GREEN$$$$

Congrats - get the ultimate rush by using your gas/electric bill stubs as kindling to light a fire this evening!

Sad part is, -if your bill is like mine- with all the fees, taxes, charges and adjustments, it costs about 20-25 bucks just to have the service...regardless of if you use any electricity or gas.

Corey

Dylan, our's here in CT... (I have CL&P) is around 13 cents / KWH right? I can't believe some pay $27.00 / month for electricity. I am kind of a elecrtical usage nazi here, all flourescent lights, hot water heated by oil burner, line dry laundry, etc, and I average between $85.00 and $95.00 per month.

Just had the oil tank filled yesterday
$205.00 got me 100 gallons and about topped it off, nice to know I wont have to call again until August

My latest electric bill for mid Oct through mid Nov was about $97.00. I think that breaks down to 455kwh used @ $0.18/ kwh Dang, it's expensive here in CT. My 250 gallon oil tank is topped off and will easily get me through till next summer

chrisN said:

Dylan, our's here in CT... (I have CL&P) is around 13 cents / KWH right? I can't believe some pay $27.00 / month for electricity. I am kind of a elecrtical usage nazi here, all flourescent lights, hot water heated by oil burner, line dry laundry, etc, and I average between $85.00 and $95.00 per month.

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Chris,

I was researching electricity rates and noticed that effective Jan 2006, CL&P rates went up 18% and 5% more in Apr for a total increase of 23% in 2006 alone. I saw an explanation for this here:

http://www.cl-p.com/clpcommon/pdf/companyinfo/publications/FAQs_Elec_Rates_Jan_06.pdf

Seems that due to deregulation, CL&P can't generate any more electricity so has to buy it elsewhere..... thus leading to much higher costs. They say that the avg user who uses 700 KW-hrs per month can expect a bill of about $120/month (about 17cents/KW-hr) AND, that if it weren't for them buying 2006 energy in ADVANCE, your bill would be 3 cents/KW-higher........that would make a bill for 700 KW-HRS be about $141/month. Translation: they're telling you you're getting a bargain at $120 (you're not) because it could be $141 (so they say)....... All I know is that you folks are getting shafted up there in New England......BIG TIME.......700Kw-hrs here in the Dayton, OH area costs about $77 and I think that's high!

Here in Kansas we pay:

5.46 cents/kWh for first 500 kWh
5.96 cents/kWh for next 400 kWh
6.46 cents/kWh for all additional usage

I don't remember my kw/Hr rates but I paid $14 in my electric bill last month and $13 for my gas bill. I have a gas hot water baseboard heat as well as usual gas appliances but my gas boiler is off right now so most of my gas is via my domestic hot water. (I'd like to go solar on this if NJ passes rebates for domestic hot water)..

Jay

Jay H said:

I don't remember my kw/Hr rates but I paid $14 in my electric bill last month and $13 for my gas bill. I have a gas hot water baseboard heat as well as usual gas appliances but my gas boiler is off right now so most of my gas is via my domestic hot water. (I'd like to go solar on this if NJ passes rebates for domestic hot water)..

Jay

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Jay...you either 1) don't use any energy or 2) your electric bill was not an actual, but rather an estimated bill or 3) you actually produce electricity and "net meter" some back to the utility. Reason I say this is because I gotta believe your KW-Hr cost is 14 cents or higher and even at 14 cents/KW-hr, $14 amounts to only 100 kW-hrs/month..........impossible unless you don't use it or live like a hermit...even an apartment dweller consumes more than this....

In my area (Pell City, AL), power is around $0.10 per KwH. (Actually, $0.08 + a "wholesale cost adjustment" that works out to about 10 cents total.)

My shop/garage is detached and has its own meter ...... 1 five gallon hot water heater (on lowest setting) in the insulated 6'x7' restroom and if i do not use the shop all month my lowest bill is $26.00

If i use the shop/garage all month long with all the power tools my highest bill is $35.oo

House electric bill is around $65.-$70. in the winter.

chrisN said:

Dylan, our's here in CT... (I have CL&P) is around 13 cents / KWH right? I can't believe some pay $27.00 / month for electricity. I am kind of a elecrtical usage nazi here, all flourescent lights, hot water heated by oil burner, line dry laundry, etc, and I average between $85.00 and $95.00 per month.

Click to expand...

kiss the ground you are on I amhere in western ma (springfield area)
have changed every single light bulb bought a new washer and everything else i can think of including a discount with wmeco and my bill averages 150 a month down from 400

Thanks goodness someone finally mentioned CFLs. They save 25% over standard incandesants. And they are cooler running, so save energy for those who use AC in the summer.

Other ways to save $

Add insulation to your house
Change out old flouresent T-8 (magnetic ballast) with T-12 (electric ballast) fixtures
Add some ceiling fans
Drive less, reduce your number of trips to stores on the weekends
Lower the thermostat on your furnace by 5 degrees and put on a sweater
Close or reduce the air flow to vents in rooms not used often
Build air locks into your house to avoid direct exposure to the outside
Replace old wooden windows with vinyl ones
Design passive solar features into your house
And something very few people actually do: Create a budget

This list is endless. If you're the "back to the land" type of guy, things can really be taken to the extreme. Alright, I'll get off the soapbox now and stop ranting. Sorry.

-Kevin

Tomato Guy,

Go ahead and beat the issue to death. Maybe it will motivate others.

I like hearing these stories!!

I am in CT as well. Have a 24 year old 2500 sq ft colonial. There are 5 of us here. Holy cow, ran my central A/C for a bit this summer, had a 400 electric bill. Up 25% from last years running. Thank goodness I like open windows. We have changed many of our lights to CFL but can't in the main rooms as the light from them gives me migraines if I am around them too much. My kitchen which probably uses the most power since I am in there the most cooking still has regular lights, but I can't cook under the cfl's. We've switched out bath fans to be more energy efficient, have an energy efficient front load washer and dryer set, I keep my thermostats at 65 during the day when I am home and put clothes on, it goes up a bit to 67 when the kids and hubby get home and then back down to 65 at night. We have an energy efficient heat pump style heater for our hot water heater. We have extra insulation in the attic, in the basement, in the winter I put lovely plastic on the windows. I just had to have my furnace replaced, I was very careful to have Manual J's done on my home to ensure my furnace was not oversized (2 of the 3 companies would have put in furnaces that were 50% and almost 80% oversized for my home - would equate to excessive oil and electric consumption), I also paid extra for a variable speed motor on my oil furnace which runs at lower speeds with a drastic electric savings over a typical set speed motor. My electric bills are never under 200.00 per month.

CL&P is attempting another 8.9% increase, almost surely to get passed. That will be a 31.9% increase just this year alone. I'd love to see someone whose income increases by almost 32% in a single year. Ours doesn't and these increases are seriously killing us.

Dylan said:

Roospike said:

My shop/garage is detached and has its own meter ...... 1 five gallon hot water heater (on lowest setting) in the insulated 6'x7' restroom and if i do not use the shop all month my lowest bill is $26.00

If i use the shop/garage all month long with all the power tools my highest bill is $35.oo

House electric bill is around $65.-$70. in the winter.

Click to expand...

How much of each of those amounts represents a 'meter charge', ie, the charge just for HAVING service???

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hum , well this is how it reads, Bill says:
Service (30 days)

present*******previous********used******net amount*****code
25224-----------24269----------------955----------$73.40-------------RE (house meter)
55611-----------55462----------------149----------$20.34-------------RE (garage meter)
----------------------------------------11000--------$13.80-------------SW (sewer)
3043-------------3009----------------6400---------$18.00-------------WA (water)
--------------------------------------------------------$8.80--------------tax
-------------------------------------------------------$134.34------------total

We have to pay $11.00 now to have natural gas. < meter/service per month >

I use 18 therms a month @ .72 cents = $12.96 +$1.87 tax = $14.83
There going to raise the $11.00 to have the service up $8.00 on Jan 1 so the meter will be $19.00

So $19.00 for the meter and $14.00 for natural gas usage.
Maybe i should of put in a Electric W/heater and pulled the gas meter. hh:

I’m Sandy said:

I am in CT as well. Have a 24 year old 2500 sq ft colonial. There are 5 of us here. Holy cow, ran my central A/C for a bit this summer, had a 400 electric bill. Up 25% from last years running. Thank goodness I like open windows. We have changed many of our lights to CFL but can't in the main rooms as the light from them gives me migraines if I am around them too much. My kitchen which probably uses the most power since I am in there the most cooking still has regular lights, but I can't cook under the cfl's. We've switched out bath fans to be more energy efficient, have an energy efficient front load washer and dryer set, I keep my thermostats at 65 during the day when I am home and put clothes on, it goes up a bit to 67 when the kids and hubby get home and then back down to 65 at night. We have an energy efficient heat pump style heater for our hot water heater. We have extra insulation in the attic, in the basement, in the winter I put lovely plastic on the windows. I just had to have my furnace replaced, I was very careful to have Manual J's done on my home to ensure my furnace was not oversized (2 of the 3 companies would have put in furnaces that were 50% and almost 80% oversized for my home - would equate to excessive oil and electric consumption), I also paid extra for a variable speed motor on my oil furnace which runs at lower speeds with a drastic electric savings over a typical set speed motor. My electric bills are never under 200.00 per month.

CL&P is attempting another 8.9% increase, almost surely to get passed. That will be a 31.9% increase just this year alone. I'd love to see someone whose income increases by almost 32% in a single year. Ours doesn't and these increases are seriously killing us.

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400 bill!! I am right there with you all day!! I found it cheaper to buy a window air cond (big one) and use that to coll off 1 zone ... turn the air off in the base... and set my middle zone to 77 just to keep my bill affordable... like i said earlier.. with out the discount i was really thinking of selling

castiron said:

Jay H said:

I don't remember my kw/Hr rates but I paid $14 in my electric bill last month and $13 for my gas bill. I have a gas hot water baseboard heat as well as usual gas appliances but my gas boiler is off right now so most of my gas is via my domestic hot water. (I'd like to go solar on this if NJ passes rebates for domestic hot water)..

Jay

Click to expand...

Jay...you either 1) don't use any energy or 2) your electric bill was not an actual, but rather an estimated bill or 3) you actually produce electricity and "net meter" some back to the utility. Reason I say this is because I gotta believe your KW-Hr cost is 14 cents or higher and even at 14 cents/KW-hr, $14 amounts to only 100 kW-hrs/month..........impossible unless you don't use it or live like a hermit...even an apartment dweller consumes more than this....

Click to expand...

Well, the electric meter should be an actual, at least my electric meter is on the outside. My gas meter is on the inside, so I used to call it in, but about 7 months ago, PSE&G installed an electric sender unit (wireless) on the meter so they simply drive up the street and read people's meters so it's an actual now.

However, I'm single, in a small 1100sf ranch. I just installed CFL on all the incandescnet sockets although I already have some old fashioned florescent tubes in the bathroom and in the basement. ..and I installed a giant magnet on the meter to stop the disc from rotating...
...
.
.
.
.
.
Just kidding, but I've been accused of that before!! LOL

Jay

Dylan,

A Manual J is a calculation to determine what your heat losses (heating) and gains (a/c) are for your home. They measure floors, walls, doors, windows, they check out your insulation, type of windows, size, etc. and based on your location and annual temps, compute what you need for hvac needs. If done properly, they also take into account your return and supply ducts. Most folks here in my section of CT give you this "we do this all the time and we know our stuff" line when it comes to replacing your heating system or they just base it on what you currently have or base it on your square footage of the house.

Problem is, what you currently have is most likely oversized. Oversizing your heating and A/C system means the motor overcycles which burns the most electricity and the most oil. Each time an oil furnace starts up, it spits a whole lot of oil out, but then as it runs, there isn't that great amount of oil used. So you want something that runs longer, not starts and stops all the time. Cycling is also hard on the motor.

We had 6 folks out here to check out our home for a replacement furnace, three I ignored right off the bat, one guy was more interested in my dog. I compared the 3 'best' companies and started asking questions. I do my research upfront so knew things to ask, got a bit of attitude when I questioned 2 of the places, the 3rd sent out a tech for a manual J right away. I had already done some calculations on my own so knew what to expect. We put in a 90,000 btu furnace in the house with a medium size nozzle which provides 73,000 btus. One company wanted to put in a 125,000 btu furnace and one a 150,000 btu furnace; my old furnace was 125,000 btus. The bigger the furnace, the more oversized, the more cycling happens, the more oil is burned. The guy who installed my furnace, oil guy, said most companies WANT to install oversized furnaces because then they get to sell you the oil.

Not only am I saving in my oil usage with my properly saved furnace, but I spent an extra 300 to get a variable speed motor which has infinite number of speeds, not just three that are set upon installation. The motor runs based on what the hosue is calling for temps. Most times it will run using very little electricity at a low speed and will only ramp it up in the coldest of weather. With our rising electric rates here in CT, I figured the upgrade was worth the cost.

Sandy Wrote:

I am in CT as well. Have a 24 year old 2500 sq ft colonial. There are 5 of us here. Holy cow, ran my central A/C for a bit this summer, had a 400 electric bill. Up 25% from last years running.

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Sandy, My house is about the same size, maybe 2,300sf, 4 bedroom and 6 years old. I didn't install central air when I built, we have one window unit that I enjoy watching my teenage boys fight over during the warm summer months. It gets intermittent use between mid-july and late august. All bedrooms have ceiling fans, and the master bedroom is on the first floor, so stays a bit cooler in the summer. except for the bathrooms, all lights are CFL. I might average one load of clothes in the dryer every two weeks, otherwise it is line dried or dried in our upstairs loft on clothes racks. My goal is to reduce electrical use to a monthly average of 300kw, lately I've had it between 400 and 500.

The bottom line for me is that if I opened my electric bill and read a $400.00 monthly charge, Just about the whole state of Ct would here my anguished scream as I grasped my chest and collapsed on the floor. :ahhh:

As several of us have noted in the thread, New England is getting hammered with increasing electric costs and it is only going to get worse. I am pretty much a tree-hugger kind of guy, but I find it very frustrating that the good people of Ct continue to be adamantly opposed to a proposed LNG terminal in L.I. Sound and push for the shut-down of our few remaining nuclear power plants while crying to the Attorney General to save us from increasing electric charges. We can't have it both ways people.

I am sure that being only 6 years old, your house is much better built than mine. I can't rebuild from the ground though, have what I have and try to do the best with it. New windows may help, but we can't afford them so plastic in the window will have to do for a while.

I'm very impressed though with your lack of dryer usage. I have three kids ages 6 - 9 and I think I am doing great by cutting back from my old top loader 12 - 14 loads of laundry per week to my current 6 - 8 with the front loader. It spins the clothes dryer than top loader, so my dryer usage was cut considerably, runs about 2/3 of the time the old set did to dry one load. The front loader uses 15 gallons of watre per cycle versus 45 - 60 gallons so I am saving on the well pump running and the water heater as well.

With me, I think a great deal of my electric consumption is in my daily cooking. I always have something going in the kitchen, doesn't help. In an effort to keep chemicals and stuff from my kids foods, I cook most stuff from scratch using mainly fresh, organic stuff. I spend a minimum 2- 3 hours per day cooking but hey, my kids are healthy and in great shape and don't suffer from the obesity that is plaguing kids today what with junk foods and video games all around. We also have a no tv - no electronics during the week rule for the kids which is in effect from Sunday evening through Thursday evening. Some day I'd like to get one of those electric meters where I can see what everything is using and adjust accordingly. I have a feeling the old chest freezer in our basement eats a ton of elctricity, but we can't go without it and can't afford to replace it.

CT does need to do something about generating electricity. Fairfield County here uses up a vast amount of CT's electricity and yet everywhere around me I see houses and business popping up with nothing beingone about the electrical needs they will generate once complete. I'd love to go solar, it's a dream of mine, but I can't afford it. 25K to do an install on my house and that's not counting the numerous trees that would need to come down for it to be effective.