Hi. This summer we replaced the furnace...Which we dont have gas around here, we had the oil tanks in our basement...We bought a $6000 (Close to top of line) Rheem...Alright...the house it is in, we didn't live in til Oct. It was/is being remodeled and we lived 2 blcks away (our house burnt down & we had to move). So, when we moved in it was Oct...So getting cold (Pennsylvania).

Now, yes, we do have guys working...But the bills before we moved in were about $60...So we pay bill in Oct. No bill in Nov or Dec....So I call about 5/6 wks. ago (this house is in my mom's name since she bought it...the bill in her name too)...They say OH well there was a SIGNIFICANT increase...that is why we didn't send you a bill....

Um? Hello? So you, Penn Power, do not call the owner of the account, send the monthly bill (A normal thing to do), or show up at the house to see if there is a problem?

So he tells me, K, we'll send bill, we get bill, my mom about has a BIRD- A very very large bird...Bill is $1500. (for 2 months)...My bills forelectric at other house were $150 average. & This was with 4 tvs, satellite boxes, 2 desktop comps. 3 laptops. 6 ft fishtank with 3 filters in it...dehumidifier...washer dryer, stove, fridge, small square freezer, normal stuff...

K-in the fire we lost close to everything...so now 2 tvs, 2 laptop comps. fridge, washer/dryer...& since we were remodeling...there is NO kitchen. So no kitchen appliances besides fridge in dining room. we have like 1/2 the stuff running tht we did...& girl on phone today is like...well the tv only cost like $5/mo...so does comp...& on & on...and I go...Yeah well it all adds up..duh...You don't send me a bill & say, hay it was $5...DOn't worry about it.

So long story short....She is saying it is our new energy efficient electric furnace. My mom is totally PO'd. They say they have no all electric rate...We don't even know what to do..

Oh yeha...1st guy on phone says they'll send someone out to check...I never see a peep of anything oging on besides my construction guys...So she says Feb 3rd....And on top of it...She says...oh we under-estimated...UM? What in the world? How is this bill this high???? This is absoluetly crazy...There has to be something wrong!

I said, I'm not running a small business here how can this bill be this large???

HELP!?!?!?! What are your thoughts? & What are your bills? (If you have a elec. furnace).
Thanks!

I have an all electric mobile home and this winter my bills are ranging from $350 - $400 EACH month. I asked for an energy audit but Toledo Edison does not offer them any longer. It was suggsted that we turn the heat down from 70 to 52 but my DH can't handle it that cold (bad arthritis) so we go down to 60 the bill dropped $50!!! It is currently sitting at 65. I've unplugged just about everything I could but it is not helping. I go on the budget plan next month but I'm afraid of how much that will average out to be. At least it will be a set amount every month. Also this SPring, Summer & Fall we will be making whatever updates we can to help save energy and cut the bill for next winter.

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It is craziness! If we would have known this would happen...We wouldn't have done it! The lady on the phone yesterday asked me what I had it set on, I said 70. She said turn it down to 68. It get seriously cold in here! I can't believe they said turn it down to 52. Tell them to turn theirs down! Yeah right.

I seen on MSNBC or AOL homepage-forget which...There was this older man who froze to death in his home--Cause the electric company came in & put a cap on his temp. There was frost/ice on the insides of the top of his windows. Ridiculous!

OP you said you live in PA. I live in NY, but my best friend lives in Lancaster, PA. I was there recently reading their paper and it seems that electricity has been deregulated in many parts of their area. The article said that some towns have had their electric bills rise from 70% to 200% over what they were paying a couple of months ago.

I am not sure where you live, but could that be part of the problem and not just your furnace?

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I have beern using the same amount of electricity as last year and my bill has doubled....of course $40 to $80 isn't horrible but apparrently the cost has gone up all over the country

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Could possibly be a faulty electric meter. Do you keep bill stubs from a year ago? Compare the rates, that should tell you if the increase is because of the rates going up. If it's not a rate increase then it has to be a faulty meter. Unless, you say that you have guys still working, using electric power tools? Those would make the bill go up considerably.

Are the construction workers leaving windows and doors open while the furnace is running? It would make it run harder and nonstop and that could cause the bill to inflate.

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Do you know the price you are paying per kw? That could help you compare bills from prior months to what you are paying now.....If the price per kw went up then that could explain your increase in cost. Have them check your meter, like another poster suggested.

We pay 400 or more a month for our electric. Our neighbor only pays around 5-15 dollars. She has more appliances then we do, leaves lights on all the time, and in general uses more electricity.......I have yet to figure out how in the heck her bill is that little.

When we first moved into this house our bills ran around 99 a month, over the last 6 years they have steadily gone up......

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Nicole

hi all:

I can't compare the rates with last year...We didn't live in this house...I do think it is a faulty meter (or faulty idiot who installed elect. furnace)...My bills from my other house (oil furnace) were only about $125-150/mo. Highest was July at 180 but that was central air.

Yes, the guys use power tools...But the bill in Oct (before furnace was installed) was only $60 and that was with NO ONE living here...just the guys working...

Now the Nov19-Dec21 bill shows: 8,xxx KW @ .11--then below that is says default charges it has 5,xxx kw @ .02; 3,xxx @ .08; 4,xxx @ .xx; 3,xxx @ .xx; 1,xxx @ .xx (i forget the exacts & the bill is at my moms)...it adds up to like $700...It can't even possibly be right?

When they open the windows the furnacce gets turned down (if not by me-by them before they open windows--But I put a foot down--I'm not going to freeze either with the windows open) There is SNOW out there.

I'm 40 miles North of Pittsburgh (Lawrence CountY)...

You can pick another company...but Penn Power is still the distributor--but I know Dominion is $.09/kw. I called them yesterday.

The furnace man is coming on Thur/Fri...He ran the new duct work in my kitchen & it is right a cabinet 'leg' is...not centered. We have a bunch of construction rejects working on this house...and no there is nothing I can do...

My mom bought this house, hired them & pays them...I had one of them fall in my new bedroom on my new nightstand and break it today. I was well, go buy me a new one at Ikea. I really don't have a say...The bill is in my moms name too...But she yells at me.

Like I said, I ahve way less stuff that I did because of the fire. There isn't a desktop comp. on 24/7 now...there isn't 3 filters in teh fish tank...I'm out tvs. I'm out a Kitchen!

I will keep you updated....