What is your utility bill each month? (Scottsdale: homes, refrigerators)
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My electric bill was $630 last month, for a moderate sized home in the West Valley. You have to budget far in advance for the expensive summer season bills here.
My electric bill was $630 last month, for a moderate sized home in the West Valley. You have to budget far in advance for the expensive summer season bills here.
OMG! I was just chocking down my own bill for $350 (2600 sf/pool) when I saw this. Close your windows!
All the electric companies offer so-called budget plans where you pay a fixed amount each month. You have to be in your house a year though to qualify for one. And if you haven't definitely check into off-peak rate plans.
OMG! I was just chocking down my own bill for $350 (2600 sf/pool) when I saw this. Close your windows!
All the electric companies offer so-called budget plans where you pay a fixed amount each month. You have to be in your house a year though to qualify for one. And if you haven't definitely check into off-peak rate plans.
Look into improving your energy efficiency, you'll make your money back and then some but there's a lot of lazy people who think that adding 6 more inches of insulation to their existing R-19(or less) will be sufficient. Go all-out, radiant barriers, solar attic fans, change out all your lighting to energy efficient lighting, get a timer for your electric water heater(if it is electric), add window tint, shutters and more. I've seen quite a few homes where spending $2000-4000 could cut reduce their electric bills by 40-50% or more in some cases.
I work for a solar provider and am always shocked at horribly inefficient some people's homes are. I'd estimate that most folks are paying up to a 50% monthly premium simply based on their general energy inefficiency.
Homes were built on the cheap here, very little was built efficiently, even some of the supposed "green builders" cut corners at times and didn't give their customers the full value for their money. Electricity is only going to keep going up, especially after the Corporation Commission's latest ruling requiring utility service providers to gradually sell LESS power in the upcoming years.
The more upgrades you add, the better off you'll be, hopefully developers will continue their recent trend of building more and more energy efficient homes. It is absolutely untrue however that you NEED to have HUGE electric bills, you just need to upgrade wisely. Unless you're over 4000 square feet, there's no reason to be paying more than $200 a month if your home is fairly efficient.
Here's a checklist for people to look at
A. Your insulation HAS to be higher than R-40 which should arguably be the bare minimum in this sort of climate. You could also get away with professionally installed radiant barrier, stapled against the inside of the attic and not just dropped on the insulation(dust kills the effectiveness of the material) in conjunction with R-19 insulation. If you have an attic above your garage, make sure to add some insulation and or radiant barrier there as well. The average garage attic has NO insulation whatsoever.
B. An A/C unit that has a SEER number ABOVE 14. There's a good amount of incentives and credits out there, if you have an aging A/C unit, get rid of it and find something more efficient.
C. As many energy efficient appliances as possible. In AZ we have dirty electricity, this does a number on the motors of various electrical appliances, Energy Star devices usually have modulating components that guard against this, hence they work more efficiently and last longer than standard units. Have your A/C inspected AT LEAST annually if not more often. Replace filters regularly.
D. If you have south or west facing windows, get shutters and or window tint, there's all sorts of clear tints nowadays that can block the amount of heat coming in without screwing up the aesthetic appeal of your home.
E. Double-check your ductwork, it tends to leak quite easily in this climate, APS claims that 75% of all homes in their territory have leaky ducts. Have your ducts professionally inspected on a REGULAR basis. Ask for those cheap, flimsy plastic zipties to get replaced with something that has better endurance and staying power.
F. Replace standard lighting with CFL's or LEDs. I greatly prefer LEDs but recognize that they might be expensive for some, so try and get CFL's, Costco or Sam's Club usually have great pricing on them.
Following these tips should ensure lower electric bills over the long-term.
May I suggest you buy a house that has N/S exposure and almost no windows on the west side. It helps out a lot.
I understand SRP is cheaper than APS as well.
My 2700 sq ft, two story house electric bill (SRP) is 165.00/mo and the thermostat is always set for 76 degrees. The house is 10 yrs old. No pool, though.
Wow! How the heck do you do that? Is your house super insulated or what else do you do?
My house is 1800 sq ft single story, no pool, 90% shade screens on all windows- we keep our thermostat at 84/day, 82 night, all light fixtures are cfls, house is less than 5 years old and our bill last month was 210 (SRP). House also faces n/s.
Last edited by nightgirl151; 08-12-2010 at 05:44 PM..
Also use common sense, understand your utilities TOU's(time of use plans) and schedule things around them. Don't lock yourself into a TOU that you KNOW is unrealistic for your lifestyle. Look up all the incentives that your utilities are offering currently for all sorts of energy saving measures, duct-work, energy audits, energy savings devices, solar, upgraded meters and more.
The Corporation Commission is requiring them to help their customers improve their efficiency so take advantage of what they're offering.
Look into improving your energy efficiency, you'll make your money back and then some but there's a lot of lazy people who think that adding 6 more inches of insulation to their existing R-19(or less) will be sufficient. Go all-out, radiant barriers, solar attic fans, change out all your lighting to energy efficient lighting, get a timer for your electric water heater(if it is electric), add window tint, shutters and more. I've seen quite a few homes where spending $2000-4000 could cut reduce their electric bills by 40-50% or more in some cases.
Unless you're over 4000 square feet, there's no reason to be paying more than $200 a month if your home is fairly efficient.
Here's a checklist for people to look at
A. Your insulation HAS to be higher than R-40 which should arguably be the bare minimum in this sort of climate. You could also get away with professionally installed radiant barrier, stapled against the inside of the attic and not just dropped on the insulation(dust kills the effectiveness of the material) in conjunction with R-19 insulation. If you have an attic above your garage, make sure to add some insulation and or radiant barrier there as well. The average garage attic has NO insulation whatsoever.
B. An A/C unit that has a SEER number ABOVE 14. There's a good amount of incentives and credits out there, if you have an aging A/C unit, get rid of it and find something more efficient.
C. As many energy efficient appliances as possible. In AZ we have dirty electricity, this does a number on the motors of various electrical appliances, Energy Star devices usually have modulating components that guard against this, hence they work more efficiently and last longer than standard units. Have your A/C inspected AT LEAST annually if not more often. Replace filters regularly.
D. If you have south or west facing windows, get shutters and or window tint, there's all sorts of clear tints nowadays that can block the amount of heat coming in without screwing up the aesthetic appeal of your home.
E. Double-check your ductwork, it tends to leak quite easily in this climate, APS claims that 75% of all homes in their territory have leaky ducts. Have your ducts professionally inspected on a REGULAR basis. Ask for those cheap, flimsy plastic zipties to get replaced with something that has better endurance and staying power.
F. Replace standard lighting with CFL's or LEDs. I greatly prefer LEDs but recognize that they might be expensive for some, so try and get CFL's, Costco or Sam's Club usually have great pricing on them.
Following these tips should ensure lower electric bills over the long-term.
Some of this info isn't accurate at all.
Adding radiant barrier is not nearly as effective as adding more insulation - and when the installation costs are compared, it almost never pencils out. Google it for the DOE studies - you're looking at a very small savings. It's a great idea for a new build, but not for retrofitting, unless you do it yourself... even then the savings are minimal.
Power roof vents can suck the air you just paid to cool right out of the house if they're too big, and the installed cost can make payback take 10 years+, if ever.
Solar tint? A complete waste of time unless you need it to protect your furniture or keep a room dark for sleeping. It's expensive and never pays back.
SEER Ratings? They're completely misleading for consumers in our area. 82% of the SEER rating is weighted for temps below 82 degrees. What that means to a consumer in AZ is that a unit rated for "18 seer" will suck nearly as much juice as a "13 seer" cheapie in 100 degree plus weather. The multi-thousand+ cost difference won't be recovered until the unit is ready for the scrap heap - if ever.
Paying upwards of $10k to replace a working unit and possibly save $30-$50/month (for 6 months a year) is financially ignorant. It's much smarter to have it checked out, charged properly, have the blower wheel and coils cleaned, and maybe add a TXV valve to improve the efficiency.
Energy star appliances last longer?
HOGWASH!
Google ANY appliance brand name to see thousands of dissatisfied customers, especially refrigerators. You'll be very lucky to get ten years out of any new appliance, they're all imported, and they're all junk. The days of an appliance lasting 20+ years are over. If you've got an old fridge or washing machine that you're happy with, fix it when it breaks, because a replacement won't be as good.
Timer for your water heater? +1
Extra blown-in insulation? +10 ( it's cheap to have done, and it WORKS!)
Getting your ductwork checked? +1 (often subsidized by your utility co too!)
Getting your A/C checked out yearly? +1
And for the record, my house has many of these upgrades - new windows, R50 in the attic, airtap "heat-pump" water heater, 18 seer two-stage heat pump, new "Energy Star" appliances, CFL's, new R-8 HVAC ducts, etc. Most of the "upgrades" were done because the old stuff was worn out, not because of the "savings". My utility bill for last month was $100 less than "similar homes in the neighborhood" according to APS - which is awesome... but not enough to justify the cost. I was able to do many things myself, price-shop like a fiend and generally do things that most "average" customers can't do.
Mirrors my own experience. Appliances are imported junk, thinner metal and plastic gears, the cost of a 16 seer AC retrofitted into existing ducts in these stick built houses means that the real increase in efficiency is far smaller than the 'comfort consultant' salesman would have you believe.
My money's on attic insulation, sun screens on E/W windows, slight bump in thermostat settings, and slight lowering of water heater setting.
Either way though, trying to keep a house at 75 when it's 115 outside is like trying to cool a tent...
Look into improving your energy efficiency, you'll make your money back and then some but there's a lot of lazy people who think that adding 6 more inches of insulation to their existing R-19(or less) will be sufficient. Go all-out, radiant barriers, solar attic fans, change out all your lighting to energy efficient lighting, get a timer for your electric water heater(if it is electric), add window tint, shutters and more. I've seen quite a few homes where spending $2000-4000 could cut reduce their electric bills by 40-50% or more in some cases.
I work for a solar provider and am always shocked at horribly inefficient some people's homes are. I'd estimate that most folks are paying up to a 50% monthly premium simply based on their general energy inefficiency.
Homes were built on the cheap here, very little was built efficiently, even some of the supposed "green builders" cut corners at times and didn't give their customers the full value for their money. Electricity is only going to keep going up, especially after the Corporation Commission's latest ruling requiring utility service providers to gradually sell LESS power in the upcoming years.
The more upgrades you add, the better off you'll be, hopefully developers will continue their recent trend of building more and more energy efficient homes. It is absolutely untrue however that you NEED to have HUGE electric bills, you just need to upgrade wisely. Unless you're over 4000 square feet, there's no reason to be paying more than $200 a month if your home is fairly efficient.
Here's a checklist for people to look at
A. Your insulation HAS to be higher than R-40 which should arguably be the bare minimum in this sort of climate. You could also get away with professionally installed radiant barrier, stapled against the inside of the attic and not just dropped on the insulation(dust kills the effectiveness of the material) in conjunction with R-19 insulation. If you have an attic above your garage, make sure to add some insulation and or radiant barrier there as well. The average garage attic has NO insulation whatsoever.
B. An A/C unit that has a SEER number ABOVE 14. There's a good amount of incentives and credits out there, if you have an aging A/C unit, get rid of it and find something more efficient.
C. As many energy efficient appliances as possible. In AZ we have dirty electricity, this does a number on the motors of various electrical appliances, Energy Star devices usually have modulating components that guard against this, hence they work more efficiently and last longer than standard units. Have your A/C inspected AT LEAST annually if not more often. Replace filters regularly.
D. If you have south or west facing windows, get shutters and or window tint, there's all sorts of clear tints nowadays that can block the amount of heat coming in without screwing up the aesthetic appeal of your home.
E. Double-check your ductwork, it tends to leak quite easily in this climate, APS claims that 75% of all homes in their territory have leaky ducts. Have your ducts professionally inspected on a REGULAR basis. Ask for those cheap, flimsy plastic zipties to get replaced with something that has better endurance and staying power.
F. Replace standard lighting with CFL's or LEDs. I greatly prefer LEDs but recognize that they might be expensive for some, so try and get CFL's, Costco or Sam's Club usually have great pricing on them.
Following these tips should ensure lower electric bills over the long-term.
I have much of that and I am not going to do any of the rest. Energy improvements, including the ones I made, rarely pay back over the time people typically live in their homes. You will be lucky to get pennies on the dollar in resale for your efforts. You are buying it for the next owner.
I am not that unhappy with my electric bill. On closer inspection it was less on a daily basis than last year even though rates have gone up. My billing cycle was 32 days versus 28 on the same month last year which made for the the sticker shock. I also got dinged a bit on the demand charge this month. Must have inadvertently turned on too much. I wish my load controller still functioned. I could set it at whatever demand I wanted and it took care of it for me. A load controller and the demand rate is the best way to save $$$.
I wish my load controller still functioned. I could set it at whatever demand I wanted and it took care of it for me. A load controller and the demand rate is the best way to save $$$.
Do you want mine - or need parts off of it? I disabled mine. The idea just seems silly to me - mine was set to disable one leg of my dryer if the "demand" was met - which meant my dryer would run all day with wet clothes inside instead of just drying them and shutting off
the cost of a 16 seer AC retrofitted into existing ducts in these stick built houses means that the real increase in efficiency is far smaller than the 'comfort consultant' salesman would have you believe.
I had one salesman tell me with a straight face....
"you'll save 8% per point of seer rating - and your current unit (20 yrs old) is probably a 5"...
So I "upgraded" 13 points in seer rating times 8% = 104% ???
Doing the math myself, and looking at the performance charts showed a real savings of 15% @ 105 degrees outside temp by bumping up 5 points in seer rating.
I'm still hoping APS will stop sending me bills and start sending me checks though!
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