Well thats not good news!

**nodmicks** · 04-08-2008, 09:36 AM

Our electric rates went up 10% in Jan. A few months ago they added a tax of 3.5% to pay for low income peoples heat (mandatory you pay it). In the last 2 years our electric rates have doubled. The news just said they are doing another 3% increase!!!!! What the heck. Last month we mostly air dried clothes, unplugged etc. Bill a few cents under $130(doesn't include any heating). This is getting ridiculous! Yet our neighbors a mile down the road are on the electric co-ops line and their rates are much lower than the Xcel rates we are forced to pay. Besides we have way more power outages that the co-op people.

Then add insult to injury........... The local news just announced our areas gas is 3.47 a gallon

**miss_thrifty** · 04-08-2008, 09:47 AM

Omg!!! thats aint right. they shouldnt have rose it that high.

**Starlight9803** · 04-08-2008, 11:37 AM

UGH I feel your pain. In the past two years our electric rate has went up 80% and they just announced a 3% increase coming this summer (which will probably kick in right before a/c season gets into full swing.) I'm freezing during the winter, boiling during the summer, and still have bills around $300 (we get billed for two months at the time). Before all the increases, we were paying right around $150 every two months, plus we stayed quite comfortable with the heat and a/c. @@

**YankeeMom** · 04-08-2008, 11:41 AM

We were just notified that our water & sewer rates will be going up...again

**Holly** · 04-08-2008, 12:20 PM

I have decided that its worth the $4.00
a week to dry clothes at the laundromat than use my dryer.
(thats when it rains on the weekends
because of Kenny's clothes needing to be dry by 2 am Mondays)
Getting all new clothes line and clothes pins this weekend..
All lights and things are already turned off when not in use and unplugged.

**peanut** · 04-08-2008, 01:20 PM

I wonder at what point it becomes economical to switch to solar, etc. for electricity?

We do very well compared to our neighbors, but I still notice the increase in our bills. Our electric used to sit around $60 in winter. Now it's around $90. Our natural gas goes between $20 and $250, depending on winter or summer. We don't have a/c, unlike a lot of our neighbors. We simply use the basement more in the summer.

Jean

**Jskell911** · 04-08-2008, 03:30 PM

Electric is just getting as crazy as oil around here too! We were actually excited to have a bill under $100 last month. And it was $99.60 so how bad is that to be excited over?

**Didi** · 04-09-2008, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by peanut

I wonder at what point it becomes economical to switch to solar, etc. for electricity?

We do very well compared to our neighbors, but I still notice the increase in our bills. Our electric used to sit around $60 in winter. Now it's around $90. Our natural gas goes between $20 and $250, depending on winter or summer. We don't have a/c, unlike a lot of our neighbors. We simply use the basement more in the summer.

Jean

We've applied for a subsidy for solar panels (the Dutch government now has a programme that pays back your investment in 15 years... we will probably also make "some profit").
Solar boilers pay off (for our situation) in about 7 years. We can expect a gas price increase of 15% for this year, so it could be in even less time.

I think it's worthwhile the investment, formost for the environment, but with energy prices going up all the time it's becoming even more interesting to go solar.

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 04-09-2008, 07:52 PM

That is a huge rate hike! I'm so sorry! Nice of them to have you subsidize other's electric bills to boot! GRRRR...

**prairiewife** · 04-09-2008, 09:06 PM

That is a big increase. It's so sad when you work so hard to cut back on electric and it still ends up higher than what you were paying a year ago.

I remember when a larger city close to where we used to live increased its per gallon water rates. They did this due to water shortages because of the drought. It was supposed to discourage excess water usage. Well people cut back so much the city ended up charging a higher base rate because usage had gone down so much the city said it was losing money. So in the end people paid even more while trying to conserve.

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 04-10-2008, 03:14 AM

Our sewer rates are going up 21%. OUCH!

**Didi** · 04-10-2008, 04:41 AM

Originally Posted by prairiewife

That is a big increase. It's so sad when you work so hard to cut back on electric and it still ends up higher than what you were paying a year ago.

I remember when a larger city close to where we used to live increased its per gallon water rates. They did this due to water shortages because of the drought. It was supposed to discourage excess water usage. Well people cut back so much the city ended up charging a higher base rate because usage had gone down so much the city said it was losing money. So in the end people paid even more while trying to conserve.

That sounds totally ridiculous to me.