Insane electric bill...

[GenesisGuy70]

Hi all

My grandpa has been getting $700-$900 electric bills each month.

Notes:
Canton, OH
2 levels, not a brick house, just a normal house with siding.
Built in 1956
ALL electric (heat, water heater, literally everything in the house)

The house, for some odd reason, has the heat coming from wires that are run through the ceiling on the first floor and baseboard heaters in the basement. The house is set at a normal 72 degrees.

I have told him and told him that something is wrong somewhere. There is no reason two elderly people who do 2 loads of laundry per week, shower a few times a week each and nothing else have an electric bill that high.

I have 4 people in my house who do a ton of laundry, tons of showers, dishwasher, lights always on, 4 laptops, cell phones, everything you can imagine and my total utilities per month are right around $250 a month.

What could be wrong? Give me some ideas so I can convince him to have someone come and give the electrical work a check.

Thanks

 

[Bluestream]

Sounds like a defective meter

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Sounds like a defective meter


+1

 

[Bandito440]

That's a huge amount of electricity, but not out of the realm of a poorly insulated house using very expensive electric heat during a cold month. Find out what his bill was in July to narrow it down.

 

[Vikas]

"ALL ELECTRIC"

Does that mean the heating is by electric? This winter it would have been brutal.

 

[HTSS_TR]

That is way too high, about what I paid for 2-2.5 years.

I think you should contact the power company, either the meter is bad or something else is drawing a lot of power while not running.

Or you can buy Kill a Watt meter from Walmart for about $20, then test all appliances in the house while they are off.

 

[abycat]

something is really bad. I would suggest calling an electrician for that one. You could test plugs and sockets for the correct voltage or problems.

 

[stroked93]

If you have a forced air electric furnace, just because it blows hot air doesn't make it right. I had a bad capacater on mine and electric bill doubled because only half the heating element was working and it had to run all the time, if you don't have a forced air unit, I would look at my neighbors real good, could be theft.

 

[mattwithcats]

Insulation, check the attic

Should have two layers of R19 at least.

 

[Quest]

Arrange to have them out of the house for a day or 2 (so that you can investigate), then with a helper on the breaker panel (assuming that they have breakers or glass twist style fuses), start by turning off (unplug) units such as washer, dryer, fridge, etc. one by one, while you watch the meter (assuming it's the older style electro-mechanical meter). When have all the electric devices turned off or unplugged (including the baseboard heater), check to see if the disc is still rotating. If it does, then there's probably a "phantom" power draw of some kind somewhere within the house.

Once that part is done and verified that the meter is not the issue, then proceed to checking for air leaks, attic insulation, air-screen door check, etc. Also: one of those handheld thermo digital thermometer would work wonders in pinpointing the air/cold leaks also.

Q.

 

[brandini]

Many times the power company will subsidize an energy use audit to see where your heat is going. Might want to ask them. Many times they use those lovely FLiR cameras and show you the trouble spots in your house.

 

[Cristobal]

ALL ELECTRIC works in warm climates, not cold ones. Here in California it is OK on the coastal plain (right now in my apartment it is about 90 degrees inside and my heat has been turned off for two weeks).

In the Eastern winter, I would not be surprised at a bill like that for a house that is all electric.

My late parents in the 1960's had a mountain cabin at about 6000 feet elevation near Big Bear. They got an award for it being all electric.

As soon as my Pop saw the first electric bill, he purchased a wall heater, propane tank, and arranged for propane delivery. The bills to keep the place heated plunged at least 80%.

There are electric bills that high in California, in the Palm Springs area in SUMMER for air conditioning. I know a guy who used to live there, and in 1982 a $500.00 bill each month to keep his house cool was the norm for June through September.

 

[GenesisGuy70]

Specific usage last month (Feb 5th to March 5) was 7,000 kWh.

 

[Quest]

with gas water heater + hydronic radiant in-floor heating (2 storey, 2000sq ft house, 2004 construction code, with R40+ on the attic), a family of 4 typically consumes around 45 bux/mnth on electricity; and 9.6giga-joules on natural gas per month.

That includes idling computer (one), TeeVee, CFL lights all around the house, electric range cooking, 2~3 loads of laundry wash with 3/4 electric drying, bathing in the tub (for kids), etc.

Q.

 

[JHZR2]

Wow, thats a lot... But 72F is awful hot. My elderly grandparents only ever keep their home at 69, and that's uncomfortably warm for me.

So an unseasonably cold winter, looks like OH had second coldest on record...

And a very warm home and what do you expect?

Im not sure how an electric meter could be failed or off and spin faster. Not saying impossible, Id just think it would fail slower due to stripped gears or worn motors.

I want to say that our combined electric and gas is around $160/month for a two story home with a walk-up attic and full basement, built in the 1920s.

 

[WobblyElvis]

$600 would be quite believable but what you have is a little high. It's possible that house has next to zero insulation. My house was built in 55 and there is no insulation in the walls. I pay $300/month in the winter and I have gas heat. Electric heat is about double and you add lights stove, refrigerator etcetera on top of that and it gets up there.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: Throt
Hi all

My grandpa has been getting $700-$900 electric bills each month.

Notes:
Canton, OH

It's been a cold winter and I suspect Canton also had a cold winter.
Originally Posted By: Throt
2 levels, not a brick house, just a normal house with siding.
Built in 1956

In other words poorly insulated, 2X4 construction, and unless there has been some remodeling old, leaky windows and doors.
Originally Posted By: Throt

ALL electric (heat, water heater, literally everything in the house)

The most expensive overall energy source, and Ohio is mid-pack as far as electrical costs go compared to other states. Go on...
Originally Posted By: Throt

The house, for some odd reason, has the heat coming from wires that are run through the ceiling on the first floor

Radiant ceiling heat. The most inefficient heat source possible. Please, go on...
Originally Posted By: Throt

and baseboard heaters in the basement. The house is set at a normal 72 degrees.

Baseboard electric heat. The second most inefficient heat source possible. And they keep it pretty warm. Ouch. Continue...
Originally Posted By: Throt

I have told him and told him that something is wrong somewhere.

Indeed. They use the most inefficient, expensive heat source possible in a very inefficient house. That's what needs to be fixed.
Originally Posted By: Throt

There is no reason two elderly people who do 2 loads of laundry per week, shower a few times a week each and nothing else have an electric bill that high.

That's not correct. There are a number of very good reasons. See the information you provided.
Originally Posted By: Throt
I have 4 people in my house who do a ton of laundry, tons of showers, dishwasher, lights always on, 4 laptops, cell phones, everything you can imagine and my total utilities per month are right around $250 a month.

Do you have electric radiant ceiling heat and electric baseboard heat? Keep the temperature at a toasty 72 degrees in the cold of winter? Do you have an older home with poor insulation and leaky windows? If not, then you're comparing apples to grapefruits.
Originally Posted By: Throt
What could be wrong? Give me some ideas so I can convince him to have someone come and give the electrical work a check.

Thanks


See the information above.

 

[John_K]

Anyone I have ever known with that kind of heat has astronomical electric bills.

John

 

[zrxkawboy]

How long have they lived in the house? Has the electrical usage changed? Electric heat costs roughly double natural gas heat.

 

[mtndew_dad]

Pop_Rivit nailed it. They might be able to get an energy audit done for about $50 through there utility company. I have no doubt they will find plenty of ways to chisel down that high usage.

If at all possible, check with your local natural gas supplier. If it is available on the street they live on, it is usually free to have a service line run to the house. Then convert to at least a gas forced air furnace. The savings will be huge and the cost easily recovered. Plus added resale value when it is time to sell.