Why does my bill seem high?

The weather can have an enormous impact on how much energy your household uses.

• Hot summer days and cold winter days mean your heating and cooling system has to work harder to keep your home comfortable. Plan ahead by improving the insulation in your home and preventing air leaks.
• Just as closing the window treatments on a hot day keeps your home from heating up due to solar gain, in the winter you want to open up and get that free solar gain to help heat your house.

If friends or family come to stay, you’ll notice your bill will increase. This is due to additional activities each day such as extra meals being cooked, more showers being taken, the fridge being opened more, etc.

Vampire Appliances Devices that stay plugged in all day continue to suck energy, even if they are not in use. A computer charger kept plugged in all the time is a waste of energy and money. Unplug your devices that are not in use.

New Appliances When replacing an appliance, it’s important to understand the ongoing costs. For example, a new big screen TV may cost more to run than your old one. Always look for the Energy Star sticker when purchasing a new appliance or electronics.

Faulty Appliances When appliances are on their last leg, they cost more to run. For example, a fridge that has cracked or broken seals has to work harder to keep food cold. Keeping appliances in good working order can save you a lot on your bill.

Seasonal Appliances Hot tubs, swimming pools, filter pumps, sprinkler systems, dehumidifiers, holiday lights, driveway heaters, engine block heaters, in-floor heating and garage heaters all can affect your bill on a seasonal basis. Remember to turn them off when their season is over.

Longer Billing Period There may be a difference in the number of days covered on your current bill compared to your previous bill. You can find the number of days in the billing period on the top right-hand side of your bill.

True Electric Bill Check to be sure your bill is a true high electric bill. Are there other charges beyond electric service? Are there any additional service fees, such as deposits, connection/disconnection fees, returned check fees, city franchise fees or product purchases?

Estimated Reading Is your current or previous bill based on an estimated read? Meter reads can be estimated for a number of reasons. You can tell if your bill has been based on an estimated read if there is an asterisk next to the meter. 

The construction process during renovation can lead to a rise in power consumption, which in turn leads to high energy bills. If you’ve expanded your home and now have larger spaces to light, heat and cool, you may even have a higher daily energy usage once your home renovation is finished.

Water pumps that run all of the time or shut off and start up again, even though nobody is using water, require more electricity.

Bitcoin mining is a very energy-intensive process; by one estimate, bitcoin requires 215 kilowatt hours for each transaction. The cost to mine one bitcoin based on average electricity rates in Minnesota is $4,521.

Going on Vacation? Your meter won’t go on vacation just because you do. When vacation time comes, and you’re planning to be gone for a week or more, your electric bill should decrease significantly, right? Wrong!

• Many people believe that when they leave on vacation, their electric meter stops until they return. If they are on vacation for two weeks, they expect their electric bills to be cut in half. However, here are a number of things your meter will still measure while you’re gone:
  • Water heater, refrigerators and freezer, clocks, attic fans, humidifiers, air exchangers, heating and air conditioning equipment, lights, TV’s, cable and gaming devices with the “instant-on” feature will all continue to operate.