At Ease electric bill
 

Just got our first electric bill after moving in full time. The house, an At Ease, is one year old, has 1481 sq. ft, we keep the temp. at 75f, and we have a refrigerator in the garage. From May 19 thru June 21 (33 days), the bill was $165. Since this is our first "full time" bill, we have no idea if this is high, low, or average. I also realize that it has been extremely hot (at least to us), but other posts I have read seem to say that $130 is average. Anyone with about the same sq. ft. see their bill yet?

$165.00 seems a little high. We have slightly more footage and our bill will top out at $130.00 max. We even have an electric dryer and our AC is nearing ten years old.. 75F is a couple of degrees lower than our setting. Fridge in the garage is convenient but our garages down here get very hot. This means the compressor is working very hard to dissipate the heat generated by the coils.

There is a handy little appliance called Killawatt (sp?). For a few bucks you could get one and plug your fridge in to it to find out how much it is costing. I think they are available at hardware stores. For a preview try this link http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882715001. I got mine at Amazon.com.

You didn't mention if you have electric stove and/or electric water heater, and if you use a lot of hot water, or do a lot of cooking, which will skew the numbers as well. As downeaster said, the fridge in the garage doesn't help things as the garages get very hot.

75 degrees sound kind of cold to me. We keep our house at 80 and if we get a little warm we just turn on one of the ceiling fans for a little while. The fans use way less electricity than the air conditioner.

Thanks for the response, Taj, and yes, we have an electric stove, electric dryer, and water heater. Like I said, I don't know if this is high or not, but wonder if anyone saw a spike in their usage due to the unusually high heat we've had of late. If it is high, I'll probably move the fridge into the laundry room.

WE have approx 2400 sf under Heat/AC and keep the AC set at 78 degree. We have a Gas water heater but electic stove and dryer. For 31 days ending 6/9 our bill was $121 for the previous bill ending 5/9 for 31 days it was $122.

Your bill sounds high to me especially considering the difference in SF being cooler....but then 75 sounds cold to me also! A refrig in the garage will cost you electricity in florida ITs HOT in there

Water heater and dryer
 

Besides the Ac the dryer and water heater are the major users of your load. Whatevere you do ,,,,,do not be hoodwinked into buying one of those power reduction units that are sold at Marion market .....those are a rip-off...they do not work!!!!! Is real snake oil scam!! Best thing to do is turn down your water heater....u need it just warm enough to shower. The units that are under the sink that you have instant hot water are a great deal. The big issue how long is the payback? Do you plan to be here longer than 3- 5 years? If so then you will have payback.

We were planning on putting a small freezer in the garage. If we have solar attic fans put in, will that make enough of a difference in the garage temp to be able to have one there?

Freezer
 

I have aJasmine with a freezer in my garage no problems. Also have 2 solar attic fans. Haven't had any problems yet. Whole house is electric just paid the latest bill was $132. A/C set at 78.If your in buttonwood and this is your 1st bill you may have had some contractors using your electric if you weren't there. They've been known to do that.

I used to have a small freezer in my garage here in NC where it also gets pretty hot in the summer. When I finally unplugged it and did a comparison, I found that it was costing me about 40 dollars a month in the summer. If you don't have to use the fridge for a month, try unplugging it and see if it affects your electric bill at all.

We have ours set at 78 degrees. When we come in from the 95 degree temps it seems very cold in the house. Our bill is around $120/mo.


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Hi Laryb,

Probably the best way to put your electric bill at ease is to pay it. :024:

P - You and gracie need to take your comedy acts on the road as a team. I can see a great future for both of you on the stand-up circuit............. :1rotfl:

Bill :wave:

Just paid it online. Me and my electric bill feel much better now. Thanks Dr. P!!!

Thanks for the info. Looked online, found interesting and ordered the device you mentioned, will keep you posted. :beer3:

A few more things...
 

...you might consider.

Electric hot water...put a mechanical time switch on it. It only takes a few minutes to heat up the water when you need it. I set mine to be OFF all night...ON at 6am...OFF at 8am and allday...ON at 6pm and OFF again at 8pm and again allnight. BIG savings and we have all the hot water we need. About $50.00

Solar hot water is the way to go but is expensive.

Powered gable (attic) ventelator fans. Removes heat and moisture from ceiling/attic area. Your A/C ducts are up there in that 150+ degree heat in Summer and insulated ducts can only go so far to keep the air cool because its moving pretty fast. I have several of these fans. Some pull air in and others blow it out. Run during Summer...OFF in the Winter. Strongly reccomended and helps A LOT on A/C usage (electric bill). About 100.00 each professionally installed.

Window tinting helps alot keeping the house cooler. Price varies.

Dual pane insulated windows help tremendously but are expensive.

Best advice I can offer for extra refridgerators and freezers...move them inside to climate controlled area in Summer...back into garage in the Winter.
They DO give off heat. The harder they work the more heat is produced but in a controlled climate the heat produced is minimal. Freebie. Just takes a little pre-planning and some effort.

Invest in an energy audit. Usually the power companies offer these programs.
Someone from the power company will come to your home and show you ways to conserve. Things like leaky (drafty) door and window seals (they can test these and point them out to you) can cost you dearly and weather stripping and sealing products are minimal cost. Your power company may offer this service free. Contact them.

Another contact to help you save $$$

http://www.fpuc.com/FPU10-54%20ELECT...Insert_WEB.pdf

Fans are very effective at keeping the air moving and making you comfortable. They can "Mix" the air as well and reduce your A/C and Heating cost also. If your home has High or cathederal ceilings this helps a lot.
Ceiling fans are nice to have with reverse rotation but an just a small table top occillating fan works well. they are inexpensive and very quiet. Minimal cost.

A dehumidifier helps allot also. Takes some of the load off the A/C in the summer and you can bump the inside temp up a few degrees and be just as comfortable. Moderate investment. Maybe 100-150.00 dollars.

All the items I've mentioned will show you a immediate return on your investment. If all are implemented over a time period of say 6 months, each monthly electric bill should show a noticable decrease.

Hope this helps. I've been in Florida about all my life.
Dave