Tips on saving on BGE bills (Ellicott City, Frederick: appliances, house, water heater)

[anu123]

We got our first BGE bill since we moved here a month ago and it is $365 . We live in Glenwood, so there is no possibility of getting gas for anything. Could you guys give me some suggestions on saving on this one? We have 2 kids and one paycheck so money is pretty tight right now. Thanks in advance, everyone.

Anu.

[balto charlie]

Originally Posted by anu123

We got our first BGE bill since we moved here a month ago and it is $365 . We live in Glenwood, so there is no possibility of getting gas for anything. Could you guys give me some suggestions on saving on this one? We have 2 kids and one paycheck so money is pretty tight right now. Thanks in advance, everyone.

Anu.

Turn off the AC and put fans in the windows at night. In the AM close up all the windows to keep in the cool night air. Only use ac when night temps become unbearable. We haven't used ac all season, our bill has been under 100.00

[myselfdotcom]

Originally Posted by balto charlie

Turn off the AC and put fans in the windows at night. In the AM close up all the windows to keep in the cool night air. Only use ac when night temps become unbearable. We haven't used ac all season, our bill has been under 100.00

agreed!

Convert all your light bulbs to those floresent one. Turn off lights when noone in the room. Only use AC when is too hot....if you have programeable one, program AC to shut off at 3-4am. When noone at home...shut ac off. If you have kids or someone at home..maintained temperature about 74F or higher...BUy some fans...stop using dishwasher...also try air dying for cloths unless...it's impossible to do it.

[Baltborn]

BGE is screwing everyone in the state. So this is what I do to keep as much of my hard earned $ out of their pockets.
1.) Turn off Water heater when it's not needed (water will stay hot for quite a while) This has saved A LOT of $. You'll need to get into a routine with it, for the rest of the summer, but once yu see the savings you'll be glad you did
2.) Unplug of flip a main switch on any appliances you are not using (especially heavy duty stuff ~ dishwashers, washing machines, dryers.) Even if they aren't on, they are pulling a bit of current. Multiply that by everything you have plugged in! I unplug damn near everything now, and only plug it in or flip the main switch when I use it.
3.) Yes to the energy saving light blubs
4.) Wash everything in cold water (better for the clothes, and no expensive water to heat) Dry what you can on the lowest heat setting, or simply air dry.
5.) Do not leave TV's on. They suck a lot of watts. (and add heat to the room, that needs to be cooled again) Same with computer monitors..
6.) Put square box fans in your window, blowing cool air into the house in the evening, and turn them around on any upstairs floor, during the day, to vent out the hottest air that rises to the upper floors.
7.) Obviously, close all curtains ( hopefully with white, or reflective surface facing the window) when it gets really brutal. And place fans in a fashion which will rotate the air around the level. (I even have a box fan that blows the cooler air in the basement up the stairs into the livingroom.)

Good Luck! And Welcome to Maryland !

[rubytue]

Originally Posted by anu123

We got our first BGE bill since we moved here a month ago and it is $365 . We live in Glenwood, so there is no possibility of getting gas for anything. Could you guys give me some suggestions on saving on this one? We have 2 kids and one paycheck so money is pretty tight right now. Thanks in advance, everyone.

Anu.

I replied in another thread (did you post this in home, too?). But, another thought. We just got our first BGE bill and it was $347. But, when I looked further, I realized they billed us for 2 months!! We moved in May 25th and just got our first bill. I know you said "a month ago," so this is a long shot, but I thought I would mention it.

[ff40184]

BGE also has a program during the summer months that can save you $25 a month if you agree to have BGE turn off power to your house at times when there is a large drain on the power grid. My hot water heater is also on a timer so that it comes on for a few housrs in the morning then goes off until around 6 pm and then it comes on again for a few more hours and then goes off again while we are sleeping. If your kids are teenagers then low flow shower heads. Wash and dry clothes only on the off peak hours during the week days.

[EggyToast]

The smartest thing is to not use BGE. Use a competitor. Almost every electricity provider in the state is cheaper than BGE, and the ones that aren't cheaper use all-green energy.

My wife and I switched to Washington Gas Energy (for electricity) and have saved tons of money. Cheapest year ever for electricity for us. It's a disservice that BGE isn't more upfront about consumer options when they set up a new service.

[hokiejane]

First, here's a chart that compares electricity prices for various power companies in Maryland:

http://www.opc.state.md.us/assets/documents//Supplier_Prices_Web%20080107page.pdf (broken link)

The .1077/kWh is low for BGE, though. Maybe it's an average of some sort, but it still looks low based on what I show below.

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.

[carebear1970]

I'm not sure if Allegheny goes down that far, but call them and see..they haven't raised their rates yet...and you can get gas there for cooking, but I'm not sure for heating...it used to be called pargas in Ellicott City..I think it's Amerigas now...

[susanee71]

Ok, listen to this..our bills in a 2bdr apt in Frederick, MD (Agh power) were $200-$300 (sometimes more) a MONTH.
Our HVAC system which is seperate for each unit died. They replaced it with a brand new energy efficient one. Since the change, our bills have been UNDER $100 every month. That is with us using washer/dryer, dishwasher, A/C, Heat! I think last month was $40 (for May)!
The chart from last year to this year is just unbeleivable! The useage is 1/3 to 1/4 of what it was.
If you are spending a lot on electric bills, look at the efficiency of your HVAC system. Also have your meter checked by the power company.
Paying more than $100 a month for a 2bdr or less is just plain nuts!!!!
Also check for air leaks under entry doors and windows. After having that unit switched for a new one...that was a huge difference. We always have TV on, computers, diswasher....
My husband built a house in PA that used so little gas to heat that the gas company wanted to double check his meter. He used 2 X 6 walls and more R value for the insulation. He wasn't stealing any gas, he just had built the house really well. It's all about insulation, oh and double pane insulated windows!!! and your heating/cooling system. He said he was paying 40$ a month for gas and his neighbors were paying $300 IN the WINTER!!!