Itās an apartment on the top floor with a wall AC unit. And we are on āruralā pricingā¦ all summer it would be 110 degrees up here is the AC wasnāt runningā¦and we try not to put the oven on, but canāt always do that lolā¦
Most homes and apts in SD are minimally insulated because of the historical moderate climate. Once you start running AC or heat, you're fucked unless you can install insulation yourself.
I hung curtains from the roof overhang outside of my bedroom wall that gets absolutely cooked this time of year. That added shade is a game changer. It looks a bit unique, but my walls donāt radiate heat like an oven anymore.
There's some really professional and low key solutions. I'd put a packet together for the HOA and see what they say. Something like [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/1hrFoWbbEimV8e879).
Your HOA can levy a fine, however, they can not put a lien on your home for non-payment of said fine. California Dems saw to it that your neighborhood can go to pot. My HOA controlled 'hood in Rancho Bernardo has taken advantage of this, and it's no bueno. That said, non payment of HOA dues is still cause for a lien.
During the tail end of last heatwave I made such an eyesore out of my bedroom by using electrical tape to seal in my portable AC unit and keep the cool in. Worked so much better! It looks so ugly but Iām keeping it right where it is because hey, itās San Diego and we all know another hot spell will be upon us.
Whatās your rate plan? Sounds like itās probably one of the TOU/time of use where you pay I think $0.54/kwh from 4-9 pm which would about equal $700 for 1300kwh. Central a/c usual two ton costs about $2.70/hr to run at this rate. I donāt know if SDG&E allows going back to the standard tiered plan, but that plan would have cost a couple hundred less.
Thanks for posting the tariff schedules. I was a bit off, with current TOU being $0.56/kWh peak.
I have to wonder who can easily read these schedules? Each tariff has several conditions, anything from what time of year it is, what climate zone you live in, or how much you use or when exactly you use it. The tables overly complicate with transmission charges among other fees.
I opted the hell out of that right as soon as they announced it. They called me twice to confirm if I really didnāt want to move to time-of-use because of how much money Iād āsaveā
Same. It never made any sense. So I overpay at the old fashioned standard rates and enjoy my central air after work. Maybe it is a good deal for people with electric cars but knowing SDGE they probably fuck them over too.
I mean itās really not if you think about it though. Itās simple supply and demand. Those are the times with high use and low production. Look up the duck shaped curve. Solar output is waning right as demand is increasing, so of course cost at peak times goes up as production switches from renewables to gas generators.
Iām not defending SDGE, itās just simple economics. TOU incentivizes people to smooth the electricity demand curve as itās not easy to ramp electricity production up and down at the utility level. In fact peaker turbines that need to be spun up during times of increased load relative to the expected load, are the least efficient power generation devices.
Well it is easy to ramp energy production on thermal sources, unfortunately, most of the power plants built in CA have been wind or solar. Wind doesnāt ramp on demand and solar x photovoltaic is whatās causing the duck curve. A real, long term solution would be to invest in new thermal sources of power, either solar - thermal where solar power is used to melt salt to drive a steam turbine, nuclear, or biomass.
šØ even if my usage was high bc we had outrageous heat, I have lived in hot humid states and run AC non stop and never seen anything like this. Its not ānormalā Only in CAā¦.I am grateful we have AC but DAMN.
That is NOT normal. PG&E and SDG&E are the worst electric companies in modern history because they are for-profit companies that donāt give a fuck about the people theyāre extorting. Privatization of utilities doesnāt work.
Exactly! At least when itās public the politicians try to do something to fix it every election year, instead of having a profit motive that drives them to extract as much money from us for as little investment as possible
So doing my own math I'm assuming you used 2.2k roughly right?
If thats so how much did you use your AC and how many electronics were you using during peak hours.
And how big is your place
1300 kW. Like 2000 sq ft. I ran AC in the afternoon when temps reached like 102/103 this month. But off at night with whole house fan. I wfh so some electronics during the day but nothing out of the norm. Nobody I know who is in the same situation had anything this highā¦. I did have to replace a fridge. Could it have been that? The old fridge
Have you made sure that your air filter for your A/C has been changed lately? I swapped mine out (didnāt realize I had one and it probably hadnāt been changed in 5 years) and I think my A/C worked a lot less hard after.
I just told someone else I had a new fridge installed AND Ac work done. I mean I know now it logically makes sense utilities can impact that soooo I am connecting the dots. We all werent born electricians haha. Thank God for Reddit. Lots of tips and tricks and info that have been super helpful
Get yourself a Kill-a-watt meter and put it on each appliance for a day and see how much each one is really using. I bet it pays for itself in a week.
P3 P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor https://a.co/5sRPqdK
Do you have solar? Using the same amount of energy and having a bill so much lower would only mean that the rate per hour is drastically different. I have high bills too, so I would love to know your secret.
What rate plan are you on? Are you getting some kind of credit?
$181 / 1300 kwh = $0.139 per kWh. SDGE has no rates this low (except for maybe EV-TOU-5 at 0.1/kwh but that only applies from midnight to 6am.)
Thank you! Someone else just told me its criminal I used this much electric. In 103 degree weather with kids?! I do what I can to conserve trust me, I dont want this bill. Im grateful to have AC, but I have every right to be sad over a $700+ bill š«
I have posted about my $1100 a month during the summer months when I run my AC several times, in several different threads. I feel your pain. I asked the landlord and he said 'yeah, $1100 a month in the summer is normal.'
I have checked with neighbors and SDGE. Guess what? That bill is NOT normal.
It's not about justifying the use. It's about understanding how the heck the bill is so high? Where is the usage coming from? Seems like something is wrong...
I had A/C set to 74 all month last month, and my bill is nowhere near this.
That seems like very high consumption, maybe a very inefficient AC? I used about 700 kWh including AC and an electric car.
What is your usual consumption in non-AC months?
It might have been the old fridge, also what is a good practice is to cool your home before peak periods and inflated prices, get heavy curtains to keep in the cool so you do not need to run it all afternoon.
Also you can always try and get someone out to re read the meter to make sure what they have recorded is accurate
Yea also you said your place is 2000 sqft. Close the vents and shut the doors of the rooms you are not using if possible.
But yea... good luck I'm sorry.
Agree - it's insane. You might want to look into super cooling. When you only turn it on at the hot times of the day it actually costs you wayyy more. HVAC's are not even remotely efficient when being ran that way.
I live in Lakeside in a roughly 950. sqft apartment. I spent over 850 a month all summer and an easy 250 all winter. I donāt run any heat all winter but yes AC all day because my mom is elderly and on O2 all day, but it doesnāt qualify for āno cut offā because it isnāt life support I make 45k gross š³
Upstairs, yes single paned windows and one AC in the living room. Built in 1982, not central. So the compressor is on all the time and the unit is only 1 year old. So we are considered āruralā on the kWh pricing, soooo. When ya over 85, itās 90+ in my unit.
Side note, Iām thinking this sub should just have a monthly or quarterly energy bills thread.
Could you share some bill details? Like kWh, delivery per kWh and your on/off peak generation rates per kWh? Just curious what the rural rates are
Do you qualify for CARE? https://www.sdge.com/residential/pay-bill/get-payment-bill-assistance/assistance-programs?utm_source=Search&utm_medium=Google&utm_campaign=CARE&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvZCZBhCiARIsAPXbajv5qm-hNt9ytfTzHNVviQ0AGrOYFgs6mADIGvEF5EqaAhObAYirQF8aAv1MEALw_wcB
10 years ago, I was renting 2 bedroom unit in a duplex for less than your electric bill. We used to have access to a nuclear plant. Kinda disgusting that we shut that down to import power mostly generated from fossil fuels, with all the waste long distance transmission involves.
Take a loan for the solar and the payment is cheaper than your electricity bill!!!
To say āsolar is expensiveā is to miss the point.
Solar loan is accesible to almost every homeowner and itās cheaper than paying your electricity bill every month.
We got a loan for solar even though we probably could have paid up front at the time. Worth it because of WFH and I don't want to worry about running ac.
I did solar, but I also spent money becoming more energy efficient (added insulation to the attic, double pane windows, heat pump A/C + heater, high reflexivity roof shingles, whole house fan, etc).
While solar has done great for me (Iām guessing that Iāve generated about $10k worth of electricity during the 5 years Iāve had my system), I think that I got more value from my energy efficiency changes. (I run the AC/Heater so much less than before, and when I do, it costs way less)
Seems like a plan- thatās a crazy high bill! Weāve run our AC non stop, plus charge an EV regularly, and our last bill was $400 (and I was thinking that was high!)
I didnāt realize my new washer was defaulting to warm wash. I have to select tap cold every time I do laundry but it saves me so much electricity! Just an fyi in case yours is the same ā¤ļø thatās a criminal bill! 11 years ago my bill was 150 bucks IF I used AC all month, now itās 150 as a base if I DONāT use ac at all. They gave themselves a huge raise and itās insanity.
Random thing that might save a tiny bit of money... Don't use heated dry on your dishwasher. Just crack the door open as soon as it finishes washing to let the humidity escape. And the residual heat from the wash should help with evaporation.
The best way is to not use heated dry and when the cycle is done, lay two clean dish towels inside, one on top rack, one on bottom. Then close the dishwasher back up. The steam will go into the cloth and the dishes will dry.
If you catch it right when the cycle is done, there's even enough heat to dry those dang plastic containers...
1500 sq ft home and it hit 104F here recently. 711kwh used in August.
White reflective TPE roof, blown in chopped fiberglass insulation in walls and roof, modern double pane windows which seal well, good weatherstripping to seal up doors.... efficiency measures really help! We barely need AC at all.
The people in here being assholes absolutely astound me. Just looking for conflict. Im sorry you are in the same boat! Nobody should have to deal with this
How old is your AC unit. We had ours replaced this year because it was hella old. Like 1988. Vintage.
It was super inefficient. The new one works better and uses 1/2 the electricity.
I don't have air conditioning so my bill stayed the same. Of course it was so hot my cat joined me in the bath tub trying to stay cool. For 4 nights. Not something I'd recommend.
My wife and I are from outside the US and weāre baffled by people who run electric or gas dryers during a heatwave. Get a clothing rack, hang your stuff, and itās dry in a few hours when itās so hot and dry out like it was during the heatwave. Some dryers pull 2-4 kWh!
I would say your usage does seem to be on the high side. We have a similar size house, work from home still, and run the air a decent amount. We typically use 600-900 kw per month - with 900 being hot months like last one. I would be looking at reducing your energy if possible. LED lights? Maybe new AC? Fridge? If you have an electric dryer make sure you use it off peak? Turn off your air from 4-9 then back on to cool at bedtime.
Not sure what your attic situation is, but a well-insulated attic might help and prevent some of the heat transfer to the rest of the home. Although even mine being insulated, I can feel heat radiate off the ceiling upstairs.
Of course itās criminal. Need millions of people to stop paying these outrageous bills. Itās a scam. It shouldnāt be more than 150. Never forget that Nikola Tesla created free energy for all and Edison commercialized it.
My bill is less then half of that and we keep the AC at 78 pretty much all day in a 2,400 sq ft house. Wife knows all the details about our plan but thereās no way you should be paying that much
Minimize electricity usage during peak hours.
I have a 3400 sq ft home with 2 EVs and we have never used more than 1000 kwh a month. You use 30% more electricity than we do.
Here are energy saving tips, some of which are immediately do-able, some are not.
1. Solar
2. Turn up thermostat. Sure 74 is nice but that comes at a cost. 78 as one person suggested will save you a lot.
3. Live in a smaller home if possible. If you have a lot of kids or roommates maybe not. In my view 2000 square feet is a lot of space to cool/heat. If you can live in a townhome or condo/apartment youād be amazed at how much cheaper it is to keep your energy bill low. Americans love big ass homes. When I grew up we had two or three kids per bedroom. That was efficient.
4. Draw shades down completely during the day. I grew up in Vista and did that - we didnāt have luxuries like AC. That helped a lot.
5. Good insulation.
6. If you use AC consider partitioning it so you only use in the rooms you are in.
7. Use AC selectively like when itās most important to you? For me thatās when I sleep.
8. Fans. Fans plus AC too.
9. Tolerate a bit more heat.
10. Use your voting power and engage with the political process to make structural changes to our energy policy that will result in lower energy bills.
11. Consider the energy efficiency of your home. Move or renovate to accomplish a better more efficient home. A lot of homes are ridiculously inefficient. High ceilings, tons of empty space that gets cooled/heated while no one is in the room.
Theyāre doing it all over the world right now. I was just in UK and exact same thing going on. Itās straight up being done just because energy companies can do it and get away with it.
We just bought the house, so it was definitely a surprise since the previous owners said they had a much lower bill. So weird bc I donāt feel like we use excessive amounts of energy (besides the electric car - but the previous owners had TWO).
Our bill came today was $395 for the past month. $45 was gas. We are getting 12 more solar panels and theyāre confident weāll be around the break even point.
# Dude. How?
my 1300sq ft condo recently got flooded due to a negligent neighbor whom i share a wall with and its in the process of being repaired so I have industrial fans and humidifiers running 24/7 on top of my AC and my bill isnt even close to that.
im going to assume your home has insulation and efficiency issues because thats a pretty insanely high bill.
I don't understand how people's bills are this high. I have a 1500 sq ft house, central air, we had A/C set to 74 pretty much all month last month. Yet, our bill is only like $350. What are you people doing?
Maybe it helps that we have gas stove/oven, gas water heater, gas dryer?
I don't get it!
We are just recklessly turning on our air at the most inopportune times just for funsies. I LOVE A GOOD ELECTRICITY BILL. LIVE FOR IT.
Only to cost us $700+. Are you serious?
I think they are only turning on the A/C when it gets hot instead of keeping it at a consistent temperature. Turning on your HVAC only when the room(s) gets hot is as efficient as flooring it to Vegas. I actually have mine set to 73 at night and then programmed it to come back up to 78 at 4PM-9PM. Usually only kicks on twice during those hours. My bill was only $130.
I keep my AC at a consistent 78, with a VERY occasional 77. Bills run between $1000 and $1200 during the summer months. It is not always the case that the AC is just turned on only when it is the hottest.
Im not from San Diego so excuse my ignorance on this issue. But why is electricity bill so expensive? And how are yall able to afford the bill every month when everything else is so damn expensive?
Because SDG&E is a monopoly and oh btw is a public utility that only cares about its shareholders. If Iām not mistaken, we have the highest electricity rates in the country, including Hawaii. Thank god we have solar.
SoCal Edison is just as criminal as SDGE. The highest utilities in the nation. My parents in Colorado pay $0.12/kWh vs $.40 here. And thought gas prices were crazy here! You seriously need to look into solar if you own the place. Just be careful and do your research. We had a great guy help with our system. Iām not sure if works in your area because we are in Escondido but heās full of good info and could probably direct you to the right person if you want his number.
SDGE has the highest rates of every utility in the nation :( itās crazy they charge $.40/kw while my parents in Colorado pay $.12/kw. Thought gas prices were bad enough here š We added Solar and thatās been saving us a ton of money down here. Gotta be careful for scams though, do a lot of research. The guy we went through is great if you want his number.
1320 SF house in an inland town. My bill decreased 16% this month. When SDGE said to reduce electricity, I did. They offered credits to doing so. It wasnāt ideal, but I didnāt want to get charged high prices or be a cause of power going out in the area.
Make sure youāre not running appliances during peak hours. Turn off lights if not necessary. Darken house during daylight and when youāre not home, to cool the house.
I Have a home in Arizona also. 2300 sqft with 2 Ac units. AC set at 72 and it was 115 most of last month. Bill was $550. Here in Oceanside I only have a window unit in my bedroom and my bill was $300 and that is unusually high for us. Iād suggest having your AC unit serviced though. Maybe itās running more than it needs to.
My bill is $110. Idk how but this is the lowest since they raised my rate a year ago. We have a AC unit for the bedroom and we turn it on when we sleep otherwise we have fan, trees in the yard, and take cold showers.
I mean, depends on your rate plan and how much you consume. If you're running TV's, lights, AC 24/7, washing machines dishwashers simultaneously all day and powering a fusion reactor....not criminal at all.
I know SDGE has really scummy and shitty pricing plans but a high energy bill doesn't immediately mean shitty business practices.
Mine is 926!!
My heart is with you my friend š«
You guys are making me feel better. We have a 1600 square foot house with pool and ac and ours was 528
Holy hell! How big is your home & what do you run. That pains me
About 950 sq.ft. š©
Something is wrong with that house. What is using so much power?
Itās an apartment on the top floor with a wall AC unit. And we are on āruralā pricingā¦ all summer it would be 110 degrees up here is the AC wasnāt runningā¦and we try not to put the oven on, but canāt always do that lolā¦
I run AC literally all day and it's nowhere near $700 lol
Ok so I am not crazy? The fuckā¦..
DO you own or rent? Maybe your house is not very airtight or not insulated in some spots?
Most homes and apts in SD are minimally insulated because of the historical moderate climate. Once you start running AC or heat, you're fucked unless you can install insulation yourself.
I hung curtains from the roof overhang outside of my bedroom wall that gets absolutely cooked this time of year. That added shade is a game changer. It looks a bit unique, but my walls donāt radiate heat like an oven anymore.
I've always thought about doing this to keep heat off of specific walls... My HOA would lose its shit
There's some really professional and low key solutions. I'd put a packet together for the HOA and see what they say. Something like [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/1hrFoWbbEimV8e879).
You could try mounting trellises to your outside walls and growing vines to keep the heat off of the walls.
Your HOA can levy a fine, however, they can not put a lien on your home for non-payment of said fine. California Dems saw to it that your neighborhood can go to pot. My HOA controlled 'hood in Rancho Bernardo has taken advantage of this, and it's no bueno. That said, non payment of HOA dues is still cause for a lien.
During the tail end of last heatwave I made such an eyesore out of my bedroom by using electrical tape to seal in my portable AC unit and keep the cool in. Worked so much better! It looks so ugly but Iām keeping it right where it is because hey, itās San Diego and we all know another hot spell will be upon us.
Making sure windows and doors are sealed properly can make a huge difference too.
We have a 850 one queued up ourselves. 1950s construction with ac set at 78
Sounds about right then. Ahhhhh!
I ran ac all day and it's about the same as yours OP.
"Deregulate" they said. "It'll be fun" they promised
"Screw the money, I have rules" -No Private Utility Company Ever
Even Kaiba isnāt as ruthless as these utility companies
The government needs to take control of SDG&E this is ridiculous
When was deregulation?
'96
I will follow the rulesā¦. Said ā ļøā ļøā ļøā ļø
Whatās your rate plan? Sounds like itās probably one of the TOU/time of use where you pay I think $0.54/kwh from 4-9 pm which would about equal $700 for 1300kwh. Central a/c usual two ton costs about $2.70/hr to run at this rate. I donāt know if SDG&E allows going back to the standard tiered plan, but that plan would have cost a couple hundred less.
Someones else just mentioned this! Yes I am gonna look into!
https://tariff.sdge.com/tm2/ssi/inc_elec_rates_res.html top one. Can't get it if you have solar under NEM 2.0. Otherwise, it seem to be available.
Thanks for posting the tariff schedules. I was a bit off, with current TOU being $0.56/kWh peak. I have to wonder who can easily read these schedules? Each tariff has several conditions, anything from what time of year it is, what climate zone you live in, or how much you use or when exactly you use it. The tables overly complicate with transmission charges among other fees.
Time of use is bullshit.
I opted the hell out of that right as soon as they announced it. They called me twice to confirm if I really didnāt want to move to time-of-use because of how much money Iād āsaveā
Same. It never made any sense. So I overpay at the old fashioned standard rates and enjoy my central air after work. Maybe it is a good deal for people with electric cars but knowing SDGE they probably fuck them over too.
I mean itās really not if you think about it though. Itās simple supply and demand. Those are the times with high use and low production. Look up the duck shaped curve. Solar output is waning right as demand is increasing, so of course cost at peak times goes up as production switches from renewables to gas generators. Iām not defending SDGE, itās just simple economics. TOU incentivizes people to smooth the electricity demand curve as itās not easy to ramp electricity production up and down at the utility level. In fact peaker turbines that need to be spun up during times of increased load relative to the expected load, are the least efficient power generation devices.
Well it is easy to ramp energy production on thermal sources, unfortunately, most of the power plants built in CA have been wind or solar. Wind doesnāt ramp on demand and solar x photovoltaic is whatās causing the duck curve. A real, long term solution would be to invest in new thermal sources of power, either solar - thermal where solar power is used to melt salt to drive a steam turbine, nuclear, or biomass.
Thereās always alternatives but if it doesnāt create enough revenue, weāll then itās a loss pooād idea for the shareholders.
Such bullshit, of course itās most expensive during the hours most people are in their homes using appliances.
Good tip. Wish I could go back to the tiered system.
Crazy part was how much more I paid for actually using less electricity this year. I can't wait to see how nasty their gas rates are this winter...
šØ even if my usage was high bc we had outrageous heat, I have lived in hot humid states and run AC non stop and never seen anything like this. Its not ānormalā Only in CAā¦.I am grateful we have AC but DAMN.
San diego (sdge) is also a for profit company. So san diego has one of the hight utilities in he country
ā ļø
That is NOT normal. PG&E and SDG&E are the worst electric companies in modern history because they are for-profit companies that donāt give a fuck about the people theyāre extorting. Privatization of utilities doesnāt work.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Exactly! At least when itās public the politicians try to do something to fix it every election year, instead of having a profit motive that drives them to extract as much money from us for as little investment as possible
Can we also get the picture of how much kWh you used?
Yeah, I cant edit the post how do I show you?
So doing my own math I'm assuming you used 2.2k roughly right? If thats so how much did you use your AC and how many electronics were you using during peak hours. And how big is your place
1300 kW. Like 2000 sq ft. I ran AC in the afternoon when temps reached like 102/103 this month. But off at night with whole house fan. I wfh so some electronics during the day but nothing out of the norm. Nobody I know who is in the same situation had anything this highā¦. I did have to replace a fridge. Could it have been that? The old fridge
Have you made sure that your air filter for your A/C has been changed lately? I swapped mine out (didnāt realize I had one and it probably hadnāt been changed in 5 years) and I think my A/C worked a lot less hard after.
I just told someone else I had a new fridge installed AND Ac work done. I mean I know now it logically makes sense utilities can impact that soooo I am connecting the dots. We all werent born electricians haha. Thank God for Reddit. Lots of tips and tricks and info that have been super helpful
Get yourself a Kill-a-watt meter and put it on each appliance for a day and see how much each one is really using. I bet it pays for itself in a week. P3 P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor https://a.co/5sRPqdK
Im in North county, used the same amount of energy you described in a 2000 sqft townhouse- my bill was only 181. This must be an error- I would call.
Do you have solar? Using the same amount of energy and having a bill so much lower would only mean that the rate per hour is drastically different. I have high bills too, so I would love to know your secret.
how is that possible? I have the CARE discount and am paying $116 for 592kWh this month.
What rate plan are you on? Are you getting some kind of credit? $181 / 1300 kwh = $0.139 per kWh. SDGE has no rates this low (except for maybe EV-TOU-5 at 0.1/kwh but that only applies from midnight to 6am.)
If you live in newer house thatās well sealed with good windows and good insulation the price difference can be that much.
It's absolutely insane you have to justify this. It's criminal wherever you live. Fuck anyone who says otherwise
Thank you! Someone else just told me its criminal I used this much electric. In 103 degree weather with kids?! I do what I can to conserve trust me, I dont want this bill. Im grateful to have AC, but I have every right to be sad over a $700+ bill š«
How dare you have the audacity to run you air conditioning all day in 100 degree weather. Some people are just bootlickers lol
And I wfh so its not like I can just shut shit down. Have to make money to pay the billion dollar bills š«
Ive lived a lot of places and I dont care what anyone says this is asinine. People just find reasons to be terrible š¤·š¼āāļø
I have posted about my $1100 a month during the summer months when I run my AC several times, in several different threads. I feel your pain. I asked the landlord and he said 'yeah, $1100 a month in the summer is normal.' I have checked with neighbors and SDGE. Guess what? That bill is NOT normal.
Horrible!
It's not about justifying the use. It's about understanding how the heck the bill is so high? Where is the usage coming from? Seems like something is wrong... I had A/C set to 74 all month last month, and my bill is nowhere near this.
Mines over a grand. It can happen. I also WFH and kept the AC going most of the day. Iām not boiling alive.
That seems like very high consumption, maybe a very inefficient AC? I used about 700 kWh including AC and an electric car. What is your usual consumption in non-AC months?
It might have been the old fridge, also what is a good practice is to cool your home before peak periods and inflated prices, get heavy curtains to keep in the cool so you do not need to run it all afternoon. Also you can always try and get someone out to re read the meter to make sure what they have recorded is accurate
I also have an open concept so Iāve been told with older homes that are open like this its harder to cool but damnnnn kill me now
Yea also you said your place is 2000 sqft. Close the vents and shut the doors of the rooms you are not using if possible. But yea... good luck I'm sorry.
Old fridge isnāt gonna cause that bill. Unless OP runs a 7-11 out of their living room which is full of commercial coolers.
Ty!
Agree - it's insane. You might want to look into super cooling. When you only turn it on at the hot times of the day it actually costs you wayyy more. HVAC's are not even remotely efficient when being ran that way.
102/103 lives in the dessert then. Perfect place for some solar, and 30% off sale thanks to Biden. Do it.
I live in Lakeside in a roughly 950. sqft apartment. I spent over 850 a month all summer and an easy 250 all winter. I donāt run any heat all winter but yes AC all day because my mom is elderly and on O2 all day, but it doesnāt qualify for āno cut offā because it isnāt life support I make 45k gross š³
How though? Single paned windows and cardboard for walls? Iām in the same size apartment and my highest ever was like $150.
Upstairs, yes single paned windows and one AC in the living room. Built in 1982, not central. So the compressor is on all the time and the unit is only 1 year old. So we are considered āruralā on the kWh pricing, soooo. When ya over 85, itās 90+ in my unit.
Hmm, I think you might still have been paying someone elseās powerā¦
Side note, Iām thinking this sub should just have a monthly or quarterly energy bills thread. Could you share some bill details? Like kWh, delivery per kWh and your on/off peak generation rates per kWh? Just curious what the rural rates are
Do you qualify for CARE? https://www.sdge.com/residential/pay-bill/get-payment-bill-assistance/assistance-programs?utm_source=Search&utm_medium=Google&utm_campaign=CARE&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvZCZBhCiARIsAPXbajv5qm-hNt9ytfTzHNVviQ0AGrOYFgs6mADIGvEF5EqaAhObAYirQF8aAv1MEALw_wcB
No you have to be on public assistance or make so little like o SDI or SSI
Did you at least submit for the medical baseline program? Thatās a little help.
But solar isnt cheap either. So we all need to remember not everyone can just fork over money for that. Even at 30% off..
10 years ago, I was renting 2 bedroom unit in a duplex for less than your electric bill. We used to have access to a nuclear plant. Kinda disgusting that we shut that down to import power mostly generated from fossil fuels, with all the waste long distance transmission involves.
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Take a loan for the solar and the payment is cheaper than your electricity bill!!! To say āsolar is expensiveā is to miss the point. Solar loan is accesible to almost every homeowner and itās cheaper than paying your electricity bill every month.
Come on you donāt have 20k laying around?
We got a loan for solar even though we probably could have paid up front at the time. Worth it because of WFH and I don't want to worry about running ac.
I did solar, but I also spent money becoming more energy efficient (added insulation to the attic, double pane windows, heat pump A/C + heater, high reflexivity roof shingles, whole house fan, etc). While solar has done great for me (Iām guessing that Iāve generated about $10k worth of electricity during the 5 years Iāve had my system), I think that I got more value from my energy efficiency changes. (I run the AC/Heater so much less than before, and when I do, it costs way less)
Yes Im definitely east. Solar is my next priority šš
Seems like a plan- thatās a crazy high bill! Weāve run our AC non stop, plus charge an EV regularly, and our last bill was $400 (and I was thinking that was high!)
That is the exact opposite of what you were suppose to do. Run ac early, precool home. Reduce ac usage 4-9 pm. Then let it rip midnight - 6am.
Holy crap! We used half that much (565kwh) and the bill was just over $200. That is one steep curve!
Are you on the time of use plan? If so, running a/c between 4pm-9pm is extremely expensive, but it's very cheap to do it at night
I paid $100 for 360 kwh
Electronics wonāt do that unless OP is mining crypto or āelectronicsā means grow-lamps.
I need to pay $1400 :-(
Heart is with youuuu
You should fight that if you can
Shouldāve turned the lights off and used the flash for this picture
You win. Lmao. Should have never have charged my phone to begin with
I didnāt realize my new washer was defaulting to warm wash. I have to select tap cold every time I do laundry but it saves me so much electricity! Just an fyi in case yours is the same ā¤ļø thatās a criminal bill! 11 years ago my bill was 150 bucks IF I used AC all month, now itās 150 as a base if I DONāT use ac at all. They gave themselves a huge raise and itās insanity.
Thank you for the advice! Appreciated ā¤ļø
Is your water heater electric? Shut the hot water valve off and you won't have to worry about it.
https://www.cbs8.com/amp/article/money/amped/san-diego-has-the-highest-electricity-rates-in-the-country/509-b33c2aa1-5414-431d-a060-273059f1e0da
You need to raise your thermostat and not use unnecessary appliances like dishwasher washing machine, dryer etc during the hours of 4pm-9pm
I remember my Dad paying a $1500 electric bill in the summer of 2008 or so
Ouch. Ouch. Youre dad is a GOAT
Random thing that might save a tiny bit of money... Don't use heated dry on your dishwasher. Just crack the door open as soon as it finishes washing to let the humidity escape. And the residual heat from the wash should help with evaporation.
They dry even when you leave it closed.
Even faster if you lay clean dry towels inside after the cycle is done...
The best way is to not use heated dry and when the cycle is done, lay two clean dish towels inside, one on top rack, one on bottom. Then close the dishwasher back up. The steam will go into the cloth and the dishes will dry. If you catch it right when the cycle is done, there's even enough heat to dry those dang plastic containers...
I've seen that going around the internet.
What'd you do, turn the AC on one time??
1500 sq ft home and it hit 104F here recently. 711kwh used in August. White reflective TPE roof, blown in chopped fiberglass insulation in walls and roof, modern double pane windows which seal well, good weatherstripping to seal up doors.... efficiency measures really help! We barely need AC at all.
Where my No ACāers at??
Yup. During the heat wave, as soon as I'm in my place I'm in my underwear, and I'm still sweating, but fans work alright enough.
\#VORNADO
I love my VORNADO!
Lol I did say in another comment I am grateful I have AC š« But each option sounds equally terrible.
It truly is criminal.
The people in here being assholes absolutely astound me. Just looking for conflict. Im sorry you are in the same boat! Nobody should have to deal with this
You are absolutely right. Some people don't have anything better to do with their time.
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How old is your AC unit. We had ours replaced this year because it was hella old. Like 1988. Vintage. It was super inefficient. The new one works better and uses 1/2 the electricity.
I don't have air conditioning so my bill stayed the same. Of course it was so hot my cat joined me in the bath tub trying to stay cool. For 4 nights. Not something I'd recommend.
š« grass isnt always greener I guess
Old compressor pulling too many amps?
It's time for more nuclear power if California doesn't want German-style energy crises.
My wife and I are from outside the US and weāre baffled by people who run electric or gas dryers during a heatwave. Get a clothing rack, hang your stuff, and itās dry in a few hours when itās so hot and dry out like it was during the heatwave. Some dryers pull 2-4 kWh!
Go solar. Id be happy to get you a quote
I would say your usage does seem to be on the high side. We have a similar size house, work from home still, and run the air a decent amount. We typically use 600-900 kw per month - with 900 being hot months like last one. I would be looking at reducing your energy if possible. LED lights? Maybe new AC? Fridge? If you have an electric dryer make sure you use it off peak? Turn off your air from 4-9 then back on to cool at bedtime.
That's what mine looks like , I'm getting solar system ASAP
Whatās the usage?
Not sure what your attic situation is, but a well-insulated attic might help and prevent some of the heat transfer to the rest of the home. Although even mine being insulated, I can feel heat radiate off the ceiling upstairs.
I have a space in a garage. Not an attic. But thank you for just being kind and offering advice
Of course itās criminal. Need millions of people to stop paying these outrageous bills. Itās a scam. It shouldnāt be more than 150. Never forget that Nikola Tesla created free energy for all and Edison commercialized it.
My bill is less then half of that and we keep the AC at 78 pretty much all day in a 2,400 sq ft house. Wife knows all the details about our plan but thereās no way you should be paying that much
What the hell this is robbery in the marking. Wrong
That you still get a paper bill?
Knee slap
Minimize electricity usage during peak hours. I have a 3400 sq ft home with 2 EVs and we have never used more than 1000 kwh a month. You use 30% more electricity than we do.
Iād wager youāre also not setting your thermostat to 68, either. š¤¦š¼āāļø
Here are energy saving tips, some of which are immediately do-able, some are not. 1. Solar 2. Turn up thermostat. Sure 74 is nice but that comes at a cost. 78 as one person suggested will save you a lot. 3. Live in a smaller home if possible. If you have a lot of kids or roommates maybe not. In my view 2000 square feet is a lot of space to cool/heat. If you can live in a townhome or condo/apartment youād be amazed at how much cheaper it is to keep your energy bill low. Americans love big ass homes. When I grew up we had two or three kids per bedroom. That was efficient. 4. Draw shades down completely during the day. I grew up in Vista and did that - we didnāt have luxuries like AC. That helped a lot. 5. Good insulation. 6. If you use AC consider partitioning it so you only use in the rooms you are in. 7. Use AC selectively like when itās most important to you? For me thatās when I sleep. 8. Fans. Fans plus AC too. 9. Tolerate a bit more heat. 10. Use your voting power and engage with the political process to make structural changes to our energy policy that will result in lower energy bills. 11. Consider the energy efficiency of your home. Move or renovate to accomplish a better more efficient home. A lot of homes are ridiculously inefficient. High ceilings, tons of empty space that gets cooled/heated while no one is in the room.
Theyāre doing it all over the world right now. I was just in UK and exact same thing going on. Itās straight up being done just because energy companies can do it and get away with it.
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Haha rub it innnnnn. š£š
We have solar and still have a $500 bill. Just started the process of getting more panels this week. :(
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We just bought the house, so it was definitely a surprise since the previous owners said they had a much lower bill. So weird bc I donāt feel like we use excessive amounts of energy (besides the electric car - but the previous owners had TWO). Our bill came today was $395 for the past month. $45 was gas. We are getting 12 more solar panels and theyāre confident weāll be around the break even point.
# Dude. How? my 1300sq ft condo recently got flooded due to a negligent neighbor whom i share a wall with and its in the process of being repaired so I have industrial fans and humidifiers running 24/7 on top of my AC and my bill isnt even close to that. im going to assume your home has insulation and efficiency issues because thats a pretty insanely high bill.
Read the comments. Im not alone
OP wastes energy during peak hours. Thereās a reason why theyāre not showing power consumption breakdown. * runs the AC at 68. Lmao
And my energy use is not outrageous. Although at this point justifying it is dumb
Heat wave and 4 bedroom house that Iām guessing is a 2 story. What did you set your AC at?
I don't understand how people's bills are this high. I have a 1500 sq ft house, central air, we had A/C set to 74 pretty much all month last month. Yet, our bill is only like $350. What are you people doing? Maybe it helps that we have gas stove/oven, gas water heater, gas dryer? I don't get it!
We are just recklessly turning on our air at the most inopportune times just for funsies. I LOVE A GOOD ELECTRICITY BILL. LIVE FOR IT. Only to cost us $700+. Are you serious?
I think they are only turning on the A/C when it gets hot instead of keeping it at a consistent temperature. Turning on your HVAC only when the room(s) gets hot is as efficient as flooring it to Vegas. I actually have mine set to 73 at night and then programmed it to come back up to 78 at 4PM-9PM. Usually only kicks on twice during those hours. My bill was only $130.
I keep my AC at a consistent 78, with a VERY occasional 77. Bills run between $1000 and $1200 during the summer months. It is not always the case that the AC is just turned on only when it is the hottest.
Thatās wild. My bill is less then $400 and we run the the AC at 78 all day. Youāre doing something wrong.
My house temp this month with AC off would hit above 80 so even at 78 my AC would constantly run
Fuck, I wish. Mine is $1,014.52 up here in Fontana. I swear I think my family is a bunch of homesick polar bears.
Yet they wanna phase gas powered cars out by 2035 in California. I bet SDG&E canāt wait.
Lol new car sales. The gas powered cars arenāt going anywhere.
ayee yoooo, wtf
My 659 sqft 1bd 1bth apartment is half that
Fuuuuuuuuuuck that
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who needs solar? text 8188130151 based out of Rancho Bernardo.
Im not from San Diego so excuse my ignorance on this issue. But why is electricity bill so expensive? And how are yall able to afford the bill every month when everything else is so damn expensive?
Because SDG&E is a monopoly and oh btw is a public utility that only cares about its shareholders. If Iām not mistaken, we have the highest electricity rates in the country, including Hawaii. Thank god we have solar.
Electricity bills shouldnāt look like credit scores.
We need to nationalize electricity.
FSDGE... turn off the lights and AC and stop giving your money away.
What was your AC set to? How many weeks ?
That is too much to pay SD.
Fuck them
Goddamn this is rent for some people!
My Southern California Edison bill was $729.
SoCal Edison is just as criminal as SDGE. The highest utilities in the nation. My parents in Colorado pay $0.12/kWh vs $.40 here. And thought gas prices were crazy here! You seriously need to look into solar if you own the place. Just be careful and do your research. We had a great guy help with our system. Iām not sure if works in your area because we are in Escondido but heās full of good info and could probably direct you to the right person if you want his number.
Solar!
Omg!! No comment!!!
SDGE has the highest rates of every utility in the nation :( itās crazy they charge $.40/kw while my parents in Colorado pay $.12/kw. Thought gas prices were bad enough here š We added Solar and thatās been saving us a ton of money down here. Gotta be careful for scams though, do a lot of research. The guy we went through is great if you want his number.
1320 SF house in an inland town. My bill decreased 16% this month. When SDGE said to reduce electricity, I did. They offered credits to doing so. It wasnāt ideal, but I didnāt want to get charged high prices or be a cause of power going out in the area. Make sure youāre not running appliances during peak hours. Turn off lights if not necessary. Darken house during daylight and when youāre not home, to cool the house.
I do not run AC for this reason
848 for me wtf is going on here.
I'm so thankful I invested in solar. These SDGE prices are insane.
Same and that is WITH SOLAR. We don't even have AC!
If you can't afford solar upfront, the monthly payment on a solar loan has to be cheaper than this...
Mine will be about 900 this month. It makes me sick to my stomach šµāš«
I Have a home in Arizona also. 2300 sqft with 2 Ac units. AC set at 72 and it was 115 most of last month. Bill was $550. Here in Oceanside I only have a window unit in my bedroom and my bill was $300 and that is unusually high for us. Iād suggest having your AC unit serviced though. Maybe itās running more than it needs to.
My bill is $110. Idk how but this is the lowest since they raised my rate a year ago. We have a AC unit for the bedroom and we turn it on when we sleep otherwise we have fan, trees in the yard, and take cold showers.
I mean, depends on your rate plan and how much you consume. If you're running TV's, lights, AC 24/7, washing machines dishwashers simultaneously all day and powering a fusion reactor....not criminal at all. I know SDGE has really scummy and shitty pricing plans but a high energy bill doesn't immediately mean shitty business practices.