electrill bill double (Howe: how much, house, square footage) - Houston - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

supaflyz · 07-05-2011, 07:58 PM

Hey guys I'm new to this electric rate stuff. Can you guys tell me if they charge me for the right amount? We switch from Reliant to Ambit about 6 months back. So far it has never reach $130 bucks. We save much more from reliant. Last month bill was around $108. The hot weather hasn't really change from last month to this. This month its $342. So it has actually triple! Is there anything I can check around the house to see if its malfunction? I left the thermostat on at the same temp. I also dont turn my a/c until around 8pm because no one is around the house until then.

jcash · 07-05-2011, 08:17 PM

Sounds like maybe they estimated your last month bill and actually checked it this month. Do you have a locked in rate or a rate based on say Natural gas prices? Just another thought.

supaflyz · 07-05-2011, 08:18 PM

I think I have a lockon rate. Under read type the put actual.

TimBomb · 07-05-2011, 10:45 PM

Get a copy of the bill, check online. You may find some text about some 'averaging' of your bill, or 'payment assistance' or some crap. What it is is they try to estimate your annual usage and divide it up into 12 months 'so you dont feel the pain'. Maybe they loaded up on the initial balance and will adjust it later as they get better stats of your usage. IIRC Ambit did this to me, so I quit them.

NTT · 07-05-2011, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by supaflyz

Hey guys I'm new to this electric rate stuff. Can you guys tell me if they charge me for the right amount? We switch from Reliant to Ambit about 6 months back. So far it has never reach $130 bucks. We save much more from reliant. Last month bill was around $108. The hot weather hasn't really change from last month to this. This month its $342. So it has actually triple! Is there anything I can check around the house to see if its malfunction? I left the thermostat on at the same temp. I also dont turn my a/c until around 8pm because no one is around the house until then.

Can you tell us a bit more? Like, what temperature do you set in your home and what's your home total square footage? It would give us something to compare.

Your bill should show how many killowatts you've been billed for this month. Compare this number to the one from last month. If the number for the current bill is 2.5x higher, then most likely, the bill is correct.

If you're close (relationship) to your neighbors, you can also compare your bill with them. That is, if they're paying the same rate as you are. If not, just compare the usage.

We've been having some hot few weeks (weather), the increase is not much of a surprise and it will get worse in July and August. That is if the heat continues in the near or even 100's.

supaflyz · 07-05-2011, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NTT

Can you tell us a bit more? Like, what temperature do you set in your home and what's your home total square footage? It would give us something to compare.

Your bill should show how many killowatts you've been billed for this month. Compare this number to the one from last month. If the number for the current bill is 2.5x higher, then most likely, the bill is correct.

If you're close (relationship) to your neighbors, you can also compare your bill with them. That is, if they're paying the same rate as you are. If not, just compare the usage.

We've been having some hot few weeks (weather), the increase is not much of a surprise and it will get worse in July and August. That is if the heat continues in the near or even 100's.

My house is 1800 near 2000 sq. feet. I set the temp at 77 from 9pm till 11am. Then I turn it off as I'm the last one to leave the house.

NTT · 07-06-2011, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by supaflyz

My house is 1800 near 2000 sq. feet. I set the temp at 77 from 9pm till 11am. Then I turn it off as I'm the last one to leave the house.

That's your problem right there. Don't turn off the a/c. It is advised to turn up 4 degrees from what you normally set when you're out. This will help the a/c from running too much to cool down your home when you're back. It will also help to keep mold and mildew build up from humidity when a/c is not running.

My home is 2017 sq. ft.. I keep the a/c around 80F degree with fans running in the room where I'm at. When I leave the house, I keep the a/c at 84F. My current electric bill showed total usage was 1943 kWhs, my bill was around $195. Insulation in my house is about medium. I need to insulate more somehow. I was expecting a higher bill since it's been super hot so soon in the summer. Btw, my stovetop and dryer are both electric and I love to cook

. Those 2 sure adds up to the electric usage.

I was worried about problems with the new Smart Meter. My current bill showed 20 days billing with the new Smart Meter, it seemed to run fine so far.

elnina · 07-06-2011, 12:17 AM

^^^ I agree!! I used to turn off my A/C between 10 AM and midnight, and then turn on for the night @ 77F . Then I did like NTT said: let it run @ 85F from 10 AM till midnight , and then it will go down to 77F from midnight till 10 AM and I saw a big difference in my energy bill.

NTT · 07-06-2011, 12:24 AM

Supaflyz, do a little experience and try out the method of not turning the a/c off but turn it up 4 or 5 degrees higher.

Look up at your current bill and see what's your total kWh for the current billing. Divide that number by the total number of days of that billing. Do the same with your next billing and see how much more you're using.

If the temperature doesn't go higher than 101F degree in the next month, your daily usage (kWh) should be lower in the next billing using this method. If it doesn't work; then, you'd need to spend some money to insulate your home. However, this method has been working for me and my sister's. I hope it will work for you too.

One thing I noticed. The hottest time of the day is not noon but from 4-5pm. That's about the time when people comes home from work. If the a/c has been turned off, it will take a long time to cool the house down when temperature has reached at the highest. But it won't if you just turn it up some and not off.

TimBomb · 07-06-2011, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NTT

That's your problem right there. Don't turn off the a/c. It is advised to turn up 4 degrees from what you normally set when you're out. This will help the a/c from running too much to cool down your home when you're back. It will also help to keep mold and mildew build up from humidity when a/c is not running.

My home is 2017 sq. ft.. I keep the a/c around 80F degree with fans running in the room where I'm at. When I leave the house, I keep the a/c at 84F. My current electric bill showed total usage was 1943 kWhs, my bill was around $195. Insulation in my house is about medium. I need to insulate more somehow. I was expecting a higher bill since it's been super hot so soon in the summer. Btw, my stovetop and dryer are both electric and I love to cook

. Those 2 sure adds up to the electric usage.

I was worried about problems with the new Smart Meter. My current bill showed 20 days billing with the new Smart Meter, it seemed to run fine so far.

LOL another urban legend BS

my house is 2600sqft and 74-76 degrees allday and night and I paid $210 last month. The range is $ $50 - $270(@9.1c)
previously before the baby we turn the AC completely off during the day and turn it back on when one gets home. We paid $50 - $130 back then (@12c). It doesnt take long to cool down the house. All the sitting areas get a cool blast of air immediately. We do stay on the ground floor for a while for atleast 5-10mins. As for the mold BS, it needs constant moisture to grow/develop. A house after all day under the sun is not humid inside, its very dry and crisp. I miss that warm carpet after a long days work actually