Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Electric Bill nearly doubled avg w Artic Cold

Please quit letting that cold air down from up north. I built an energy efficient warm weather environment house. I have never seen a electric bill above $200 Until now. I know it is not much compared to others, but my electric bill was almost $300 for January to maintain 73F 24/7. My Average Electric bill was $158.18 per month (7 cents a month per sq ft of heated/cooled living space) since building the house (09/10). I keep the house at 72f in the summer and 73f in winter and everything is electric in the house. Then again maybe I left the Xmas lights on to long. lol

I also feel sorry for all of you that are having to pay a arm or leg to stay warm.

People around western PA are going to be brutalized with their heating bills for December, January, and February.

Just one more blow as the hits keep coming....

Unfortunately all electric is the least economical way to heat or cool a home. Hopefully this winter is an anomaly for you.

We northern people have big hearts and don't want to hog all the cold weater. We thought others would appreciate us sharing.

Be glad you are not paying $5 to $7 a gallon for propane. Understand electric isn't a cheap way to heat but with the propane prices we are paying this winter propane isn't either. Question of curiosity, why have the heat set at 73 degrees? Seems high to me.

I'm betting a lot of people (including me) make some changes as to how they heat their homes.

WOW if you do not mind me asking what do you pay per KW?

My hydro is around $280-$350 per month and we heat with natural gas. We here in Ontario are about .28 cents per KW.

No wonder manufacturing is leaving Ontario.

Cheers Don.

Lassig it is a personal preference of my wife on the 73. And we all know if mama isn't happy LOL. My preference is the 72 in summer.

DONO the price per KW here is 13 cents.

I wish we could have kept our cold weather. I couldn't even trap this year, because early ice formation was poor on rivers and then snow insulated the ice when we finally got some cold. Getting to my trapping area entails following a river and sloughs and while I am not totally against winter bathing I prefer to do it each month at home. Next year please don't suck away our weather.

Donno $0.19 Kwh here.

Tums,

I a slow learner on the if mama isn't happy but understand that. That slow learning has cost me, but now at least I am happy.

$0.073 per kWh here. Much more if I was with NIPSCO on the other side of the highway.

nobleremc.coopwebbuilder2.com/.../nobleremc/.../Rate771RSNetBilling....

Page 2 of 5 bottom of page...

The link above if you copy and paste takes your right to the pdf.

Yeah it seems off by a decimal place but that is what they have listed.

We keep the thermostat at 67 degrees during the heating season.

We keep it at 72 during the AC season.

We don't change it according to the outside weather temps.

Since I insulated my basement and reran all my ductwork (contractor did a shorty job) I've lowered my thermostat from 73 to 69 comfortably. I know my furnace is running atleast one time less an hour now.. Has to add up to something im hoping but I really don't put much effort into my bill watching it is what it is kinda..

That is the way it is in my house also. I only change the temps when I will be gone for awhile.

We were heading back to town yesterday and saw at least 15 propane trucks running the FM roads. All the drivers were wearing new Rolex's. IIRC esshup said that propane was up around $5 a gallon near him.

Recent price update - I heard near $7/gal. a week ago, limiting to 150-200 gallon delivery per customer.

Cecil, as you probably know, I'm on Nipsco. Mom & Dad are on REMC and they are paying $0.14 Kwh.

I use a fireplace insert to help offset the natural gas furnace in the house. T-stat is set on 72° but it doens't go on much. When I'm going to be gone for a while I'll drop it to 65°F. My problem is keeping enough humidity in the house. There isn't a humidifier on the furnace, and since the furnace doesn't run much, it wouldn't work that often anyway. I bought a whole house one made by Sunbeam, but next year I'll be in the market for a better one. Evaporation pads cost $22 and have to be changed monthly. It goes thru about 5 1/2 gallons of water a day set on high and the humidity in the house is still only around 20%.

The low humidity thing is rough..

Scott,

You need a fish tank! When I had two fish tanks in the basement my house humidity was perfect! This year there is only one down there and it is a bit dry.

I wonder if a large aquarium would make a difference? I plan on installing one in my studio above and behind my reception counter. It could serve a dual purpose of producing my tilapia for my aquaponics system.

That sounds about right. Maybe Cecil should double check his bill

My last bill comes out to $0.1467... per Kwh. All charges included, even tax. 651Kwh for $95.53

It can get bad...

In Lawrence Co last weekend, folks were talking about propane being "reasonable" again at $3.50/gal. They've gotten some loads in from somewhere. I'm still going to try to squeeze through the winter on the 30% of my tank remaining.

REMC in Lawrence Co runs $0.11/kWh while Duke Energy in Hendricks Co is costing us $0.117/kWh. REMC admits to a seasonal cost adjustment of 0.01277/kWh. Duke has a separate rate for 0-300, 300-1000, and 1000+ kWh, going down as you use more. Then they have 10 Riders that further adjust the cost and comprise another 40%. But the total adds up to the 0.117.

I should of waited a week in filling the tank. I was at 15% on a 500 gallon tank and added 200 gallons 2 weeks ago at the low price of $4.99/gallon. My uncle in northern wisconsin got 200 gallons a day before me and paid $6.19/gallon. Now the price is around $3.50 here. Magically they figured out how to send more propane north when the winter is winding down (go figure)

There isn't a propane shortage where I work we have over 250,000 bbls on hand.. I don't get all the hoopla..

The local Co-Op said that in 4 weeks the cost of propane should return to normal. And normal for me would be the $1.34 range I paid in September, but I'm not holding my breath!

I have clients that are averaging 200 gallons per month, whereas I've been averaging 75-100 in these coldest months. But I also keep a very cool house at 62-64, going down to 50 at night and during the day and supplementing with space heaters when I'm home. But it's just me as the kids are downstairs which stays warmer with the space heater. And 50's in the forecast for the next week should help a lot!

In my 1000 gal tank I'm currently just over 15% and holding out as long as I can.

Here's an idea someone sent me yesterday:
http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/11...tea-lights.html