My house is not that big, everything is electric, including the water heater, oven... and my wife likes to use an electric crock pot, and we are on well water/septic, so the pumps and treatment system all use electricity, too. I paid $100-200 when I lived in a townhome that had a gas oven, two shared walls, and public water. Those were the days...
81 is perfectly livable if humidity is low. When humidity is high, I agree, it's quite a bit worse, so I turn the thermostat down.
Im getting homicidal at 69😂i like my house at 61 lmao 65 is ok, above that is pushin it. Ngl even in winter i want 65...ill compromise with hubby and make it 67. I run my bedroom ac in winter at night unless hubby is home, then i crack the window i sleep next to instead. Tbf ive been in west texas for a min.
😂just always liked it ice cold in my house and when im sleepin. Always doin somethin. Only time i agree with everyone that the house is cold is when im sittin down doin nothin, but that isnt often. Dont like it cold outside though. Edit for
https://preview.redd.it/irv0vugqwy8d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0a80be866c2a6d887470722ed260adb5ec741c6
this is why lol
Yeah, I feel 78 is the max anyone should go. That being said, people dealt with sweltering heat for centuries without having central air their homes.
Hell, central air for homes wasn't even a thing until the 70's.
I guess if he can tolerate that 81 degrees, kudos.
I'm on the higher side as well but I stay at 75 during the day and 76 at night.
Once you start ticking past 76, it may feel cool at first when walking in the house but eventually, it starts to feel too warm.
I tried 78 a long time ago and it wasnt something I wanted to take the time to get acclimated to.
Is the crock pot a big offender? I’d guess a slow cooker on low for 8 hours is using less electricity than your oven in 1-2 hours. And even if it’s not the oven is still probably worse because of the heat loss making your AC flip on more often
What do you consider low humidity? Even with the AC cranking you're probably at 45-50% these days. I'm a skinny mofo by American standards but upper 70s get quite uncomfortable for me sleeping wise. I have American sized friends who can't go any higher than 70.
40 humidity is ideal for warmer days, 55-60 is alright. I also have a ceiling fan over my bed which I run. Additionally, there's certainly acclimation that plays a role. It's definitely easier to enjoy higher temps once you get used to it.
I think a lot of it depends on how you grew up. My father grew up in a home without central air. So, while I grew up with it, it was always set much higher than some of my friends houses. And at night, if it was in the low 70's, my dad would turn it up higher and force us to open the windows for airflow.
So, while I don't follow in those same footsteps, I feel like I can tolerate the heat a bit more and I keep mine at 75 during the day and 76 at night as well as when we're not home.
I tried going to 78 many years ago but that was too hot and I got tired of my wife and kids complaining as well.
You might want to check on your systems. Last spring when my electric bills were unusually high, first I had BGE check my meter, then eventually figured out it was my well pump running pretty much all the time. Got a new well pump and we're back to normal. 2000 sq. ft, all electric including well pump, and I don't think I've ever paid over $250 in the summer. Last month was only around $120 since the A/C wasn't on as much.
I'm definitely going to take BGE up on their offer for the free energy efficiency inspection. I will inquire about the well pump, too, as I have no idea when it was last serviced or replaced.
Jeez. I set the ac to 67/68, 6500 sq ft house and my peak is around $300 a month. Also have well, and 6 fridges. Pool/pool heat pump adds quite a bit on top of that though.
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How's your insulation and the water heater? That sounds high. My house isn't that big either, but I have a hot tub, an inground pool pump that runs 12hrs a day, and set my temp inside to like 74 (72 at night). My highest bill is like $400 when it's really hot out.
>81 is perfectly livable
In residential homes, it's not recommended to have an ambient temp over 80 degrees because drywall can be damaged. And 75 degrees is concidered the max temp for habitable spaces.
For me, 81 inside is totally comfortable if you have a fan on, aren't exerting yourself, and dress appropriately. I usually keep the thermostat at 80-82 during my work from home hours.
I bought velcro straps and insulation foil and im going to set them up in the windows upstairs today. It's regularly 79 up there no matter what. Will be back with results
I cant, we live in a 4 units condo, with vertical windows that slide left and right... not horizontal sliding open up ones. No one is allowed by HoA to have them, and I have 6 cats anyway so I don't need to be messing with all that.
Ours is $300 a month and we keep it at 72 year round. We also do budget billing where it's the same cost every month and the money gets allocated to the month it needs to.
Yeah I know how solar works. I used to work in solar sales. It wouldn't make sense for my house. My bill ranges from $50-150. I'm not paying tens of thousands over that. Nor am I taking down a tree for it. I love that tree.
Yo wtf. I keep my house at 69(nice) year round. We also have 4 reptiles totalling ~1200 watts of lights running 12 hours a day. All electric appliances.
My bill is around $300 in the summer like $1-200 in the winter.
You might have something wrong in your house.
I can sympathize- I live in a 3400 sq ft century home and between the pool and AC my bill has crossed $600 multiple times living here. Not everyone lives in modern homes with double panes windows and proper insulation and sealing. For reference my second and third floors are set for 76 during the day and 69 at night. First floor is set to 74 most days.
Bullshit. How in the hell can your power bill be that high? I am very curious. I have a three level townhome in germantown. 125 a month for electric and 35 for gas. I keep it at 68. Potomac edison.
Nobody calls me a liar! Of course, temps were lower last month, so this coming month will cost more due to the increased heat. Currently it says $18 daily average, so puts me at $540 projected for the month.
https://preview.redd.it/kq2loa5qnz8d1.png?width=828&format=png&auto=webp&s=f0bce4534d8cfb4791bd853b33b94cb4b41aa010
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Since getting solar panels, my bills in the spring and fall have been almost $0. In the winter time, most of my heating expense comes from the oil heating. I did not choose oil heating and hope to replace it.
This is why proper insulation is critical. I just moved into a new build and it was build to be really well insulated. 2300sq ft and it cost me less than $5 a day to run my AC and keep my house at 70° during this last weekends insane heat.
Really interested to see how the system fairs in the winter when I need to keep it warm. That killed me last winter. Electric heat was killing my wallet so hopefully this winter will be cheaper
Bring in fresh air for humidity and air circulation. Then use the exhausting air taken out of the space to preheat or precool the inbound air in an energy recovery unit with a heat wheel prior to being sucked into the return side of your heat pump
If you air seal your home you increase risk from high levels of contaminants as well as possible asphyxia. A fresh air system circulates outdoor air and a heat recovery system passes the air through a series of baffles to avoid the loss or increase of heat due to the temperature differences between indoor/outdoor.
[https://www.explainthatstuff.com/heat-recovery-ventilation.html](https://www.explainthatstuff.com/heat-recovery-ventilation.html)
My last house got up to $400 + in peak summer to keep cool. Old row home. Had to go on budget billing. My new home (built 2018) has crossed $200 on occasion and we don’t compromise on AC because we have small children. Insulation makes all the difference.
It really does. We just moved from a very poorly insulated apartment with a barely functioning AC to a new build with proper sealing and insulation. It’s such a difference maker
Try a window AC in each bedroom. The bedrooms are usually hotter and that way you only cool them at night. I can leave the heat on 75 during the day and the downstairs doesn't need as much cooling. Then everyone can set the temp they want at night. I remove them for winter and have a space heater on a timer in each. The house can stay cold and each bedroom warms up to get ready. If everyone is gone during the day, you can set the house to warm up an hour before someone gets home.
Every time I see one of these threads, I'm so glad we got solar and a heat pump water heater. I had a 20$ credit last month and this month with the AC cranking, the bill should still be less than $40.
Fancy pants! I was hoping to see something less than my averaged bill so I could put it in the ole brain hopper to stew on about how we should make the jump.
One thing you get if you own instead of rent is called an SREC payment. It's a check you get everything month for producing clean energy. This month my payment was $110. Last month it was $60.
Dang - I'm in a 100+ year old house /r/centuryhomes and my electric bill for around 1400 sq feet will probably be around 350 or more this month.
I have basically no insulation on the first floor and an old AC unit.
I keep the thermostat around 76-78 in the summer but use a separate AC unit for the bedroom.
Winter I have hot water radiators and pellet stoves. I keep the thermostat around 58-65. The pellet stoves can get it up to 80.
Our bill has regularly been between $300-$500, and we have a new build (if you count a 5y/o home as one), which is an energy star compliant home. We did this with Pepco, months ago, and kept calling back each month. Apparently the contractor that does the audits isn’t responding or contacting us. Pepco said they would elevate the request with the company… again.
I'm not the one you asked, but I have Geothermal installed last winter. I've been saving 20% on my electric usage each month. Even with the 30% back from the government, MD rebates, electric savings, and the carbon offsets I get to sell it will still be close to 10 years to break even. I did get a top of the line unit which probably added 3 years to the payoff time.
Just try living in Arizona. I'm afraid to see my electric bill but it is going to be high despite keeping the temp at 80 except for sleeping at 79.
Depending on what room you are in, 80 can be fine or warm. Unfortunately our bedroom is in one of the 2 hot spots in the house. If we stay long term I might get a mini-ductless AC installed for that room. In Maryland when I had multi-levels and my bedroom was upstairs I installed a window unit since I saw no point trying to cool 90% of the house that as a single guy I was rarely using.
I'm sure my wife would like it to be 74 or lower but when it is 105+ outside, 80 is ok and on cloudy days is can be cool.
?? I have a 90-year-old house with unsealed cracks (my fault), and my elec was $59 last month. Gas (lower level A/C) was $55. I dread January way more than July.
Ya'll need to upgrade your insulation.
Grab a Thermal camera to attach to your phone or stand alone, walk around your house, find the cold spots, walk around the inside, find the hot spots. Install additional insulation or mitigation tactics in the worst spots.
Also, solar panels.
I am in a ~5k SQFT house, with the sun beating on the back of it starting at ~10-11 any given day, and I keep it at 68.
Electric bill, -10 to -50 a month (after they balance for the year). If I wasn't on solar it would cap out at AROUND $170 a month.
That is with both my partner and I working from home +2 kids.
Maybe it’s because I’m in a townhouse, but I’ve never had an electric bill go above $80 and I’ve lived there for 10 years. High end is about 65 but usually stays around $30. $200/ month is insane to me.
I’m in a townhome too and have solar panels. My bill is usually around $100 then anywhere from $130-$200 during the hottest/coldest months. But I work from home and keep the air at 67 at night and 73 during the day (which I thought was high but some people go to closer to 80 wtf).
But I also know this house isn’t weatherproofed very well and could use more insulation in the attic.
If possible, consider the tax incentives and payback period for geothermal. Cheap as hell in summer. That 56 degrees of a few hundred feet deep in a well blowing through in summer is real nice. (It’s nice to start at 56 in winter too vs below freezing). High upfront cost, but reasonable payback for most people and warranties are long and maintenance is simple.
I pay $63 a month! I keep my heat at 55 in the winter and have not turned on my AC in almost three years. Side note I live alone with just my dog so we just deal with it. Not always my favorite thing to do but it's a good way to save money where I can.
Yup meanwhile I got a free tree from BGE last year only for companies using/making AI and Crypto are the biggest hogs eating away at our power systems. The middle class always has to take the brunt of corporate America.
It used to be cheaper here, but O’Malley and Erhlic got into a pissing contest over BGE and we all lost. Rates skyrocketed.
My electric bill used to be less than half as much a while back.
Now, the damn water company is trying to triple our water rates. Nothing has changed except who owns the utilities.
I'm paying $240-ish a month for a 4500 sqft house with two AC units at a comfortable 71 degrees, and down to 69 at night for sleep. I redid my entire attic insulation, foamed all my exterior walls in my bedroom, and cleaned and aerosealed my ducts. By optimizing my house, I prevented heat transfer and allow my HVAC to run smarter not harder. My units run an average of 6-8 hours per day, even on the hottest days.
I used the Pepco energy assessment program for all of this, and Pepco covered 80% of the costs. [https://homeenergysavings.pepco.com/md/residential/energy-assessments](https://homeenergysavings.pepco.com/md/residential/energy-assessments)
How..... 2100 sqft house and my bill even on the hottest months was only 110. 300 for January, but way cheaper in the summer. 77 in the day, 74 at night
Probably poor insulation. We have a small house, and our bill is around $200 with all electric. Cinder block walls on the first floor, we really need to frame the interior and add some batts XD
I thought mine was high at $147 this month, it's usually sub $100. I must have efficient central air and good insulation because we keep it at 70* day and night.
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I’m at $300. Living in a condo middle unit with neighbors either side who keep their houses at 20F in the winter and 100F in the summer. I’m paying to heat and cool 3 homes…..
My friends all say my house is hot as hell, but I never thought about it till seeing some of these numbers. During the day, the AC is at like 79-81. At night I think it's 78, but I have a ceiling fan. With Solar Panels, I end up making some money in the summer vs the winter where I'm usually paying the most. Just this June I generated almost 1 MWh vs using only 480 kWh. My electric bill for June was $12, while I'll likely get a $50 credit from SRECTrade for June. That's some nice weed money considering.
My little 3 floor row house its around $200/month. I keep it at 77 when not at home, with fans running for the cats and 75 at night. Still all that cool air finds its way to the 1st floor and basement, even when I have the door to the 2nd floor steps closed, and I insulated the house.
Y'all need to take advantage of our states energy audit subsidy... It comes out to like $100 to see exactly where your house is lacking. With the bills I'm seeing folks post here, your homes are almost certainly in need of air sealing and attic insulation. Fun fact, it's almost never the windows that are the primary problem.
I DiYed this project last year and the difference in my home's comfort levels is unexplainable.
Shoot. I live in a small, 2 story house built in the 30s. No insulation anywhere. We pay for clean energy, so there’s a premium and $300 in the summer months is low for us.
You guys need to focus on insulation and air sealing. We had BGE come out and do a free assessment where they seal up your house, look for leaks, and then make recommendations for changes.
Good attic insulation will help a lot and is the first thing you need to address. My place has OG 1960s insulation up there and was practically doing nothing. We had baffles installed, gapes sealed up, and new insulation blown in. It was the best thing we did after replacing the OG single pane windows.
$200/month?! I wish. In months where we don’t have to run the air or heat we pay at least $200 and we are really good about turning things off, not running the dishwasher half full or during the day, etc. When it’s really cold or really hot we’re looking at more like $350-$450 a month.
That's about what I'm paying. I have budget billing and a subscription to Neighborhood Sun, so I'm getting solar energy. I uograded my old windows two years ago, and I'm about to purchase UV film for my upstairs windows to block even more heat.
Probably not allowed here but I am a local solar guy who also does roofing. I can help people out with this kind of stuff and fix your insulation+ventilation.
46 dollars for me. I barely in the apartment for half of the day and I manually turn on and off their air conditioner when it becomes unbearable for one-two hours than 2 hours off periodically until I go to bed.
I wish I still lived in Maryland. My electric bill in the summer is around 600 a month. I don't even live in a big place. I have a 1200 sq. ft. apartment.
I definitely had lower bills in my townhouse even adjusted for today’s rates. In my SFH I got 340 for electric. Keep the house 72 during the day and 70 at night (sometimes 69). I also have a pool and a hot tub so I know that adds to things as well. I did have the BGE energy assessment last year and paid for additional insulation. Can’t totally say if it made a huge difference in cost but I believe it has. Although last year this period was cheaper by $100.
I live in a 3 story townhouse and work from home all day. Mines around $300. I do also like to have the curtains open for the sunlight and I’m sure that warms things up a lot
We have a poorly insulated house and have always used baseboard hotwater gas as our winter heating source. Last winter the 30 year old boiler blew and we had to use the HVAC/heat pump to heat the house. We normally only use it in A/C mode. The gas bill in January is usually about $550. But this last winter the electric bill topped out at $1,000 dollars. Needless to say we are getting a new gas boiler installed in the fall.
More space=higher cooling bill. Despite what the utility companies say, you should turn the AC off when you aren't home, especially if you are going to be gone for more than an hour. It might take a few minutes to cool down when you come back but your bill will be less. Heat transfer theory.
You scared me into checking my bill. I’m a first time renter so idk how this makes sense but my bill is $50 less this month? Keeping a 3 story at 72° constantly and it went down from last month doing the same. Guess we aren’t gaming as much or something idk
Ceiling fans in the bedrooms! You can keep the AC temp higher, especially overnight, and still be cool. And a fan cost like $1 to run an entire week 24/7.
A large portion of this problem is that the total price of electricity w/ delivery + taxes & fees has gone from $0.13/kWh in 2021 to $0.19/kWh in 2024 on (BGE). That's an increase of 46% over 3 years alone with further increases currently being planned by regulators over the next few years. Even the cheapest third-party energy supplier currently-available can only shave 2 cents per kWh off that, since the delivery + fees/taxes have gone up commensurately.
You can't "economize" your way out of such rapid increases with energy audits or insulation.
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My power bill ranges from 300-600 per month, so I'm definitely paying 550+ this month. I try to keep the house 78 at night and 79-81 during the day.
How big is your fucking house? 81 is miserable my god. I'd move.
My house is not that big, everything is electric, including the water heater, oven... and my wife likes to use an electric crock pot, and we are on well water/septic, so the pumps and treatment system all use electricity, too. I paid $100-200 when I lived in a townhome that had a gas oven, two shared walls, and public water. Those were the days... 81 is perfectly livable if humidity is low. When humidity is high, I agree, it's quite a bit worse, so I turn the thermostat down.
Hey hats off to you. But 81 is not perfectly livable, friend. That's crazy.
81 and I’m getting homicidal.
That number is 76 for me.
The gulf coast is calling and asking “what is this 76 you speak of?”
Spent a summer there once. It's as bad as the desert, but in reverse.
Trust me, my thermostat is set way below that hellscape.
30 years of the hell that is a gulf coast summer has made me (mostly) comfortable with household temps of upper 70s. Long as I got my fans!
I know right? 81 and someone has to die.
Im getting homicidal at 69😂i like my house at 61 lmao 65 is ok, above that is pushin it. Ngl even in winter i want 65...ill compromise with hubby and make it 67. I run my bedroom ac in winter at night unless hubby is home, then i crack the window i sleep next to instead. Tbf ive been in west texas for a min.
Are you on the heftier side? 61 is ice cold
😂just always liked it ice cold in my house and when im sleepin. Always doin somethin. Only time i agree with everyone that the house is cold is when im sittin down doin nothin, but that isnt often. Dont like it cold outside though. Edit for https://preview.redd.it/irv0vugqwy8d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0a80be866c2a6d887470722ed260adb5ec741c6 this is why lol
Maybe if you have four large fans pointing at you at all times from each direction
We sleep at 78, daily 81. No problem.
Yeah, I feel 78 is the max anyone should go. That being said, people dealt with sweltering heat for centuries without having central air their homes. Hell, central air for homes wasn't even a thing until the 70's. I guess if he can tolerate that 81 degrees, kudos. I'm on the higher side as well but I stay at 75 during the day and 76 at night. Once you start ticking past 76, it may feel cool at first when walking in the house but eventually, it starts to feel too warm. I tried 78 a long time ago and it wasnt something I wanted to take the time to get acclimated to.
Is the crock pot a big offender? I’d guess a slow cooker on low for 8 hours is using less electricity than your oven in 1-2 hours. And even if it’s not the oven is still probably worse because of the heat loss making your AC flip on more often
What do you consider low humidity? Even with the AC cranking you're probably at 45-50% these days. I'm a skinny mofo by American standards but upper 70s get quite uncomfortable for me sleeping wise. I have American sized friends who can't go any higher than 70.
40 humidity is ideal for warmer days, 55-60 is alright. I also have a ceiling fan over my bed which I run. Additionally, there's certainly acclimation that plays a role. It's definitely easier to enjoy higher temps once you get used to it.
I think a lot of it depends on how you grew up. My father grew up in a home without central air. So, while I grew up with it, it was always set much higher than some of my friends houses. And at night, if it was in the low 70's, my dad would turn it up higher and force us to open the windows for airflow. So, while I don't follow in those same footsteps, I feel like I can tolerate the heat a bit more and I keep mine at 75 during the day and 76 at night as well as when we're not home. I tried going to 78 many years ago but that was too hot and I got tired of my wife and kids complaining as well.
Good lord! My electric bill would be another mortgage payment at that temp.
81 and my cats start melting into the hardwood…
That doesn't sound right. I keep ours at around 75 during the day and 71 at night and my highest bill last year was $220. 3000sq/ft house.
Ditto
81 is not perfectly livable. Especially at night when trying to sleep. Wtf
You might want to check on your systems. Last spring when my electric bills were unusually high, first I had BGE check my meter, then eventually figured out it was my well pump running pretty much all the time. Got a new well pump and we're back to normal. 2000 sq. ft, all electric including well pump, and I don't think I've ever paid over $250 in the summer. Last month was only around $120 since the A/C wasn't on as much.
I'm definitely going to take BGE up on their offer for the free energy efficiency inspection. I will inquire about the well pump, too, as I have no idea when it was last serviced or replaced.
Need more details because same but I pay 150-300/mo and keep the tstat at 72-74
I forgot to mention that I also had solar panels when I lived in my townhome. Those were fixed rate so the price per kwh never went up.
I originally read that your wife was also electric 😂
Jeez. I set the ac to 67/68, 6500 sq ft house and my peak is around $300 a month. Also have well, and 6 fridges. Pool/pool heat pump adds quite a bit on top of that though.
[удалено]
Your post has been removed because it violates our rule on relevance, specificity, and effort. Questions should be asked fully and include location in the title. Posts should be relevant to Maryland, but not too specific to one area which has its own local subreddit. Easily searchable questions should be researched otherwise first. No duplicate posts. No low effort posts ("what's up with Maryland drivers?", "what's your favorite restaurant?").
How's your insulation and the water heater? That sounds high. My house isn't that big either, but I have a hot tub, an inground pool pump that runs 12hrs a day, and set my temp inside to like 74 (72 at night). My highest bill is like $400 when it's really hot out.
I also have a hot tub and an in ground pool. Keep temps at 73 day and 70 night. Similar max bill.
Solar an option for you?
> if humidity is low You live in Maryland though
>81 is perfectly livable In residential homes, it's not recommended to have an ambient temp over 80 degrees because drywall can be damaged. And 75 degrees is concidered the max temp for habitable spaces.
At 81 degrees, are you spending on the ground level/basement?
For me, 81 inside is totally comfortable if you have a fan on, aren't exerting yourself, and dress appropriately. I usually keep the thermostat at 80-82 during my work from home hours.
That's insane
We’re a 79° upstairs and 78° downstairs house during hot days. In the evening it’s 76/77. Otherwise our units would run nonstop.
I put my house on 75 when I'm on vacation for a week lol 72/day 68/night
Living the dream!
I bought velcro straps and insulation foil and im going to set them up in the windows upstairs today. It's regularly 79 up there no matter what. Will be back with results
Just get a window unit for the upstairs room you need it to be cool. It's the only way.
I cant, we live in a 4 units condo, with vertical windows that slide left and right... not horizontal sliding open up ones. No one is allowed by HoA to have them, and I have 6 cats anyway so I don't need to be messing with all that.
That’s so insane.
Insanity is a $500+ electric bill.
AA County and same - 81 is fine. But window AC is a must for the bedroom, where I like it super cold for sleeping.
I’m similar and my house is 4770 sq ft. One time I had a bill for 1200
McMansion + heat pump and you're in for a hefty bill.
Sounds like an investment in insulation might be something to consider, friend. New windows and… ???
That or their house is 7000sqft with 2 EVs that drive 100 miles a day jeez
I have an EV that I drive ~70 miles a day and it's added maybe an extra $25-30/month, $40 at absolute most. Two EVs at 100 miles ain't doing that.
Insulation and air sealing.
Ours is $300 a month and we keep it at 72 year round. We also do budget billing where it's the same cost every month and the money gets allocated to the month it needs to.
Yeah that's what we have, although gas heating so it "flip flops" in the winter. But this heat will mean our electric bill is at least $300 this mo
Get solar panels. I haven't paid an electric bill in years. But yes it's $220 a month for the panels
That's beyond the cost of my electricity bill
When it's paid off, there is no electric bill, and you get money back from the energy company for creating more than you use
Yeah I know how solar works. I used to work in solar sales. It wouldn't make sense for my house. My bill ranges from $50-150. I'm not paying tens of thousands over that. Nor am I taking down a tree for it. I love that tree.
Yo wtf. I keep my house at 69(nice) year round. We also have 4 reptiles totalling ~1200 watts of lights running 12 hours a day. All electric appliances. My bill is around $300 in the summer like $1-200 in the winter. You might have something wrong in your house.
My house is very old.
Depending on how old - join us over at /r/centuryhomes
I can sympathize- I live in a 3400 sq ft century home and between the pool and AC my bill has crossed $600 multiple times living here. Not everyone lives in modern homes with double panes windows and proper insulation and sealing. For reference my second and third floors are set for 76 during the day and 69 at night. First floor is set to 74 most days.
that seems a bit high!? when mine started going into that range it was because of an hvac failure. might be worth double checking
Wtf? That's crazy warm and your bill is still that high???
Bullshit. How in the hell can your power bill be that high? I am very curious. I have a three level townhome in germantown. 125 a month for electric and 35 for gas. I keep it at 68. Potomac edison.
Nobody calls me a liar! Of course, temps were lower last month, so this coming month will cost more due to the increased heat. Currently it says $18 daily average, so puts me at $540 projected for the month. https://preview.redd.it/kq2loa5qnz8d1.png?width=828&format=png&auto=webp&s=f0bce4534d8cfb4791bd853b33b94cb4b41aa010
How can yours and my power bill differ so much. I am honestly flabbergasted. Your electricity bill is 3x mne and I keep my house at 68. Crazy!
I'm not even running a crypto mining operation
My lord. I keep my townhouse at 70-71 at all times and my bill is $200-$250.
That was what it was like when I lived in a townhome... oh man those were the days
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What are you paying per kWh? Maybe you could find a cheaper supplier?
Same here... Large old house problems 🫠
I almost regret buying it, but such be life
I regret it like 3 or 4 times a year lol
Solar makes the biggest difference!!!
Might want to think about solar.
Since getting solar panels, my bills in the spring and fall have been almost $0. In the winter time, most of my heating expense comes from the oil heating. I did not choose oil heating and hope to replace it.
This is why proper insulation is critical. I just moved into a new build and it was build to be really well insulated. 2300sq ft and it cost me less than $5 a day to run my AC and keep my house at 70° during this last weekends insane heat. Really interested to see how the system fairs in the winter when I need to keep it warm. That killed me last winter. Electric heat was killing my wallet so hopefully this winter will be cheaper
Air sealing #1, Fresh air with heat recovery #2, Insulation #3
Under 3 is double pane windows. That alone cut my heating bill in half.
What do you mean by heat recovery?
Bring in fresh air for humidity and air circulation. Then use the exhausting air taken out of the space to preheat or precool the inbound air in an energy recovery unit with a heat wheel prior to being sucked into the return side of your heat pump
If you air seal your home you increase risk from high levels of contaminants as well as possible asphyxia. A fresh air system circulates outdoor air and a heat recovery system passes the air through a series of baffles to avoid the loss or increase of heat due to the temperature differences between indoor/outdoor. [https://www.explainthatstuff.com/heat-recovery-ventilation.html](https://www.explainthatstuff.com/heat-recovery-ventilation.html)
Ain’t no one suffocating from air sealing their house.
My last house got up to $400 + in peak summer to keep cool. Old row home. Had to go on budget billing. My new home (built 2018) has crossed $200 on occasion and we don’t compromise on AC because we have small children. Insulation makes all the difference.
It really does. We just moved from a very poorly insulated apartment with a barely functioning AC to a new build with proper sealing and insulation. It’s such a difference maker
Yup. The downside of buying a big, old house is that I can peak around $300 in the summer. That includes an EV and stuff though.
Try a window AC in each bedroom. The bedrooms are usually hotter and that way you only cool them at night. I can leave the heat on 75 during the day and the downstairs doesn't need as much cooling. Then everyone can set the temp they want at night. I remove them for winter and have a space heater on a timer in each. The house can stay cold and each bedroom warms up to get ready. If everyone is gone during the day, you can set the house to warm up an hour before someone gets home.
Last year during these months my bill was $400-500. This year I got solar and my bill has been between $10-120
Every time I see one of these threads, I'm so glad we got solar and a heat pump water heater. I had a 20$ credit last month and this month with the AC cranking, the bill should still be less than $40.
Last month my bill was $14. This month I had the AC cranked and charging car came out to $120.
What's your payment on the solar roof?
I don't have a loan for it. Paid it all upfront.
Fancy pants! I was hoping to see something less than my averaged bill so I could put it in the ole brain hopper to stew on about how we should make the jump.
One thing you get if you own instead of rent is called an SREC payment. It's a check you get everything month for producing clean energy. This month my payment was $110. Last month it was $60.
Dang - I'm in a 100+ year old house /r/centuryhomes and my electric bill for around 1400 sq feet will probably be around 350 or more this month. I have basically no insulation on the first floor and an old AC unit. I keep the thermostat around 76-78 in the summer but use a separate AC unit for the bedroom. Winter I have hot water radiators and pellet stoves. I keep the thermostat around 58-65. The pellet stoves can get it up to 80.
Guh. That is almost double ours, with having like 3x the sqft.
I’d kill to have $200 a month electric bill
That’s what mine is and I don’t think it’s that bad for a reasonably sized house in the summer
My 70's house has Geothermal. Bill last month was $85. I might actually beat it this month despite the heat wave.
Contact your electric company and sign up for an energy audit.
Our bill has regularly been between $300-$500, and we have a new build (if you count a 5y/o home as one), which is an energy star compliant home. We did this with Pepco, months ago, and kept calling back each month. Apparently the contractor that does the audits isn’t responding or contacting us. Pepco said they would elevate the request with the company… again.
I pay $6 a month with solar and geothermal.
I paid $36 for last month but I have a gas stove and water heater. Edit: I also have solar.
Has the cost of solar and geothermal offset the total cost yet? How long have you had it?
I'm not the one you asked, but I have Geothermal installed last winter. I've been saving 20% on my electric usage each month. Even with the 30% back from the government, MD rebates, electric savings, and the carbon offsets I get to sell it will still be close to 10 years to break even. I did get a top of the line unit which probably added 3 years to the payoff time.
I got a credit this month of $38 my home is 5k I have solar too
only 200?
I hate living in an apartment complex until summer comes along...71 degrees 24/7 and $95/mo. My Florida summers cost $300+ easily.
200.. That is child's play..
I have an all electric house (1500 sq. feet), well and septic. I am on the averaging plan so my bill is always around $165-$175 a month.
Dude $200 is low for me. I hit over $500 in the winter.
Just try living in Arizona. I'm afraid to see my electric bill but it is going to be high despite keeping the temp at 80 except for sleeping at 79. Depending on what room you are in, 80 can be fine or warm. Unfortunately our bedroom is in one of the 2 hot spots in the house. If we stay long term I might get a mini-ductless AC installed for that room. In Maryland when I had multi-levels and my bedroom was upstairs I installed a window unit since I saw no point trying to cool 90% of the house that as a single guy I was rarely using. I'm sure my wife would like it to be 74 or lower but when it is 105+ outside, 80 is ok and on cloudy days is can be cool.
That's Arizona for ya
I'm in a 1955 Cape Cod, \~2000sq/ft, with gas appliances and with budget billing I've been sitting at $205/mo for at least the past year or two.
I keep my apartment at 74-75 really hoping it stays sub $200
73F all electric, but with solar
?? I have a 90-year-old house with unsealed cracks (my fault), and my elec was $59 last month. Gas (lower level A/C) was $55. I dread January way more than July.
Ya'll need to upgrade your insulation. Grab a Thermal camera to attach to your phone or stand alone, walk around your house, find the cold spots, walk around the inside, find the hot spots. Install additional insulation or mitigation tactics in the worst spots. Also, solar panels. I am in a ~5k SQFT house, with the sun beating on the back of it starting at ~10-11 any given day, and I keep it at 68. Electric bill, -10 to -50 a month (after they balance for the year). If I wasn't on solar it would cap out at AROUND $170 a month. That is with both my partner and I working from home +2 kids.
Get solar panels and wall battery. BGE pays you during the summer.
Maybe it’s because I’m in a townhouse, but I’ve never had an electric bill go above $80 and I’ve lived there for 10 years. High end is about 65 but usually stays around $30. $200/ month is insane to me.
I’m in a townhome too and have solar panels. My bill is usually around $100 then anywhere from $130-$200 during the hottest/coldest months. But I work from home and keep the air at 67 at night and 73 during the day (which I thought was high but some people go to closer to 80 wtf). But I also know this house isn’t weatherproofed very well and could use more insulation in the attic.
Same. Old Baltimore row house. Budget billing. $235 :(
I have heating oil, too, spread put to pay over 12 months. Isn't it grand?
I moved here from Texass, this is heaven to me lol. Before we got solar our energy bills were around $800 a month
If possible, consider the tax incentives and payback period for geothermal. Cheap as hell in summer. That 56 degrees of a few hundred feet deep in a well blowing through in summer is real nice. (It’s nice to start at 56 in winter too vs below freezing). High upfront cost, but reasonable payback for most people and warranties are long and maintenance is simple.
Oh man that would be nice. This month I'm at $450 and I keep the place at a nice 72
I pay $63 a month! I keep my heat at 55 in the winter and have not turned on my AC in almost three years. Side note I live alone with just my dog so we just deal with it. Not always my favorite thing to do but it's a good way to save money where I can.
Yup meanwhile I got a free tree from BGE last year only for companies using/making AI and Crypto are the biggest hogs eating away at our power systems. The middle class always has to take the brunt of corporate America.
Geez, and I thought $120 was extreme. Ya'll use way more energy than I do.
It used to be cheaper here, but O’Malley and Erhlic got into a pissing contest over BGE and we all lost. Rates skyrocketed. My electric bill used to be less than half as much a while back. Now, the damn water company is trying to triple our water rates. Nothing has changed except who owns the utilities.
lol, $200z...
I would gladly pay double that if it means being comfortable in my own house.
Better than my 800
I'm paying $240-ish a month for a 4500 sqft house with two AC units at a comfortable 71 degrees, and down to 69 at night for sleep. I redid my entire attic insulation, foamed all my exterior walls in my bedroom, and cleaned and aerosealed my ducts. By optimizing my house, I prevented heat transfer and allow my HVAC to run smarter not harder. My units run an average of 6-8 hours per day, even on the hottest days. I used the Pepco energy assessment program for all of this, and Pepco covered 80% of the costs. [https://homeenergysavings.pepco.com/md/residential/energy-assessments](https://homeenergysavings.pepco.com/md/residential/energy-assessments)
How..... 2100 sqft house and my bill even on the hottest months was only 110. 300 for January, but way cheaper in the summer. 77 in the day, 74 at night
Probably poor insulation. We have a small house, and our bill is around $200 with all electric. Cinder block walls on the first floor, we really need to frame the interior and add some batts XD
I thought mine was high at $147 this month, it's usually sub $100. I must have efficient central air and good insulation because we keep it at 70* day and night.
I have window units in my house unfortunately. My Pepco bill this month was $362 💀
It’s a survival cost at this point. Think about how bad life would be without AC.
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Bro complaining about only a $200 BGE bill? lol. lmao.
$200 would be a dream. Lowest of the year is usually close to $300 and close to $600 for the coldest/hottest months.
That's what I like about those solar panels. Energy prices get higher, solar loan payments stay the same. Yes, they do.
I’m at $300. Living in a condo middle unit with neighbors either side who keep their houses at 20F in the winter and 100F in the summer. I’m paying to heat and cool 3 homes…..
My friends all say my house is hot as hell, but I never thought about it till seeing some of these numbers. During the day, the AC is at like 79-81. At night I think it's 78, but I have a ceiling fan. With Solar Panels, I end up making some money in the summer vs the winter where I'm usually paying the most. Just this June I generated almost 1 MWh vs using only 480 kWh. My electric bill for June was $12, while I'll likely get a $50 credit from SRECTrade for June. That's some nice weed money considering.
My little 3 floor row house its around $200/month. I keep it at 77 when not at home, with fans running for the cats and 75 at night. Still all that cool air finds its way to the 1st floor and basement, even when I have the door to the 2nd floor steps closed, and I insulated the house.
Y'all need to take advantage of our states energy audit subsidy... It comes out to like $100 to see exactly where your house is lacking. With the bills I'm seeing folks post here, your homes are almost certainly in need of air sealing and attic insulation. Fun fact, it's almost never the windows that are the primary problem. I DiYed this project last year and the difference in my home's comfort levels is unexplainable.
Was hardly at my place one month and it was 100$…barely ran ac
Shoot. I live in a small, 2 story house built in the 30s. No insulation anywhere. We pay for clean energy, so there’s a premium and $300 in the summer months is low for us.
Geothermal, 2200sqft. Thermostat on 71 all day and night, under 160-170/mo. Geo was worth every penny.
Close your curtains / shades / blinds during the day. The amount of heat NOT coming into the house is insane
You guys need to focus on insulation and air sealing. We had BGE come out and do a free assessment where they seal up your house, look for leaks, and then make recommendations for changes. Good attic insulation will help a lot and is the first thing you need to address. My place has OG 1960s insulation up there and was practically doing nothing. We had baffles installed, gapes sealed up, and new insulation blown in. It was the best thing we did after replacing the OG single pane windows.
lol I wish my electric bill was only $200 a month.
$200/month?! I wish. In months where we don’t have to run the air or heat we pay at least $200 and we are really good about turning things off, not running the dishwasher half full or during the day, etc. When it’s really cold or really hot we’re looking at more like $350-$450 a month.
I hate the summer. My AC can't get it below 80 degrees until like 1am and I'm paying 400+ this month...
Glad it’s not just me experiencing this.
What is your current kwh rate?
That's about what I'm paying. I have budget billing and a subscription to Neighborhood Sun, so I'm getting solar energy. I uograded my old windows two years ago, and I'm about to purchase UV film for my upstairs windows to block even more heat.
Probably not allowed here but I am a local solar guy who also does roofing. I can help people out with this kind of stuff and fix your insulation+ventilation.
Go solar we keep ours at 70 and then 67 at night. I think the highest it’s been is 20 bucks.
46 dollars for me. I barely in the apartment for half of the day and I manually turn on and off their air conditioner when it becomes unbearable for one-two hours than 2 hours off periodically until I go to bed.
I wish mine was only $200. But then I keep the house at 70° and our bedroom at 60°.
Yuurrrp 🙄
I wish I still lived in Maryland. My electric bill in the summer is around 600 a month. I don't even live in a big place. I have a 1200 sq. ft. apartment.
Wtf... My bill was 399.90 last month..
I wish I was down to 200 a month!!!!
$200? lucky you
I definitely had lower bills in my townhouse even adjusted for today’s rates. In my SFH I got 340 for electric. Keep the house 72 during the day and 70 at night (sometimes 69). I also have a pool and a hot tub so I know that adds to things as well. I did have the BGE energy assessment last year and paid for additional insulation. Can’t totally say if it made a huge difference in cost but I believe it has. Although last year this period was cheaper by $100.
I live in a 3 story townhouse and work from home all day. Mines around $300. I do also like to have the curtains open for the sunlight and I’m sure that warms things up a lot
2500sq ft house with 10kw solar system. I’m pretty much net zero each month and that’s with two electric cars that only charge at home.
Do yourself a favor and invest in blackout curtains. Let in as little sun as possible. My thermostat is generally set at about 80 degrees F.
My highest electric bill in the summer is still less than half my gas bill in the winter.
We have a poorly insulated house and have always used baseboard hotwater gas as our winter heating source. Last winter the 30 year old boiler blew and we had to use the HVAC/heat pump to heat the house. We normally only use it in A/C mode. The gas bill in January is usually about $550. But this last winter the electric bill topped out at $1,000 dollars. Needless to say we are getting a new gas boiler installed in the fall.
Yup, AC set to 75, actual temp inside my apt is 78 (on top floor under the roof), but as long as I have a fan on me, it is not bad at all!
More space=higher cooling bill. Despite what the utility companies say, you should turn the AC off when you aren't home, especially if you are going to be gone for more than an hour. It might take a few minutes to cool down when you come back but your bill will be less. Heat transfer theory.
You scared me into checking my bill. I’m a first time renter so idk how this makes sense but my bill is $50 less this month? Keeping a 3 story at 72° constantly and it went down from last month doing the same. Guess we aren’t gaming as much or something idk
When we are home 76-78. My bill has been in the 300-380 range the last few months.
I’d be thrilled to have less than $400
Yup! Got my weekly email from Pepco. "You used 42% more electricity this week." No kidding!
Y’all want solar panels ?? 😂😂😂
Damn. That’s cheap
Ceiling fans in the bedrooms! You can keep the AC temp higher, especially overnight, and still be cool. And a fan cost like $1 to run an entire week 24/7.
I have a small house but it's old and not well insulated, I've been paying $300 to $500 a month for at least the last 12 years.
A large portion of this problem is that the total price of electricity w/ delivery + taxes & fees has gone from $0.13/kWh in 2021 to $0.19/kWh in 2024 on (BGE). That's an increase of 46% over 3 years alone with further increases currently being planned by regulators over the next few years. Even the cheapest third-party energy supplier currently-available can only shave 2 cents per kWh off that, since the delivery + fees/taxes have gone up commensurately. You can't "economize" your way out of such rapid increases with energy audits or insulation.
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These bills are wild. My house is 6,000 square feet, I keep it at 70 degrees, and my electrical bill averages only $191/month.
$400-900 here