How much was your last Electric bill?

[LtDan]

Ann I hate small dogs,
I use them to wash my car. Keep the belly up and it will not scratch the car.

It'll probably work best if you hold all four feet together like a handle, and use the dog's back as a rag. I'd recommend dogs with a full thick coat, like poodles or malteses for that job. If you expect to get more than one use per dog, try not to dunk them in the soapy water for too long, and dry them out well when you are done so they dont freeze into a dogsicle.

 

Well done Anne.

1278 KWH  $103.83 in the land of The Ohio State University Buckeyes.

[Garyjr]

Just e-paid $90.94 for 1926 kwt.  My bill has raised right at $15.00 since getting the tub in July, but is real hard to gage as I have 2 little ones and a wife who have yet to figure out how to turn a light off.

Jr

[tileman]

Just e-paid $90.94 for 1926 kwt.  My bill has raised right at $15.00 since getting the tub in July, but is real hard to gage as I have 2 little ones and a wife who have yet to figure out how to turn a light off.

Jr

Jr, you by far have the best $/kws ratio. If I can remember correctly you live in St. Louis like me. Who is your electric company? I use Cuivre River Electric Company a.k.a CREC. I used less than half the electricity as you and my bill was $78.00.

[hot tub Frank]

Just e-paid $90.94 for 1926 kwt.  My bill has raised right at $15.00 since getting the tub in July, but is real hard to gage as I have 2 little ones and a wife who have yet to figure out how to turn a light off.

Jr

Jr, you by far have the best $/kws ratio. If I can remember correctly you live in St. Louis like me. Who is your electric company? I use Cuivre River Electric Company a.k.a CREC. I used less than half the electricity as you and my bill was $78.00.

This is what you get if you live up north!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bama]

Ann,
you forgot the most important thing after washing you car.
You need to rinse the dog properly. After that a spin in the dryer will do.

but i am impressed with the expertise you have using a dog.


lol

Frank and Anne,

I think you'll find my book, ONE HUNDRED AND ONE USES FOR FLUFFY DOGS AROUND THE HOUSE very helpful.

A sneak preview...
1) Got a messy marvin alway spilling his milk?
insert a long handle into the puppys mouth for a quicker picker upper of messy spills on the floor.  
2) Unsightly ceiling cob webs hard to reach?  
position the dog on a long pole, lift it to the ceiling for automatic scratching away those unsightly ceiling cob webs.
3) Messy window grime spoiling your view?
 who can resist the scrubtastic job they do with their tongue on sliding glass door.  Why your windows will sparkle!
If you have a lot of windows, I recommend a larger breed.

[hot tub Frank]

Ann,
you forgot the most important thing after washing you car.
You need to rinse the dog properly. After that a spin in the dryer will do.

but i am impressed with the expertise you have using a dog.


lol

Frank and Anne,

I think you'll find my book, ONE HUNDRED AND ONE USES FOR FLUFFY DOGS AROUND THE HOUSE very helpful.

A sneak preview...
1) Got a messy marvin alway spilling his milk?
insert a long handle into the puppys mouth for a quicker picker upper of messy spills on the floor.  
2) Unsightly ceiling cob webs hard to reach?  
position the dog on a long pole, lift it to the ceiling for automatic scratching away those unsightly ceiling cob webs.
3) Messy window grime spoiling your view?
 who can resist the scrubtastic job they do with their tongue on sliding glass door.  Why your windows will sparkle!
If you have a lot of windows, I recommend a larger breed.

Bama
you are just plain out mean

[cappy2449]

my house is 3500 sq feet on long island new york...we get billed every two months...my last bill was 3125 kwh @ .20a kwh my bill was 626.26...i have my hot tub since july, and maybe i'm crazy but my bill has gone up quite a bit....i would say around 75 a month...i lowered the filter cycles from 3x a day to once  day...and lowered the temp a little bit...honestly, i don't see the heater coming on that much...i have the d1 chairman II....i am going to see next months bill and then decide if i'm going to winterize it or not...btw..when i first got the tub i was in it everyday for approx. 45 minutes...now its around 3x a week for 20-30 minutes....should i be blaming the hot tub for higher bill, or could it be something else...thanks for input

[tileman]

should i be blaming the hot tub for higher bill, or could it be something else...thanks for input

I don't think your tub is the sole reason for your increased bill. I say this b/c I soak 1-2x a day, keep my temp at 102-103, and set it to cycle 3x a day for 30 minutes and my bill only increased $30/month. Your tub however is slightly bigger at 400 gal than mine at 336 gal but I don't think that would cause that much of a difference.

[anne]

Ann,
you forgot the most important thing after washing you car.
You need to rinse the dog properly. After that a spin in the dryer will do.

but i am impressed with the expertise you have using a dog.


lol

Frank and Anne,

I think you'll find my book, ONE HUNDRED AND ONE USES FOR FLUFFY DOGS AROUND THE HOUSE very helpful.

A sneak preview...
1) Got a messy marvin alway spilling his milk?
insert a long handle into the puppys mouth for a quicker picker upper of messy spills on the floor.  
2) Unsightly ceiling cob webs hard to reach?  
position the dog on a long pole, lift it to the ceiling for automatic scratching away those unsightly ceiling cob webs.
3) Messy window grime spoiling your view?
 who can resist the scrubtastic job they do with their tongue on sliding glass door.  Why your windows will sparkle!
If you have a lot of windows, I recommend a larger breed.

All kidding aside, if I spill something in the kitchen, it doesnt matter where in the house my dog is.......he comes running, and suddenly the clean up job is 90% done. Nice list, Bama, I'll have to keep those other ideas in mind.

[anne]

my house is 3500 sq feet on long island new york...we get billed every two months...my last bill was 3125 kwh @ .20a kwh my bill was 626.26...i have my hot tub since july, and maybe i'm crazy but my bill has gone up quite a bit....i would say around 75 a month...i lowered the filter cycles from 3x a day to once  day...and lowered the temp a little bit...honestly, i don't see the heater coming on that much...i have the d1 chairman II....i am going to see next months bill and then decide if i'm going to winterize it or not...btw..when i first got the tub i was in it everyday for approx. 45 minutes...now its around 3x a week for 20-30 minutes....should i be blaming the hot tub for higher bill, or could it be something else...thanks for input

I have PG&E and one of the things you can do online is analyze bills and compare them to the previous month or corresponding month the previous year. It looks sort of like this:

7/17/2006 Bill Highlights
Impact Increase Energy Charges:       Your energy charges were $ 127.93 higher for this bill.
Impact Increase Electric Usage:       The change in your average electric usage per day caused a $ 52.00 increase for this bill.
Impact Increase Weather:       The weather increased your charges by $38.00 - $63.00.
Impact Increase Billing Period:       A longer billing period increased your Electric usage causing a $ 20.02 increase for this bill compared to the previous bill.
Impact Increase Billing Period:       A longer billing period increased your Gas usage causing a $ 1.37 increase for this bill compared to the previous bill.
Impact Decrease Gas Rate:       A change in your gas rate caused a $ 1.27 decrease in your bill this month.

You may see if your power company has something similar. I dont know how accurate their figures are, but it is something.

[Vinny]

my house is 3500 sq feet on long island new york...we get billed every two months...my last bill was 3125 kwh @ .20a kwh my bill was 626.26...i have my hot tub since july, and maybe i'm crazy but my bill has gone up quite a bit....i would say around 75 a month...i lowered the filter cycles from 3x a day to once  day...and lowered the temp a little bit...honestly, i don't see the heater coming on that much...i have the d1 chairman II....i am going to see next months bill and then decide if i'm going to winterize it or not...btw..when i first got the tub i was in it everyday for approx. 45 minutes...now its around 3x a week for 20-30 minutes....should i be blaming the hot tub for higher bill, or could it be something else...thanks for input

My house is about 1800 Sq ft, yours is 2x the size of mine and I used 755 KWH ... the bigger the house the more expensive to run, if you have a lot of electrical and electronic equipment it adds up quick.

I know my children will leave everything running as they leave a room. A 60 watt light bulb is 1/2 amp, leave 4 or six of them burning for a few hours a day ... 60 x 4 x3 (hours) x 30 = 21.6 KWH. People take all the little things for granted, add up 10 little things it becomes a big thing.

[Garyjr]

tileman,

I have Ameren UE.  We have right at 3600 square foot, and since replacing our central air unit 2 years ago, the highest electric bill I have ever seen was $260.00 this past August.  That was setting the AC on 68, running our swimming pool pump, hot tub, multiple 100 watt light bulbs and a 220volt mig welder for several hours.




































Tileman,

We have Ameren UE.

Jr























Jr

[tileman]

tileman,

I have Ameren UE.  We have right at 3600 square foot, and since replacing our central air unit 2 years ago, the highest electric bill I have ever seen was $260.00 this past August.  That was setting the AC on 68, running our swimming pool pump, hot tub, multiple 100 watt light bulbs and a 220volt mig welder for several hours.
Tileman,

We have Ameren UE.
Jr
Jr

  I use Ameren UE's gas but not there electric as stated earlier. I might have to make the switch to them for both, if they allow it. Heck it would probably save me $30-40 a month. I think that's worth a phone call or two.

Thanks,
 Chad

[thearm]

hey guys here in upstate NY I used 2637 kilowatts @ .131 for a two month total of 345.45. This would be for the month of October and November. Live in a 1950 sq ft house with the washer and dryer running and the lights are usually on. Can't wait for the next bill as we just finished putting up the outside christmas lights. Just wondering does anybody know what it costs for a garage opener to run. I have two and they get a lot of use.

[dkersten]

I got a bill yesterday for electric for about $190.  Month before it was $185, and has been right around the 170-250 range this year.. In summer my A/C runs almost constantly, but I am constantly improving the insulation in my house..

My gas bill used to run about 30 in summer and about 350 in winter.  I went to budget billing and its around 100 a month all year now.. little lower in summer and a little higher in winter.  I heat my garage which is not well insulated (garage door is not very good for insulation, couple holes in ceiling to attic space I need to cover).

I think I am paying about $30-40 more for the hot tub now that it is cold out, but I am not sure as I dont pay all that much attention to it.

House is about 2500 sq ft, but my brother just built a 4900 sq ft house and even with 2 complete furnace/AC units, his electric and gas is lower than mine.  He did spray in foam insulation in all the walls and it really seemed to help.  The house is 2 stories with a full basement.  In case anyone is wondering, the total cost on that house with the lot was about $450,000.  It is very nicely done, but not overboard.. didnt use granite for bathrooms up or down, just on main floor, brick only on front of house, tile and carpet, no hardwood floors, no excessive appliances, but good ones, etc.  Housing here in Montana has gotten expensive, but still nothing like the bigger cities..  My 30 year old 2500 sq foot house cost me 117k 5 years ago, and with improvements is worth maybe 170k right now.  Dunno how good of a reference point that is for housing cost comparison.  On some real-estate type shows on TLC and HGTV I see houses in California going for 1.5 mil that are not nearly as nice as what my brother built this summer, and see houses like mine for over 400k.. But I dont know those areas so I have no point of reference.

I guess my point is that once you spend a million on a house in an already expensive area, who cares if the power is 100 dollars more per month than here.. ?  Its all relative.. I would be surprised if my neighbor was paying 200 more per month than me, but not someone in California or New York.