First full month TECO electric bill - a relief (Tampa: house, tile)

[dlhanson]

Today we received our first full month TECO bill which was only $130 (including $7 for a surge protection system). This is much less than we paid in Houston, Texas when we lived there in the early 90'2.

Our home, built in 1989, is 1950 sq ft. We have a high efficiency Carrier air con which the previous owner put in 3 years ago. We have an aluminum tile roof (which I think helps because our attic temp is not much higher than the outside temp).

We keep the inside humidity below 50% and the temp at about 80 deg during the day. From 10PM to 6 AM the thermostat is set at 85 deg (humidistat still set at 50%).

[BucFan]

That's pretty good - I keep my AC no higher than 80, with a period of time when I'm home keeping it about 76/77. My place is about 1500 sq ft, and has some of the latest building codes for energy conservation (double paned windows, more insulation in the attic, few other stuff I guess)...bill was around $100. That has been my max over the years - July/Aug/Sept are always my peak months.

[Tim Tim Tim]

holy cow, 80 during the day ??? we keep ours at 74 but were at only about 1500 sqft and built in 91 and our highest bill has been 170.

[BucFan]

It goes up to 80 when I'm out of the house during the day......I have a timing device that allows me to set it for various temps during the day/night.....why keep it so cool if I'm out for several hours? Plus the shock to your body going from 95 degrees outside to 75/76 isn't enjoyable.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by dlhanson

Today we received our first full month TECO bill which was only $130

They're just getting to know you, wait for the second bill..

[Tim Tim Tim]

Originally Posted by BucFan

It goes up to 80 when I'm out of the house during the day......I have a timing device that allows me to set it for various temps during the day/night.....why keep it so cool if I'm out for several hours? Plus the shock to your body going from 95 degrees outside to 75/76 isn't enjoyable.

oo that shock is VERY enjoyable to me!!!!

I do need to get a programmable thermostat though, I agree that while were gone all day we could be saving a few bucks! I think I heard an add about teco offering them for free too

[chi_tino]

You will find that people in the Tampa Bay are very ignorant of what goes on in the rest of the country and the world. For example, our electricity prices are very reasonable compared to other regions in the US, and much, much cheaper than Europe (where the push for renewable power makes electricity prices 2-3 times as high as the US).

However, many of the homes in Florida were not built to be very energy efficient - poor windows and insulation, no shading trees, etc. Yet who do the owners blame when they get high bills? The electric company. That's like blaming the restaurant because you ordered too much food.

If you do what you can to get the easy savings (weather stripping on doors, programmable thermostat, etc), you can save a lot of money. You can then take those savings to pay for bigger improvements (new windows, attic fan, etc).

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by chi_tino

You will find that people in the Tampa Bay are very ignorant of what goes on in the rest of the country and the world. For example, our electricity prices are very reasonable compared to other regions in the US, and much, much cheaper than Europe (where the push for renewable power makes electricity prices 2-3 times as high as the US).

.

I've seen my parents electricity bills in SpringHill Fla. and they run around $300 per month from May to November,a bit less for the rest of the year, i dont know what they pay in the rest of the world but 2-3X my parents amount doesnt seem reasonable.
Here in Canada i get a bill for under $200 every 3 months..

[mikenbacismama]

Originally Posted by chi_tino

You will find that people in the Tampa Bay are very ignorant of what goes on in the rest of the country and the world. For example, our electricity prices are very reasonable compared to other regions in the US, and much, much cheaper than Europe (where the push for renewable power makes electricity prices 2-3 times as high as the US).

However, many of the homes in Florida were not built to be very energy efficient - poor windows and insulation, no shading trees, etc. Yet who do the owners blame when they get high bills? The electric company. That's like blaming the restaurant because you ordered too much food.

If you do what you can to get the easy savings (weather stripping on doors, programmable thermostat, etc), you can save a lot of money. You can then take those savings to pay for bigger improvements (new windows, attic fan, etc).

I hear ya on that...I CANNOT STAND OUR SINGLE PANE WINDOWS. That's the first thing we'd love to replace if we came across some extra cash.

[chi_tino]

Originally Posted by jambo101

I've seen my parents electricity bills in SpringHill Fla. and they run around $300 per month from May to November,a bit less for the rest of the year, i dont know what they pay in the rest of the world but 2-3X my parents amount doesnt seem reasonable.
Here in Canada i get a bill for under $200 every 3 months..

I'm sure your air conditioner is running around the clock in that 90 degree Canadian weather. I would bet that your utility is producing almost free hydroelectric power, too.

It's not reasonable, but that's what you get when you bow down to the altar of renewables. Here's a few sample prices from the larger countries in Europe (source: wikipedia):

Canada: 6 cents/kWh (mostly hydroelectric and nuclear power)
TECO/Progress: about 12 cents/kWh

Denmark: 43 cents/kWh
France: 19 cents/kWh (they are 75% nuclear)
Germany: 31 cents/kWh
Ireland: 24 cents/kWh
Italy: 37 cents/kWh
Netherlands: 35 cents/kWh
Spain: 20 cents/kWh
Sweden: 27 cents/kWh