the rats raised their rates!!!!GGGGRRRR

**many houseapes** · 12-21-2005, 10:02 AM

I could just cry, I am so irritated! our electric company reaised its rates without a warning, now it is 13.17 a kilowatt. This could not come at a worse time....dh doesn't have employment, we're hanging by a thread and now our bill jumps $60 to $184. We're trying to cut back even further on our power use...scraping bone....I think that the dryer is the biggest culprit...i've tried to hang clothes in the house, but that's not working out very well....cut down on lights/ computer/ video game time...done everything that we can think of.....does anyone else have some new suggestions? This is the first winter that we have had an electric bill over $75

**FreesiaE** · 12-21-2005, 10:26 AM

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm having the same issue, only with my natural gas bill

I hope we can all make it to warmer weather and that the price goes down to a more managable level.

**Michele Annette** · 12-21-2005, 10:44 AM

Bummer

I wish I had more suggestions than what you already mentioned.

**dwallyfam** · 12-21-2005, 11:28 AM

You may want to check with the electric company to see if they have an average pay plan. You pay the same amount every moneth no matter what your bill is. That way you can budget for it.

Kellie

**sunshine** · 12-21-2005, 11:54 AM

Why isn't hanging clothes in the house working for you? Perhaps we could offer some suggestions there to help get it down.

Other than that-- I don't have much help to offer.

**many houseapes** · 12-21-2005, 03:20 PM

the only place that I can hang the clothes in the house is in the bathroom, and they don't dry well.....tried out in the garage and they don't dry well there either....it would be a waste if I had to rewash the clothes b/c they became sour smelling.....although we have cut down our laundry(there are 11 of us & 1 is still in cloth diapers) considerably and everything else, it just seems like we just can't win against the electric company.

**graci42** · 12-21-2005, 05:26 PM

Put all electric appliance (accept for frig) on power bar. When not in use turn it off at the bar...stops ghost useage.

make coffee in morning put in carafe to keep warm.
use crock pot instead of oven.
hang clothes but use a fan to circulate are...dry not sour
turn thermostat down at night
turn stove or oven off a few minutes early--leave food in for extra time to cook
schedule tv time, video, computer....write it down keep a log
Have a power outage party once a week...board games, cards ...use candles and oil lamps...

unplug lg apliances when not in use.

turn down h20 heater if it's electric....

keep an electric log...be aware of use. Get rid of the answering machine or cordless phones...that will knock $10 off to start!

good luck
Graci

**SHOPGIRL** · 12-21-2005, 07:58 PM

I use a wooden drying rack to air dry my clothes. I also put pants and shirts on hangers and use over the door devices.

You might want to see if there are any other electric companies you could give your business to.

**Telephus44** · 12-23-2005, 05:23 PM

We just got our first bill with the new raised rates. Our electric usage dropped for 954 KWH last December, to 556 KWH this December, but the bill is only about $2 less. Ours is around $110 now for two of us, and this doesn't include any laundry!

We had a 27% rate hike, plus we signed up to pay a little more for wind/solar/hydro.

I guess I'm going to have to cut down on the long, hot showers and night (which I am guilty of doing almost every night)

**Minner77** · 01-07-2006, 10:43 PM

Just a thought....
I have a husband and two kids very involved in sports, and we don't do half the laundry of a lot of folks we know. Of course, we use towels more than once, and we will re-wear clothes until they actually need washing.

I have a friend who will never, under any circumstances whatsoever, rewear a shirt, even if she's only put it on long enough to wear it to a PTA meeting or out to dinner. She washes each of her family of five's towels every single day. Her two little girls just do not get as dirty as my teen boys.... but we will still use them more than once, as I figure one is clean when he emerges from the shower.

Different strokes, I guess.

Kindest regards,
Mary

**rebecca** · 01-15-2006, 11:30 AM

They raised our electric an extra $4.00. Who knows why? Here my electric bill would of been only $86 instead of $90. I swear the more I conserve they always find a reason to raise everyones rates. They tell us to conserve and when you do they just screw it all up. I don't conserve because they want us to, I conserve just to keep my electric down.