Why is my BGE bill so High (Upper Marlboro: budget, work)

[Eviljesterswife]

First let me say I know about the rate hike and everything. My question is why is my bill so much higher then other people I talk to. My house was built in 1958. It is a rancher (1300 Sq. ft) with and unfinished basement. When we bought it, we updated everything. New fridge, new stove (gas), new washer/dryer (elec), new double pane windows new dish washer, new central heat and air, insulated the attic, put in an attic fan, and we even had the stuff blown into the walls for more insulation. We both work all day so the house is empty during the day, only the dogs here. We do have a bearded dragon that uses a 150 watt bulb from 7am – 8:30pm. But other then that nothing else is running while we are at work. My bill this month was 238.00. I keep the air at 79 degrees. My neighbor’s house is 1900 Sq. ft he keeps his air at 76, he has not updated anything in years, he needs new windows and his bill was 245.00. Then I have a friend who has a 3 level town house aprox. 1800 sq ft. with a 16 year old forced air unite which she keeps at 74. She is home all day watching TV since she does not work and her bill was 260.00. So my question is if my house is much smaller and updated with Energy efficient appliances why would my bill be even close to my friends who keep their air much lower and who spend more time at home. I have called BGE and they did some sort of investigation. They said that everything with my bill was correct. No one ever came out to look at anything or see my meter. I don't understand why I would be paying anything close to what my friends pay. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks

[hokiejane]

Do you know about different rates for different times of day? Minimize your use of high-use electricty devices (clothes dryer, hot water heater, etc...) during the weekday when rates are significantly higher. I'm copying this from another post I made:

I've heard from some people that they don't have this on the back of their bill, but I see my electricity usage laid out based on when I use it. The following are the rates I see on my June bill.

Summer:

Peak - .163/kWh
Intermediate - .098/kWh
Off Peak - .091/kWh

As you can see, there's great savings to be had by using power intensive appliances during Intermediate and Off Peak hours. I never run the dishwasher or do laundry during peak hours on weekdays. The dryer is a killer as is the hot water heater. I set the temp on the AC higher during the day and then set it cooler at night.

I also have the gizmo that allows BGE to turn off my AC during the day, and they knock $10 off the bill.

As far as what defines Peak, Off Peak, etc..., I pulled this off the BGE website last year:

Rating Periods:

Summer
Peak - Between the hours of 10 am and 8 pm on weekdays, excluding the National holidays listed below.

Intermediate - Between the hours of 7 am and 10 am, and the hours of 8 pm and 11 pm on weekdays, excluding the National holidays listed below.

Off-Peak - All times other than those defined for the On-Peak and Intermediate-Peak rating periods.

Non-Summer
Peak - Between the hours of 7 am and 11 am, and the hours of 5 pm and 9 pm on weekdays, excluding the National holidays listed below.

Intermediate - Between the hours of 11 am and 5 pm on weekdays, excluding the National holidays listed below.

Off-Peak - All times other than those defined for the On-Peak and Intermediate-Peak rating periods.


Billing Seasons: Summer rates are billed for usage from June 1 through September 30.

Non-Summer rates are billed for usage from October 1 through May 31

Holidays
All hours on Saturdays and Sundays and the following National holidays are Off-Peak: New Year's Day, President's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Monday following such of these as fall on Sunday.

[rudy_d]

That does sound awfully high. My home is nearly twice the SF and even with central air, which was just installed, my bill is about half as much. I wouldn't think a 150 watt bulb would make that much of a difference. You're not on some sort of budget billing plan, where you're paying for the winter heating bills year round, are you? That might explain it. If not, I would contact BGE again to make sure someone's not tapping into your line or maybe have someone come look at your AC unit to make sure it's operating properly.

[lscalder]

I just purchase a brand new house which is 5500 square feet with 2 central zone and my bill is $150.00 a month and I work from home.

[upinflamezzz]

5500 square feet with central air is going to definitely be higher than 150 a month.

[jaindow]

Does anyone know if BGE has surcharges for certain areas or zip codes?

[kjg1963]

The person with the $150 bill is serviced by Pepco in Upper Marlboro, that is only for electric (although still low). I live in a 100 year old duplex with window units (3) and only one heating vent in the whole house (yeah, I know, the dark ages). My budget billing went up to $280 from $170 this past month.

[goldenage1]

Do you have surge suppressors on the TV or computer? Do you leave a battery charger plugged in? They consume some power, and I leave mine turned off. Keeping the curtains drawn to keep the heat out.

FWIW, I have brick end-unit townhouse about 1900 SF. I keep the thermostat at 80 during the day, and I only paid $105 in the highest month.

(Of course, I slept in the basement all summer, and let the top floor get hot. Not everyone would want to do that.) I also installed an attic fan, which helped a lot, I think.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by Eviljesterswife

So my question is if my house is much smaller and updated with Energy efficient appliances why would my bill be even close to my friends who keep their air much lower and who spend more time at home.

I'd also look for other sources of air-infiltration, like electric outlets and the gaps around doorframes. Maybe it would pay to have someone do an energy audit.

[Eviljesterswife]

Who would I contact to do an energy audit?