Electric bill almost $500 for 1k sq ft apartment!? (Philadelphia: apartments, houses)

[knicks0819]

Hi everyone,

I just got my electric bill from PECO today and for the month of January it was $491!!! It's been around $150 or so in the past but last month was a whopping $330 and I was already outraged at that. And now almost $500. This is for a 1,000 sq ft, 2 bedroom apartment in Center City Philadelphia.

I know we've had a cold winter and we also have the thermostat set to around 70, but even then, this amount seems crazy. Has anyone ever have this happen to them, or do you have any suggestions on how to approach this with the electric company?

Thanks in advance!

[thecoalman]

You have electric heat presumably? Is it a heat pump? That's somewhat excessive but not unrealistic for standard electric.

[JacksonPanther]

Would someone install a heat pump in Philly? I thought they were mainly for places that don't fall below freezing?

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Would someone install a heat pump in Philly? I thought they were mainly for places that don't fall below freezing?

When they are no longer effective the auxiliary heat kicks in and that is usually standard electric. There is no benefit during colder weather but it will save in milder temperatures. It would certainly explain a dramatic increase in electric usage from milder weather. From the LL's point of view it's probably the cheapest alternative especially considering it does AC.

FYI some of the newer models are effective below freezing.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

When they are no longer effective the auxiliary heat kicks in and that is usually standard electric.

A standard electric 1250 watt space heater running 24/7 for a whole month could cost $121
1250 watts/1000*24 hours*31 days = 930 kWh/month *$0.13 /kWh=$120.9

So I could easily believe a $300 increase for a cold month.

If the OP provided rates and kWh used (possibly with surcharges) and prior year comparison, it might help.

There may be a setting to use only the heat pump, and simply wear warm clothes and extra blankets. You could use the auxiliary heat for a few hours between work and bed.

[thecoalman]

A standard electric 1250 watt space heater running 24/7 for a whole month could cost $121
1250 watts/1000*24 hours*31 days = 930 kWh/month *$0.13 /kWh=$120.9

I know here in NEPA the average 2000 sq. ft. home is going to use about 100 million BTU's through the season. That would be $3,500/@ .$0.12kWh for electric and that's just for the heat, half that is $1750. Every /house/household is different so there is no absolute number. $350 just for heat in place that size on average is a little excessive but again not unrealistic.

Originally Posted by PacoMartin

There may be a setting to use only the heat pump,

That's not the way a heat pump works, it's an air conditioner in reverse. The heat is mechanically extracted from the outside air. They use electric so the efficiency is based on regular electric. When you are in the high 50's and 60's it's like 280% efficient compared to standard electric, as the temperature drops so does the effciency. For most of them when you get down around 36 degrees or so they start using more electric than the standard electric so it will switch to the auxiliary heat.

[thedirtypirate]

Oh man I remember the first time how shocked we were when we got a bill like that. My gf and I are usually very frugal. My thermostat doesn't get close to 70 these days. It's okay though! Layering up works fine

[JacksonPanther]

I don't understand a $500 bill to heat an apartment, when people in houses don't pay that much.

I wish OP would return with some more info, as we're all just speculating about the type of heating system they have. Until we know for sure...

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

I don't understand a $500 bill to heat an apartment, when people in houses don't pay that much.

He/she said it was $150 in the past and I'm assuming they meant this past fall or summer. The heating portion would be about $350. You could certainly be paying as much or more than that for a house with electric. Regular electric heat is very expensive, currently the most expensive heat you can have. Oil and propane were similar in costs the last few years but those have dropped. Coal or Natural gas would be about 1/3. If you have natural gas triple your bill and that's about what it would cost with regular electric.

It's very hard to determine what you should be paying especially with an apartment, if it's a three story and your sandwiched between two other apartments your heating bills can be very low. Insulation, windows, kids going in and out, etc are also important factors. Good insulation and windows can more than cut your heating bills in half.

[knicks0819]

Hi, thanks so much for the responses everyone! And sorry for the delay in replying.

So on my thermostat, I do have an option for the Aux heat, but I never ever use it. It only stays on the regular heat option.

My rate is about 13.2 cents/kWh (generation, transmission, distribution total). Everything is electric, and I believe what I have is forced air? I'm not sure about the heat pump and all. I just know that everything is electric (no gas) and I can hear the loud blower when the heat is running.

So last winter, I was in a 1 bd apt (750 sq ft) within the same apartment building, same floor. This past summer, I moved into my current 2 bd apt (1050 sq ft). One difference is that it doesn't face the sun the way my 1 bd did. So I did expect an increase due to both size and not being towards the sunny side of the apartment in the daytime, but this was more than I expected.

Last January, in the 1 bd, my usage was 1500 kWh, which was the highest I had ever used in any month. That bill came out to about $213 (including a $7 monthly customer charge). The average daily temp was 30 degrees last January. All other months were typically $130-180.

This year for January, in the 2 bd, my usage was a whopping 3700 kWh for a $491 bill. This year the average daily temp was 32.

Both apartment rooms had equally drafty windows. All of my electrical equipment (computers, tv, etc.) remains the same. The main difference is the additional 300 sq ft and opposite side of the building.

So all of that said, do you guys think more than doubling the usage (and bill) is remotely possible? The reason I ask is because a close friend of mine had an instance where she found out that her meter was hooked up to two apartments! Unfortunately, the electric company didn't reimburse her, but instead discounted her future bills to some extent. Anyway, I'm a little on edge after hearing this because we haven't had a next door neighbor ever since we moved into the 2 bd over the summer UNTIL this past month in early January.

I called PECO today but all they said is that they would investigate and let me know in 10 business days (no guarantee of even coming out to audit the meters or anything). Anyway, not sure what to make of all this. Is it just coincidence with the new neighbors? Of course it's possible.. Just not really sure what to make of all this.