Average electricity bill for 2bdrm ~900 sq. ft. apartment?

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Average electricity bill for 2bdrm ~900 sq. ft. apartment?

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Started 4 months ago by wylder
Latest reply from ches08

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wylder

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168. That's right. This month the electric bill sent to us by APL was ~168 for a 2bdrm 900 or so sq. ft. apartment in Dublin, OH. When I spoke with American Power and Light (APL) "customer support" they casually brushed my question aside. When I persisted, one person hung up on me and the other put me on hold indefinitely.
My question is: What do you think of the $168/month electricity charge? Am I overpaying? Should I be involving the Better Business Bureau (BBB) at this point?

P.S. APL has a horrid rating of 'F' on BBB. I see now why that is... http://www.bbb.org/centralohio/business-reviews/electric-companies/american-power-light-llc-in-columbus-oh-65004536/

P.P.S. Apt. is centrally heated/cooled and that is all-electric.

Posted 4 months ago #
stephentszuter
Downtown Columbus
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I have a 500 sq ft apartment downtown that uses radiators and no a/c and I run about $15/month...

I am very energy conscious, though. The only thing I leave plugged in while I'm at work is my refrigerator.

Posted 4 months ago #
romanh
OTE / Short North / German Village
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I'm closer to 1300 sq ft and the most I've seen my bill get up to is $60. However, I've been in a smaller space down in German Village paying around $120 regularly. Both on the same company.

Posted 4 months ago #
Rockmastermike
The Bacon District
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If you have electric heat it's gonna be high. If you don't have electric heat that's pretty weird.

Posted 4 months ago #
wylder

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The apartment is indeed all-electric. Having said that, the thermostat is adjusted to ~65 deg F when I leave for work around 7AM and re-adjusted to ~71 or so before going to bed around 11PM. I am about to get some plug-in meters for each of the power outlets in use in the apartment. That should tell me how efficient or inefficient the central heating/cooling is...thanks for the answers; keep them coming.

Rockmastermike said:
If you have electric heat it's gonna be high. If you don't have electric heat that's pretty weird.

Posted 4 months ago #
stephentszuter
Downtown Columbus
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wylder said:
The apartment is indeed all-electric. Having said that, the thermostat is adjusted to ~65 deg F when I leave for work around 7AM and re-adjusted to ~71 or so before going to bed around 11PM. I am about to get some plug-in meters for each of the power outlets in use in the apartment. That should tell me how efficient or inefficient the central heating/cooling is...thanks for the answers; keep them coming.

You should buy Nest Thermostat, if you have the money. I hear that is saving people a bit of money...

Posted 4 months ago #
Rockmastermike
The Bacon District
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stephentszuter said:
You should buy Nest Thermostat, if you have the money. I hear that is saving people a bit of money...

a good programable thermostat is a good investment. That being said, you can get a decent one that does the job for about 1/8 of what they charge for the 'nest'.

Posted 4 months ago #
AlanBarber
Columbus
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Sounds about right... My AEP bill for a 2br townhome in Dublin was 142 this month.

Winter months make the bill jump a lot if you have electric heat. Summer I usually see a bill around 80-100 and winter around 150-170. Since moving to my current place the lowest bill I've had was $60 one October and $190 once in a January.

Definitely get a programmable thermostat if you don't have one. less than 50 bucks can get you a 5+2 programmable to help control the temp and save a few bucks a month by not wasting energy when you aren't home. They're easy to install, only took me 30 minutes last spring.

Posted 4 months ago #
wylder

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I have been looking at the NEST thermostat for a bit now. Good point.

stephentszuter said:
You should buy Nest Thermostat, if you have the money. I hear that is saving people a bit of money...

What I did find out from neighbors is that there seems to be an asymptotic floor for the monthly charge no matter the usage. That tells me some of the charge stem from external lighting around the complex and not from within the apartment. If true, this is quite unscrupulous I think.

AlanBarber said:
Sounds about right... My AEP bill for a 2br townhome in Dublin was 142 this month.

Winter months make the bill jump a lot if you have electric heat. Summer I usually see a bill around 80-100 and winter around 150-170. Since moving to my current place the lowest bill I've had was $60 one October and $190 once in a January.

Definitely get a programmable thermostat if you don't have one. less than 50 bucks can get you a 5+2 programmable to help control the temp and save a few bucks a month by not wasting energy when you aren't home. They're easy to install, only took me 30 minutes last spring.

Posted 4 months ago #
misskitty
Columbus
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HereYou can get low cost programmable thermostats and rebates from the Columbia gas web site.

Posted 4 months ago #
stephentszuter
Downtown Columbus
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Rockmastermike said:
a good programable thermostat is a good investment. That being said, you can get a decent one that does the job for about 1/8 of what they charge for the 'nest'.

I think the the "auto-away" feature is what makes it worth it. Regardless, you're right, it might be better in the end to buy a run-of-the-mill programmable thermostat. My landlord determines how hot my apartment is, so I don't have the option of trying either...

:)

Posted 4 months ago #
leftovers

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If you are being billed by AEP and think there is an issue with paying for other circuits then pull all the breakers on your panel and see if the meter stops spinning.

Posted 4 months ago #
wylder

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The provider is APL (American Power and Light) not AEP. I will switch the master breaker off and see if the meter stops running...but before that I need to find out where that darn meter is! Guess I am going meter-hunting after work :P

leftovers said:
If you are being billed by AEP and think there is an issue with paying for other circuits then pull all the breakers on your panel and see if the meter stops spinning.

Posted 4 months ago #
wylder

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Found this handy guide to changing the temperature on the water heater too: http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-adjust-temperature-on-water-heater.html

Operation "Take back the carbons" will commence after work :)

Posted 4 months ago #
Jman4ever

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One thing to check. Was your bill based on an actual read or an estimate. If it was an estimate, they may have estimated higher than actual usage, and you will "catch down" at the next bill.

Posted 4 months ago #
mrsgeedeck
Castle of Lions
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stephentszuter said:
I think the the "auto-away" feature is what makes it worth it. Regardless, you're right, it might be better in the end to buy a run-of-the-mill programmable thermostat. My landlord determines how hot my apartment is, so I don't have the option of trying either...

:)

I used my work bonus to buy the Nest for our house this year and I love it. There are other programmable thermostats on the market for half the cost, but as you say, the Auto Away feature is great, so is the ability to adjust the temp from your phone. We'd turned on Auto Away last weekend while visiting family and as soon as we saw the city skyline from the highway turned the heat back on so the house was warming up when we got in.
We'd installed a cheaper programmable model in our old place, and while it was nice, we still made mistakes in using it (home from work early so I need to turn it off and adjust the temp, type thing). Nest pretty much automates itself so less room for user error.

Posted 4 months ago #
stephentszuter
Downtown Columbus
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mrsgeedeck said:
I used my work bonus to buy the Nest for our house this year and I love it. There are other programmable thermostats on the market for half the cost, but as you say, the Auto Away feature is great, so is the ability to adjust the temp from your phone. We'd turned on Auto Away last weekend while visiting family and as soon as we saw the city skyline from the highway turned the heat back on so the house was warming up when we got in.
We'd installed a cheaper programmable model in our old place, and while it was nice, we still made mistakes in using it (home from work early so I need to turn it off and adjust the temp, type thing). Nest pretty much automates itself so less room for user error.

Work what? I want one of those...

Posted 4 months ago #
DavidF
Elysium Fields
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We're all electric and with heat and our 26 aquariums, running about $175 per month.

Posted 4 months ago #
ricospaz

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My bill was unusually high this month, about double. I have a house but use gas heat and I honestly couldn't figure out why it was so high. I wanted to check the meter but was just too busy. I do expect some sort of credit next month. We shall see.

Posted 4 months ago #
mrsgeedeck
Castle of Lions
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@stephenstzuter I'd rather have gotten a raise for the last three years than a bonus. Raise in base pay=more for retirement. Bonus=post tax band aid.

Posted 4 months ago #