High electric bills

Posted by John McGaw on January 26, 2007, 8:35 pm

snappydragon@gmail.com wrote:

> Some background:
> I rent a 50yr old small house that has natural gas for heat and water,
> electric everything else. We have had high electric bills for a few
> years now (avg 60kwh/day usage) which we attributed to a bunch of old
> appliances.
>
> We recently replaced the fridge and freezer with new high energy ones,
> had a broken stove for two months, and do, as a high average, 8 loads
> of laundry a month with older appliances. However, we still see a 50
> kwh/day average, which is high according to neighbours and the electric
> company. We have had the meter checked and replaced, with no help in
> solving this problem. I've had an electrician come in and he can't
> find anything out of the ordinary.
>
> The electric company claims that having old windows and doors can cause
> this problem. However, since we are heated by natural gas, I don't
> understand this logic (Can someone explain please?)
>
> I have run out of ideas, can anyone help point me in another direction
> with suggestions as to what to look for next? Thanks.
>

Man, I think I'd move into a cave if my electric consumption was like
that! My house is about the same age and has a gas furnace but my water
heater is electric and my last bill was only about 32KWH per day. I run
more laundry loads then you do and run several computers 24X7 and am not
overly careful about switching lights and the television off when I
should. My appliances are a mix of old and new also. You really need to
do some power measurements to find out where your power is going and
then concentrate your conservation efforts on the heaviest consumers.

Your power consumption will definitely be affected by the length of time
your gas furnace runs. The blower in most of them are pretty power
hungry, especially in the big old single-speed variety.

Have you checked in your community about having an energy audit done?
Sometimes they can be had for free or at reduced prices depending on
household income.

Good luck with it.

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

Posted by Humble Tom on January 26, 2007, 9:39 pm

On 26 Jan 2007 10:31:02 -0800, snappydragon@gmail.com wrote:

>Some background:
>I rent a 50yr old small house that has natural gas for heat and water,
>electric everything else. We have had high electric bills for a few
>years now (avg 60kwh/day usage) which we attributed to a bunch of old
>appliances.
>We recently replaced the fridge and freezer with new high energy ones,
>had a broken stove for two months, and do, as a high average, 8 loads
>of laundry a month with older appliances. However, we still see a 50
>kwh/day average, which is high according to neighbours and the electric
>company. We have had the meter checked and replaced, with no help in
>solving this problem. I've had an electrician come in and he can't
>find anything out of the ordinary.
>The electric company claims that having old windows and doors can cause
>this problem. However, since we are heated by natural gas, I don't
>understand this logic (Can someone explain please?)
>I have run out of ideas, can anyone help point me in another direction
>with suggestions as to what to look for next? Thanks.

I'm parinoid about electric use, so I switched over to compact
florescent bulbs. Now if I had your problem, I might want to narrow
down the high useage. I would start with verififying no one was
stealing my electricity. ;) After that, evaluate my usage habits.
Have you thought about an energy audit? Many utilities will help you
get one, and it might be free.

tom @ www.MedJobSite.com

Posted by Phisherman on January 27, 2007, 8:53 am

On 26 Jan 2007 10:31:02 -0800, snappydragon@gmail.com wrote:

>Some background:
>I rent a 50yr old small house that has natural gas for heat and water,
>electric everything else. We have had high electric bills for a few
>years now (avg 60kwh/day usage) which we attributed to a bunch of old
>appliances.
>We recently replaced the fridge and freezer with new high energy ones,
>had a broken stove for two months, and do, as a high average, 8 loads
>of laundry a month with older appliances. However, we still see a 50
>kwh/day average, which is high according to neighbours and the electric
>company. We have had the meter checked and replaced, with no help in
>solving this problem. I've had an electrician come in and he can't
>find anything out of the ordinary.
>The electric company claims that having old windows and doors can cause
>this problem. However, since we are heated by natural gas, I don't
>understand this logic (Can someone explain please?)
>I have run out of ideas, can anyone help point me in another direction
>with suggestions as to what to look for next? Thanks.

Yes this sounds high. My usage is around 600kwhr per month, higher in
July-August due to the A/C costs. Look at a list of appliances that
use a lot of energy. Refrigerators, freezers, space heaters,
microwave, big-screen TVs, hair dryers, dehumidifiers, hot tub,
toasters are all high energy users. Leaving lights (especially
incandescent) on for long periods can add up too. Some furnaces use
blower fans which can be set to operate 24/7. The more people living
there the higher the costs too.

Posted by Italian Mason on January 27, 2007, 4:17 pm

I have a friend that has a similar problem and I found a "leak test"
or "Hight Resistance Short circut test" in one of my electrical books
you may try;
According to the book older wiring thats coating is damaged can leak
current like a dripping faucet. Turn on all wall switches to activate
the hot circut wires, then stop power consumption by removing light
bulbs and fluorecent tubes, and disconnecting all lamps and appliances
(and everything else electric).
Then examine the electric meter, if it is turning (look closely and
watch for atleast a full min) this means a high-resistance short
circut is causing an electrical leak somewhere in the wiring. If this
produces results I would contact the land lord and what ever local
renters agency that can get you results if he does not fix it.

On Jan 26, 10:31 am, snappydra...@gmail.com wrote:

> Some background:
> I rent a 50yr old small house that has natural gas for heat and water,
> electric everything else. We have had high electric bills for a few
> years now (avg 60kwh/day usage) which we attributed to a bunch of old
> appliances.
> We recently replaced the fridge and freezer with new high energy ones,
> had a broken stove for two months, and do, as a high average, 8 loads
> of laundry a month with older appliances. However, we still see a 50
> kwh/day average, which is high according to neighbours and the electric
> company. We have had the meter checked and replaced, with no help in
> solving this problem. I've had an electrician come in and he can't
> find anything out of the ordinary.
> The electric company claims that having old windows and doors can cause
> this problem. However, since we are heated by natural gas, I don't
> understand this logic (Can someone explain please?)
> I have run out of ideas, can anyone help point me in another direction
> with suggestions as to what to look for next? Thanks.

Posted by CJT on January 27, 2007, 6:27 pm

Italian Mason wrote:

> I have a friend that has a similar problem and I found a "leak test"
> or "Hight Resistance Short circut test" in one of my electrical books
> you may try;
> According to the book older wiring thats coating is damaged can leak
> current like a dripping faucet. Turn on all wall switches to activate
> the hot circut wires, then stop power consumption by removing light
> bulbs and fluorecent tubes, and disconnecting all lamps and appliances
> (and everything else electric).
> Then examine the electric meter, if it is turning (look closely and
> watch for atleast a full min) this means a high-resistance short
> circut is causing an electrical leak somewhere in the wiring. If this
> produces results I would contact the land lord and what ever local
> renters agency that can get you results if he does not fix it.
<snip>

That's a new one on me. In the case of the OP, the unaccounted-for use
is enough that he almost ought to be able see the problem point glowing
(or smoking) if what you say is true. He's dissipating a _lot_ of
energy someplace.

In other words, I don't think your suggested explanation is likely in
this case.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form che...@prodigy.net.

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