JEA Bill? (Jacksonville: apartments, appliances, how much)

[devo904]

I just moved to Jacksonville. Hello JEA!

I have a 1 bedroom apartment, with 700sq ft. I had my air off a total of 7 days in this past month, courtesy of the fantastic weather!

However, when it was on, it was set around 76-80 at all times and higher after 10pm.

There are two of us sharing a 1 bedroom, and we did have some dryer difficulties where it took a few times to get it dried before we finally had it serviced a few days ago. As well, we use a washer for the clothes and have a dishwasher.

Our usage was 1025 kwh, and to me that seems very high. Too high. Any suggestions? Our bill was $132.03 and I have huge issue with that and want to get it down as low as possible.

[pinetreecity]

Dryers can really use a lot of electricity. It might be worth it to buy a couple of foldable drying racks for clothes that dry easily. If you have a fan, aiming the fan at it will speed things up. Save the dryer for things like jeans and towels. Make sure the lint screen is clean to improve the air flow and drying time.

Try turning off the dishwasher's heated dry cycle and water heating option. Of course, you can wash the dishes by hand.

If you apartment is upstairs, use a window fan to move the air through it instead of using the AC.

[frisky]

It's also possible that your apartment isn't as well insulated as it could be. And if you've got a hot water heater, remember that it's heating water 24/7, whether you need it, or not. Unless you've got relatively new appliances, they could also be contributing to your high electric bill.

Are you sure this bill was for just one months usage? If you just moved in recently, depending on your billing cycle, you may have been billed for more than just 30 days.

[Ryde41]

That's way too high. Maybe they charged you a deposit spread over three months? If your deposit is $150 -they would have added $50 dollars to your first bill which would make more sense.

[mspink]

Way too high. We also moved here last month and had 29 days of usage on our first bill (so I'm just going to go ahead and compare that a apples to apples).

We are two people in a large two bedroom. I think the official square footage is around 1200. We also had the air off for several days, although ours was consistently at 77-78 when it was on. We also use a washer, dryer and dishwasher, and while we're not washing a single pair of socks or one plate, we're not washing our clothes on rocks on the river either. Our 29 day bill was $85 and change.

The deposit seems like a definite possibility. I know ours was waived and we only had to pay the connection fee of $10, but a $150 deposit split up would make sense.

To be fair, we are in a brand new building with brand new appliances, so it's possible we're running a little more efficiently, but your bill still seems high comparatively.

[madcapmagishion]

Top Nine Ways to Lower Your Electric Bill;

#1...Change Filters Regularly


Your air conditioner and/or heating unit have filters that clean the air as it goes into the machine. The motor on your ac/heat unit is meant to pull air through one layer of filter, not a filter plus a layer of built-up who-knows-what on top of it. A dirty filter makes the unit have to work harder, and that takes more energy. Changing your filter every month will not only conserve that energy now, but it will also reduce wear and tear on the motor, keeping you from needing to buy a new one as soon.


#2...Use Lids When You Cook


Another way to reduce the load on your AC/heating motor is to keep the steam from cooking inside the pots by using a lid. That steam is pulled out of the air as it goes through the unit, making it work harder. Also, letting all that heat out makes the stove have to work longer and harder to finish cooking, wasting even more energy.


#3...Fix Drips


Those little drips can mean big bills! Not only are you wasting water, but your pump is working extra to replace that water, and if it's dripping hot water, your hot water heater is working extra too.


#4...Turn Off Lights


You'll be amazed at how much difference in your bill this can make. Get in the habit of turning off lights as you leave a room. If you can't get everyone in the house to get in this habit, think about investing in motion sensors that will turn off lights automatically once the room is empty. They're well worth the money they'll save.


#5...Stop Drafts


Take a stick of incense, or a sheet of cling wrap near the edges of your doors and windows to look for drafts. Install weather-stripping to correct any bad seals and keep in the air you're paying to heat or cool.


#6...Fill'er Up


Wait to run the dishwasher, clothes washer and clothes dryer when you have a full load to do. Doing a small load today and a small load tomorrow cost twice as much as waiting to do one big load tomorrow.


#7...Reduce "Phantom Loads"


Phantom loads are the trickle of energy needed to run appliances that have internal clocks or an instant-on feature that uses power when it's in "stand-by" mode. So many newer applinaces are built this way that those trickles really add up. Unplug TVs, VCRs, computers, microwaves, and anything else that you're not using. Another option is to plug these things into power-strips with a switch or breaker (that will keep you from constantly plugging and unplugging things).


#8...Install Ceiling Fans


Moving air is cooling air. Put ceiling fans in the rooms you occupy most, and turn down the air conditioner a few degrees. Be sure to get reversible fans, so that in the winter months you can use them to push down the warm air to where the people are.


#9...Use Curtains


In the summer months, close drapes to keep sun from coming in to heat up the house and make your air conditioner work harder. In the winter open drapes during the day to gather that sunlight-heat, and close them at night to keep heat from bleeding on through the glass windows.


A Bonus Way to Lower Your Electric Bill;

Go to your apartments utility closet and turn off the main circut breaker to the entire apartment.

[JimRom]

Good list, madcapmagishion, I'll just add one more.

#10... Install an insulating jacket on your water heater, and turn it off when not in use.
I've seen the argument that this is no longer necessary, but from personal experience it will shave about $20-$30 off of your monthly electric bill. It only takes the average water about 30 minutes to fully heat its contents, so turn it off when you leave in the morning, then turn it back on when you get home in the afternoon. Once the cooking, cleaning, and showers are done for the evening, turn it back off overnight. Of course, if you take showers in the morning you'll have to get up a bit earlier to turn the water heater on.

[madcapmagishion]

Originally Posted by JimRom

Good list, madcapmagishion, I'll just add one more.

#10... Install an insulating jacket on your water heater, and turn it off when not in use.
I've seen the argument that this is no longer necessary, but from personal experience it will shave about $20-$30 off of your monthly electric bill. It only takes the average water about 30 minutes to fully heat its contents, so turn it off when you leave in the morning, then turn it back on when you get home in the afternoon. Once the cooking, cleaning, and showers are done for the evening, turn it back off overnight. Of course, if you take showers in the morning you'll have to get up a bit earlier to turn the water heater on.

Sound like an official #10 then on the list!