electric bill, household

[G.]

Any idea what may be causing my electric bill to be just about double the neighbors' charge ALL YEAR 'ROUND?

So far I've:
checked the actual bills, to see if the rates were the same. Same.
checked the kWh for the big stuff, refrig., dehumidifier (turned it off, actually), sump, softner, etc. Nothing to see here.
Checked "off" stuff to see if it was warm (current drain). No Xbox, or PS3, which are sneaky that way.
Tripped the main to see if a neighbor was "borrowing" any power. Meter slowed to a stop.
Checked my attic to see if I had a hydroponic "garden" that I forgot about. ;)

I really shouldn't have significantly higher bills than the neighbors (similar houses, same builder). I could expect some higher charges, but not 100% higher.

I'm out of ideas.

No breakers tripping for no good reason.
I do have a couple of ceiling lights that go through bulbs a bit too quickly.

What do I need to check next?

Could a bad ground at the panel do this? How? Why? How do I find it?

I did have a electrician add some capacity to my garage (2 breakers) and he tied off the wires for future expansion. I can't remember if the charges went up about the same time the work was done, but it's in the ballpark.

Summary: It's most likely in the wiring, not in the usage.
The bills used to be "normal". They went up and stayed up.
They may have gone up about the same time that I had electrical capacity added. This is what I'm really looking at, but I'm not real sure how to go about it.

My ground-fault tester isn't made for GFCI outlets. Is this my first step? Get a new one, made for GFCI? All outlets (everywhere) show "ok".

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/cinemasupplies_2091_61530270


Thanks.

[indyfan31]

I can't imagine it being in the wiring unless there's a short somewhere, in which case you would have already had a fire. it has to be some appliance or device.
Instead of turning off breakers, try disconnecting devices one by one.
Whichever one causes the biggest effect on the meter might the culprit.

Otherwise, what do you have that your neighbor doesn't? Central air/heat? Do you have it set at different temps than your neighbor? Maybe an older unit? Electric washer/dryer and he has gas? Waterbed? :eek:

just throwin' stuff out there.

[Gnam]

I really shouldn't have significantly higher bills than the neighbors (similar houses, same builder).
Same size family?
Same appliances?
Same schedule?

Since the local utility company has started installing 'smart meters' that allow for variable rate billing, people have seen a significant increase in their bills.

[cameraman]

Buy one of these and document your gear.

http://www.p3international.com/products/special/P4400/P4400-CE.html

http://www.p3international.com/products/images/main_p4400.jpg

What about your primary gear? Which are electric?

Stove, hot water, heat, ac, clothes dryer???

[stroker]

Why?




Your electric utility doesn't like you.



:p

[G.]

I REALLY don't think that it's from any particular appliance. But I could be wrong.

I borrowed the Kill A Watt from the library and checked the big ticket items (2 refrigerators, sump pump, dryer, couple other things).

The neighborhood is relatively new, about 8 yrs. old. Houses are all similar. We've upgraded some appliances, but no real energy hogs (and we went Energy Star). In fact our dishwasher should use a lot less electricity, since there is no dryer element in it. All others are the same.

Schedule-wise, we tend to be up later than most, but we don't go nuts on the lights.

Stove, heat, dryer, water all nat. gas. This summer we hardly used the AC. Bills still about double.

Could you really be able to tell on this

http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/PhysicalScience/images/electric-meter1.jpg

if something was the culprit if you pulled it's plug? That's what's a pain with this, is you shut something off, then wait a month to see what happened.

I could deal, if the numbers were 30% higher. That would be what I would expect, tbh.

Other houses in the area are half of our bill as well (different builders/subdivisions).

It's to the point where I am contemplating having a guy bring a FLIR to check my walls for hotspots.

[SteveH]

For similar houses to be half, there has to be something really off. How about having the utility check their meter? I guess there's always a possibility that it may be the culprit. If so, you should be in for a refund.

What about a sump pump that has burned out? I had that happen once and it was just humming, not running. I can only imagine what the consumption was for that.

[cameraman]

It is possible to have a mis-calibrated electric meter.

[G.]

It is possible to have a mis-calibrated electric meter.

That's one on the list. Kinda weird that it would just sort of "jump" up a notch one month, then maintain that rate of error (not get worse).

We're not positive when the jump occurred, but it's been narrowed down to within 3 months.

Elect. company will come out, but if it's not their fault, they charge you (and don't fix the problem).

Might go that route.

[oddlycalm]

Stove, heat, dryer, water all nat. gas. This summer we hardly used the AC.
Yeah, it doesn't smell right G., all your heavy eaters are gas. Your electric bill should be nominal.

oc

[rosawendel]

i'd tend to think it was something with a motor (refrigerator/freezer, pond pump, hot tub pump), or electric heater (space heaters, hot tub, gutter heaters, clothes dryer, etc).

the kill-a-watt unit would probably help determine the biggest culprit.

[Elmo T]

It's to the point where I am contemplating having a guy bring a FLIR to check my walls for hotspots.

If you have friends in the local FD, they can bring out their thermal imaging camera. It is amazing what you can see with one.

The electric company can bring some sort of recording device to tap into the meter. Gives you a nice overview of usage of the period. We've had them installed when we were having electrical surges and problems in some neighborhoods.

[SteveH]

if something was the culprit if you pulled it's plug? That's what's a pain with this, is you shut something off, then wait a month to see what happened..

What if you first start by cutting circuits at the breaker box? (I'm assuming the increased drain is a constant) Start with the big amperage circuits first while someone visually monitors the meter to see if it shows any reduction in consumption. At least you should be able to narrow it down to the circuit, then go from there. If no one circuit reduces your consumption, then I'd call the utility and ask them to test the meter.

Grasping at straws....

[G.]

Some disclosure: This has been going on for quite a bit longer than I am comfortable admitting - about 2 years. :o

It's big enough that it should be obvious. I was certain that it was the de-humidifier (a year-round AC unit). So I cranked it down, waited, down, waited, etc., then off. It isn't that.

I've checked the main suspects, but not all of them. Really though, with this crap, it should be obvious what the culprit is when it starts up and the lights dim.
I have NOT checked the washing machine. Nor the dishwasher (no dryer element, but it does use a small in-line H2O heater on the last rinse, some Bosch system for evaporative drying).

We are not overly conservation-minded, we burn lots of lights, computers stay on, stereo on (not a fan of power-cycling electronics. They break from that.), chargers charge, even when done, etc., etc. Not enough to make THIS big of a difference. Plus, when we found eco-religion for a few months to fix this issue, it didn't help much. TV's are on too much, gotta admit that, but even when we try conservation...

Also, we have 2 banks of ceiling lights that seem to EAT lightbulbs. The ones upstairs need to be changed ~ 3 times per year. We do use them a lot (60W incan.). The one downstairs, about twice/year. These need bulbs much more than any other 60W incan fixture. I've checked the voltage of course. Different breakers on the two.

We also have a suspected poltergeist (of COURSE we do ;)). One light switch for a bathroom, will VERY rarely cause the smoke detectors (all wired) to chirp once. Turn light on, get a chirp. I've heard it ONCE, wife says she's heard it before. I'm not convinced that there's a causal relation.

I'm down to faulty wiring, or bad meter.

See, one of you were supposed to tell me that this happened to you, and there was a bad ground connection, RIGHT THERE, and then I could fix it. :laugh:

[nrc]

If you can get a clamp-style current meter, you might try putting one on your main line and then kicking off all your breakers. Then cycle through your breakers one by one. Start with all the loads on a circuit off (should show 0) and turn them on or plug them in one by one. Make sure you start all the heavy hitters on each of your circuits to see the impact. Note each measurement.

If nothing stands out as a culprit from that process, start taking measurements on a regular basis and note them with the date and time. Watch for big jumps and track down and big differences.

While your mechanicals are mostly gas, the blower on your furnace/heat pump might be a suspect. I'm assuming that you've changed your furnace filter in the last two years. :)

Another suspect might be external wiring. A frayed wire to an outside lamp post could draw a lot of current without necessarily kicking a breaker or starting a fire.

[chop456]

If your house operates anything like mine, removing the females will save you approximately 107% in lighting costs.

[dando]

If your house operates anything like mine, removing the females will save you approximately 107% in lighting costs.

I actually get lectured by a 3 yo and 6 yo for leaving lights on and the TeeVee when I leave a room. :irked: And like G. I don't like powering electronics off and on.

G. gotta think the meter's @ fault in this case.

-Kevin

[datachicane]

My folks had the fan motor in their heat pump bite it while they were down south for the winter- when they got back, they had some extraordinary electric bills waiting for them. I'd go along with SteveH's suspicion that somewhere you've got a motor that's choked...

[Gnam]

Can you compare the reported kWh use with the actual reading on the meter?

Had a situation on a water meter where a fogged up display window made it hard to read. Instead of taking the time to read it correctly or report it broken, the meter reader just made up a number. :gomer:

[Tifosi24]

I don't work in weatherization, but I am a utilities rates analyst, so I will try to use my level of expertise with this issue to help. First off, I don't think the FLIR will help much, apart from saving money later on. The fact that you are going through bulbs is an indication that there is some level of power surge going on. It could be a quality issue for the whole area, I had a co-worker who's apartment ate up CFLs, so you should ask your neighbors if they go through bulbs. But, to me, it sounds like a defective meter, which happens from time to time. I have had natural gas meters go bad and electric meters do to. It appears that you have an older meter, so it is not the issue that folks in California are having with the move to smart meters. I am not familiar with the rate tariffs in Georgia, but in Minnesota, where I regulate, a defective meter has it's own statute and entitles you to a refund up to 12 months into the past. The meter should be no out-of-pocket since that is included in base rates. However, I believe Georgia is fully unbundled, which means that you can purchase gas, or electricity, from different providers, while Minnesota is a classic fully regulated state where electric utilities have a specific territory and are a full monopoly. This is a little long-winded, but I hope it helps. I am more than willing to help as much as I can.

[opinionated ow]

Can you compare the reported kWh use with the actual reading on the meter?

Had a situation on a water meter where a fogged up display window made it hard to read. Instead of taking the time to read it correctly or report it broken, the meter reader just made up a number. :gomer:

Yeah, check the readings. When we did a knock down rebuild a few years back we got a water bill because the guy couldn't be bothered doing his job properly and just assumed that the water meter had changed despite there being no house on the block of land!

[Sean Malone]

My electric bill last month was $461. Up about 50% from Nov. :yuck:

[Napoleon]

What state do you live in? Are your utilities required to come out and do an energy audit if you ask? (I think California requires that).




My folks had the fan motor in their heat pump bite it while they were down south for the winter- when they got back, they had some extraordinary electric bills waiting for them. I'd go along with SteveH's suspicion that somewhere you've got a motor that's choked...

I always thought that electric motors were such a mature technology that they likely were as efficient now as in 1950 but I recently read where they really have dramatically increased efficiency over the years so even if you have one that is working as designed but it is old and you are comparing it to newer efficient models there could be a real difference in current they draw.