OMG "What is going on with these electric bills" (home, vacation)

[**NoodLes**]

Just wait until summer!! LOL! I really don't see how anyone says the COL in Dallas is cheaper than most places in the country. It's NOT.

[bewisengentle]

Watch the WFAA, Channel 8 story about the smart meters from 3/17/10 to learn about a monitor you can use to verify whether the digital meter is accurate or not. Or google: hair dryer test smart meter for the long version (or use 10 100 light bulbs).

(You'll compare the time it takes to reach 1 kwh on the monitor versus the meter or the meter versus 1 hour.)

[lh_newbie]

Originally Posted by **NoodLes**

Just wait until summer!! LOL! I really don't see how anyone says the COL in Dallas is cheaper than most places in the country. It's NOT.

2576 sq ft single story home, peak summer cooling bill is $250. Mortgage = 1/2 what it would be on either coast. Dual incomes. No state income tax. Therefore, our overall tax burden is half what it would be in a state with income taxes, even it property taxes were lower. I couldn't imagine living in a large metro and having any cheaper a COL.

I really don't see how anyone can say COL is higher just because elec bills are higher.

[galore]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

I really don't see how anyone can say COL is higher just because elec bills are higher.

Because not everyone has a well built home with excellent insulation.

A $600/month electrical bill is not unusual for a home built in the last decade in one of the treeless subdivisions.

[chica_bella813]

Originally Posted by mm4

Oncor is a TV dinner, isn't it?

Too funny..you cracked me up!!!

[lh_newbie]

Originally Posted by galore

Because not everyone has a well built home with excellent insulation.

A $600/month electrical bill is not unusual for a home built in the last decade in one of the treeless subdivisions.

I had a home built in 2002 in a treeless subdivision. My biggest bill from 2002-2006 (when I lived in it) was around $200, and that home was 2-story and 2680 sq ft and was just a plain old home in Allen (it had gas heat also). I think the biggest issue is folks in homes with elec heat and apartments that were built with poor insulation levels, but I would still not say that having only a high elec bill is cause to say that the COL in DFW is high, as Noodles implied. Even if we paid $600/month for electric, in our house at least, we'd STILL be paying less on a monthly basis than if we moved to a state that had income tax.

[**NoodLes**]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

I had a home built in 2002 in a treeless subdivision. My biggest bill from 2002-2006 (when I lived in it) was around $200, and that home was 2-story and 2680 sq ft and was just a plain old home in Allen (it had gas heat also). I think the biggest issue is folks in homes with elec heat and apartments that were built with poor insulation levels, but I would still not say that having only a high elec bill is cause to say that the COL in DFW is high, as Noodles implied. Even if we paid $600/month for electric, in our house at least, we'd STILL be paying less on a monthly basis than if we moved to a state that had income tax.

First of all, I'm talking about DALLAS, not ALLEN, like INSIDE the real city. Of course your COL outside the city is cheaper because no one lives out there. $200 for a 2700 ft. house is beyond ridiculously low anyhow. Also you forget to mention your YEARLY car inspections and first time registration tax on vehicles, not to mention the hassle of going to the DMV. Sales tax on new registered vehicles can easily cost a few hundred also. Groceries, in some stores are DOUBLE what normal stores charge also. So just to warn people who are thinking of moving to Dallas for the so-called cheap cost of living, it's a lie. Also Dallas is still losing jobs like all all other places around the country.

Dallas is not a job mecca with low cost of living, it's all lies.

[Tta]

Originally Posted by **NoodLes**

First of all, I'm talking about DALLAS, not ALLEN, like INSIDE the real city. Of course your COL outside the city is cheaper because no one lives out there. $200 for a 2700 ft. house is beyond ridiculously low anyhow. Also you forget to mention your YEARLY car inspections and first time registration tax on vehicles, not to mention the hassle of going to the DMV. Sales tax on new registered vehicles can easily cost a few hundred also. Groceries, in some stores are DOUBLE what normal stores charge also. So just to warn people who are thinking of moving to Dallas for the so-called cheap cost of living, it's a lie. Also Dallas is still losing jobs like all all other places around the country.

Dallas is not a job mecca with low cost of living, it's all lies.

wow, did Dallas run over your dog?

i don't think Dallas has an extremely low COL, but it isn't all that high compared to other big metro cities.
here is a breakdown of some of my expenses, which are what you listed out:
i live in dallas, proper and i own a 2300 sq ft, 2 story house.
- peak electricity was $260 last year, which gave me an avg of $184 for the year.
- i haven't been to the DMV for 5 years
- vehicle inspections cost about $30 per vehicle (high, low, not really sure. how do other states do this?)
- vehicle registration is about $70 per vehicle (high, low, not really sure. how do other states do this?)
- gas is a bit cheaper here than most states (i travel a lot and note gas prices)
- yeah, car taxes suck. what states don't have taxes on their vehicles (actual question, i really don't know and am too lazy to research)?
- i buy a lot of my groceries (meats and produce) at asian markets at 1/2 - 3/4 cheaper
- jobs? sure, it is hurting here, but i really don't think we are very hard hit. i think it is related to how housing didn't bubble as much as other major cities.

i don't think COL is outrageous, and I could definitely be spending less if i tried.

[lone sailor]

Oncor: 1,827 overcharged after getting smart meters | wfaa.com | Consumer

DALLAS — For the first time, Oncor has conceded that 1,827 customers have been overcharged on their electric bills after receiving smart meters.
The disclosure was made in testimony to the Texas Public Utility Commission in Austin on Thursday morning.
Oncor said 1,827 customers received bigger bills than they should have in the year since it began deploying smart meters.
The overbilling happened when installers misread the usage recorded on the dials of the old mechanical meters after installing the new ones, oncor spokesman Chris Schein said.
Some customers got charged for an extra 5,500 kilowatt hours or an additional $660 on their bills, based on $.12 per kWh rate, Schein added. The lowest extra charge was for $125 or 100 kWh.
The 1,827 overbilled customers is considerably fewer than Oncor had expected, Schien said. The utility originally estimated about one percent of its 780,000 installed smart meters to date might have been read incorrectly.
Between now and Monday, both Oncor and the retail electric providers will be calling customers explaining the error and offering a refund or credit.
Oncor has already said a communication error led 2,000 people to being underbilled.

[Tta]

this really makes you wonder how often the old meters were misread in the past.