punkin
Don't Quote Me
Terrific!! I know your're extra happy since Tony is laid off right now. Every little bit helps. 
HOORAY! I DID IT! Power Bill DOWN!
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Quail_Antwerp
Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
WHOO HOOO!!
Unfortunately, mine is up...from $43 to $55....DH said it is from the incubator
He told me when I start selling chicks in the spring, I better figure in the difference in the electric bill when I set the price per chick 
Unfortunately, mine is up...from $43 to $55....DH said it is from the incubator
He told me when I start selling chicks in the spring, I better figure in the difference in the electric bill when I set the price per chick punkin
Don't Quote Me
firem3, we only have 1 son, but unrelenting, constant and consistent nagging finally paid off with him. He even goes back and turns off a light without being told. 
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
Mine will go back to normal once my oldest son is on his way....my bill has almost tripled since he's been home! Used to be around $17 to $30 bucks a month....now $58!!!!
ScottyG
Lovin' The Homestead
I want to replace all my bulbs with CFLs now! I've done some of them, but many of the light fixtures in this house require regular-shaped bulbs to hold the fixture in. Boo. I do have LED nightlights in the hallways and the baby's room to see at night though, and that's pretty excellent.
Congrats Karen on the victory! Yaaaaay!
Congrats Karen on the victory! Yaaaaay!
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FarmerChick
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$17
WOW now that is a great monthly bill. I am jealous!
LOL
WOW now that is a great monthly bill. I am jealous!
LOL
reinbeau
Moderator Extraordinaire
Key, Karen, good for you!
I'm tell you all who haven't converted to CFL's, you will definitely notice a huge difference. Our conservation efforts (my latest is ignoring the dryer in the cellar and hanging laundry - even using my indoor clothesline if the weather isn't cooperating, works fine now that the heat is on) have brought our bills down to around $50 to $60 a month. Quite a change from $118 (which I think is the highest we ever had here). The kWhs have dropped like a stone as compared to last year. Daily averages of kWh for Oct. 07 was 12.6, for Oct 08 it's 11.5. Now that the long, dark nights are here we'll see an increase, I'm sure. Our power company gives us a graph, and it shows December and January are our highest months.
I'm tell you all who haven't converted to CFL's, you will definitely notice a huge difference. Our conservation efforts (my latest is ignoring the dryer in the cellar and hanging laundry - even using my indoor clothesline if the weather isn't cooperating, works fine now that the heat is on) have brought our bills down to around $50 to $60 a month. Quite a change from $118 (which I think is the highest we ever had here). The kWhs have dropped like a stone as compared to last year. Daily averages of kWh for Oct. 07 was 12.6, for Oct 08 it's 11.5. Now that the long, dark nights are here we'll see an increase, I'm sure. Our power company gives us a graph, and it shows December and January are our highest months.
Farmfresh
City Biddy
My energy success story.
Last August ... we had last kid still living at home (the energy using Geek kid) and the central AC on to live through the midwest heat wave. Electric bill $300.00! And we have natural gas hot water, natural gas dryer, and gas stove!
This August ... GEEK kid lives in his own house, CFs installed, power strips on phantom loads. Hubby and I moved into kids old room (which has been recently gutted, insulated on all walls - originally for noise, re-wired and turned into a family room) AND we installed an energy efficient window unit AC. The family room has a futon. Hot nights we popped out the futon and slept great. We just kind of holed up and rode out the heat wave which was hotter and longer than the one last August. (I know this because my hubby - a statistics sort of geek - looked it up and figured it out).
Well I was SO looking forward to that new bill. I was going to do a ton of cartwheels.
Then it came. WHAT! The bill was estimated using LAST YEARS numbers! OUCH!
Sometimes that happens to us, when a new meter reader gets greeted by the nice shiny white teeth on our two big dogs.
I paid it. I grumbled. GEEK son checked the meter and agreed - we hadn't used nearly that much. It does get better.
The next bill came. A whole month later ... a whole month of additional electricity usage ... it came with a $98.00 CREDIT left. I am trying for a third month with a credit. Hope I make it!
Last August ... we had last kid still living at home (the energy using Geek kid) and the central AC on to live through the midwest heat wave. Electric bill $300.00! And we have natural gas hot water, natural gas dryer, and gas stove!
This August ... GEEK kid lives in his own house, CFs installed, power strips on phantom loads. Hubby and I moved into kids old room (which has been recently gutted, insulated on all walls - originally for noise, re-wired and turned into a family room) AND we installed an energy efficient window unit AC. The family room has a futon. Hot nights we popped out the futon and slept great. We just kind of holed up and rode out the heat wave which was hotter and longer than the one last August. (I know this because my hubby - a statistics sort of geek - looked it up and figured it out).
Well I was SO looking forward to that new bill. I was going to do a ton of cartwheels.
Then it came. WHAT! The bill was estimated using LAST YEARS numbers! OUCH!
Sometimes that happens to us, when a new meter reader gets greeted by the nice shiny white teeth on our two big dogs.
I paid it. I grumbled. GEEK son checked the meter and agreed - we hadn't used nearly that much. It does get better.
The next bill came. A whole month later ... a whole month of additional electricity usage ... it came with a $98.00 CREDIT left. I am trying for a third month with a credit. Hope I make it!
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FarmerChick
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wow $300 on elec. and everything else on natural gas. I feel your pain! 
I have automatic payment. $140 per month regardless of "real" usage each month. At the end of the year I usually get a small credit, and have stayed $132 in first year, $136 in second year, and $140 this year.
But my usage has dropped incredible now. So it will be interesting to see in March what my new "set monthly" price will be...??...it better drop a good bit or I am going off automatic pay and just pay real usuage per month.
This month my real use bill would have been $83. Last month I was $118. The month before I was $123. So I am under my estimated $140 payment. So can't wait to see how they recalculate it.
Kills me to read I only used $83 in power and I have to pay $140....UGH.....but it will all come out in the wash at the end of my payment cycle.
I tracked my power over the last 3 days...I used ONLY 24 kwh per day. Down from about 33 per day. So I am trying, trying hard, to use less power. Seems to be working!
I have automatic payment. $140 per month regardless of "real" usage each month. At the end of the year I usually get a small credit, and have stayed $132 in first year, $136 in second year, and $140 this year.
But my usage has dropped incredible now. So it will be interesting to see in March what my new "set monthly" price will be...??...it better drop a good bit or I am going off automatic pay and just pay real usuage per month.
This month my real use bill would have been $83. Last month I was $118. The month before I was $123. So I am under my estimated $140 payment. So can't wait to see how they recalculate it.
Kills me to read I only used $83 in power and I have to pay $140....UGH.....but it will all come out in the wash at the end of my payment cycle.
I tracked my power over the last 3 days...I used ONLY 24 kwh per day. Down from about 33 per day. So I am trying, trying hard, to use less power. Seems to be working!
enjoy the ride
Sufficient Life
I do the balance payment thing with the propane bill- I use hardly any propane in the summer (Only hot water tank is on it) but in winter it can be quite a bit more as the back up generator uses propane as does the radiant floor heating. I usually wait til quite late in the winter to turn on the radiat heating but what a joy it is- the wood floors are nice and warm when I get up.
Propane actually dropped 25 cents per gallon last week - of course my tank is already filled with the more expensive propane.
One of the things I do for the propane heat is to have it on a programable thermostat- it runs about half an hour before I ususally get up for a couple of hours, then a couple of hours in the evening when I'm normally relaxing in a chair. Even with this limited use, propane will cost me about $100 per month all year. I think I minght make the morning one longer and eliminate the evening one- the nice thing about the radiant heat is that everything gets warm- the walls, shower floor, etc- very pleasant but not something really as good as the evening.
The other thing I have is the bathroom vent on a timer- I switch it on when I take a shower then it turns itself off a bit after I've left the bathroom.
Propane actually dropped 25 cents per gallon last week - of course my tank is already filled with the more expensive propane.
One of the things I do for the propane heat is to have it on a programable thermostat- it runs about half an hour before I ususally get up for a couple of hours, then a couple of hours in the evening when I'm normally relaxing in a chair. Even with this limited use, propane will cost me about $100 per month all year. I think I minght make the morning one longer and eliminate the evening one- the nice thing about the radiant heat is that everything gets warm- the walls, shower floor, etc- very pleasant but not something really as good as the evening.
The other thing I have is the bathroom vent on a timer- I switch it on when I take a shower then it turns itself off a bit after I've left the bathroom.
