Electric going up!

**rebecca** · 03-23-2009, 07:00 PM

In our newspaper they informed us that our electric is going up 11%! Ten dollars a month more. I have cut out everything I can think of to keep my electric down and now this! If I'm not mistaken it's going to affect the whole state of MI. This is crazy! Do not use my dryer, unplug anything that does not need to be plugged in, lights off 90% of the time, hardly watch tv anymore. Don't know where else I can cut. Does anyone have any suggestions besides cutting the electrical lines that run to my house?

**bonnotsm9** · 03-23-2009, 08:14 PM

You have my sympathy. When our bill came today, it had a note that our rates were going up 7.8% retroactive to the first of the month.

**Starlight9803** · 03-23-2009, 08:50 PM

no real ideas for you. We've cut out all electric "extras" as well, but it seems our rates rise as fast as I get our usage down.

**Contrary Housewife** · 03-23-2009, 10:53 PM

They are trying to raise our rates too. They say people are cutting usage and they are making less. That and their new power plant is over budget and behind schedule.

**phoeny_moonstar** · 03-24-2009, 03:19 AM

No ideas here either. I thought with my little apartment with having all the lights off all the time, the tv hardly ever on, the computer not even plugged into the wall, that I would have a fairly small electric/gas bill... I was surprised. :|

**2ndGenGranola** · 03-24-2009, 05:59 AM

Do you have a "Kill-a-watt" yet? You can figure out which appliances really take the power. I found my coffee pot clock pulls less than 1 but when it is turned on - wow! My 2 favorite appliances are killers too (turkey roaster and a fryer/steamer).

We have switched light bulbs - LED where we can and fluorescent otherwise.

Our big thing now is reading the meter everyday! The kids are really into it (they get a treat if we are low). We have pretty much halved out usage by doing that.

**ladytoysdream** · 03-24-2009, 06:28 AM

Not sure what to tell you, but a lot of us here feel your pain.

I second the kill a watt idea. I don't have one yet, but probably should get one. Our kwh usage is down but still a few more things I can tweak.

A lot of businesses are doing the same......the more people cut back, the higher the rates go anyways to make sure the same amount of money is collected for each month.

**JanieD** · 03-24-2009, 01:38 PM

We're in the same boat here. Our rates & bills continue to climb. It makes me so mad that our usage is down, but we pay even more. Still working to get it lower, but not sure its worth the effort since bills aren't less.

**The Muse** · 03-24-2009, 02:38 PM

I live in the second most expensive electric market in the country. We had solar panels installed, and at the time of our assessment, they said we'd generate an average of 50% of our energy.

We bought a kill a watt and found a lot of secret offenders and we're now offsetting about 90% of our usage on most days.

Are solar panels an option? After state and federal incentives, our $21,400 system cost us about $8,500.

**banana** · 03-24-2009, 02:48 PM

Our rates keep on rising also.

**sabrelvssammy** · 03-25-2009, 08:52 AM

rebecca- read my posts on 'i'm moving to a tent' & then 'i'm taking down the tent'....

i went thru the same things a few months ago and did alot of research on cutting back...i posted there exactly what i did and how...i cut my electric usage from 1268 kh in november to 366 last month...and i am still working on it....i am now down to 7kw a day...WOOHOO..... (and i have gas ht & water htr so this is strictly electric usage)

check out the electricity challenge too coz there are good ideas there also...

good luck on your quest.... it CAN be done...

**rebecca** · 03-25-2009, 05:53 PM

Thanks I will look at the post you suggested. My daughter the other day looked at me running around unplugging everything and she said I looked like a madwoman. Oh, well. Everytime I think about my electric bill I think to myself, "Bay City (town I live in) I'm going to make sure that you don't get any more electric from me than you can." Thank goodness my daughter can't read my mind she would really think I went off the deep end!

**HandyMom** · 03-26-2009, 12:30 AM

I'm feelin' ya Rebecca! Me & my Mom were just talking about the rate increase and they're raising her water rates too and have already raised mine!

I swear, they won't be happy until they get blood out of us too. I hope those Michigan legislators get off their duff and do their jobs to stop the madness that is frivolous utility rate hikes.