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SonGoku_USA OP t1_j6rxnez wrote

I thought something was up when my electrical bill went to $30 to $70… to $340.

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throwingarmweak t1_j6s4m0v wrote

I'm new to my home and not only have that but also got a minisplit system installed, so I have no idea what my average electricity is supposed to be.

I estimated $150 because that's how much it cost for my apartment that was on the second floor and was bigger, but somehow the estimate is saying it'll be $245.

Ugh 😩

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Bird_Brain4101112 t1_j6sa8oe wrote

Cries in $700 electric bills (electric heat)

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j6sbji7 wrote

If you own, work on getting a heat pump, and I like a wood or pellet stove as a backup for when it gets really, really cold.

Most of us rent through, and our landlords are doing whatever is cheapest for them, which is often the most expensive for us.

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Bird_Brain4101112 t1_j6sda4s wrote

We own and we have multiple fireplaces which we don’t use since it’s not practical. Our bills were never this high but the last year or two the costs have exploded.

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j6sdqt0 wrote

Fireplaces, unlike wood stoves, are terribly inefficient. The only reason I recommend them though is for comfort and when the temp gets so cold outside, heat pumps lose the ability to work effectively. Geothermal solves this problem but is still super pricey.

Solar is also a must-have if you can fit it into the budget now as well.

It goes back to my original point though, that's only for those that are privileged enough to own a home. Those of us that aren't are just going to keep falling deeper and deeper into the hole with no way out.

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erock255555 t1_j6shsz9 wrote

Just about every heat pump made nowadays goes down to -5f pretty efficiently.

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j6si72p wrote

Yeap! It's amazing, but we are going to see more and more extreme weather events with climate change, so having a backup is a great idea!

Plus, there is just something about having a stove heating the room.

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Mijbr090490 t1_j6u3s85 wrote

Modern heat pumps can work in below zero temps. Their efficiency doesn't drop below 100% and can reach 300%-400% efficiency. With HEEHRA, qualifying households can get up to 100% of the system paid for. Geothermal is definitely the way to go if you have the cash, but an air source heat pump is the next best thing.

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j6u4vyv wrote

I'm probably just a bit sentimental about wood. Plus, it's a backup for when power is out.

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Mijbr090490 t1_j6u6n8k wrote

Wood stoves are definitely nice to have for backup. I think a heat pump with a wood stove for supplemental/backup heat would be perfect. It's just not ideal for everyone. Many people just want to flip a switch. Not to mention the wood itself. Finding and splitting your own wood makes it worth it, but its too physically demanding for many people. With the price of cord wood, it just doesn't seem like it would save you much money over alternatives.

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j6u6sch wrote

Solar and batteries are also a great solution, but most of this is moot, as most people rent now.

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drxdrg08 t1_j6yk7ke wrote

> as most people rent now

68% own 32% rent

That's not most.

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j6ykp8h wrote

Please provide data for PA.

My point still largely stands, those of us who need to cut every cost we can, tend to be renters, and we have no path to home ownership.

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drxdrg08 t1_j6ykkr6 wrote

> I'm probably just a bit sentimental about wood.

Burning wood is the worst method to heat if you care about global warming.

Wood is literally made from co2 captured out of the atmosphere. You can make things out of it. You can let it rot in the ground. But don't burn it.

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j6yma2f wrote

Rotting in the ground releases the CO2.

That's what most people don't understand about wood. It's part of the carbon cycle. Unlike fossil fuels, you aren't adding to the carbon cycle.

The big issue with wood is it's not sustainable at scale, sure there is a climate impact, but not at the level of Fossil fuels.

I was reading a study however, saying that, if properly done, a single acre of land could provide enough wood to heat a home indefinitely, I don't recall the details past that though.

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drxdrg08 t1_j6ytevx wrote

> Rotting in the ground releases the CO2.

Some. And it takes a very long time. All cars will be electric by the time a tree that dies today will be converted back to co2 from rotting. So burning now is a bad idea.

> I was reading a study however, saying that, if properly done, a single acre of land could provide enough wood to heat a home indefinitely, I don't recall the details past that though.

How big is the house, how insulated, what temperature inside, what temperature outside. This is probably a bad idea too since it takes a lot of energy to go from a tree outside to it heating up your house. And that energy has a carbon footprint too. I would not be so fast to say that burning fossil fuels in a very efficient and clean way is worse than burning wood even in theory. In practice virtually nobody wants to do that.

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j6zdlre wrote

In the end, we need to focus on fully renewable. My only initial point is that wood is a suitable substitute for when Electric is out, or even as an occasional thing for pleasure.

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fireXmeetXgasoline t1_j6scv37 wrote

Our bill has been a steady $450 and we don’t have electric heat, just a wood stove. We had an energy idiot and everything and no one can tell us what the issue is aside from “rates have gone up”.

Fucking wild.

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throwingarmweak t1_j6sai77 wrote

Oh my gosh I can't even imagine. I got the mini split system because oil was $600/month at 64°

I'm currently between 66-68° in the house which is just... Not fun

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j6sbdk7 wrote

>I'm currently between 66-68° in the house which is just... Not fun

I've never kept the house warmer than that. It's amazing how different all of our tolerances are.

I also lower the heat to 60 every night, and it doesn't turn back on until the kids are getting home from school. Really cuts down on the cost.

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Redlar t1_j6tc50a wrote

I start to not be able to work comfortably around the house if it gets below 70, it feels like my fingers are too stiff to work properly and I'm not arthritic. Longer sleeves aren't an answer because I just push them up my forearms, and wearing clothes that are too bulky interferes with my ability to do housework

I would let the house get cooler at night but it interferes with my sleep because I wear a CPAP mask (sleep apnea), I get condensation that then rolls out of the mask and up my nose. Not conducive to a good night of sleep

I would like to save more money, I've been frugal my entire adult life, but things in life interfere. It's frustrating

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j6tcnjv wrote

I feel that! I had issues with my CPAP in the summer when it was next to the air conditioner!

You could try turning down the humidifier, but it seems like you probably thought of that.

Keep in mind, thermostats aren't that accurate, odds are we keep the houses at about the same temp.

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Bird_Brain4101112 t1_j6sbjgk wrote

We have the main part of the house set at 55 and individual rooms are set according to whose room it is (each bedroom/bathroom has its own thermostat). It still massively sucks.

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brianbo402 t1_j6tasfx wrote

PPL fucked this up when people called and the direction they got was “just pay it and we will work it out later.” Yeah no, some people’s bills were close to $2000.

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Atrocious_1 t1_j6tmu34 wrote

Don't care unless some execs going to jail and PPL is paying fines and restitution

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basement-thug t1_j6wmffa wrote

My bill is usually around $120 during the time they "estimated". Their estimated bill was asking for $380. I was never going to pay that. I'm not a fool. I just took the meter reading and compared it to the last reading before things got messed up. Easy. What will be interesting is why they couldn't do the same thing. They pay a meter reader anyways. The system wasn't so messed up that guy couldn't make it out to read the meters. Something smells like poop in their explanation. There's no logical way my estimated bill would have been that high and it didn't take a data scientist to see that.

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ENODEBEE t1_j6zh8o0 wrote

Is your meter read manually? PPL converted to “smart meters” a few years ago

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basement-thug t1_j6zi3p8 wrote

They did upgrade it to a digital meter, but I feel like I've been seeing a guy walk around and read it anyways. Dunno to be precise. Are they all now connected to cellular towers? It is possible we don't have a meter reader anymore.

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