Anyone know any cheaper electricity company than Relaint Energy. This whole summer I have got bill for above $500 even when i used the least. I think Relaint energy company is bs because 2 months ago i had gone out of town for a month and only had 1 unit on at 80 degrees and the price still came at $550.00. Other regular times when i am in house we have all 3 units on at 78 degrees and the price came to $650 for that month. Just $100 more??? I think they are just ripping us off. So I would appreciate it if someone can give me other companies info that could be cheaper. Thanks.
There's more than just your A/C. While it's running, an electric clotches dryer uses more juice than any other appliance, even the AC. An electric oven also uses a lot of electricity. I couldn't imagine living without my gas stove, dryer, and water heater... Anyways, there are plenty of electric companies. I think the website is powertochoose.org. You can also check out your phonebook.
I saw a news report that said if you want to save money start with your habits and not your company. It featured a customer who switched to a company that advertised lower rates. After a few months, he realized he was not saving much if any at all. The customer service was horrible and it turned out while the company had the least amount of complaints filed against them total in the state, looking at it in proportion to the number of their customers, something like 50% of their customers had issues (making them # 1 in the state).
That's what I was thinking...If you have a house big enough that you run three units, $550 sounds like a bargain. I have a friend that has a one story, three bedroom house with one AC unit that has a $500 electric bill...
What A-Train said is correct... A/C is only a part (albeit a large part) of your overall electric bill, and just looking at the temperature setting is a little misleading. If you don't change out your a/c filters regularly (every 1-3 months depending on the filter), your a/c unit has to work just that much harder just to maintain the 78 or 80 degree setting. Also, how old is the unit? Take the lights, for example. For most people, this accounts for 5-10% of your usage... so using something like a compact fluorescent bulb instead of the regular ones can make a difference. If your place is all electric (as opposed to gas heating), many of the appliances aren't as efficient... besides cooking on electric stoves... ugh. And like codell asked, the size/age of the place is as big a factor as anything else. A 800-1500 sq foot unit in a duplex or quadplex built in the 1930s (what I've lived in) is not going to be as efficient as a newer apartment or house. Adequate insulation is going to better trap the cool air in the summer and the warm air in the winter. Switching to another provider may be the answer, but definitely compare them at powertochoose.org. It's an independent site and has a great deal of info from the PUC. Price may be a big factor, but read all the fine print before you make any decisions.
Oh, and I've said it before in other threads about electric bills and in particular about meter reads... Regardless of who your provider is in the immediate area around Houston, Centerpoint will still be reading your electric meter. They'll transmit the readings to whichever provider you select. If you are questioning the meter read, learn to read the meter yourself. This can save you a headache or two: http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/electricity/index.cfm/mytopic=11150
Reliant is horrible...I'm disputing a bill now as the summer, which should be my highest bill, is not...It was April and May... What everyone is saying is right, its about your consumption pattern and how energy efficient your house is, but by switching providers, you really can save...
the saint...pls take a look at www.powertochoose.org We went away for more than a month and had the whole ac unit shut down during this period. When we came back , our freaking light bill was only $8.00 lower than the previous month ???
Is it a consumption dispute? If you're speaking strictly of consumption, most people are using more in the August-September months than they do in April-May. Look at the way the bill is broken up... for Price-to-Beat customers (default plans with TXU in Dallas and with Reliant in Houston) you have a monthly charge, a consumption charge (broken out in tiers usually based on amount of KWh you used), and a fuel factor charge. Actually, and this goes for any customer that's on a Price-to-Beat plan regardless of the incumbent you're with (TXU in Dallas or Reliant in Houston)... For your May bill (April consumption billed in May), you'll be billed at "off-peak" seasonal rates which are typically several cents per KWh lower than those that you'd be billed at during summer months (May-October consumption). Separate that out from the fuel factor charge. The fuel factor is passed through the utility to the customer by the provider. It's basically the generation cost of the electricity. It will fluctuate somewhat, but it's mandated by the PUC... so everyone is typically paying the same amount for that. If you don't have a bill handy, look at the Electricity Facts Labels for whichever provider you have at powertochoose.org. They break them out so you know exactly what you're being billed for...
