Electric bill came today.

[bcarton]

Last April, our bill for March was $581.14. So let's pretend that this winter wasn't record-setting cold, and just apply the 47% totally manipulated electic rate increase and this year's bill would be $854.76.Today's actual bill was $212.36, $642.40 less than rate-adjusted bill from last year.

I'm more than pleased with having converted to pellets from electric heat. I've burned about 3.5 tons, and I spent about $2200 on a used stove and install. I'll have to look at it more closely, but I'm close to break even in just one year, and the house has never been warmer.

I know most people compare pellets to oil, but for our family converting to pellets this year yielded spectacular results in both financial terms, and household comfort.

Thanks again for all the good advice here. I learned a lot and made good decisions for our situation. I never could have done it without the wealth of knowledge here at hearth.com!

 

[jackman]

I'm curious, what's your electric rate? I'm also an all electric house with a heat pump paying 8 cents/kwh.

 

[bcarton]

It's a little over 23 cents/kwh total.

 

[Don2222]

Hi Neighbor
What stove did you get?
I have two used Harmans and saved a bundle the last 4 years with pellets instead of oil heat.

 

[Wisneaky]

And to think I'm freaking out because my electric bill was $176 I couldn't imagine a $500 or even $800 electric bill.

 

[bcarton]

Don, it's an old EF-2, runs like a champ.

 

[bogieb]

I'm curious, what's your electric rate? I'm also an all electric house with a heat pump paying 8 cents/kwh.

I would KILL for such a rate - my $90-100 bill (for lights, 2 pellet stoves - single person household) would be $30.

 

[olmec]

My February and March electric bills for 2014 were over $700 last year to heat our ranch (basement as well). That was before the rate increase to over 10c kWh.

This year ive averaged about 150-160 a month but ill have burnt 6 tons. Obviously im saving a few hundred a month with the added work that comes with burning 6 tons. id be in much better shape tho if my delivery charge wasnt $100! Usage has only been about 60 bucks a month.

 

[ironpony]

my rates on St Croix are in the .50 cents+ kwh range, but no heat, no cooling they stay reasonable.

here in Ohio, electric was 2200 for the year, 100% electric house. main house 4300 ft2 and in law cottage 750 ft2, dad 88 years old lives there. oh and 750 ft2 shop heated and cooled.

 

[Ambient]

February and March usage was less than last years. The cost was less than last years...substantially

We have a bill for usage and delivery, what a crock; 6 cents per kwh is not what it really costs. It amazes me how the cost for delivery goes up and down each billing period. It really was 13 cents per, and less than $140.00. Last years bill delivered by Gomer Pyle (surprise, surprise, surprise) management aka National Grid, was a crock also. Hey if the bankers can get away with highway robbery why not the utility companies? The bill would be substantially less if we weren't running space heaters for 88 yr old Mom in law.

I didn't have the pellet stove and the distribution fan running last year so I was pleasantly surprised that the usage was less. We ran around turning off every light and device that wasn't in use, so that we wouldn't be caught out like last year with a rediculous up charge.

 

[moey]

compare KW....

 

[DBCOOPER]

Here is what 2 tons did for me this year. I run my heat pump once it goes above freezing...

 

[Pete Zahria]

We have a bill for usage and delivery, what a crock

Agree.
The bill structure is a crock... so many lines besides the usage... could you make it MORE confusing?
If you think your KWH cost is what they say.... ha!
The only "real" way to determine the "cost", is to divide what you write your check out for,
by your KWH used...

Dan

 

[Ambient]

my rates on St Croix are in the .50 cents+ kwh range, but no heat, no cooling they stay reasonable.

here in Ohio, electric was 2200 for the year, 100% electric house. main house 4300 ft2 and in law cottage 750 ft2, dad 88 years old lives there. oh and 750 ft2 shop heated and cooled.

Cooling....sailing in VI best vacation!

you don't need electric!

 

[Ambient]

Agree.
The bill structure is a crock... so many lines besides the usage... could you make it MORE confusing?
If you think your KWH cost is what they say.... ha!
The only "real" way to determine the "cost", is to divide what you write your check out for,
by your KWH used...

Dan

We strive to cut back kwh every month vs. last year. We once had it down to an average bill of $45, we were about to go off the grid with solar. Then Mom in law came to live with us. There was no way she could adapt to living off the grid. She complains of being cold in August; TV on all day, heaters, lights, the wifey taking good care of her.... Every married man's dream come true!

This month typically is the toughest, as we have thousands of seedlings in flats under lights getting ready for the veggie season.

 

[bogieb]

This month typically is the toughest, as we have thousands of seedlings in flats under lights getting ready for the veggie season.

Yeah, those lights are real killers. I only have hundreds of seedlings (low hundreds), and can still tell the months the grow lights are on. Plus, with that many plants, you probably use the real high-intensity lights, where mine are regular grow lights in a 4' ballast. However, the real king of electricity use, that I have ever used, is a dehumidifier.

 

[bcarton]

I put together a spreadsheet to calculate our bill, and record daily usage. For the Dec.-Jan. Billing period I recorded usage every single day. The electric clothes dryer is by far the worst offender in our house (after electric baseboard heat of course). Consolidating laundry loads, and running the dishwasher only when full probably cut our bill by $50/month.

 

[Ambient]

I put together a spreadsheet to calculate our bill, and record daily usage. For the Dec.-Jan. Billing period I recorded usage every single day. The electric clothes dryer is by far the worst offender in our house (after electric baseboard heat of course). Consolidating laundry loads, and running the dishwasher only when full probably cut our bill by $50/month.

We consider the dryer a cash disposal system, as it burns money, metaphorically speaking. So for all these years we haven't used it, sits there only for defuzzing somethings and emergency drying events. We hang the clothes on clothes racks, large ones. The drying of the clothes on racks, helps to put moisture back into the air, and keep money in our pockets.

 

[moey]

Heat pump dryers. I suspect 5-10 years from now you will see a lot more of them. Right now about 3x a normal dryer.

http://www.whirlpool.com/laundry-1/laundry-2/dryers-3/-[WED99HEDW]-1022543/WED99HEDW/

 

[woodmakesheat]

I used an average of 32 kWh/day less from October through March '14-'15 vs '13-'14 where I was using a combination of space heaters, a cord of wood and about 100 gallons of oil. So 5760 kWh * $0.19 = $1094.40 saved in electricity. All this did was heat 3 rooms, the rest of the house was bitterly cold (high 50's).

The 100 gallons of oil cancelling each other out for the past 2 years, it cost $1350 in pellets to heat this year, $1344 for wood + electricity last year. House was comfortable this year and was miserable last year. Pellets +100gal oil save ~$703/yr vs oil only (current prices) for a much warmer house (it heats unheated LR so no space heaters needed.) After tax rebate, payback is 2.5 yrs. even with relatively cheap oil (it's still $0.30-$0.60 more than most areas here in ripoffs ville.)