Submitted by micahdash t3_10kzszw in pittsburgh
Hey all. I moved to Edgewood recently and am in a 1,000 sqft apartment on the second floor of an old home. Our electric bill this month was $492 dollars while our thermostat was on 69. I’m a bit irritated, but I’m also ignorant and from the south; is this a relatively normal amount to pay around here, or should I be searching for a problem?
People get really mad when you suggest this for some reason. I have a gas furnace and heat a 100+ year old, 1800 square foot house for less than $120 a month just by setting it to 67 F (63 F overnight).
I keep it on 63 when i'm by myself and 65 when my gf is over. I wear a hoodie because I like wearing a hoodie and even when I don't I don't really notice a big change in the temperature
I am very pro-doing this, but my wife has a circulation disease. We can be pretty austere to save a few bucks, but that’s something she probably can’t handle.
You can call Duquesne Light and have them tell you the average for the past year, when they're other tenants, and you can get an idea as to if something's changed. However, most likely with an old house there's very poor to no insulation. I'm not sure if you own a rent, but you can easily seal cracks and use things like the plastic that you put over windows that you tighten up with a hair dryer. Dryer. It doesn't cost that much money even if your landlord's not willing to reimburse you and it makes a big difference. If you own, it would be good too. See if you can get insulation blown in the walls
60 and a hoodie.
I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, but that’s only gonna save about $10/degree. OP should also look into plugging up drafts around windows and doors and then maybe putting plastic over windows. The other question is, what kind of heating it is. Electric (aside from heat pump) is crazy expensive, not that you’re going to overhaul the heating system in an apartment.
Are you able to add insulated window shades or drapes to the windows? That can help curb some drafts/block the cold from getting in, as well as stall heat from getting out.
If you can’t add more permanent curtain rods or hardware to the frames or walls, try finding “twist and shout” frame mounted hardware or tension rods for within the window frame to span across it.
Or, use non-marring ones, sometimes called over-the-frame style rods, which rely on wooden window framing to hold them up, using clips that slip behind the horizontal tops of or around the corners of the frame where the mitre edge is.
We did the plastic covers, and we’re looking to add some thicker curtains as well… it definitely made a difference.
We finally put those 100% blackout curtains up in all of our rooms and it's made a huge difference for us. It was pretty costly tho. Our house was built in the 20s so no actual insulation. We also got those draft stoppers for under doors. It helped stop some of those old house drafts as well.
Insulation and sealing of drafts make a huge difference. As a renter, unfortunately, there's usually nothing you can do about the former, and little you can do about the latter. As such, this becomes a potential major hidden cost for renters. Some people request to see historical utility bills before signing rental agreements for this reason, it can be a major factor in deciding where to live.
One thing I used to do was get plastic window sealer kits with double sided tape. My partner and I lived in a very old home built in the early 1900s, and every little bit helped.
We also got those things that have 2 round stuffed fabric cylinders with a piece of cloth holding them together to prevent drafts under the doors.
Both of those were pretty cheap and helped save on an already - expensive gas bill.
Rope caulk is helpful - it is totally removeable, reusable even, easy to fill gaps.
Compared to duct tape it's also less likely to make you lose your security deposit.
69? Nice.
Only way to get fucked by your gas bill!
Sounds like someone is running a space heater. I’d be kicking in doors. 🤣
Mine was close to that last month for a 1600 sq ft house. I also keep the temp at around 69. I was pissed when I saw it.
That’s too high. Something’s up.
Sounds like it is electric heat in an old drafty house. Sounds about right honestly.
That's not too out of whack. If you don't have gas appliances, normal usage plus heat, hot water, and clothes drying would make this only slightly higher than i would guess.
My solution is long johns, slippers and a hat indoors when it gets really cold.
69 is a high temp to heat an old home during winter. I suggest turning it down a few degrees and wearing nice cozy warm clothes at home. I suggest buying some heated blanket (thats what I do)
Our business was 300 last month and we use a good deal of electricity.
Business rates are way less than residential I am pretty sure. I went on a weird rabbit hole looking at rates like a month ago so I can’t remember what though
What is your cost per kWh?
.10
Do you use an electric space heater? Is your stove all electric or gas? A gas with electric pilot could use steadily. Another possible culprit - how old is your refrigerator? Side-by-sides are very inefficient, and the older ones especially. Any old fridge will use lots of electric. Assuming all your lighting is Led bulbs but if not, switch them out, you will see savings the next bill. Also big-screen tvs suck energy, consider putting on a power strip and turn of at the strip.
That's way too high. I had an apartment in an old house. It was about 950 sq. ft. Our electric bill was around $190. We keep the heat around 67-68 in the winter and the AC was constantly on in the summer.
It’s the New Normal… was probably was about $90-120 in 2018 you can ask electric company for back years cost
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You get the benefit of the downstairs neighbors heat.
This looks familiar. We've may have some similar questions to this in the past. You might find some good info here : Apartment search. I don't always get it right though, cuz I'm just a simple bot.
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AMcMahon1 t1_j5tvmeq wrote
Honestly i'd just turn the thermo down to 65ish and wear a sweater around the house if you're cold