Electric bill

[The Equivocate]

I'm trying to figure out why my electric bill for my apartment is so high. Me and a roommate live in a 1800 sq ft, three-story townhouse. It's just the two of us there, so only two of the four bedrooms ever have lights on, we are mindful with turning lights off when we don't need them, and we even keep the heat at 67 because we both like it a little bit cool regardless of the weather. There are only 2 computers running in the house, both laptops, and he even turns his off at night (I leave mine on). I had a mini-fridge in my bedroom but never used it, so I unplugged it and our bill is still the same. We are consistently getting $175-$200 bills (granted nothing is gas, even the heat is electric heat).

Then you come back to my house in Chicago which is more than double the size, with 5 people living there and at least 4 desktops running at all times, lights left on all the time, everyone home all the time to be using electricity, and my dad says a $130-$150 bill (which he got this month) is way higher than usual.

Just curious to see where everyone lives and how much your electric bill generally is because I'm thinking the windows/doors aren't insulated as well as they should be, or heat/ac is getting out some way or another.

 

[htmlindex]

How big is 1800 sq ft in sq meters???

Have no idea what the electricity bill is, my parents pay for it

 

[moby]

Hi
Maybe you can try another - Electric Supplier in your area ? Your monthly Bill sounds high for your demands ..etc.
Our - Gas Bills is much higher than our electricity, very scary with the winter weather now

Seasons Greetings

 

[Broker]

Does the apartment complex you live in divide all the electric bills of all the units from one big charge? Some do this, meaning your paying for someone elses airconditioning when they run it 24/7 and they pay for yours.

#1 electric bill killer - the microwave. do you eat alot of microwaved food?

#2 The washer and dryer. In unit?

#3 Dishwasher?

#4 Coffee pot, drink alot of coffee?

My bill ranges from $165 to $275 and I dont understand why either.

 

[mhdoc]

Assuming you have an individual meter, turn off EVERYTHING in the apartment. That means unplug things so they aren't "sleeping" etc. Then go see if the meter is still turning If it is you still have power going somewhere. If not, watch the speed of the meter as you add things back on to get an idea of how much power they pull.

 

[The Equivocate]

Does the apartment complex you live in divide all the electric bills of all the units from one big charge? Some do this, meaning your paying for someone elses airconditioning when they run it 24/7 and they pay for yours.

#1 electric bill killer - the microwave. do you eat alot of microwaved food?

#2 The washer and dryer. In unit?

#3 Dishwasher?

#4 Coffee pot, drink alot of coffee?

My bill ranges from $165 to $275 and I dont understand why either.

1) Microwave gets used an average amount... nothing big.
2) Washer & dryer in unit but we do only about 2 loads a week combined because we go home a lot on weekends and just bring laundry home.
3) Dishwasher barely gets used because we end up washing a dish in the sink right after we use it anyways.
4) No coffee pot or anything like that.

But I checked with other people in our complex and they have about the same bills (it's not divided equally, each apartment has its own meter).

 

[Broker]

You can write down your numbers on the meter today, then again in 30 days and multiple the difference by x numer of KW and see if your bills are near accurate.

 

[CHILLY]

It may have something to do with Chicago itself, "For most Chicagoans, the average summer price last year was 8.25 cents a kilowatt-hour. Although Ms. Kinch and her husband at times paid as much as 36.5 cents a kilowatt-hour — the peak price on the humid afternoon of Aug. 2 — they paid less than their neighbors over all. On 38 days, some of their power cost less than a penny a kilowatt-hour." This is from an article from the N.Y. times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/business/08power.html

Also I believe this relates the Chicagoans and their energy bills as well;

http://www.cntenergy.org/

http://www.thewattspot.com/

 

[labrocca]

What about your computer(s)?

I have 5 in my house running all the time and my bill is like $450 a month. I also have 3 refrigerators and a pool too. I guess it's not terrible but surely wish it was cheaper.

 

[Ntech1125]

my electric bill is about $150 I got 2 computers running 24.7 plus tv in every room and lights. so I guess mine is pretty cheap.