How much was your most recent electric bill and where do you live? (Dallas: apartment, coop)

[dweej]

We can't wait to move back home to Texas! Not that our electric bills are going to make-or-break us, but let me tell you that our most recent electric bill here in SoCal was $111! That's over $100 to pay for electricity for a 2 bedroom 1000 s/f apartment that has a *gas* stove, *gas* dryer, and *gas* heat. Is that normal for other parts of the country (specifically Texas towns)? How big is your house and how much was your last electric bill?

[lonestar2007]

Last month (10/21 - 11/20) $58.36 and the month before that $50.30. I live outside of Burleson (just south of Fort Worth) and this is for a total electric 2100 sq.ft home w/10' and 9' ceilings. You can imagine I am a happy camper, course the joyride is screeching to halt, we're expected to have our first hard freeze tonight. But, for a couple of months, we ran virtually no heat or air, just a few times for either. I like to hang my clothes out on the line and it's amazing how much this helps out. Now, if I only had a supply of wood in for my fireplace, but (sigh) I don't.

[autotech4dallas]

Originally Posted by lonestar2007

Last month (10/21 - 11/20) $58.36 and the month before that $50.30. I live outside of Burleson (just south of Fort Worth) and this is for a total electric 2100 sq.ft home w/10' and 9' ceilings. You can imagine I am a happy camper, course the joyride is screeching to halt, we're expected to have our first hard freeze tonight. But, for a couple of months, we ran virtually no heat or air, just a few times for either. I like to hang my clothes out on the line and it's amazing how much this helps out. Now, if I only had a supply of wood in for my fireplace, but (sigh) I don't.

That truly does sound nice, lonestar2007. I'll tell you what though, if you were in Oklahoma, I can supply you will all the wood you will need this winter for your fireplace. I am stocked on wood for burning for Oklahoma winters.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by dweej

We can't wait to move back home to Texas! Not that our electric bills are going to make-or-break us, but let me tell you that our most recent electric bill here in SoCal was $111! That's over $100 to pay for electricity for a 2 bedroom 1000 s/f apartment that has a *gas* stove, *gas* dryer, and *gas* heat. Is that normal for other parts of the country (specifically Texas towns)? How big is your house and how much was your last electric bill?

The electric bills in the area this past summer were ridiculous. I am very energy conscious, so mine never went over $176.00. Some people had $300 - $800 bills, but they turn their A/C down much lower than I do. I sweat even in my house because I leave the A/C on 80. I live about 65 miles south of Fort Worth.

Utilities really are quite high here. I pay about $13.9 cents a kwh for electricity. My house is all electric and about 1,600 square feet. My highest bill is usually in the winter, so it looks like I'll have to leave the heat off for as long as I can. I haven't turned it on yet and it's supposed to be 28 degrees tonight, and I don't plan on turning it on. After a long, hot and miserable summer, I welcome the cold.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by dweej

We can't wait to move back home to Texas! Not that our electric bills are going to make-or-break us, but let me tell you that our most recent electric bill here in SoCal was $111! That's over $100 to pay for electricity for a 2 bedroom 1000 s/f apartment that has a *gas* stove, *gas* dryer, and *gas* heat. Is that normal for other parts of the country (specifically Texas towns)? How big is your house and how much was your last electric bill?

We have an approx. 1000 sq.ft. house at Muleshoe, Texas and our monthly bill is $59.00 every month with averaged billing over the year. This small house has gas heat, a gas water heater, and a gas stove. Electrical items inlcude the incandescent lights, a small microwave, a toaster, a waffle iron, a small refrigerator, a small freezer, a PC and printer, a washer and dryer and my trusty CC Radio Plus. Our electricity is supplied by a local coal-fired plant.

[GayleTX]

The summer electric bills are the big burden here, not the winter ones. Our house is 2400 sq ft, our Nov. bill (all electric) was $177 and we were very pleased with that....but November was a very mild month, neither hot nor cold. We are on a county co-op north of Dallas. We haven't had a bill over $250 in a couple of years since we added more insultation in the attic, radiant barrier in the attic and solar screens on all the windows....it's going to pay for itself soon. Some utility companies will look at your bill for the past year after you've been in a house for a year or more and then let you pay an equal amount every month for the coming year....that keeps heat wave surprises from being such a hit on a budget.

[NOTAM]

when i lived in a 4 bedroom brick house in a subdivision in Copperas Cove, my last bill of the month I lived there in Sept was $350. (kept it at 72 and still was hot but couldnt afford to cool it more than that). single person, very little laundry, work fulltime, used very little electric/lights. Reliant Energy
first bill in a wobbly box (3 bedroom trailer) in rural town near Gatesvile, on Hamilton County Electric Coop was $108 in October. mind you, wobbly boxes are not well insulated and am out in the wide open spaces with nothing to block the winds or sun or elements. and kept AC at 72-74, and was doing lots of moving in stuff-laundry/cleaning etc.

[dweej]

Originally Posted by GayleTX

The summer electric bills are the big burden here, not the winter ones. Our house is 2400 sq ft, our Nov. bill (all electric) was $177 and we were very pleased with that....but November was a very mild month, neither hot nor cold. We are on a county co-op north of Dallas. We haven't had a bill over $250 in a couple of years since we added more insultation in the attic, radiant barrier in the attic and solar screens on all the windows....it's going to pay for itself soon. Some utility companies will look at your bill for the past year after you've been in a house for a year or more and then let you pay an equal amount every month for the coming year....that keeps heat wave surprises from being such a hit on a budget.

Yes, our summer bills here (the inland almost-desert area of SoCal) are worse than our winter ones as well. The problem is that until last week, we still had to run our a/c....just to keep it 78 degrees in here! Hopefully we'll have some time with no heat or a/c (although I don't like it when it gets below 70 in the house for the sake of the kids, who love to kick those dang covers off!). Anyway, I'm bummed that my October and November bills are still "summer" and that for such a small space and relatively low usage, that's still what we're paying. I know rates vary widely throughout Texas so was curious about experiences in different areas. And if you're here to learn about Texas but are living elsewhere, please feel free to chime in with your bill info too!

[Steel Man]

October 2008: $58.27 for 877 KWh. All electric 2095 SF home.

From San Antonio City Public Service. The cheapest rates for a large city in Texas.

[dweej]

Originally Posted by Steel Man

October 2008: $58.27 for 877 KWh. All electric 2095 SF home.

From San Antonio City Public Service. The cheapest rates for a large city in Texas.

Nice!