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I have a house for sale and it is empty. The only device that is plugged into the wall is one lamp, with one bulb, that is on a timer for 4 hours a day. But still, I get a bill for $25 a month! Does that seem right?
Furnace is gas, so it isn't that. Water is turned off, and there is nothing else drawing electricity.
For those of you who understand electricity usage, does that amount seem right?
Is your billing on a budget plan? Sounds like it since it's the same amount every month. Our electricity bill is only $61/month (on budget plan) and we LIVE here.
Our bill the month we bought our house but did not live there was $17, which included a $7 service charge. I believe the majority of the remaining $10 electric service was the electric water heater. I didn't flip the breaker.
How much is your service charge/month? There is going to be some loss even though the lamp is "off", it's still plugged in. I honestly wouldn't be worried about $25...
There can be minimum billing, taxes and fees (garbage pickup here is tagged to the utility bill), a security light at the street, or there could be something else that still draws power. The key is to look at the meter readings from one month to the next. If you are using more than 100 KW of power, you have something else that is on. If you are using considerably less than that, your local utility and government are screwing in more than lightbulbs.
Well, is the furnace running at all? That'll eat energy like a soccer team. The timer is constantly using energy, as is the lamp.
As for usage, flip the un-needed breakers into the off position. Appliances like a dishwasher, TV's, and such still suck up electricity even though they are not being run.
OP that amount sounds about right. I have an empty house right now where the electric runs about $45/mo. I have the television and a light on a timer, and the furnace, while gas, does have a blower that is electric, and it's an electric pilot too. Though it's set to minimal temp (50ish deg) to keep pipes from freezing, it does still consume electricity.
I checked the bill- 138 watts of power usage in 34 days. The water heater is drained and turned off, so that shouldn't be pulling anything.
It should only be the furnace and that one lamp with timer. Seems too high doesn't it?
I think you mean 138 KWH. There are 1.3 horsepower hours in a kilowatt hour, so with a furnace fan and the blower in the burner, that would mean the furnace was on about 150 hours during the period. If that is in Florida, that is too much, but in Minnesota would be very little. Can the furnace be set to a lower temperature safely?
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