Sorry, I will improve my search abilities, sir. No, actually it was our first full bill, the first bill was cheap because we weren't living there during those first two weeks. Actually, we're not supposed to turn off the ac during the day because the ac works even harder to cool the house when it's turned on. He had it at 78 so I told him to change it to 80 and put it at 75 at night because it gets hot. Well, it's a gas fireplace and it has a hole up the chimney so I would think cold air is going out there making the a/c to work more. We have high ceilings and big windows... Some advice for saving money... http://www.ehow.com/how_2074422_save-money-electricity-bill.html
Double pane windows don't help with cooling very much. They are designed to keep heat in during the winters. The low-e windows on the other hand just have a special coating on the outside to reflect sunlight. I believe you can achieve this just as well by tinting your windows and using solar screens. You also need to keep all your windows covered with blinds or blackout curtains in rooms with direct sunlight. Insulation and seals around doors are also things you guys need to check into.
I don't get it. You're cooling the house when NOBODY IS HOME? So you should probably close the vent if you're not using the fireplace, no? I still can't believe how some of you are paying so much, with maybe only one or two peeps living in the house. I just don't believe it. Ya'll gotta change SOMETHING.
Conventional wisdom says she's right. I see this tip recommended all the time when it comes to conserving energy. I usually turn the AC up to 80 when I leave. Supposedly it will take more energy to cool the home down if you turn your AC off altogether when you leave.
Mine are usually in the $300 - $400 range in the dead of the summer heat months. But, a lot of that is because I have a pool and the pool pump runs longer hours in the summer. I just got solar screens and noticed about a 10% reduction I believe but it's difficult to calculate actual savings with all the variables involved. Next summer...I will likely run my pool pump less to shave probably $100 off my monthly electric bill during the hot summer months. It's a fine balance between finding the right hours to run your pool pump in the summer and it may end up costing you in other ways...such as applying more chemicals to deal with algae, etc. . My home is a one story and I usually do 74 degrees at nights and weekends while 77 degrees during days I'm not home (only because I have two indoor dogs).
Make sure these crooks are actually reading your meter! Reliant sent me a bill for $260 last month……for a house I’m not even living in. The AC doesn’t run at all and the only thing that’s plugged in is the refrigerator. Pretty sure a refrigerator doesn’t cost $260 a month to have on. They said they read my meter but when I read it myself and compared it to their “reading” it was WAY off. I told them. They said “well there must have been a mistake”. Uh…ya think?? I told them I’m not paying that bill until they get a REAL meter read. Always compare the meter readings on your bill to your actual meter.
Those swirly lightbulbs will begin to pay for themselves. 4 of them with 100w lumnescence combined barely exceeds (108w) a regular 100w incandescent bulb.
Yes, I meant "leave the thermostat at a higher temperature", not turn it off completely... that's what I meant. I know it shouldn't be off COMPLETELY. Still, 300's and 200's for a home? I can see a business or an office space, but... a home?!?!? I miss my cardboard home in Mexico.
The double pane windows will help with cooling. While they alone don't stop direct gain from sunlight they do cut down on radiant gain from the difference in temperature in the outside air to the cooler inside air. This will help you at night and from windows without direct exposure. Agree though with the rest of the suggestions.
I guess this is one of the benefits with living in Minnesota. My highest electric bill was around $45 for a 1,000 SF 2 bedroom house and that came in winter. My highest gas bill though has been around $250.
Duh, that's what we're trying to find out how to reduce the bill. Almost $400 is worth of ****load of lipglosses!! We will see if it's that high next month but from now and on, I'm gonna be anal with the electricity!
I want to address the issue about leaving the AC on when you are not home. I work in the air conditioning industry so I have a good grasp on this. The cheapest way to go is to turn your unit off when you are not home. I assume your price of electricity is the same no matter the time of day. I have heard of some rate plans that vary the cost due to the time of day. The cheapest way to go is to turn your unit off when you are not home.The problem with this is it make take several hours to cool the house back off when you get home and this may not be acceptable to you. To minimize the cost, you want to turn the unit off or raise the thermostat to the highest temperature that will give you an acceptable recovery time when you get home.
I'm pretty sure Reliant is required by law to be the most expsensive provider in Houston to promote competition. You should switch.
Quoted for the truth, I have my units programed to turn off for the day during the week when we're not home and come on 30mins before I get back.. My highest bill this summer has been $120.00 at $0.11875 pkwh.. 3500 sqf 2 story built in 2006 "energy efficient home" All compact florescent light bulbs in the house A/Cs off for most of the day during the week 78 when we're home 77 when we go to bed All energy efficient appliances in the house No computers or electronic equipment stay plugged in when not in use Solar powered landscaping lights outside A well trained energy conscious wife My last house that was many years older and larger had me top out a bit over $600.00 once.. The combination of an older home with old A/C units and a pool pump was too much for me, I don't ever want to see a bill like that again..
I don't have an energy efficient house by any means, but my last bill was $180 (3 bedroom/2 story/2500sqft/2 AC units). I guess my energy saving efforts are going quite well. Living alone also helps.
You mean... you didn't know how to save money by turning off stuff? You should have been "anal" about electricity ALL THE TIME. Even when you were moving, you weren't helping anyone by having the AC at full blast or having "everything on". What for? It's senseless. But... $400 for electricity for 2 people living in a small house? That's insane. We're not paying no 200 or 300 or much less 400 bucks for electricity in a 2200 sq. ft. home with 2 adults and 2 kids. No way. Fine, fine, so I won't scream at you, just saying that it should have never happened. We leave the thermostat at 83 when we leave the house, and leave it at 76 when in the house or sleeping.
