electric bill

[Tom Hannon]

WE were in our new home for 7 days. We just received our first electic bill. OUCH! After the first time start up charge and deductiong the $40 - our bill cost $100. What would it be if we lived in it all month? We don't have any television yet nor have we used our electric oven. One load of wash and one dishwaher run. Kept the temp at 76 for the week we were there. We set it at 80 after we left for NY. What is the average electric bill for a designer home (IRIS).

[pooh]

We've got a Lantana with gas and electric. I have a spa that has to run a few hours each day, but I haven't got the heat on for it...gas if I need to warm it up. Air conditioner is set to 78, I have computers and flat screen tvs going, electric for washer and dryer. My last bill with Seco was $202.55. $177.08 was the actual electric charge, the rest was for power adjustments, taxes, etc. My gas bill with Teco was $30.07 - of which $24 is total gas charges. In the winter, the TECO bill is high because of heating, the electric bill is smaller because the air conditioner is off.

Does that help at all?

[Tom Hannon]

I assume the electric bill from Seco is monthly? On LI the bill is bi-monthly. Was hoping we received a one month bill because the billing cycle ended in September.

[llaran]

you were probably charged for the electric the workmen used befor you moved in, your bill should be in the $200 range.

[pooh]

I assume the electric bill from Seco is monthly? On LI the bill is bi-monthly. Was hoping we received a one month bill because the billing cycle ended in September.

Seco is indeed a monthly bill as is Teco, which you won't have in Buttonwood. What is the start date for your SECO bill? Does it start when you closed or is it for a period before closing? If I understand correctly, you should only be billed from the time you take over the electric charges from the developer.

[Tom Hannon]

The bill was from date of closing August 16 thru September 16. Like I said, we were only there for one week.

[gardenia]

As llaran stated, the SECO bill probably includes the electric charge from the construction. I am currently under contract for the build of a new home to be delivered in November, and there is a clause in my contract that reads "....buyer agrees to pay for electric and gas used in construction and testing of systems of the home up to SEVENT FIVE and 00/100 per utility". Hope this helps. I was expecting it, having read it in my contract.

[barb1191]

Suggest that you install a humidistat if you plan to be away during the hot weather. The humidistat will cut your electric bill in half each month WHILE YOU'RE NOT THERE. It sure worked for us before we became frogs.

There have been many threads on the humidistat here on TOTV that you can learn about by putting a search on the word.

Also maybe you should contact SECO and inquire about the charges. Maybe you have a faulty meter.

[red tail]

im in a cyv all electric and keep thermostsat on 73. my bill for the last 2 months has been $250. we have an older unit so not very energy efficient.

[barb1191]

As llaran stated, the SECO bill probably includes the electric charge from the construction. I am currently under contract for the build of a new home to be delivered in November, and there is a clause in my contract that reads "....buyer agrees to pay for electric and gas used in construction and testing of systems of the home up to SEVENT FIVE and 00/100 per utility". Hope this helps. I was expecting it, having read it in my contract.

Disgusting clause!!!! This can be a good reason to consider buying a pre-owned.

[Pturner]

Disgusting clause!!!! This can be a good reason to consider buying a pre-owned.

Tom, I would ask Seco before jumping to conclusion about this. If you do, please post their answer. Thanks.

[villages07]

I don't think $100 is that high for the month of Aug 16-Sep 16. Keeping the thermostat at 80 (without the dehumidistat) probably ate up some kilowatts. New construction is all-electric so you just get the one monthly bill. Read the bill carefully ... how much of the charge is actual usage vs their account maintenance fees. Make sure there's no special one time first month fees in there.

But, again, all in all I don't think $100 is that bad.

Like Pooh, we have both gas and electric and my last combined bill is somewhere around $210. A/C set to 78. We live here full time.

I think the A/C is your biggest user of juice.

Also, do you have blinds or anything else covering the windows? You'd be amazed how much more heat is let in (to be cooled by A/C) from uncovered windows.

[Pturner]

BTW, Did you turn water heater off/low when you left?

Ours is gas, so we can't turn ours off, but we do keep it on very low setting when not there.

[laryb]

Tom, we have an At Ease that is 1481 sq. ft. We stayed there a week and a half when we closed and my sister-in-law stayed with us. We did lots of laundry and took lots of showers. Kept the temp at 73 and used a de-humidistat when we left. Our bill for the month was $161.38. from that deduct:

5.95 surge lease
40.00 connect fee
25.00 surge installation
5.00 membership applied

So with tax and power cost adjust. it was about $85.00. Did you deduct the connect fee and any possible surge charges?

[swrinfla]

I've just opened my SECO bill covering 34 days (08/12-09/15) for my Gardenia, with thermostat at 75: $236.15.

Over the year ending 08/12, I averaged $120.89 per month! That does NOT include gas (TECO).

True, had I been in your shoes, I'd have changed the thermostat to something like 80. But, I was here in what has been noted to be one of the hottest summers in decades!

SWR
:beer3:

[Tom Hannon]

Yes, PT- I turned the hot water heater off.

Lary---The bill was actually $157. I deducted $40 connect fee and $5 membership. Does having a de-humidistat help that much?

I keep the temp at 76. Maybe I'll adjust it to 77 and when away make it 82.

[JimJoe]

Yes, PT- I turned the hot water heater off.

Lary---The bill was actually $157. I deducted $40 connect fee and $5 membership. Does having a de-humidistat help that much?

I keep the temp at 76. Maybe I'll adjust it to 77 and when away make it 82.

Be careful about letting it get too hot. If the humidity gets out of control, you will not like what you see when you get home.

[vj1213]

Tom, I just got mine..my therm. is at 74, my tv is on all the time, I run my washer & dryer & dishwasher frequently. My bill was $279.35

[laryb]

Tom, I'm told it does, but since I haven't been there full time yet it's just my opinion. The de-humidstat tells the air to go on when the humidity reaches a set point, not by temp, so it goes on a lot less. Since it's humidity that causes mold and the smell that goes with it, you shouldn't worry about how hot it gets, but how humid it gets. When we came in for a couple of days last weekend the temp inside was 89F, and every thing smelled fine and no visible mold or mildew. Now if you plan on never being away for extended periods, then you probably don't need one. On the other hand, it's only $75 installed, so it might be worth it in the long run.

[golfnut]

I'm surprised at all the settings in the mid to low 70's, we keep our house set at 80 and it is very comfortable. Setting at 80 when you are gone IMHO is too high, 82 should be sufficient, but as others have said a humidistat is the way to go. Also, gas water heaters can be shut off when u are gone....gn

[jblum8156]

im in a cyv all electric and keep thermostsat on 73. my bill for the last 2 months has been $250. we have an older unit so not very energy efficient.

Wow! that's twice as much as I'm paying in a 3 brm designer with the thermostat at 78

[punkpup]

BTW, Did you turn water heater off/low when you left?

Ours is gas, so we can't turn ours off, but we do keep it on very low setting when not there.

There should be a "Vacation" setting on your gas water heater which basically keeps the pilot lit while you're away. I know of some folks who completely turn their water heaters off by turning the controls to the off position; if you do this be sure to turn the gas shutoff valve on the gas supply to the water heater OFF! The instructions for turning your water heater off/on are on the water heater itself. If you're hesitant to turn your gas appliances off because turning them back on is confusing remember the gas company is always happy to come turn them back on for you.

[Carla B]

Wow, and I was upset about our bill for the month ended 9/06. It was the highest we've received in our two years here, $169. Last year's bill for the same period was $142 and we were here both months all the time. We have an all-electric Lantana and use the oven and range daily.

I too think that it must be the air conditioner usage that drives up the bill. We keep the thermostat at 79 deg. when we're here and 83 when gone in the summer and 55 when gone during the winter. When company comes we'll set it at 77 at night to make them feel more comfortable. We moved here from south Florida and used the same settings there for seven years without any problem whatsoever with mold or mildew.

[laryb]

Be careful about letting it get too hot. If the humidity gets out of control, you will not like what you see when you get home.
True, you don't want to let it get to hot, but with the de-humidistat, the humidity doesn't go above my 56% setting. From what I'm told, mold doesn't grow below 60% / 65%. When the humidity goes above the set point, the AC goes on and cools the house while lowering the humidity, so I think the heat wouldn't get out of hand. Now I might be totally off base with my thinking, so if somebody out there really knows what their talking about, let us know.:coolsmiley:

[mrdills]

Our last bill was 123.00 and we have a all electric house, I live in Hacienda Village and have Progressive energy. I keep our thermostat at 80, I guess I can't complain.

[golfnut]

i'm with you mrdills, we never set our thermostat below 80 (except in the winter we set it at 70), our electric bill has never been over $100....gn

[Minnesotalyn]

Hey Tom, Our guy in the Villages also told us when we put the money down on the lot, that when we started to build our house and the electric was put in we would be charged for their use.

[bluedog103]

WE were in our new home for 7 days. We just received our first electic bill. OUCH! After the first time start up charge and deductiong the $40 - our bill cost $100. What would it be if we lived in it all month? We don't have any television yet nor have we used our electric oven. One load of wash and one dishwaher run. Kept the temp at 76 for the week we were there. We set it at 80 after we left for NY. What is the average electric bill for a designer home (IRIS).

Tom, we closed on our Wisteria in March. We only stayed in our house for about 1 1/2 weeks before we returned to NY.
I just checked our bills. The first one, which I guess included the construction electricity was $41.00. The bill was actually higher because of the extras such as the membership and the surge protector, which we opted to buy instead of rent but the actual electricity was $41.00.
We had a humidistat installed by Handi, a member of TOTV. The humidistat cost $75.00 which was probably the best 75 bucks I've spent on the house.
Hope this helps. These are real numbers which I just verified.

[pooh]

One thing I've noticed in the 4 years I've lived here....people who live or have lived in a warmer climate before moving here might keep their indoor temp setting a bit higher than people who have come from cooler climates (places with cold winter specifically.) Personally, I've upped the temp each summer and don't seem to have a problem. It's at 78 this summer...who knows, maybe next summer it will be 79.... :D

[Tom Hannon]

Hey Tom, Our guy in the Villages also told us when we put the money down on the lot, that when we started to build our house and the electric was put in we would be charged for their use.
Member Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Hugo, Minnesota
Posts: 60



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minnesotta said- Hey Tom, Our guy in the Villages also told us when we put the money down on the lot, that when we started to build our house and the electric was put in we would be charged for their use.

My house was a speck house and aside from some cleanup the house was complete. Maybe the electric used for cleanup was added to my bill? I guess I will know better when next months bill arrives.

[vj1213]

One thing I've noticed in the 4 years I've lived here....people who live or have lived in a warmer climate before moving here might keep their indoor temp setting a bit higher than people who have come from cooler climates (places with cold winter specifically.) Personally, I've upped the temp each summer and don't seem to have a problem. It's at 78 this summer...who knows, maybe next summer it will be 79.... :D

I guess I am just an exception to this rule...I moved here from San Antonio and the heat here isn't as bad as the TX heat, I just like a cool house, both summer and winter and even more so at night. Maybe it will balance out in the winter, because my heat will probably be set at 68

[golf2140]

We have a 2000+ SFH. Our bill was $178.00. Temp set at 77. The home is all electric, I'm happy with the bill. In PA it would have been $300.00+

[Shirleevee]

We've got a Lantana with gas and electric. I have a spa that has to run a few hours each day, but I haven't got the heat on for it...gas if I need to warm it up. Air conditioner is set to 78, I have computers and flat screen tvs going, electric for washer and dryer. My last bill with Seco was $202.55. $177.08 was the actual electric charge, the rest was for power adjustments, taxes, etc. My gas bill with Teco was $30.07 - of which $24 is total gas charges. In the winter, the TECO bill is high because of heating, the electric bill is smaller because the air conditioner is off.

Does that help at all?

I had family here for four weeks, three teenagers for two weeks; two adults and three younger children for the following time. We have a pool, (the teens used the hot tube a lot and my bill was $255.00. We have a Juniper (Lantana model sided).

[graciegirl]

I had family here for four weeks, three teenagers for two weeks; two adults and three younger children for the following time. We have a pool, (the teens used the hot tube a lot and my bill was $255.00. We have a Juniper (Lantana model sided).

I LOVE that model Shirleevee. Very large and spacious. But back to the utility bills. Ours are low too. Much lower per square footage than Ohio house.

[Taj44]

Ours was $168 for that time period, 1926 sf. block house. We have gas hot water though, and gas stove. But, we have an electric run hot tub on the lanai. Our temperature is set at 76 in the summer.

[Kelsie52]

Hey Tom, Our guy in the Villages also told us when we put the money down on the lot, that when we started to build our house and the electric was put in we would be charged for their use.

That should not be the case --The service is not yours until you open the account --the builder should be supplying their own power ..

[pooh]

That should not be the case --The service is not yours until you open the account --the builder should be supplying their own power ..

Tom, who started this thread, stated that his electric bill was from the day of closing. Seems he wasn't charged for electricity until he took possession.

Not sure if that agent stating that electricity used by workmen is paid by new owner is correct....don't think so.

[mulligan]

Normally, the power co. cannot install a meter until after the final inspection of the home, and the meter on the temporary power panel is in the name of the general contractor.

[laryb]

Tom, who started this thread, stated that his electric bill was from the day of closing. Seems he wasn't charged for electricity until he took possession.

Not sure if that agent stating that electricity used by workmen is paid by new owner is correct....don't think so. I think you're right Pooh. My first bill had a start date of June 21, my closing date. Don't think they can bill you before that since the account is in their name, not yours. Same thing with my water bill. the meter reader was there the morning I closed

[Minnesotalyn]

Sorry just stating what I was told

[pooh]

Been thinking about this and I've concluded.... :D that there is a difference in first electric bills between new homes already built and homes that are being built with owners choices. Our home was new, built by the developer then released for sale. When we purchased, the power was switched over to our name. When a new Villager is having the house built to his "specs" with choices, then maybe the power is something he/she pays for.

See what you think about when sitting in the attorney's office!.... :D

[bluedog103]

Pooh, our first bill began on the day of the closing. I don't recall any charges at the closing for electricity used during construction but I could be wrong.
Ours was a home we had built on a lot we had purchased.

[pooh]

I'm glad you didn't have any extra charges. Someone did say that their contract stipulated payment for services used could happen. Heck, I'm confused at this point.... :D something easily attained by me...lol.

[HMLRHT1]

Where do we buy this humidistat at for $75? Can u set the humidity level or does it come pre set?

[graciegirl]

I'm glad you didn't have any extra charges. Someone did say that their contract stipulated payment for services used could happen. Heck, I'm confused at this point.... :D something easily attained by me...lol.

Even confused, you are one smart cookie! I can't wait to get back and SEE you.

[laryb]

Where do we buy this humidistat at for $75? Can u set the humidity level or does it come pre set?I know that John "Handieman" Wharton installed mine for $75 and that included the de-humidistat. And yes, you set the humidity level.

[Shirleevee]

I LOVE that model Shirleevee. Very large and spacious. But back to the utility bills. Ours are low too. Much lower per square footage than Ohio house.

Compared to NY, our electric bills here are CHEAP!

[joannej]

Hi Tom,

When we go out for the day, or even for a few hours, we turn our thermostat up to 80 in the summer and then lower it when we come home to usually 78 or 77. We live in a villa and it quickly returns to the lower number when we return. We also have humidity control too, which really helps! :)

[bluedog103]

I know that John "Handieman" Wharton installed mine for $75 and that included the de-humidistat. And yes, you set the humidity level.
Handi did ours too. Same price. Great deal!