Could you survive if your power bill doubled??!! (Raleigh, Wake Forest: loans, home)

[beckycat]

I agree some could afford an increase, but most can't. I watch everything as far electric goes. In the winter, I keep the thermastat on 70 and the summer 80. I shut all the lights off when not in use and unplug anything that requires power. (DVD player, tv, etc) I don't use the dryer, but to fluff clothes after I hang them out. I don't know what else to do. I just don't understand how it can jump so much in little time. I can see a small increase here and there, but doubling it is highway robbery if you ask me!

[toot68]

Originally Posted by wheelsup

How in the world do you only use 1000 kwh w/ a 2900 sq ft house in the summer? I have a fairly new 2000 sq ft home that uses 1300-1400 kwh and set my tstat to 80F.

While your winter bills might be low mine are not, 1500 kwh for an all electric house. If rates were to double I'd throw in a wood or pellet stove instead, how's that for the environment?

You guys must not take showers either, my wife and I use 66/gallon per day total and I am gone half the month.

We're in the same ballpark with a 18 year old 1900 sqf ranch home. The last two summers our average June-Sept consumption was 650 kwh/month, with a peak of 920 kWh in July2008, and only two other months over 600 kWh (8/08 and 9/07 were both 790 kWh). We have a dual fuel heat pump, so our highest months are in the winter (we average 1050 kWh the last two years for Dec-March, and burned 100 gal propane for heating/cooking combined over the last 12 months). We're not home during the day, so I'm sure that helps with the cooling, and our house is surrounded by tall (60 ft+) trees.

[he's so hott]

Originally Posted by toot68

Did you stop driving your car last summer when the price of gasoline tripled?

Uh, no. But I did stop making what I would consider unnecessary trips.

[beckycat]

I just checked our last bill and we used 913 KWH at $6.27 KWH. Our house is about 1600 sq feet and we have one teenager living here now. Just out of curiousity, what do you pay for your electricity?

[senalj]

What bothers me is no matter how conservative you are, you still get hit with an increase. So what lesson are we learning, other than the utility companies are greedy and will do whatever it takes to stick it to us? If I am ultra-conservative, my bill should decrease, not increase. How can they justify doubling my bill, when my use may not dictate that? This is precisely the reason I am for having the freedom to pick my own utility company. If we could choose who we used, the companies would truly pass along only those costs they have to and would be very hesitant about raising their rates. I believe we'd get better service, especially if they wanted to convince us to stay. But that's just wishful thinking on my part. If we were to become totally "green", what would the electric companies do then? Try to charge us for not using them? Where does it end?

[wheelsup]

Originally Posted by beckycat

I just checked our last bill and we used 913 KWH at $6.27 KWH. Our house is about 1600 sq feet and we have one teenager living here now. Just out of curiousity, what do you pay for your electricity?

We're somewhere between $0.11 per kwh, IOW your rates are almost half of ours, and that's before this proposed increase. 913 kwh here would put a bill right around $105.

[wheelsup]

Originally Posted by toot68

We're in the same ballpark with a 18 year old 1900 sqf ranch home. The last two summers our average June-Sept consumption was 650 kwh/month, with a peak of 920 kWh in July2008, and only two other months over 600 kWh (8/08 and 9/07 were both 790 kWh). We have a dual fuel heat pump, so our highest months are in the winter (we average 1050 kWh the last two years for Dec-March, and burned 100 gal propane for heating/cooking combined over the last 12 months). We're not home during the day, so I'm sure that helps with the cooling, and our house is surrounded by tall (60 ft+) trees.

Those trees must really help, in the shade it's 15*-20* cooler or so, that would make an immense impact on my cooling bill in the summer time. Also gas is much quicker at heating than electric, our heat pumps run pretty much 24/7 when temps go below 30*.

My use is double what yours is during the summer, and our tstat is set on 80F upstairs and down. If I was using 650 kwh for the summer I would be ridiculously happy!

[Charlton Dude]

This is an interesting thread. People voiced their hope for change, knowing all along that energy costs were going to skyrocket or at least were being told by people like me that they were going to and chose not to listen. Now that there is just a little talk of it actually happening, they get their panties in a wad. Maybe this will be a great lesson about thinking before you make up your mind. These inflated costs go well past the initial cost to the consumer. It affects the costs of EVERYTHING and will make companies much less likely to do business in the Triangle or the country in general and opt for going overseas more. Well DUH! Why can't people put 2 & 2 together and come up with 4?

[mfrank2109]

Originally Posted by beckycat

That's not good news! We have Progress Energy in FL and our rates went up about 50% over the past year! Everyone is compalining about it. In the winter or summer, my bills used to average $180, now they are up to about $250.

Actually your bill rose 25% and Progress is rolling part of that rate increase back effective April 1.

[beckycat]

Originally Posted by mfrank2109

Actually your bill rose 25% and Progress is rolling part of that rate increase back effective April 1.

It went up in Aug 2008 also. I did here they were trying to roll it back. That would be nice.