Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So with a budget plan, you're only paying LIPA every 2 months?
No, a "budget" plan budgets/averages your bill monthly & bills you monthly.
I prefer Bi-monthly. Why pay them monthly when I can keep MY money in MY bank, and pay them Bi-Monthly.
With our only heat being baseboards, our bill will triple in the winter going from $200 to over $700. That's monthly, not bimonthly.
Peak winter = 3 months, I probably go 100 gallons a month ... approx $400-450 (at the current rate) a month this year.... so your extra $500 is not that bad.
i can't figure it out. this is a rental home, so i'm guessing sqft is maybe 2600? full basement, but unfinished and used for storage. we have two small window a/cs (5,ooo btu) for the upstairs and a dehumidifier in the basement we use for a few hours during they day when it was super humid. family of four, so the washer and dryer is usually going once daily... but i'm still stumped. we have a prog thermo set at 76 most of the time and it's been off since early sept. i'm gonna have to call them out for an audit - these bills have me going nutz.
I'm sorry if I've missed the details you've given already, but I'm interested in helping you. Could you list your house specs? from my experience, the big energy consumers are
appliances cable box
desktop pc, or laptop that is on 24/7.
dehumidifier
chandelier or other cluster lighting
This one is a surprise, but only some cable boxes draw a lot of current.
And yes, some can be worse than a fridge.
For what is worth, supposedly, Cablevision's boxes are more energy-efficient than Verizon FiOS ones, overall.
---
In general, the most common mistake, I think, is that people undermine the power of multiplication - if one TV costs you $10 a month to run, 5 TVs will add $50 to your bill etc. Too many light fixtures on, too many TVs or appliances - it adds up.
For the humid summers on LI, a new energy-efficient programmable dehumidifier is definitely a good investment.
My husband refuses to do the balance billing saying at the end of the year he doesn't want to owe them a $1000, we just try to keep lights off and hope that before we leave the island the monopoly will end.
Tell your husband not to worry if you want to try it. I have had it a long time and they are very accurate. When the annual time of reckoning comes they usually owe me a few bucks, not the other way around. I certainly have not heard of $1000 difference in the balanced billing.
Tell your husband not to worry if you want to try it. I have had it a long time and they are very accurate. When the annual time of reckoning comes they usually owe me a few bucks, not the other way around. I certainly have not heard of $1000 difference in the balanced billing.
LOL, I know.... "balanced" billing and one owes them $1000.... so whats are they balancing ? thats an oxymoron.
LOL, I know.... "balanced" billing and one owes them $1000.... so whats are they balancing ? thats an oxymoron.
I think balanced billing is delaying the inevitable pain of paying for hideously overpriced energy. Maybe it makes it a little easier to psychologically deal with, but it's still hideous.
I was going to use a pig analogy, but I like pigs too much to compare them to LIPA, one of the world's most hated organizations (really, it's true look it up).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
