Pellet stove and electric usage?

[John Fortier]

We just got our electric bill today and were floored. With the problems we had with the stove it ran 24/7 for 3 weeks. Our bill went to $238.00 when normally around $110.00. Oil furnace is only on to exercise it when cleaning for maybe 20 mins. Nothing else has changed as far as what we run. I find it very hard to believe a pellet stove can burn that much electric and pray the electric company messed up..What does your stove cost in electric?

 

[stovelark]

Most stoves use about 150-200 watts with ignitor off, about 500 watts with ignitor on. At 200 watts per hour, about 4.5-5 Kw per day, so depending on your electric rate, about a dollar a day. My stoves push my bill up about 50 bucks a month I'd say. My wood stove is zero electricity usage. The pellet stoves are convenient though. Don't forget humidifiers too, most of us are using to keep the air moist too.

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

We just got our electric bill today and were floored. With the problems we had with the stove it ran 24/7 for 3 weeks. Our bill went to $238.00 when normally around $110.00. Oil furnace is only on to exercise it when cleaning for maybe 20 mins. Nothing else has changed as far as what we run. I find it very hard to believe a pellet stove can burn that much electric and pray the electric company messed up..What does your stove cost in electric?

About 185 watts 24/7. My electric rate including all charges is about .20 that comes out to about 25 dollars a month.

 

[john193]

My mt vernon uses 28 watts running on medium low. 380 at startup. I average just shy of a kilowatt in 24 hrs.

What else is electric in your home. Water heater?

 

[John Fortier]

Most stoves use about 150-200 watts with ignitor off, about 500 watts with ignitor on. At 200 watts per hour, about 4.5-5 Kw per day, so depending on your electric rate, about a dollar a day. My stoves push my bill up about 50 bucks a month I'd say. My wood stove is zero electricity usage. The pellet stoves are convenient though. Don't forget humidifiers too, most of us are using to keep the air moist too.

Which brings up the point that while it was down igniter was why it ran 24/7. So it should be a tad less?

 

[jackman]

Mine uses about 100W with the room air blower on high about 60W on low. You should check it with a Watt Wizard or similar device.

 

[John Fortier]

My mt vernon uses 28 watts running on medium low. 380 at startup. I average just shy of a kilowatt in 24 hrs.
What else is electric in your home. Water heater?

Water heater is a yes...but it is the same we have used for a year. Plus put an insulator wrap on it.

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

Water heater is a yes...but it is the same we have used for a year. Plus put an insulator wrap on it.

Check to see of your bill was an "estimate" or a real reading.

 

[John Fortier]

Check to see of your bill was an "estimate" or a real reading

It was a real reading. Dec. and Jan. were estimated. For a full year of bills all were normal. This bill jumped by 2.5 %. We are starting to think we must be growing pot in the house and cant find where we started it because we hid it so well. Clicked our heels together and landed in Colorado.

 

[chken]

We just got our electric bill today and were floored. With the problems we had with the stove it ran 24/7 for 3 weeks. Our bill went to $238.00 when normally around $110.00. Oil furnace is only on to exercise it when cleaning for maybe 20 mins. Nothing else has changed as far as what we run. I find it very hard to believe a pellet stove can burn that much electric and pray the electric company messed up..What does your stove cost in electric?

My stove, using a kill-a-watt, uses about 100 watts to 120 watts. Combustion fan uses 20watts, augur uses 25 watts, room blower uses 40 to 80 watts, depending on setting. Igniter uses 300 watts for 10 mins every day when it starts the stove. I calculated for 24/7 use, at 14 cents a kWh, that my stove should add about $21 to my monthly bill.

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

It was a real reading. Dec. and Jan. were estimated. For a full year of bills all were normal. This bill jumped by 2.5 %. We are starting to think we must be growing pot in the house and cant find where we started it because we hid it so well.

Lol....you should be using energy efficient bulbs for that.....

 

[tjnamtiw]

Most stoves use about 150-200 watts with ignitor off, about 500 watts with ignitor on. At 200 watts per hour, about 4.5-5 Kw per day, so depending on your electric rate, about a dollar a day. My stoves push my bill up about 50 bucks a month I'd say. My wood stove is zero electricity usage. The pellet stoves are convenient though. Don't forget humidifiers too, most of us are using to keep the air moist too.

At $0.10 per KWH during the winter, if my stoves ran 24/7, at the most they would use 5 KWH or $0.50 a day or $15 a month. No way your stove used that much unless your igniter was stuck on all the time and even at that it would only be an additional $25 at most. Something else was running all the time or the electric company took a bad reading. Did you look at your meter and compare it to the bill reading?

 

[john193]

Water heater is a yes...but it is the same we have used for a year. Plus put an insulator wrap on it.

did your electric rate increase? Did you guys run extra loads in the dryer? More showers, or baths than usual? I too find it hard to believe that an appliance running a fan 24/7 added $100 to your electric bill.

 

[John Fortier]

Lol....you should be using energy efficient bulbs for that.....

As soon as I find it ..bulb change is in order..Not...bong hit then ....what was the question? Anyone have a twinkie?

 

[John Fortier]

did your electric rate increase? Did you guys run extra loads in the dryer? More showers, or baths than usual? I too find it hard to believe that an appliance running a fan 24/7 added $100 to your electric bill.

No we have done nothing different than the norm..at our age what is normal is ....normal?

 

[Former Farmer]

It was a real reading. Dec. and Jan. were estimated.

The utility underestimated usage for Dec. and Jan. They "corrected" the bill when they actually read the meter and you are paying the difference now.

Our bill went to $238.00 when normally around $110.00

So your bill was $120 "higher than normal". But since the utility underestimated for Dec. and Jan., the $120 should be divided by 3 months and you would get $40 per month higher.

 

[wsar10]

Water heater is a yes...but it is the same we have used for a year. Plus put an insulator wrap on it.

Maybe you have an element failing in your water heater, or possibly a motor starting to fail someplace.

 

[mrjoshuanyc]

I had the same deal last month. $295! That is seriously putting a dent in my savings over oil. I will see what this month brings.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I had the same deal last month. $295! That is seriously putting a dent in my savings over oil. I will see what this month brings.

There is NO WAY that you can blame ONE huge electric bill on a pellet stove, period! You could run ALL the motors continuously and not have that kind of increase. And to say that the pellet stove is costing more than oil is ludicrous.

 

[Jp16]

We cut our electric bill in half with the pellet stove, as well as the oil bill. I would be more inclined to day its a failing electrode in the water heater, most have 2. One is a quick recovery element and the other will "maintain". One may have failed. Also do you have well water or city water. Have seen failed pumps spike electric bills. My parents got a $500 electric bill once. The pipe from their pump broke and the pump was running constantly.

 

[tjnamtiw]

We cut our electric bill in half with the pellet stove, as well as the oil bill. I would be more inclined to day its a failing electrode in the water heater, most have 2. One is a quick recovery element and the other will "maintain". One may have failed. Also do you have well water or city water. Have seen failed pumps spike electric bills. My parents got a $500 electric bill once. The pipe from their pump broke and the pump was running constantly.

Along the same line, the heater element relay may have burned shut with the element on all the time and the overheated water is tripping the overpressure valve and dumping hot water wherever the pipe is run, perhaps into a crawl space?

 

[DBCOOPER]

Water coming into my house is 39 degrees. Electric water heater is working a lot harder.

 

[Tonyray]

Water coming into my house is 39 degrees. Electric water heater is working a lot harder.

got a Harman P61A .
has the electric ignitor..
our bill increased 20.00 month since we got a pellet stove..
OP has to Have a 220 appliance problem.. water heater maybe..

 

[John Fortier]

Will check appliances.

 

[SwineFlue]

I agree with Former Farmer... they may have under-estimated your usage for the previous months and made up for it this month.