Our bill went from 158 to 305. I dont understand? I have a gas tank and I use gas logs , keep my heat on 68 all the time and even replaced all my lights to the energy saving light bulbs. Yes we had christmas lights on but not more than 2 to 3 hours each day. I think something is wrong!
PE emailed us back and here was their response: Thank you for emailing Progress Energy Carolinas. I definitely understand your concern with the increase in energy usage. Recent weather has significantly impacted energy bills in our area. With outside temperatures such as we've experienced, heating systems work longer and harder to maintain inside temperatures. However, we can offer some information which may be helpful to you. The average daily low/high temperature for the most recent bill cycle was 27/46 degrees compared to 39/56 degrees during the previous billing cycle. We recommend a thermostat setting of 68 degrees for heating. Every degree above 68 consumes 7-10% more energy. If the weather is unusually cold or stays cold for a prolonged amount of time, your home heating bills can increase significantly. For example, it is less expensive to keep your home at 68 degrees if the outside temperature is 50 degrees, than if it were 30 degrees. If a maintenance check has not been performed on your heating system and duct work recently, this may be a worthwhile consideration. You can confirm the meter reading used to calculate your bill. The digital meters flash a reading approximately every 8 seconds. If you observe a reading on your meter lower than xxxxx, please advise. If the meter alternately flashes between all 8s and an actual reading, it is operating properly. Consider taking daily or weekly meter readings to monitor and for comparison with monthly bills. You may be able to determine what items in your home are contributing to increased energy consumption. It may be helpful to station someone at your meter to conduct this exercise. - Locate the breakers for your home. - Locate the 3 emulator bars on your meter (in the lower right hand corner of the display). Emulator bars display like cell phone signal bars. – If the bars are coming up quickly but they come up much slower when you turn off a breaker, that could identify the appliance or equipment causing the energy usage issue. Check your hot water heater for leaks or issues with the heating elements. You may be able to lower the water temperature setting and still maintain an adequate hot water supply. Heating/cooling and hot water heaters are among the most significant energy consumers in our homes. We offer a Customized Home Energy Check and a Lower My Bill Toolkit at our website: http://www.progress-energy.com/custservice/carres/efficiency/index.asp We hope this is helpful. Please advise if we may be of assistance with any other matter. Thank you for using Progress Energy's online services. Regards,
Thanks for sharing that information. My bill doubled this month also, from $88 to $179. It has never before gone over $150 in the 6 years I have lived in this house. I don't believe there has been a recent rate increase; in fact, I think there was a tiny decrease when fuel prices went back down. But I did notice my auxiliary heat was on more than usual during that billing period. Heat pumps work very well at moderate cost in mild climates, but the colder it gets outside the harder it is for them to get enough heat from the atmosphere to keep your house warm. That's why heat pumps are not used in the north. It seems like very cold weather does not just increase electricity usage proportionately, it increases it geometrically.
I know, right? ; ) Especially since we already keep the heatpumps at 68 or less all the time. Nothing like being cold and still having a big bill.
Didn't feel like reading the whole thread but if you own a heat pump you shouldn't be surprised. Once under a certain outside temperature you will be running on the coils only to produce heat. Throw some extra clothes on and lower the T Stat.
:lol::lol::lol: THen perhaps you should have read the thread. That has been WELL established. :cheers:
What would the alternative to a heat pump be ? A lot of people in Germany heat with oil,the oil heats up water which is then distributed to radiators hanging on the walls.On top of that some also have wood stoves and others still heat with solar or some sort of heat that is generated by coils inserted into the ground-there it's called earth heat. Even if there was a way to do without the heat part of the heat pump I still would need the a/c in the summer but there should be something available that just cools,an upgrade to the old fashioned window units. http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/geothermal-energy-intelligent-use-of-earths-heat/ The above link has some info about geo thermal energy.
just checked my bill. its the highest its ever been since i have had this house...$210.00 and on a single income family that stings a little bit. now if my job would hurry up and give me my w2's i can file my taxes, get my refund and pay some bills!
:iagree: Same way here, but we need a new unit and compressor which is finally getting done this week..thank god for the warmer weather cause we have been on emergency heat for almost 3 weeks. So we will have one more high bill after this one..need my tax money for sure.
we have a gas pack, heats w/ gas and cools with electric - so we normally have higher summer bills cause we don't have much shade near the house. :cry:
Got my bill this weekend, Phew, wasn't too bad! They did replace my meter, but the did have a reading on the day it was replaced, so myave it was just the display that was messed up. My bill just went from around $93 (don't remember the exact amt) to around $112. I'm guessing that the small increase was due to the previous month was estimated high. Plus, I have been using my little oil-filled heater (looks like a radiator) in the LR and keeping the heat pump around 68. Overall costs for the winter have been higher because I usually only have one month where the bill is over $80. We'll see what the next bill brings!
Mine was $100 more than normal. $268 was the total. I about cried when I saw it. It's been paid, though. BAD timing since I just got done with dd's Christmas and birthday. :banghead:
