[octcr]

My home is sitting empty...just got my first electric bill from SECO...$58.51...I want to ask my fellow Villager's what their monthly utilities cost for an empty house? I was surprised at this...I have Empty Nester's go in and check things last month plus I had a house keeper go in for about 4 hours to clean and that is it...is this normal for an electric bill for a empty house? Guide me fellows. I am still wet behind the ears when it comes to TV... for now at least. I'm learning though... thanks to this site and all of you good folks. Thanks!

[villages07]

octcr...it may not be too out of line; several factors to consider; I closed on 8/14/06 and was in empty nest til mid Nov. I went back and looked at my first couple of bills. You really need to focus on KW hours and not just the total bill. Size of your house and the direction it faces also come into play.

1st bill for me included a $10 account change charge, a $5 membership charge; also, within the energy charge is an ongoing $8.25 monthly account maintenance fee; so, theoretically, your first month's bill might have $23 in non-usage related charges.

If your house does not have blinds/window coverings, then the cost to keep it cool, even to the 84 or so that Empty Nest sets, will be significantly higher. We did not put blinds up until late Sept 06. Our bill, before blinds, was $73; the month after blinds it was $38 (with cooler weather too).

My KW hours for 9/22-10/24/06 was 291; this included about 5 days when we were here, otherwise, house was empty, but blinds were installed. This should be similar to your first billing period. Also, I have gas for hot water, dryer, and stove. If your house is all electric, some of these appliances will add demand.

All in all, I've found the electricity costs to be very reasonable. My highest bill, for a good sized house, has been $132.

[chuckinca]

Our 1750 SF house is empty 48 weeks a year, electric, water and grass cutting average about $55/mo each. Have the air set at 82 when we aren't there.

[jjdees]

If you have an electric water tank, check the settings. You don't want to be continually reheating water while you're away. Set it at the lowest setting.

[bobfl]

I live in South Florida (South of Ft Meyers) and I'm gone five months per year. My normal electric bill during that time is about $18 per month. My home (1970 sq ft under air) is equipped with a humidistat and it runs on that during Summer when we are not in residence. Almost all the homes here on S. Florida use Humidistats to control AC. Be sure to shut off hot water heater when you leave and for safety turn the water off.

[784caroline]

WE have a 2100 SF home (with blinds) and our average bill for the past 12 months was approx $31/month. The most expensive bill we had was the bill I paid in Sept 2007 for $67.07 while the Oct bill was $40.31. We have gas heat and a gas water heater but an electric dryer. In the past year we have only occupied the house approx 4-5 weeks but NOT in Sept or Oct. We have our AC set at 82......the SEER rating of our AC unit is 14 which may also be a factor ...check your SEER rating...the higher the better.

Our water bill (and trash) is our biggest complaint. Even with only once a week lawn irrigation and us being at the home only 4 weeks a year, it is not uncommon to have a $60-90 per month bill for N Sumter Utility Company. Lawn irrigation is expensive!!

[efrahin]

Can some full time Villager give us some information regarding the total cost of Electricity and Gas for a normal user. Thank you.

[chuck1940]

I'm here all year and keep the air at 73. My home is all electric and I average 300 in the summer and about half of that in the winter. I have 1600 Sq Ft.

[efrahin]

That is realistic. We we live in Long Island we have our own electricity plant in our village and our bills in the summer is about $120.00 with a lot of air conditioners and the winter is about $50.00, but you never win, the gas is with LIPA about $350 for heating in the winter, plus you have to shovel the snow or paid to have it done.

[chuckinca]

My Bad - just checked what we paid for electricity and it was an average of about $13/mo in the winter and $50/mo in the summer (with nobody home)

[diskman]

You have to examine what you have plugged in. even an unused television draws power,
every electric gadget with an led display is drawing power. You may consider unplugging some things for those empty months together with the other good suggestions above.
Larry