Our last power bill we got from Progress Energy was completely ridiculous. It almost doubled from the month before with our heat being turned down from 70 to 68. Since they checked it on the 9th, I turned down the heat to 65 and have been keeping track of the KWh on the meter and our usage has gone up now from our average last month of 82 to about 102 per day. It just doesn't seem right to me. I now have the heat off and am going to be looking at it for the next few days. If it still stays that high or goes up, something must be wrong, right?

2/14/2007 5:38:02 PM

they sometimes bill you what they think your bill should be by using an average of what it was the previous year(s) around the same time

maybe they came and read the real reading and adjusted the bill accordingly...

2/14/2007 5:41:24 PM

Check and see if they did a meter reading. They may have been billing based on averages and had to make an adjustment (ie hitting you with several months of underbilling all at once).

2/14/2007 5:41:48 PM

my past months power bill was $32. Average i think i pay around $70

2/14/2007 5:45:18 PM

If you were actually reading the meter and noticed the spike, I'd check to see if theres anything you or your roommates or sneaky neighbors (I dunno if you're in an apt or house or what) have done lately such as a new computer or tv or drop cord they got connected or leave on, check filters in the dryer and hvac system. Turn down the water heater if you can, raise the inside temp on the fridge from coldest to cold, whatever you can if nothing else can be done. Progress Energy is just a fuckin monopoly and knows there aint much you can do about it so they dont really care. And they usually wont come out to help you unless it involves them losing money so "someone" may have to vandalize your meter.

2/14/2007 6:19:44 PM

I'm cursing vaulted ceilings right now. Power bill was fucking outrageous this month.

2/14/2007 6:30:27 PM

It's funny you should mention this. My power usage for my January bill was up by almost 40%. The meter reading were accurate as far as I can tell. I can't think of anything in my house that's different that would add more than 600 kWh to my monthly usage. I've asked my landlady to have my water heater and heat pump looked at.

2/14/2007 10:16:50 PM

Don't forget that the outside temperature has a huge effect on your power bill. If you are set at 70 inside, but the outside temperature is 55-60 for most of the month, your bill will be much cheaper if you're set at 68 and the outside temperature is 30-40 on average.

The beginning of this winter was pretty warm and then it really began to get cold overnight...

We keep our temperature consistent (turning it way down/up only when we're out of town), but our bills definitely fluctuate:

This month we're at $89.01

01/19/2007 $75.95

12/22/2006 $69.85
11/22/2006 $68.29
10/20/2006 $76.14
09/22/2006 $115.30
08/23/2006 $94.56
07/21/2006 $67.95
06/23/2006 $66.37
05/24/2006 $49.12

2/14/2007 10:27:11 PM

yeah my electric bill has fucking tripled from the one i got from december.

Dec Bill (time period mid-Nov/early Dec)- $22
Jan Bill (time mid Dec/ early Jan) $50
Feb Bill (time mid Jan/early Feb) $74


i understand the whole outside temperature thing but i do not understand how our energy usage has risen that much

2/14/2007 11:00:52 PM

Mine was fuckin outrageous for January as well. Hmmmm........

2/14/2007 11:04:19 PM

Check this shit out... I have a 2 bedroom apartment off of avent ferry and have had power bills steadily rising but average around 100... December was $120... January...

$250 fucking dollars... how the hell does it more than double?...

2/14/2007 11:07:46 PM

nov, dec were unseasonably warm, I mean shit I wore shorts a few times (i.e. the heat doesn't run as much). This last bill period it has been very cold, yet 3x the amount does seem a little outragious.

Mine have been all been in the low to high 40's over these 3 months.

^ Jesus what do you keep your heat on? Get your shit checked out because that is nuts.

[Edited on February 14, 2007 at 11:10 PM. Reason : .]

2/14/2007 11:08:58 PM

We keep it around 72... Prob try and keep it at 68 for this month though... not that it will prob make a huge difference on $250... i just dont understand how it can double when it was allready high as shit anywayz...

2/14/2007 11:15:28 PM

^ I want to say that I saw on their website that each degree higher or lower alters your bill by +/- 10%.

[Edited on February 14, 2007 at 11:22 PM. Reason : 10% not 15%]

2/14/2007 11:18:55 PM

ours has been around $65 - $80

I always turn it off whenever me or my roommates not here though

2/14/2007 11:21:59 PM

ours went from $75jan to $89feb... not bad i guess, but whatever

2/14/2007 11:24:41 PM

Also something most people don't know is they charge different rates depending on what they consider peak and nonpeak time (peak time is during the daytime in the summer, night time during the winter). Rates are substantially higher during peaktime, which sucks because thats when you use your heat or a/c typically.

2/14/2007 11:31:58 PM

Ours rose pretty sharply as well between December and January, and it's double what it was at the same time last year.

2/14/2007 11:32:52 PM

my bill this month was ridiculous! 150$.....it usually around 90$.....im definately calling to have them recheck it.

2/14/2007 11:37:56 PM

ok i have a space heater, the oil kind, not the fan. i thought our bill went up because i've been using that a lot, so i offered to pay a bit more of the bill. but after reading this, i'm kinda feeling like i don't want to. should i call the power people and see what's up then talk to my roommates again? i don't want to pay extra if it's not my fault... these are our past bills:
september: $116
october: $104
november: $92
december: $109
january: $95
february: $140

average: $109

2/14/2007 11:56:47 PM

My bill is $85 for only 20 days of service. That would be ~$130 for an entire month. I've never once had a bill exceed $90 in my life, much less $130. Sounds like Progress Energy done fucked up this month.

2/15/2007 12:00:37 AM

ours, my neighbors, and my gfs all had huge jumps. ours went up three-fold, twice as high as it has ever been in our house in the last 2 years we've been here

2/15/2007 12:03:46 AM

someone needs to send them the link to this thread.

2/15/2007 12:21:08 AM

It's been cold lately and the meter don't lie.

2/15/2007 12:26:43 AM

Quote :

"I'm cursing vaulted ceilings right now. Power bill was fucking outrageous this month."

i know what you mean.

for all the people with crazy high power bills, i'm guessing you all have heat pumps?

if you do, they are SHIT in cold weather. the heat pump will force the auxiliary heat (think HUGE space heater) on and that's what kills your bills. it would be cheaper/more efficient to use gas.

there is a light on my thermostat that shows if aux. heat has triggered, when it goes on, i know to bend over when the bill arrives.

[Edited on February 15, 2007 at 12:27 AM. Reason : it really helps to insulate/seal your house/apt better. it's done wonders for mine.]

2/15/2007 12:27:05 AM

Quote :

"for all the people with crazy high power bills, i'm guessing you all have heat pumps? if you do, they are SHIT in cold weather. the heat pump will force the auxiliary heat (think HUGE space heater) on and that's what kills your bills. it would be cheaper/more efficient to use gas. there is a light on my thermostat that shows if aux. heat has triggered, when it goes on, i know to bend over when the bill arrives."

i was waiting to see when some one would post this

[Edited on February 15, 2007 at 12:39 AM. Reason : heat pumps are shit below 25 F or so]

2/15/2007 12:28:55 AM

our highest bill thus far has been $130 and our bill for january was $220.00 and that is for 2 people.......

2/15/2007 12:35:19 AM

yeah most people on TWW are broke pieces of shit and their opinion on monetary matters means nothing and represents a very small portion of the population

2/15/2007 12:59:54 AM

my bill jumped this month too, been averaging 75-100, 148 for this month.

2/15/2007 1:04:10 AM

I usually just tell 'em if they don't fix it, I'm coming down there. It works--I swear.

[Edited on February 15, 2007 at 1:13 AM. Reason : PS: Mine went up, too, but not by that much.]

2/15/2007 1:12:11 AM

dont forget to check your air filters, and if you have a heat pump and leave the temperature at a constant setting your aux heat should rarely come on. if your aux heat is coming on frequently something is wrong.

2/15/2007 9:06:20 AM

aux heat is turned on when the heat pump is de-icing since it's running in air-conditioner mode. But yea, if it is coming on a lot then something may be wrong.

2/15/2007 9:37:10 AM

Quote :

"ok i have a space heater, the oil kind, not the fan. i thought our bill went up because i've been using that a lot,"

doesn't matter.

i use a space heater all the time. doesn't affect my bill very much at all. mine's like 1500watts, like a hair dryer.

Quote :

"if your aux heat is coming on frequently something is wrong."

or the outside temp is below 30degF and heat pumps are crap .

2/15/2007 9:48:09 AM

Quote :

"it really helps to insulate/seal your house/apt better. it's done wonders for mine.]"

you mean around windows and doors?

2/15/2007 9:55:11 AM

I did a double take when I saw the bill for January it went up $20 from Dec which was up $20 from November. I'm ready for cold weather to be gone.

2/15/2007 9:59:18 AM

Quote :

"Check this shit out... I have a 2 bedroom apartment off of avent ferry and have had power bills steadily rising but average around 100... December was $120... January... $250 fucking dollars... how the hell does it more than double?... "

Thats exactly what ours did. Ours had been like 60-80, then it jumped to 120, then to 140, now to 240, with no real change in our usage. I know it has been cold, but our heat has been set at like 68-70 and our apartment is only like 1000 ft^2 and there are only 2 of us living there.

2/15/2007 10:17:00 AM

So now we just went and looked at our meter again. And it has gone DOWN from yesterday. It went from 18222 to 18132. Not that I am complaining it has gone down, but there is definately something wrong with it if we are somehow producing energy or regurgitating energy we have already used. Any luck on getting them to come do something about it?

2/15/2007 10:25:32 AM

you can see if they'll check for a defective meter, but they'll usually deny it and refuse to come out.

Quote :

"you mean around windows and doors?"

yeah and if you have a sliding door that you don't use, seal it off with plastic sheeting and double sided tape.

in the past, i've sealed all the windows and doors in my apts (storm windows have the same effect) and my bill had gone down quite a bit. enough to pay for the materials (plus extra $) i used in just a couple of months. of course if your house is already energy efficient and sealed everywhere, then there isn't really anything you can do, other than sit in the cold or install a more efficient hvac unit.

i've got low-e double paned glass and insulated doors and junk and the bills are super low. the thermostat is set at 77 downstairs and 70 upstairs during the day (separate thermostats/heating zones) and vice versa during the night.

2/15/2007 11:03:28 AM

our power bill with progress energy is really through the roof also - we cut off our air conditioners last month and our power bill is higher than before, and we use wood heat, no electric. For some odd reason ever since they put in those new meters our bills has been $300 or more a month when the only thing we have on is a refrigerator a ice chest a washer and dryer occasionally and maybe 2 tvs - Ive called PE over and over and they are telling me I have to get my house rewired, which doesnt make sense because I stopped using 3 window air conditioners which usually made my bill go up to $300-$400 from $200, yet my bill is the same and hasnt went down any

2/15/2007 11:43:31 AM

Quote :

"Also something most people don't know is they charge different rates depending on what they consider peak and nonpeak time (peak time is during the daytime in the summer, night time during the winter). Rates are substantially higher during peaktime, which sucks because thats when you use your heat or a/c typically."

unless you specifically ask for it, you won't have that standard. i'm on some energy efficient discount program and when asked about the peak time program, they said you have to sign up for it, bu t you can't get the other discounts.

2/15/2007 11:49:30 AM

We too have got $200+ bills for Dec and Jan. The highest we got before that was 130ish.

The Kensington folks replaced the air filters, so I'm hoping for a lower bill this month

2/15/2007 12:09:12 PM

We had a charge for $220 in ONE day...they say its our fault. WE WERE NOT EVEN HOME!!!

Granted...we have a lot of square footage, but I don't care if we run the heat constantly, with all the lights on, and every appliance running it should NOT be 220.

2/15/2007 12:19:07 PM

$220/mo gas
$100/mo power

Thermostat set at 65 in the evenings and 60 overnight

2/15/2007 12:46:21 PM

holy shit

2/15/2007 12:59:05 PM

^^i was about to say for all these people bitching about their power bills, just be glad that you don't have fucking gas heat!!!!!

2/15/2007 1:28:55 PM

power is like 30 a month. then again gas is where i thought i would have all the problems, but thats around 100 a month. and that was before i went on a weatherstripping spree. you could see light around the edges of the front and back door, and feel a very small draft.

thats all fixed now, and then some, so i am sure it went down.

but i remember checking out the previous use stats on my address when i was still shopping around for a place, and the gas bill here last january was like 300 or something crazy. so i guess some people just dont pay attention to how much energy they are using. i dunno, it never feels cold upstairs where my computer is. and if im downstairs and it feels cold, i just grab a hoodie out of the closet or something.

if i have guests that complain about the temp, i'll go straight to the thermostat, but i usually just adjust myself hahaha

2/15/2007 1:53:49 PM

sometimes they miss the last reading so they compensate on the next one...this happened to my water bill i thought i had a leak, but when i looked at the previous month, it was extremely low

2/15/2007 2:54:34 PM

if you are adamant about saving money, try blocking off vents and closing doors (use a towel on the bottom of the door) to the rooms you don't use.

it works.

i remember having a house that was wayy too big for me and that saved me a bunch. it won't work if you have roommates though.

2/15/2007 3:14:04 PM

Haha, I tried to just turn it off and wear a sweatshirt, but it got below 50 in here in a day, so that didn't really work. There aren't any rooms we don't use and we tried just using the vents downstairs and letting that heat up the upstairs, but that didn't help any.

2/15/2007 8:54:43 PM

plastic up your windows

2/15/2007 9:15:27 PM