Electric Bill Out Rageous!!!?

Question

I just moved into a 3 bedroom mobile home. My power bill is $164.00. I was shocked!!! I'm used to it being under $100.00. I have not done anything special or had any guests over. I try to keep my heat on (auto 70) degrees. Does anyone have any energy saving suggestions or tips to save???

Answer 1

Turn off lights when you aren't in the room. Turn off television unless you are watching it. Dry fewer loads of clothes. Replace your incandescent bulbs with compact flourescent. Set your thermostat 2 degrees cooler.

Answer 2

You didnt mention if it was central heat or just like a wall heater etc. You should call the power company, and ask them to look back at who held an acct there before you, and ask what theyre monthly bills were. They will tell you how much the previous person payed each month. This will help you to know if it's something your doing to cause it be higher or if thats just the average.

Every time I move, I always ask power company first how much previous ppl paid so i dont have any suprise. Usually when I get the 1st bill, my bill is always lower than what the previous people paid too.

Answer 3

"just moved in" is the operative term here. clearly this home is significantly different from what you lived in before. here's what I do to control this cost:

1. nightime set point on heat is as low as I can make it -- 40 degrees for my central heating. I don't like breathing warm air at night anyway as it mucks up the sinuses.
2. dress for wintertime even indoors and don't expect to be able to run around barefooted in a T-shirt during these months.
3. turn the hot water heater setting to the lowest Hot possible. it doesn't need to be boiling. use warm or cold to wash, not Hot, setting on your washing machine

if your mobile home needs more insulation in the walls and ceiling, there's a foam you can inject (assuming the construction allows for this). ask someone knowledgeable at a home improvement center. this investment will repay itself many times over. If your windows aren't dual-pane glass, you may want to consider replacing them. ditto about the investment.

needless to say if this has been a shock, you're in for another round come summer, since you may be tempted to keep the place really cool. use the A/C as little as possible, keep the set point at 75-76, don't use it at night at all (unless you live in Houston or someplace muggy), and use nature's breezes to create cross-breezes in your home by opening windows on opposite sides of the unit.

good luck. you'll get a handle on this, I'm confident.

Answer 4

First thing would be to put insulating film over your windows to cut any heat loss there, also you can replace the seals around your doors. Also walk around and see if you can feel any cold air coming in from anywhere else (where you water line comes in, etc) and if there is then make sure you use a foam to fix it...all of these things can be bought at your local home improvement store> Good Luck

Answer 5

Turn the thermostat down when you are not using it, such as during the day when no-one is around and when you are sleeping. If you don't use a room, close the vents in that room and close the door.

Weather strip the doors and make sure all the windows are closed. If you feel a draft at the windows, put plastic film over them - inside (kits available at your hardware store).

Make sure the furnace filter is clean and the furnace is operating properly.

Answer 6

You may have an electric water heater now which is more expensive to operate than a gas one. Possibly your heat is electric also. That would be more expensive than gas as well.