOT the thermostat. Its prob a 22 year old unit thats never been serviced right telling you its time to go.

And yes...when they start to fail, they love power..

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Childfree Scott 23 years ago

Sound to me like your A/C is low on freon. Since it isn't working as good it has to stay on longer to compensate. I'd do a refill and check for leaks. If you let it go too long you'll need a new compressor.

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-D 23 years ago

This reply is all that I can see. Therefore, it could even be overcharged, or any number of things together could be contributing to your problem. Read and learn, --then call the best Tech in your area. Darrell U.

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