Thread: Electric Power Billing .
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Old 12-29-2014, 10:28 AM
P.C. P.C. is offline
A Talent for Obfuscation
  
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: In the Deep State
Posts: 20,014
Quote:
Originally Posted by dkveuro View Post
Have an elderly family friend who lives alone with electrical power charges of $542.00 for December 2014. All meters are smart meters.There are 4 of them on the ranch..Main house . About 2500 sq brick built single story and well insulated, double glazing etc.

Trailer house....now gone and meter shut off.

Lab' and studio..runs about $100 in winter as grandson often sleeps there. It's own meter.

Kennel house.... It's own meter. Now shut off.

Here's some historic facts. She had bills in the $1000.00 per month range up to June last year until I did an audit on energy consumption for her.
I found that the lower heater element ( 12 years old.)for the shower and kitchen tank had welded it self ON. I disconnected it and turned the upper element to 125 degrees.

Found the ( 12 year old ) utility room double element water heater tank ON and set to 170 to 185 degrees. I shut both elements off. She now does laundry with TIDE cold water detergent in cold water.

Out in the back yard is an old kennel house ( Unused now. ) about 10 x30. It had a double element water heater and was set to 185 degrees That is now shut off.

In the old dental lab' there is a water heater tank and lights with a art studio for the grandson. It runs on a separate smart meter ...about $100.00 a month in winter.

After shutting off unnecessary power, monthly power charges dropped to $190.00 in summer....with August around $225.00.
Last September the house a/c burnt out and has not been fixed .

So she has gone up around $300.00 for December and I cannot see how....maybe $50.00 or so for colder weather.
The bill is not itemized and only last Kwh's used. For their claim of 5320 Kwh they are charging $510.00 for power.

They list previous reading : 11359.
Month end reading : 11492....with a multiplier of 40.0000 giving 5320 kwh used.

Their web page has no Tariff or Kwh charge rates. Seems average Kwh rates in Oklahoma are 0.09 per Kwh.

What I cannot fathom is a jump of nearly $300.00 from November to December.

Any power guys help me get a handle on this and any suggestions?

FYI : A residence power costing page .....Operating Costs of Household Appliances - Cornhusker Public Power District



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1. I don't know if it is efficient to have a water heater originally designed to utilize two elements now operating with just one element.

2. Can the water heaters be outfitted with some type of exterior insulating wrap? How old are all of the water heaters? Is there economic justification to replace them with new, presumably more efficient models?

3. As the lab and studio are being used from time to time, has the insulation/energy efficiency of that structure been evaluated?

4. I assume that the property is remote enough to make natural gas piped in from a utility company impossible/impractical. What about propane delivered by truck? You could leave the electric system in place as a supplement/backup.
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