Potentially the longest thread in history...

[remixedcat]

Prompted me to check my electric bill. $219.

It varies between $200-300/month. In the summer it's like $350+/month.

My family is actually in the process now of reducing our bill. Just today we replaced all the ceiling lights with one 13w bulb instead of 2x20w bulbs. There are 10 ceiling lights that hold 2 bulbs each, so we basically cut our light usage in half right there. And I started turning off the computer during the day while I'm at work. Before it was 24/7.

$80/month is really low. Good job on that, cat.

ha ha thanks.... we also have an 1800sq ft 2 story 4BR 2 BA house.... with 5 bad windows... LOL... if we replaced some of the windows it'd be lower LOL.... but those are pricey...

 

[PP Mguire]

Prompted me to check my electric bill. $219.

It varies between $200-300/month. In the summer it's like $350+/month.

My family is actually in the process now of reducing our bill. Just today we replaced all the ceiling lights with one 13w bulb instead of 2x20w bulbs. There are 10 ceiling lights that hold 2 bulbs each, so we basically cut our light usage in half right there. And I started turning off the computer during the day while I'm at work. Before it was 24/7.

$80/month is really low. Good job on that, cat.

Our electric bill is between 100 and 150 right now since we are going into the cold and our central heat is electric. If we lived in a better home it would probably be cheaper.

 

[remixedcat]

how much sq ft is your house and what are the specs.... 5BR 2BA right???? but doublewides are never built good. my mom has a 4BR 2BA doublewide and her bills are like 300 some a mo for electric and they get free gas on thier property since they own it and have mineral rights. They have my lil bro, big bro, gramma (and 3 kids that live there 50-70% of the time) thier windows suck (kimro windows that sometimes even fall out they are trying to se if any other doublewide owners have this issue and start a class action) one of them nearly fell on one of the kids when they were a toddler!!!! Plus it's starting to fall apart in other ways.

 

[b1gapl]

Our electric bill is between 100 and 150 right now since we are going into the cold and our central heat is electric. If we lived in a better home it would probably be cheaper.

That's pretty low too. I honestly have never seen my bill go under $180. So I must be doing something wrong. I'm planning to get a few of those Kill-A-Watt things to monitor. Trying to cut down as much as I can.

how much sq ft is your house and what are the specs.... 5BR 2BA right???? but doublewides are never built good. my mom has a 4BR 2BA doublewide and her bills are like 300 some a mo for electric and they get free gas on thier property since they own it and have mineral rights. They have my lil bro, big bro, gramma (and 3 kids that live there 50-70% of the time) thier windows suck (kimro windows that sometimes even fall out they are trying to se if any other doublewide owners have this issue and start a class action) one of them nearly fell on one of the kids when they were a toddler!!!! Plus it's starting to fall apart in other ways.

I don't know the sq ft but my apartment has to be less than 900. It's a 2BR 1BA. The windows, I don't know what kind but they're really thin.

I thought my windows were bad, but to have some that falls out...

 

[remixedcat]

900 sq ft and your bill is that high? sounds liek mine in Cary/Raleigh area,NC.... our elect. bill was around at the lowest and 180 when it was high in Cary (one unit in the complex was 1155sq ft and the other we transferred to was 1024 sq ft)

Cary,NC:
Unit1---> 1155 sq ft, 15 ft celings in all common rooms 9 ft celings in bedrooms, baths, and foyer, 2BR 2BA semi open floor plan, average electric bill 150/mo peaking at 180/mo
Unit 2--->1024 sq ft 9 ft celings in kitchen, bathrooms, and bedroom, 8 ft celing in loft, LR had sloping ceiling due to loft peaking at 18 ft sloping down to 9 ft, 2BAs. Open floorplan with LR,Spiral stairs, Dining room all one room. average elec. bill 120 peaking at 190/mo

Raleigh,NC:
1400 apprx sq ft townhome, reverse config with common rooms on top, bedrooms on bottom, common room celings semi vaulted peak 18-22 ft sloping to 8.5ft. all rooms cept kitchen with 8.5 ft celing large vaulted foyer, all downstairs bedrooms and baths 8 ft celings. average electric bill 230/mo peaking at 270.

my computer was a single core athlon 3200 with only a 400w psu and we used a dell laptop as our second pc. did not have tv or nearly as many devices as we have now.


so this really depends on the area you live in and how much of an ******* the utlity company is.

 

[b1gapl]

so this really depends on the area you live in and how much of an ******* the utlity company is.

Yes, NYC + ConEd = $$$

Meanwhile in my apartment, I unplug the microwave when it's not in use, and hang my laundry instead of using the dryer. I also decided not to have my computer run overnight like usual, folding...So now it's only on until I go to work and from getting back home until I go to sleep. I'd say we're progressing very well in a short period. I'm interested to see my bill the next month. Goal would be under $180.

 

[remixedcat]

Good luck. But don't push yourself too much. You get too frugal and you have too much stress..... even when I was extremely tight I still would occassionally go out to eat or treat myself. Keeping my sanity and alive was more important than saving 30-40 bucks.

 

[PP Mguire]

how much sq ft is your house and what are the specs.... 5BR 2BA right???? but doublewides are never built good. my mom has a 4BR 2BA doublewide and her bills are like 300 some a mo for electric and they get free gas on thier property since they own it and have mineral rights. They have my lil bro, big bro, gramma (and 3 kids that live there 50-70% of the time) thier windows suck (kimro windows that sometimes even fall out they are trying to se if any other doublewide owners have this issue and start a class action) one of them nearly fell on one of the kids when they were a toddler!!!! Plus it's starting to fall apart in other ways.

~2400sqft, 5bdrm 3bth. I have all the windows boarded and insulated, everything is on a surge protector so gets shut off completely of power when not in use. We use 1 or 2 lights and barely use the heat. I think the best thing I have done is simply the windows. If I score this job I'm going to complete it and do the outside of the windows too to completely seal off from the outside. I agree, double wides are crap. Great for cheap large housing out in the country but if you aren't smart (like my parents) then you wind up paying double in monthly payments in utilities.

That's pretty low too. I honestly have never seen my bill go under $180. So I must be doing something wrong. I'm planning to get a few of those Kill-A-Watt things to monitor. Trying to cut down as much as I can.


I don't know the sq ft but my apartment has to be less than 900. It's a 2BR 1BA. The windows, I don't know what kind but they're really thin.

I thought my windows were bad, but to have some that falls out...

It seems like NYC just sucks you dry with $/kwh. No offense, but really glad we aren't trying to get by up there.

 

[Ethereal_Dragon]

Dang, you guys pay a TON on your 'lectric bills. In the spring and fall, I can get mine down to the $40-60 range. In the summer, I turn the AC down to about 60-65, and it still stays barely in the $100 range. I have a 3BR 2.5Ba house, not sure about sq ft, maybe 1500-2000?

Just wait till you have to pay a mortgage, $1800 a month, and being OVER $100,000 upside down on the property... I SOOOOO wish I still had an apartment. I bought a house at the worst possible time known to man.

 

[PP Mguire]

Dang, you guys pay a TON on your 'lectric bills. In the spring and fall, I can get mine down to the $40-60 range. In the summer, I turn the AC down to about 60-65, and it still stays barely in the $100 range. I have a 3BR 2.5Ba house, not sure about sq ft, maybe 1500-2000?

Just wait till you have to pay a mortgage, $1800 a month, and being OVER $100,000 upside down on the property... I SOOOOO wish I still had an apartment. I bought a house at the worst possible time known to man.

Living up there I'm guessing you use gas for heat and have a well insulated house on a foundation, possibly brick. If I turned the AC down to 68 in the summer down here in Texas it would stay on 24/7 until the end of September. That is WITH my insulation improvements to the house because the roof leaks air like a popped tire (common for mobile homes). Heat isn't as bad, but when it gets down into the lower 30s and 20s then it starts to struggle. Least it did last year. This year it hasn't seemed to have many problems in the low 30s yet.

I set us up in such a way that we wont be paying outrageous prices on our house and land. IF we are finally able to move out of this place and into a brick home like I want I have specific standards I'm sticking to so I don't make the same mistake my parents did back in 99. I think staying in an apartment is kind of pointless because most people have standards and wont live in the ghetto where the rent is around 300 or so. Even if you do, you're paying that money on a lease and not down on purchasing something to own. I have found several brick homes down in this area for 50k and less in that monthly price range with 5k down. We did the apartment thing for a few months and bailed (not by choice), but it was the smart thing to do. One of my best friends realized this same thing. Pays 700 a month on an apartment and realized what he COULD have for that amount of cash in a house to call his own. Feels stupid leasing that place for over a year lol.