[JENA]

OMG CPS is killing me, got our bill in for this month and it is crazy high still at about 250 for the month, same as last, but typically we only do about 150 in the summer months maybe 175 the most. This is crazy!!!!!!

[BigJnSA]

BOHICA

[TRM8ER]

Same here, we run our AC at 73 and it cost us $234 last month. Since then, we raised it to 76 and have most of the fans on. We haven't got this month's bill in yet, but more than likely it probably isn't going to make that much of a difference.

[Agent Jones]

Aprils Bill was $190 with ac aroudn 74


May Jumped up to $300 with ac around 74


June was at 200 with ac around 78


Every degree below 78-80 degress will equal about a 10% increase in the bill. Also keep in mine CPS charges more per killowatt in the summer because of demand. if they keeped prices low everyone would use WAY too much electricty in the summer because of the heat. its supply and demand. The best thing is to leave a/c on 78 and get fans. Fan lower the temp between 3-5 degrees

[JENA]

Originally Posted by Agent Jones

Aprils Bill was $190 with ac aroudn 74


May Jumped up to $300 with ac around 74


June was at 200 with ac around 78


Every degree below 78-80 degress will equal about a 10% increase in the bill. Also keep in mine CPS charges more per killowatt in the summer because of demand. if they keeped prices low everyone would use WAY too much electricty in the summer because of the heat. its supply and demand. The best thing is to leave a/c on 78 and get fans. Fan lower the temp between 3-5 degrees

Yeah I bumped the AC up to 77 the other day cause it was kinda cool in the house, my have to make that the actual setting, and we keep most our fans running all day. I'm just shocked at the difference from all my previous summers till now

[Bigdrumma22]

Well there was a rate increase wasn't there? And I don't think more fans will make up for less A/C in the long run because they still use electricity, but that's just my opinion.

[SCobraVT99]

if you pchase energy efficiant fans (like I did, from Lowes (harbor breeze 52" fans), it WILL lower your cost of energy. Yea, they use energy, but your AC uses MORE energy if it has to work harder to cool and come on more frequently..

I keep my AC on 73 degrees 24/7, and my electricity bill is $109. That is cooling a 1700 sq ft house, not a 500 sq ft apt for those of you who think im kidding

[Agent Jones]

Originally Posted by Bigdrumma22

Well there was a rate increase wasn't there? And I don't think more fans will make up for less A/C in the long run because they still use electricity, but that's just my opinion.

the cost of electricty to run a fan and to run your entire AC unit is a huge difference. My bill lowered about 90 bucks just by using fans and raising the AC up 4 degrees.



Straight from the CPS energey website
Heating and Cooling Efficiency
Keep room temperature between 78 and 80 degrees. For each degree cooler, costs can increase 7 to 10 percent.
Consider using a programmable thermostat. Set it at a higher temperature while you’re at work, then program it to be a comfortable temperature when you return home. Try our Peak Saver Thermostat
Use ceiling fans to circulate air and make a room feel cooler. Don’t forget to turn off fans when you leave the room!
Check your air filter every month, especially during the winter and summer, and replace dirty filters that make your system work harder and waste energy.
More Heating and Cooling Efficiency tips

[Agent Jones]

Originally Posted by SCobraVT99

if you pchase energy efficiant fans (like I did, from Lowes (harbor breeze 52" fans), it WILL lower your cost of energy. Yea, they use energy, but your AC uses MORE energy if it has to work harder to cool and come on more frequently..

I keep my AC on 73 degrees 24/7, and my electricity bill is $109. That is cooling a 1700 sq ft house, not a 500 sq ft apt for those of you who think im kidding

you live in AUSTIN also they are cheaper than CPS

[Bigdrumma22]

Originally Posted by SCobraVT99

if you pchase energy efficiant fans (like I did, from Lowes (harbor breeze 52" fans), it WILL lower your cost of energy. Yea, they use energy, but your AC uses MORE energy if it has to work harder to cool and come on more frequently..

I keep my AC on 73 degrees 24/7, and my electricity bill is $109. That is cooling a 1700 sq ft house, not a 500 sq ft apt for those of you who think im kidding

I'm just thinking if you add up all the fans in any given home/apt. and they have them on all day as substitute for A/C, wouldn't the energy use kinda equal out? I just asked my parents and they said the bill is like $220 for them and we're in a 2900 sq. ft. house. Said the price was the same in our old 1300 sq. ft. house... this one is just way better insulated and efficient.

EDIT: This is with all electric appliances as well. And thermostat typically set at 76.

[Agent Jones]

Originally Posted by Bigdrumma22

I'm just thinking if you add up all the fans in any given home/apt. and they have them on all day as substitute for A/C, wouldn't the energy use kinda equal out? I just asked my parents and they said the bill is like $220 for them and we're in a 2900 sq. ft. house. Said the price was the same in our old 1300 sq. ft. house... this one is just way better insulated and efficient.

EDIT: This is with all electric appliances as well. And thermostat typically set at 76.

new homes are way better on energy. but the AC units use WAY more than a couple of fans on their highest setting. the AC has to run a unit outside and inside the house and blow air through the entire house. A fan operates on a regualr 112 volt outlet and uses less energy than a tv.

[Bigdrumma22]

Originally Posted by Agent Jones

new homes are way better on energy. but the AC units use WAY more than a couple of fans on their highest setting. the AC has to run a unit outside and inside the house and blow air through the entire house. A fan operates on a regualr 112 volt outlet and uses less energy than a tv.

I guess... I'm just trying to get a good idea for all this stuff before I finally move out. Hopefully beginning of next year if I'm lucky and can get stuff together. Gotta find out how much all the bills cost.

[ezblonde]

mine went from 150 to 335 and i just got my new bill and its 300... this shit is killin me...thank god Timewarner saved me about 60 so that will help!

[lazer96gt]

Doesn't this all REALLY stem from oil though? Damn oil BS!!!! Check your water heaters also.

[aguilarf]

We are enrolled in the Fixed bill program also known as the budget plan. They average a year's worth of use and you pay the same each month. Based on our last average we always pay 159 a month. That's with the air set at 78 and pool pump running for 14 hours everyday. We are up for renewal on the plan and our new averaged rate will go up to 189 for the next 12 months.

They have another program that lets you lock in the rate you are being charged. I think it's called the fixed rate program.

Budget Payment Plan

[Mustang_68_Coup]

Yeah, my house is on the Averaged Annual Billing thing ... I pay about $150 year 'round. 1,200 square foot house with a pool pump running about 8 hours a day and 2-4 ceiling fans on at all times.

I use a programmable thermostat, and have the house set to 78 when we are up and around ... 80 when no one is at home except the dogs ... and 63 at night when we are headed to bed. (I like it cold at night to sleep.)

One of the biggest savings I have found is when I replaced my house's windows. I took 4 months off paying (on the averaged plan, that makes $600 saved the first year) my electric bill when we came up for our renewal. The windows cost $5,000 installed, custom-built; and we saved quite a bit the first year, dropping my annual average from $180 to $150 AFTER the hiatus in payments!!!!!!!!!

My house has about 80% fluorescent lights, only using incandescent bulbs in the bathroom vanity mirrors -- chicks shouldn't apply make-up in flourescent light.

Gas for heat and cooking and hot water.

We have gone through the house and filled every outside-wall outlet with insulative material to reduce the heat transfer through the walls.

We have a HUGE oak tree out front which shades our home in the afternoons.

We have verified the weather stripping on the front and back doors to make sure that the amount of climate control escaping through those cracks is minimized.

The only things we have not been able to do to my house has been to re-insulate the attic to an R-30+ value or to R&R the wall insulation to verify that it's a suitable value ....

[bandit]

you know what else is great for reducing your monthly energy bill?

Spray Foam Insulation

We've been doing a ton of retro-fits recently.

[timpryor]

Jen I don't know how your bill could be that high, my parents have almost 3k square feet of A/C that runs 24/7 at 74 since there is allways someone home, and 14ft cielings, fans & about 3 computers that stay on and its less than 300/month.

[Agent Jones]

Originally Posted by timpryor

Jen I don't know how your bill could be that high, my parents have almost 3k square feet of A/C that runs 24/7 at 74 since there is allways someone home, and 14ft cielings, fans & about 3 computers that stay on and its less than 300/month.

also depends on how energy efficient the houses are. energy star homes will have a bill about 40% lower than non energy star homes. Even if you hom is not energy star rated you might have a couple of those features to make the home more efficient. like low-e gas filled windows, better insulations, better rated A/C unit, tighter construction, better air ducts, etc. If you home was bulit after 2004, it is rated atleast to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC) standards which would make your home 10-15% more efficient than a pre 2004 home.

[thesource]

Our usage this year for June and July was lower than last year at this time yet the bill was a hell of a lot more . My last two bills were $254 and $256 versus about $170ish this time last year .