December 2007 Electric Bill ( Number 2 )
My second-ever electric bill at my new house just came in the mail ( well email of course ), and here’s how it looks. Just click on the small picture to make it full-size and legible. There is good and bad in the bill, and I have mixed feelings about it.
The Good
My electricity usage dropped by 34% - nice! I can imagine that’s a combination of not using A/C at all, switching many of my light bulbs to energy efficient CFL’s, and being more mindful of turning things off. I’ve even been turning off the power switch that my big screen and home theater are attached to at night. I don’t have an electricity usage meter, but I can’t help but thing that thing is sucking up power even when it’s off.
The Bad
My natural gas usage went way up - a 126% increase as a matter of fact! We have been using the heat quite a bit ( it’s been quite cold here ), and it looks like I have a gas furnace. I honestly had no idea. The furnace generally doesn’t get *much* use in Southern Texas, so it’s not a big concern. Either way, I’d rather use some heat than the A/C - gas is cheaper than electricity.
The end result
By the time everything get’s added up, my December bill is $111.17 compared to $123.17 for my first bill in November. That’s a 9% drop, and something I’ll take any day. I do have some more lights to swap over to CFL’s, and I’m hoping to get around to it fairly soon. If it’s a mild winter, I might even see some sub- $100 electric bills. That would be pretty nice for a 2700+ square foot house.
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December 13th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
We didn’t use the AC this past month at all, either. Then again, we live in Maine, and there were 7 inches of snow on the ground (BEFORE tonight’s blizzard!)… our heating bill is a crusher right now, though, with the high cost of heating oil. It leads us directly to all of the conservation measures we can find, from insulating the windows to a makeshift solar heater for the living room window. Funny, whether it’s hot or cold outside in December, it’s pretty good insurance that you’ll need energy to make yourself more comfortable!
Jerry
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December 14th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
I’ve heard heating oil is crazy expensive - glad I have a gas furnace and moderate temps in the winter here. I come from Maryland where it gets really cold ( though no where near Maine, surely ), so I can appreciate the better temps.
Insulation hurts to pay for upfront but can do wonders for your bill, all year round. Keeps the warm in when it’s cold out, and keeps the cold in when it’s hot out.
January 25th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
[...] total damage? $147.95 - yikes. That’s a 33% jump from the $111.17 that I paid in December. Where did the money go? Let’s [...]