Help cut this bill.

[dirtydave]

This month I used LESS!!

not much less.... I didn't try hard enough and got lazy.
468kWH vs 513kWH
119 Therms vs 124 Therms!

BUT
they increased the rates and all the Fees and taxes so Its $269.23!

BOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[IamIan]

For Fun ... Here's a crazy idea.

BGE Rate Schedule Pdf

Sense you're on 'normal' Schedule 'R' ... which is the same $ rate for electricity no matter what time of day peak or off peak it is ... If you switched to Schedule 'EV' ... Your Peak 'Day' Use rate would increase to double what you pay now ... but your 'off-peak' would be ~38% less than you pay now.

With a ~95% efficient AC-DC charger ... to charge ~95% cycle efficient LiFePO4 battery pack ... pulled out to a ~95% Efficient DC-AC Inverter ... you would loose ~15% of the input AC electricity to cycle efficiency losses.

But ... 38 - 15 = ~23% net reduced electrical cost... for as much or as little kwh of 'off-peak' electricity as you use cycle through .... just don't use those peak 'double' rates.

[dirtydave]

heh, that would be cool.but what would I power with it?

[IamIan]

Originally Posted by dirtydave

heh, that would be cool.but what would I power with it?

Anything you power with electricity now.

[leo19]

This article states good ways to cut the bill down, I'm happy to read it.

[Magician]

Someone mentioned put more insulation in the attic and I want to give some details on what a difference it makes. My house was built in 2000 and they put in roughly 10 inches of insulation in the attic. I then increased the insulation depth to 26 inches taking care not to block the vents of course. My utilities dropped 25% and the insulation that my brother and I blew in was paid for in the first year. 16 years later I've been enjoying HUGE savings in my utilities. This is certainly one of the top ways to save. Double or triple pain windows are another great saver. Oh... and plant trees on the west side of your home. Huge saver as well. The east side helps a bit, but not as significant.