Monthly Electric Bill

[bevo_daddy]

Just got the first bill for my new house. $431!! for one month? That's crazy. House is only about 1200 sq ft and has high ceilings but damn!

How does everyone else's compare?

BTW I have First Choice Power

 

[OakHillHorn]

Austin Energy - average $250 for a 2200 sq. ft. house.

 

[accuratehorn]

They're going to detect your pot growing attic operation any day now.

 

[Mr. Longhorn]

Something is wrong somewhere. We have 2000 sq ft with 12 ft ceilings and never touched $275 in the summer...and I like it chilly in the house.

 

[Ignatius]

Were you having any work done to the house prior to moving in? A bunch of guys running compressors for a few days can jack the bill up...

 

[RyanUTAustin]

My apt bill was $30 last month.

Haha

 

[bevo_daddy]

In reply to:

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[Seattle Husker]

That reminds me of my first power/gas bill at a house we moved into 2.5 years ago. We got hit with a $750 bill for a late 70's 3000sqft tri-level with cathedral ceilings!!!

I was convinced I'd have to spin the house because it was too expensive.

First thing I did was replace the 27yr old gas furnace with a high efficiency heat pump/furnace combo. That shaved $200 off the top. Then I went about insulating underneath the main part of the house which knocked another $50 off.

I've considered replacing all my windows but want to know for sure that will further increase the efficiency. Are their such people as Home inspectors who focus on energy efficiency?

 

[Franco]

I work in energy efficiency, but at the big building level. Window replacement has long paybacks. Looong.

Man, to spend that kind of money on utilities, you guys must hate having money in your pocket. My summer electricity use is 15 Wh/sq.ft./day, and my winter use is 7 Wh/sq.ft./day

 

[GhostOfTomJoad]

I'd do a thorough check of your house & entire HVAC system. That's insane for this time of year. We've got an 1800 sq ft 2 story home in Cedar Park (PEC). Our combined utilities (gas, water & electric) have averaged about $200/mo. for the past 2 years. Our electric bill is usually around $80/mo. & the highest single month we've ever had was August '06 and then it was $180 (I got a case of spreadsheet nerdiness & started tracking all of our utilities in late '05).

We have the benefit of just being 2 of us but I can't fathom a $400 electric bill. We also have high ceilings (13' in the living room). The house has it's original HVAC system (going on 14 years old & we'll have to think about replacing it soon) but the previous owners had the attic stuffed w/ so much insulation I couldn't dream of using it to store anything (probably a good thing).

We've got solar screens on all the windows, a programmable thermostat (easily the most effective energy saver you can buy), & just use common sense w/ regards to lights, appliances, etc.

 

[Ramathorn]

Mine averages 210ish and half the time, the AC isn't even on. And when it's on, it doesn't really cool the house. I have a 1200 sq foot apt. I had txu, switched to green mountain. I had a feeling txu was ripping me off. But, one factor is is that my girlfriend and I work opposite schedules.


1200 sq foot house? Do you live in Hyde Park?

 

[Benson32]

900 sq ft condo downtown ~$90

 

[bevo_daddy]

sorry my bad, it's actually a 1700 sq ft house

 

[pmg]

The total $$ is rather meaningless. How many kwh did they bill you for?

 

[campwillben]

What pmg said.

The link

 

[Luke Duke]

If that was your 1st bill, are there any deposits or hook-up fees that were included in your bill?