{"id":262,"date":"2020-02-08T20:10:14","date_gmt":"2020-02-09T04:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pe.local\/high-electric-bill-troubleshooting\/"},"modified":"2024-11-25T12:29:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T20:29:54","slug":"high-electric-bill-troubleshooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prairielectric.com\/residential-resources\/high-electric-bill-troubleshooting\/","title":{"rendered":"Troubleshooting A High Electric Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all heard of the phrase \u201csticker shock.<\/a>\u201d It\u2019s when we\u2019re thrown for a loop when an item we\u2019re interested in buying turns out to cost way more than we were expecting. Or, as Merriam-Webster puts it, sticker shock is \u201castonishment and dismay experienced on being informed of a product’s unexpectedly high price.\u201d Perhaps even more disconcerting, astonishing, and dismaying is a high electric bill — or electric bill shock! This is when our electric bill has skyrocketed month over month or year over year.<\/p>\n

Electric Bill Shock<\/b><\/h3>\n

The reason this is more upsetting than sticker shock is that we have already consumed the electricity. We have <\/i>to pay the bill. There\u2019s no going to the power company folks and saying, \u201cYou know what? I\u2019ve decided not to buy this. The price is just too steep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there are ways to avoid electric bill shock. It involves troubleshooting a high electric bill and determining where, when, and how we can make cuts to our electricity consumption. This will save us money over both the short term and the long term.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more at stake here than money, by the way. Energy consumption \u2014 and its flip side: energy conservation \u2014 are important for a wide range of reasons. Not only can troubleshooting a high electric bill help save you money; it also helps save resources.<\/p>\n

As you read this, please don\u2019t hesitate to contact Prairie Electric<\/a> if you have any questions.<\/p>\n

Energy Consumption<\/b><\/h2>\n

For the purposes of this blog post topic, we\u2019re going to assume that your electric meter<\/a> is functioning properly. That is to say: We\u2019ll look at a few possibilities as to why you\u2019ve actually consumed so much electricity rather than assuming the meter is faulty. (Or that the meter reading<\/a> was incorrect.)<\/p>\n

We\u2019re also assuming that the number of days you\u2019ve been billed for is typical. In other words, you\u2019ve been billed monthly, and each month\u2019s bill contains generally the same number of days.<\/p>\n

Finally, has the cost of electricity gone up? Check with your power company to see their cost-per-kilowatt-hour rate is. Has there been an increase lately? (It wouldn\u2019t be unusual.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

You would have been notified of this change, though. Perhaps you missed it?<\/p>\n

Weather and Watts<\/b><\/h3>\n

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we only have a short window of warm and sunny weather. (Blink and you\u2019ll miss it!) Most of the time, we\u2019re either smack dab in the middle of the cold, rainy season or we\u2019re headed straight for it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not unusual for electric bills to skyrocket when the weather turns from warm to cold.<\/p>\n

Look at your year-over-year energy usage. You\u2019ll probably notice spikes in energy consumption in the late fall and early winter months. Makes sense. That\u2019s when people are running their heating units to help keep their homes nice and cozy.<\/p>\n

Power Hungry<\/b><\/h3>\n

HowStuffWorks.com has a handy chart<\/a> that ranks appliances \u201cin order of their hunger for power.\u201d The hungriest appliances?<\/p>\n