Where does all the electricity go?????

[Mark42]

Got my last electric bill and it was for over 1,300 kwh of electricity. Ouch! And that is one heck of a lot of electricity to be burning up when I don't even have electric heat!<br /><br />I do have electric clothes dryer and range. <br /><br />How much electricity do you use?

 

[jtexas]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

Do you have those outlet covers for your unused outlets, to keep the electricity from escaping?

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

Just got mine a few minutes ago - 1106 kwh and I heat w/gas. Bill covered 29 days.

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

I don't even look anymore, too depressing.<br /><br />I know most of mine goes to lights. Wife and kids don't know that the switch also shuts them off.<br /><br />Then you have VCR's that are in standby mode always sucking juice, microwave, DVD players, computers, all in standby mode pulling electricity. Refredgerator always running, furnace fan, lights with ceiling fans, hair dryers, curling iron, television, coffee pot, stove.<br /><br />Mine really jumps when I use my welder.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

OMG. jtexas, you are right! I better run down to Lowe's right away! Just think of the savings. I have about 64 plates times 2 outlet per plate! That means about 128 outlets in the house. About 25 of them have something plugged into them at any one time, that means I am losing electricity out of about 100 uncovered outlets! OMG!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

Here we pay about 12 cents a kilowatt hour. So a 100 watt bulb can run 10 hours for 12 cents. Doesn't sound like it will be expensive to run a house, but I guess things add up fast.<br /><br />The range is rated at 10.8 kwatts. So that baby costs about $1.30 an hour to run if everything is turned on. The dryer is rated 5.6 kwatts, costing about $0.68 an hour to run. Still doesn't sound like it adds up to a lot though...<br /><br />And no, my unused outlets do not leak 'lectricity cause we got the child proof plugs in them! <br /><br /><br />Now about that phone bill.....

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

Heres why ya gott'a cover them un-used outlets: After the electricity runs out the receptacles it puddles up in the carpet. Then it gets on your feet as ya walk across the floor. And as you move around it makes its way towards your fingers, then when ya go to touch someone or some thing ZAPPPP!! It jumps off ya looking to get back on the floor.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

Man, thanks LT! Now I understand why my wife goes around in socks and zaps me on the ear all the time. Here I could get her to stop it AND save electricity all in one quick stop at Lowe's!

 

[SwampNut]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

I haven't even looked at the bill in a long time, but about $60 of it goes towards our saltwater aquariums. We have 860 watts of lights on them running most of the day, not to mention all the high powered pumps and other machinery.<br /><br />Like boating, keeping a reef tank is a "just add money" hobby. And like boating, it sure is worth it.

 

[technostingray]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

Originally posted by SwampNut:<br /> I haven't even looked at the bill in a long time, but about $60 of it goes towards our saltwater aquariums. We have 860 watts of lights on them running most of the day, not to mention all the high powered pumps and other machinery.<br /><br />Like boating, keeping a reef tank is a "just add money" hobby. And like boating, it sure is worth it.

How do you pay the bill, Direct Deposit?

 

[Mark42]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

Originally posted by SwampNut:<br /> <br />Like boating, keeping a reef tank is a "just add money" hobby. And like boating, it sure is worth it.

Please tell me you have it in a location where you see it all the time, like family room and not hidden in the unfinished basement.<br /><br />Reef tanks are soooooo cool.

 

[SwampNut]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

Basement? In Arizona? No such thing. The system in the front room, what would be a living room and a formal dining area if we had any "formal" genes in us at all. We have a couch in front of it, and spend a lot of time sitting there watching all the sea life and new creatures that turn up. Beats TV.<br /><br />

 

[youngboater]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

LOL I laughed at the basement in Arizona!! Sorry it's just funny.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

FWIW, your water heater sometimes accounts for up to 2/3's of your electric bill. (providing it is an eletric one. <br /><br />I put a timer on mine. 2 hours on in the morning, and 4 hours on in the evening. It dropped about $60 to 70$ off the bill. The savings paid for the timer in just one month. It was easy to install, but then that is the type stuff I do.<br /><br />When the timer has the tank off, the water still stays hot througout the day. Of course if you use alot when it is off, it will take longer to heat back up to temp when the timer kicks on.<br /><br />Also one of those fiberglass jackets help more than one would think. Good luck.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

OK, I'll bite....<br /><br />Why don't houses in Arizona have basements?

 

[SwampNut]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

The ground in most places would require dynamiting to open up. Pools can get expensive here, depending on the location. Some parts of AZ have a high water table. Believe it or not--being the desert--many places have HUGE amounts of underground water.<br /><br />Also I think basements were created for places where the ground is cold and wet, to keep that away from the structure. I could be wrong on that, but it's what I've heard. Our surface is never wet for more than a few hours and never all that cold. I know you have to provide cement down to the frost line on a home construction, and that's pretty deep in Northern climates, but probably only a few inches here.<br /><br />So houses here are simply built on a flat slab. I have seen exactly one basement in AZ, and that was a custom build by a guy from the midwest that just absolutely wanted a basement.

 

[woodrat]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

I am heating with electricity here (several space heaters), and my last bill was a whopping 2818 kwh for 29 days. we also have electric hot water. In the summer though, I drop all the way down to about 45 kwh for the same time period. Fortunately for us we have cheap electricity here, 6.6 cents per kwh. next winter we will have the woodstove installed and be back to normal. I hate the winter power bills.<br /><br />Far cry from the five years that I lived on a couple of solar panels and a back up genny! There we had only a few light bulbs, a car stereo for tunes and propane hot water and propane fridge. Wood for heat.

 

[briannh1234]

Re: Where does all the electricity go?????

Those energy efficient light bulbs will pay for themselfs. Pick up the 6 pack of them at Home Depot ($7 after the $2 instant rebate). Try them out in any lights that get's used alot. You will notice the savings on your next electric bill.<br /><br />I have just one in-efficent light bulb left in my home.