Tips to Reduce Electric Bill

[Anonymous]

Our electric bill is out of control. I know I have read, and implemented, many suggestions before. But I need a refresher.

How do you keep the electric bill reasonable in the summer?

[Anonymous]

First of all, what is the age, size and condition of your house and how much are you paying?

What is your AC set at?

Is anyone home during the day?

What are your winter bills like?

[Anonymous]

We have a 3500 sq ft house with a $75 electric bill.

Some major things- get a gas water heater! Some electrics can use up to $450 a year in electricity (my neighbors does. You can read this on the water heater). My gas heater uses $170 a year. We turn our AC off when we're gone (or up to 85) and it only takes about 10 minutes to cool down when we get home. We keep unused rooms shut off. 79 or 78 is very comfortable for us. Any lower and I can't sleep because I'm too cold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a 3500 sq ft house with a $75 electric bill.

Some major things- get a gas water heater! Some electrics can use up to $450 a year in electricity (my neighbors does. You can read this on the water heater). My gas heater uses $170 a year. We turn our AC off when we're gone (or up to 85) and it only takes about 10 minutes to cool down when we get home. We keep unused rooms shut off. 79 or 78 is very comfortable for us. Any lower and I can't sleep because I'm too cold.

NP - really? Only 75/month?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a 3500 sq ft house with a $75 electric bill.

Some major things- get a gas water heater! Some electrics can use up to $450 a year in electricity (my neighbors does. You can read this on the water heater). My gas heater uses $170 a year. We turn our AC off when we're gone (or up to 85) and it only takes about 10 minutes to cool down when we get home. We keep unused rooms shut off. 79 or 78 is very comfortable for us. Any lower and I can't sleep because I'm too cold.

NP - really? Only 75/month?

Truthfully. But we do try to keep it low. We have a heat pump and a gas furnace, so we're using gas as well.

[Anonymous]

get a subsidized energy audit from pepco

[Anonymous]

Turn up the thermostat. Close off rooms. Gas heater. Ceiling Fans. Seal windows. Close fireplaces with one of those removable balloon things. Update HVAC to an energy-efficient model (we replaced our HVAC and saw our A/C bill cut in half)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a 3500 sq ft house with a $75 electric bill.

Some major things- get a gas water heater! Some electrics can use up to $450 a year in electricity (my neighbors does. You can read this on the water heater). My gas heater uses $170 a year. We turn our AC off when we're gone (or up to 85) and it only takes about 10 minutes to cool down when we get home. We keep unused rooms shut off. 79 or 78 is very comfortable for us. Any lower and I can't sleep because I'm too cold.

NP - really? Only 75/month?

Truthfully. But we do try to keep it low. We have a heat pump and a gas furnace, so we're using gas as well.

Are you in the woods?

[Anonymous]

Keep curtains closed on windows that get a lot of sun (bonus for reflective or insulating curtains).

[Anonymous]

Have your A/C serviced (assuming it's central)
Is there a big difference between summer and winter bills?

Also: look for extension cords running from your neighbor's house

[Anonymous]

Ceiling fans.

Days like today, assuming Op is posting locally, turn off a/c (in fact, we turned ous off last night so 12 extra hours of not zapping elec).

Also, do you have gas too? How much hot water do you use?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a 3500 sq ft house with a $75 electric bill.

Some major things- get a gas water heater! Some electrics can use up to $450 a year in electricity (my neighbors does. You can read this on the water heater). My gas heater uses $170 a year. We turn our AC off when we're gone (or up to 85) and it only takes about 10 minutes to cool down when we get home. We keep unused rooms shut off. 79 or 78 is very comfortable for us. Any lower and I can't sleep because I'm too cold.

NP - really? Only 75/month?

Truthfully. But we do try to keep it low. We have a heat pump and a gas furnace, so we're using gas as well.

Are you in the woods?

Yep. The woods of Reston in a home built in the 1990s. Something else big that we do that others might not do, is I dry our clothes inside and don't use the dryer often (just for sheets and towels). I do that mostly to keep our work clothes looking nice, but energy savings is a side effect.

[Anonymous]

can you give me some idea of what is a crazy electric bill? We are about to buy a house that does not have gas heat, coming from a townhouse that does have gas. Very worried about the price increase. tx

[Anonymous]

^ Why would you leave gas heat for electric??

You are going to be sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:can you give me some idea of what is a crazy electric bill? We are about to buy a house that does not have gas heat, coming from a townhouse that does have gas. Very worried about the price increase. tx

I wouldn't buy a house w/ elect heat.