Saturday, August 18, 2007

The Power!

We have been getting constantly high electric bills since moving in, and in doing some research I found that we are using above the average electrical usage for Xcel. They say average is 650 kWh, High is 1,000 kWh - and our last bill was 820 kWh. For a 940 sq foot apartment.

We have turned the temp up to 78 all the time, instead of 74 when home/ 78 when away. That saved 95 kWh so obviously AC is a huge draw. But what else could run things up that high?

I went to the Xcel energy analyzer page, and they estimate that pr year AC should cost $40, lighting should cost $66, the refrigerator should cost $60, the stove is $67, and all other is $140. That is $373. Our monthly bill have been around $100 since we moved in.

Having never owned a home, or seen an electric bill before (our landlord just told us in northfield, and that included electric heat and water) I have a feeling that this is a rip off.

There is also a addition on our bill for a $.035 pr kWh"Adjustment factor" that really kicks the bill into high gear. Looking at the Xcel page again, 100% wind power is an adjustment of $.0113 kWh! So what kind of super fuel are we using?

To complicate things, our bill comes from "CONSrve" billing that just is a middle man for Xcel. They have no web page for us, just for apartment landlords and such.

So what gives? What do you pay for electric?



6 comments:

Bjorn Watland said...

The highest we usually pay is around $100, that's if we're more lax about shutting the ac off during the day. I just think to myself, at least the cats are enjoying it. This last month was about $93, but during the winter, we can get away with $30. Keep in mind, I have to power all of my fancy gadgets, which need to be on all the time.

dwatland said...

Have you upgraded to the compact florescents? They use 2/3 less power.

dwatland said...

You also can go on budget helper to level out your bills and make them a little more predictable.

Can you put anything on your windows? Tint like you would put on car windows would help.

Anonymous said...

That seems extremely high. When I was living in a 900sf apartment in downtown Minneapolis, my average bill was about $52/month. That includes air, washer/dryer, lights, stove, etc.

Do you have the ability to see your meter? If so, start shutting things off - fridge too since it'll stay cold as long as you don't open it.

Anonymous said...

I just reread your comment, and I'm a bit startled by the fact that your bill doesn't come from Xcel...

Do you send payments directly to Xcel or to "CONSrve"?

Chris Schommer said...

Hi cm,

I will look into seeing if we can see our meter any place.

Also, we do get billed directly from conserve, but they buy their electricity from Xcel. I guess they are a billing service the apartments here use.