Anyone else's energy bill just double??

[fatsack]

Holy shit!!

I got my electric bill today... and what is normally a $160 - $170 power bill is $335!! :wow

I could believe it if it went up $100 because of summer.... but

It seems CPS has now added a fuel surcharge to my bill ?

Is it ever going to end?

[Viva Las Espuelas]

:lmao
"change" is a comin', you global warmer you.

if anyone uses natural gas in their home it will be a whole lot more.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Gotta turn off that TV when you go to sleep.

[bigzak25]

:lmao
"change" is a comin', you global warmer you.

if anyone uses natural gas in their home it will be a whole lot more.



but why! i thought using the gas would lower the bills!

[MoSpur]

In my house its usually around $60-70 a month and the last one we got was $115.

[Clandestino]

since i have lived in san antonio 2002, my electricity bill doubles during the summer months. nothing new

[CosmicCowboy]

Holy shit!!

I got my electric bill today... and what is normally a $160 - $170 power bill is $335!! :wow

I could believe it if it went up $100 because of summer.... but

It seems CPS has now added a fuel surcharge to my bill ?

Is it ever going to end?

Good thing you're a richer. Just check the couch for dropped change...that should do it...

[CubanMustGo]

If your kWh usage doubled, your bill will double.

[SpursWoman]

Mine was $255 ... which isn't that big of a surprise considering they said the average bill would go up about $40/mo just from the fuel charge ... which is about what the difference is from my bill this same month last year.

And it was pretty damn hot this past month, so I was expecting a pretty big jump anyway. :depressed

[Viva Las Espuelas]

:lmao
"change" is a comin', you global warmer you.

if anyone uses natural gas in their home it will be a whole lot more.

since i never knew you could cool your house with natural gas, i'd say it'd be better to wait 'til it gets cooler to see what i mean.

[slacker77]

389 here

[robino2001]

Mine jumped but only because my locked in 12-month rate expired so it got knocked up to the market rate (we're deregulated so we choose companies). Just meant it was time to find another company to re-lock-in at for another 12 months. From talking to my parents in SA though, the kWh is still half of what I was able to lock in at and my bills are only in the $100 range... I would assume it's from leaving the AC off at home between 8am-6pm most of the week.

[mexicanjunior]

Mine went up from around 150 to 230. I called TXU and they pretty much told me to eff myself...

[Cry Havoc]

WTF are you guys using that runs your electricity bill to $300+ a month? What, do you have 8 jacuzzis in your house?

[Brutalis]

^^ No kidding.

[mexicanjunior]

WTF are you guys using that runs your electricity bill to $300+ a month? What, do you have 8 jacuzzis in your house?

Washer/dryers? extra freezers? dishwashers? Those will usually do it...

[fatsack]

WTF are you guys using that runs your electricity bill to $300+ a month? What, do you have 8 jacuzzis in your house?

i have no idea... but i'm gonna start unplugging stuff when i get home.

[Cry Havoc]

Washer/dryers? extra freezers? dishwashers? Those will usually do it...

I have 2 TVs, a microwave, refrigerator, lights, washer and dryer, a number of electronic devices that are charged up daily, central air, and a 550w power supply on my home PC. My energy bill hovers around $100 per month. Now granted that's probably less than most, but I don't see what someone could be operating other than A/C that would increase a bill that much.

[CosmicCowboy]

Holy shit!!

I got my electric bill today... and what is normally a $160 - $170 power bill is $335!! :wow

I could believe it if it went up $100 because of summer.... but

It seems CPS has now added a fuel surcharge to my bill ?

Is it ever going to end?

It's those long damn bubble baths Sunshine takes.

[leemajors]

I have 2 TVs, a microwave, refrigerator, lights, washer and dryer, a number of electronic devices that are charged up daily, central air, and a 550w power supply on my home PC. My energy bill hovers around $100 per month. Now granted that's probably less than most, but I don't see what someone could be operating other than A/C that would increase a bill that much.

You live in Chicago, correct? It's 100 outside in centralish texas right now, and doesn't cool off to under 90 till after 10 PM daily. I leave my AC on 80 pretty much all the time, and luckily my bill hasn't hit $200 yet this year, but i'm sure it's coming soon.

[SpursWoman]

I have 2 TVs, a microwave, refrigerator, lights, washer and dryer, a number of electronic devices that are charged up daily, central air, and a 550w power supply on my home PC. My energy bill hovers around $100 per month. Now granted that's probably less than most, but I don't see what someone could be operating other than A/C that would increase a bill that much.


I think a 2600 sqft, 2-story home with 4+ people living in it is going to be significantly higher than an 800 sqft apartment with a single resident. More TV's, computers, lights, heated water for bathing, cleaning, laundry ... it all adds up.

Especially when it's damn-near 100 degrees everyday.

I have no idea of what type of home you live in ... but I miss my 800 sqft apartment days. :(

*shrugs*

[RandomGuy]

In a nutshell:

All energy costs, not just the price of oil have gone up.

The nature of electrical generation in the US is that it depends primarily on the price of coal, and that has gone up (due to Chinese demand) a good chunk. (link to business news article on this) (http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2008-04-28-electricy-rates-coal_N.htm)

Further, the extra power generated in daytime in the summer tends to come from natural gas power plants, and the price of natural gas has gone WAAAY up, making the cost of electricity in the summer all the more expensive. ( link to a news story on natural gas and electricity (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ibd/20080623/bs_ibd_ibd/20080623general)

It isn't going to get better. I would highly recommend doing some checking into ways to improve your household efficiency.

I would point out that with electricity becoming more expensive, if you replace an older, less efficient appliance with one that uses less electricity, you will end up with more money in your pocket over the long run. Efficiency, and stuff like solar panels will pay for themselves and become waaay more economical in the near future.

[BigZak]

might be time to turn off the a/c, and put some box fans in the windows west side style...:wakeup

[florige]

Our utility bills went up 72% last year and has been going up steadily since.

[T Park]

The thing alot of people are doing, and its not a bad idea, is to slap some solar panels on the roof.

They don't TOTALLY run your house's electric, but it would power so much that your energy bill would drop like a rock.

[BigZak]

The thing alot of people are doing, and its not a bad idea, is to slap some solar panels on the roof.

They don't TOTALLY run your house's electric, but it would power so much that your energy bill would drop like a rock.


great point tpark!

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/realestate/stories/MYSA041208.01G.GreenCosts.257c3af.html

[Avitus1]

It was in the news today that the bills nation wide are doubling. Has to do with higher energy costs.

[ShoogarBear]

The thing alot of people are doing, and its not a bad idea, is to slap some solar panels on the roof.

They don't TOTALLY run your house's electric, but it would power so much that your energy bill would drop like a rock.

Wait a minute. Weren't you blasting the AT&T Center for trying to be more energy efficient?

[Dex]

Wait a minute. Weren't you blasting the AT&T Center for trying to be more energy efficient?

T Park cares about putting money in his pocket, not Holt's. :lmao

[RandomGuy]

It was in the news today that the bills nation wide are doubling. Has to do with higher energy costs.



I think I said that already... ;)

[RandomGuy]

great point tpark!

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/realestate/stories/MYSA041208.01G.GreenCosts.257c3af.html

Great article. Remind me to invest in that guy's business...

[RandomGuy]

"You can pay now with a fixed-rate mortgage or you can pay later in energy costs," Sierleja said. "You're kind of playing the future in that you're locking in that mortgage rate now while energy prices will probably rise."

Last month, CPS Energy trustees approved a 5 percent increase in electric rates. It still needs to be approved by the City Council.

There's also the possibility that as green building catches on and becomes the norm, more value will be placed on houses with energy-efficient features.

"I suspect that a few years from now, the houses which have demonstrated energy savings are going to be valued higher than the houses that don't," said Fetzer, of Superior Insulation Systems. "How marketable is your house going to be if it can't compete with other green homes?"

I would note that this is simple economics.

We already see a similar phenomenon in the way used cars are valued. Try to sell that 8-10mpg big-ass truck you have and you will see what I mean.

Resale/used prices for gas-efficient vehicles, like hybrids or smaller trucks/cars are far above those of their larger, gas-guzzler cousins, in terms of % of original cost.

I have been looking for a used Toyota Corolla, a vehicle that got the best gas mileage in it's size class last year, and have not had a whole lot of luck finding one cheaply.

The asking price for a one or two year old Corolla is not that far below that of a brand new one, which is very unusual.

[leemajors]

I would note that this is simple economics.

We already see a similar phenomenon in the way used cars are valued. Try to sell that 8-10mpg big-ass truck you have and you will see what I mean.

Resale/used prices for gas-efficient vehicles, like hybrids or smaller trucks/cars are far above those of their larger, gas-guzzler cousins, in terms of % of original cost.

I have been looking for a used Toyota Corolla, a vehicle that got the best gas mileage in it's size class last year, and have not had a whole lot of luck finding one cheaply.

The asking price for a one or two year old Corolla is not that far below that of a brand new one, which is very unusual.
it's been like that for the last 3-4 years. at auction especially, fuel efficient cars are bid way up over their actual value, and trucks/SUVs can be had cheaply.

[CosmicCowboy]

I would note that this is simple economics.

We already see a similar phenomenon in the way used cars are valued. Try to sell that 8-10mpg big-ass truck you have and you will see what I mean.

Resale/used prices for gas-efficient vehicles, like hybrids or smaller trucks/cars are far above those of their larger, gas-guzzler cousins, in terms of % of original cost.

I have been looking for a used Toyota Corolla, a vehicle that got the best gas mileage in it's size class last year, and have not had a whole lot of luck finding one cheaply.

The asking price for a one or two year old Corolla is not that far below that of a brand new one, which is very unusual.

I'm in the market right now trying to steal a slightly used Navigator or Hard Loaded Expedition. RETAIL on low mile rigs that were worth $40,000 six months ago is around 16-17K now...I can't imagine what the people were thinking when they sold/traded them in for NOTHING and bought another car at 1.25 book just to get another 8 or 10 miles a gallon...