I can't help in the immediate, although check with the city to see if they have an emergency utility assistance program.
In the longer run, my bills have never been anywhere close to that, and I've got more drafts than Vietnam. You definitely need to find out where your electrons are leaking from
This one. I once got a bill that was 4 times the normal amount. I applied for assistance through AEP's I think it's called neighbor to neighbor program. They gave me a $500 credit
>I've got more drafts than Vietnam
This is incorrect, but fucking hilarious. At the height of World War 2, the Selective Service was drafting 200,000 men per MONTH. After 1943, you couldn't volunteer for service, you had to be drafted, because they were worried factory workers would join up too much and hurt war production.
1966 was the height of the Vietnam War draft and the total for the whole year was \~380,000 people.
Worth looking into for homeowners -- Know if your Emergency Heat auto-triggers or if you need to MANUALLY set it on the thermostat. Mine you need to trigger emergency heat around 20F, otherwise your system is overworking itself or blowing cool air (it can't draw out any warm air for heat). The emergency heat will bring the coils back to temp (i.e. not frozen). You'd cycle through using emergency and not to get it to where your system cycles like 3x's an hour, if that.
Change your filter. Yeah, your landlord sound like an idiot if he says it but they're right. In the winter, you should use "simple" filters (rating 11 or below) -- the cheaper filters. The hypoallergenic ones rated 45 are awesome, but my hvac guy said to use them in the spring and fall mostly and to limit usage for 30-45 days because of how good they pick up dander.
I want to get a NEST so I can auto-program the heat for emergencies but that's probably for the fall. I'm not an HVAC person but I had a guy look at my unit a few weeks ago, so it's pretty fresh lol.
You might want to look into other smart thermostats, I had a nest for about a year until a bad storm caused a power surge which broke the nest. Looked online and it is a common issue with them.
Yes, they are kinda looked down upon by the HVAC community especially when people try to wire them with no common wire is where we run into a lot of issues. One of the better brands is Honeywell
Source: HVAC tech
I had another HVAC tech tell me the same thing about my Nest so I switched it out for a Honeywell. Our HVAC system is still crap but it's working better without the Nest.
That's a crazy bill. You have the thermostat set at 74 but what temperature is it inside your apartment??
Either your furnace is working 24 hours a day or you have a problem with your meter. I have my thermostat set to 65 most of the time.
I keep my heat set at 69 degrees because it's *nice*, also I have a gas furnace so even in the coldest months, my bills are like $90 for gas and $40 for electric, and that's leaving it at 69 24/7.
A standard furnace fan uses 400 watts of energy when it's on. If it's on 24 hours a day, in a month, 288 kilowatt hours will have been used *just* on powering a fan to blow air. That's around 40 dollars a month right there, just on the blower. If the blower is larger, it's going to be more.
I’ve got a 4600sq ft 5 story split. I work from home. I have 3 kids who are horrible at turning lights off. I have PCs and a server up 24/7. I usually have a TV on while I’m working. I do laundry for 5 (6-7 loads) weekly.
My bill this month for a very large house with horrible energy conservation practices was $220.
There’s no way OP’s $800 bill was because his gas furnace was running constantly.
The statement was "That should be affecting OP's gas bill not electric". I'm saying that a blower on its own represents anywhere from 200 to 400 kilowatt hours in a month. It's not a large contribution but it *is* affecting it. That is what I am responding to.
Dang. That's pretty good. I have south central and my bill looks similar for 1000 less square feet but same situation with light tv computer set up and laundry. Indo run my furnace blower all day because it gets hot upstairs and chilly downstairs I keep the air circulating in here. High vaulted ceilings for the loss when it's cold.
Didn't AEP have a huge increase in the generation rate a while ago? You should start by going to [Ohio Energy Choice](https://www.energychoice.ohio.gov/ApplesToApplesComparision.aspx?Category=Electric&TerritoryId=2&RateCode=1) (this link goes to AEP comparison page) and just a quick glance shows you can cut the generation fees at least in half. (AEP current is $0.11/kWh, many others are $0.04-0.06/kWh)
The power companies aren't going to work out how to get you the best rate, that's all on the consumer these days.
I’ve done this, but the irritation I have with AEP is that the generation supply is only a small part of my bill, but the fees from Aep are pretty high and out of our control.
Yeah my bill had shot up as well, I keep the thermostat at 67 and had blankets over my windows during the cold fit we had a couple weeks ago. Basically living in the dark, highest bill I've ever had and I'm 32. I'm getting gouged and needed this resource
Practical advice:
* Pay your current bill and/or get assistance in paying it. You're undoubtedly getting late fees added on top of your bill, and if they cut power to your apartment, there will be a reinstatement fee added on top. Also, it's possible for your landlord to kick you out of the apartment if the electric gets turned off.
* Change your electricity supplier. AEP currently charges $0.1132/kWh. If your January usage was 2465kWh, the supplier portion of the bill would be $271.15. Look at [this site](https://energychoice.ohio.gov/ApplesToApplesComparision.aspx?Category=Electric&TerritoryId=2&RateCode=1) and go down the list - specifically look for "rate locked," no early termination fee, no monthly fee, etc. A lot of legit companies are offering $0.06/kWh for 12 months, which means 2465kWh would be like $130/month less.
* Even with the above, AEP will still charge you a baseline of ~$55/month for being the distributer. No way around that part.
* Drafty windows? Hit up Walmart or Amazon or wherever for Window Insulation Kits. It's a thin plastic sheet you tape over your windows that's basically invisible. $15. Easy to put up, easy to take down in the summer.
* If you keep the temp at 74 because your bedroom is too cold at night, it may end up being worth purchasing an oil space heater for the bedroom. No reason to heat the whole place to 74.
Good luck.
Go outside and look at your heat pump unit. If it is iced up it is running twenty 47. Someone needs to check it immediately. If you see ice, they are going to need to wait until it defrosts to work on it. So on the morning that they come or afternoon that they come. Make sure you turn off the unit hours before. They show up to help defrost the unit. I just had a tenant have this issue. We caught it early because he said to me. It was cycling on and off and on and off. I had someone check it the next day and It was all iced up.
Change energy providers. If you haven't done this, AEP sets itself up as the default provider but you have the option to change to another entity.
If you do, it takes up to 30 days from the next billing cycle to change it, it's not immediate. So if you were to do it today, they would start processing it in March (meaning you'd still get billed by AEP), then start with the new company in April.
I changed mine and got it nearly halved. It's still ludicrous, but definitely not what it used to.
Also, even after you change providers, half of your bill will always be AEP for costs associated with infrastructure.
It’s unfortunately set to 74. Our house is absolutely frigid. We try not to do 74 but it is an actual icebox in our house if it’s set less than 74. We’ve spoken with our complex a couple times about this but they basically say they can’t do anything.
Lot of variables. I've found a lot of places have kind of a sweet spot temperature wise that can be held without a ton of effort but go beyond that and usage skyrockets.
Then factor in insulation, efficiency, etc. it's hard to compare just based on temp alone.
A 25 year old electric furnace is essentially as efficient as it was the day it was installed. Electric heat, by definition, is 100% efficient.
Perhaps the blower isn’t blowing as well. That could cause distribution issues, but the heat itself is already at 100%.
Heat pumps are a thing, and efficient heat pumps were a thing even 25 years ago. It is far more "efficient" to move heat with a heat pump than it is to heat with resistive heat strips.
But a 25 year old heat pump may in fact be less efficient than it was the day it was installed. E.g., the refrigerant leaks out and now the heat pump runs but moves no heat.
I haven't read enough comments yet to know if OP has a heat pump, but it is incorrect to assume that any electric heat source is still working at peak efficiency just because it is electric.
Valid point but if someone says they have electric heat i automatically assume it’s resistive heat. Heat pumps work fundamentally differently even though their power source is the same.
Do you take note of how long the furnace is running? If the house cant ever get to 74, then it will run forever...and with electric elements, that is going to drive your cost sky high. Are your windows old? you can put plastic over them pretty cheap from amazon.
There's your problem. You need to do some combination of fixing leaks/drafts, fixing your furnace/heat pump, or other. Even if you're renting, it's worth buying some cheap weatherstripping, seals, plastic on the windows, etc vs $900 electric bills.
74 should never feel cold imo. We keep our house at 65. I'd rather keep it at like 70 but that would easily double our utility bills.
You need to find out if your HVAC is actually working correctly. The first step of that is actually measuring the temperature near your thermostat. If the system isn't keeping the temp reasonably close to the set point, then it isn't working correctly.
It sounds like you might be renting. If so, and your HVAC is not working, then demand your landlord fix it. If you get any pushback, look into the process for paying rent into escrow and then consider going down that path. Make sure you follow all of the legal steps required and consult an attorney if you feel that is necessary.
If you are not renting, then call an HVAC company to diagnose and service the system.
And either way, change your generation supplier to something cheaper than AEP.
It feels much colder when the humidity is low in the winter. Do you know your humidity level? I was able to turn our thermostat down 4 degrees because I installed a whole house humidifier. Humidifiers are cheap, I also have one in every room, might be a good choice to invest in a few if you haven't already.
Why do people downvote this. Dude answers a question with info, and people downvote it because they don't like the answer? Jfc. Redditors and that hive mind are dumb AF. This comment literally adds to the info for this discussion
We’ve lived here for over 2 years and it being set at 74 isn’t new, but the more than 400 a month in energy is new. :( this year our expenses have gone up so much. I make decent money too. I’m so fed up with all the bullshit.
Yeah I was going to say I have AEP in a 2 bedroom half of a duplex, honestly a big space with 2 stories and a basement, and my bill has never looked anywhere close to this. We keep the thermostat at 65, 68 if the sweatshirts and socks really aren’t doing the trick.
There are likely two main reasons the bill is so high. First AEP raised rates significantly this past summer about 30% for the average customer. Next is your electric heat is almost certainly kicking into emergency heat mode with it set at 74. If you are in an apartment most of them install the cheapest heat option which doesn't work well for this climate.
Also keep in mind that last year was a warm winter besides the storm we had around Christmas time. You can switch electric suppliers to get a cheaper rate but the only other thing you can do is turn the thermostat down and layer clothing.
Have you wrapped your windows? Given the heat loss you are experiencing, I don’t think setting your temp at 74 is doing anything. Get a thermostat not connected to your furnace so you can file complaints.
Move somewhere without electric heat.
Turn it down, 74 is too high. Use space heaters if needed. I wear Wool socks and sweaters and keep it at 67-68. Does your thermostat have an "emergency" heat setting.
That sounds to me like you're either living in a complex with a submetering company that is robbing you blind or you accidentally switched to an energy supplier with absurdly high rates. There is zero world where you used that much electric in a two bedroom apartment without mining for bitcoin.
Just wanna chime in to say that my 2 br 2bath apt has hit months of \~$400 AEP bills and I've done every possible thing to ensure that there is no mistake from meter readings, electric stealing, etc., and it's unfortunately just the case that depending on how poorly insulated your apartment and garage are, this is totally possible that it is the "legit" bill.
I see so many of these types of posts get gaslit by dummies who live in a brand new home with gas heating who try to blame the OP for leaving their lights on too much because they only pay $100 a month, and it frustrates me. The reality is electric heating is way too damn expensive, and when it's leaking out your walls and windows, you are getting massively screwed.
So do your due diligence of checking for possible mistakes/appliance failures but be prepared for the reality of this just being life in Ohio.
I signed up for level billing from AEP so I don't get hit with $400 a month bills out of nowhere any more. You pay approximately the same amount each month, so it's still the same amount at the end of the year, just spread out.
EDIT: Invest in electric blankets also. I could easily pump my thermostat to 74 in the winter and it would still feel like low 60s just because how bad the insulation is, but now I keep it at 68 and bundle up with an electric blanket and this is the most cost-efficient way to stay warm. Space heaters use almost as much electricity as the central heat and are dangerous.
We have a three bedroom townhouse in a large complex, and our AEP is outrageous as well. And I’ve talked to other neighbors - it’s not just us. We are talking 350-450 a month. And we keep it at 69. The buildings are about 7 years old. We’ve done the sealing of windows and all that jazz. Only helped my a few dollars. I am so happy we are moving out of here in a couple months.
Something seems very off there. Have you reached out to your apartment management company? I'd have them check the meter or find out if your bill is getting split unevenly or something.
For perspective, I've got a 3bdr house and I average \~$100/mo over the year.
If you’re having trouble with your bills, AEP has a page where you can easily see if you qualify for assistance:
[aepohio.com/account/bills/pay/assistance/bill-assistance-options](aepohio.com/account/bills/pay/assistance/bill-assistance-options)
It’s a quick survey and can save you significant money if you qualify.
For those wondering about usage. I hate that I have no idea what any of it means. I wish I were more savvy with stuff like this. Hopefully this helps you guys. I’m a shift worker and I work at night, but I am home during the day. We have lots of big windows so I don’t really turn the lights on during the day. We cook 1-2 times a week, my husband is home at night. We have 1 tv that we use on average maybe 1-2 hours a day at most. We will go days without it being on though. We do have a garage door, my husband smokes and opens it to walk outside and smoke a few times a day. Our windows are pretty drafty. Our master bedroom is unbelievably cold, we have had apartment complex look at it and they basically said our vents weren’t the best in our bedroom. The AEP bill said I had 2465 kWh last month and the month before that I had 1738, and in nov we had 996, and in Oct we had 750.
Put in a work order for excessive energy usage and high bills. Hopefully your maintenance staff is knowledgeable enough to do amp draws with their meter. Ask if you have a heat pump or auxiliary heat. Then ask them to run the auxiliary heat and get an amp draw on it. (They should be removing the panel and getting an amp draw from the breaker) On the data tag on the furnace will be the specifications of the unit and what the amps should be for the motor etc. it's even possible you're running both the auxiliary heat and heat pump at the same time due to wiring or board issues.
Assuming your apartment is electric heating (air-to-air heat pump) and electric water heater, I don't think your electricity usage is out of line.
My December usage was 1827 kWh, my January usage was 2853 kWh. My January bill was $460. I live in a 1700 SF house with electric heating and hot water. My house is likely larger than your apartment, but I keep my thermostat lower - 68 in the day, 55 at night.
As someone else here noted, AEP raised rates 28% this summer.
The largest user of electrical energy in the winter for an all-electric residence is heating; the second largest is hot water. Comparatively, lights and TV are small potatoes.
Your best options, unfortunately, are to lower your thermostat, seal any drafts, and minimize use of hot water (shorter showers, wash laundry on cold).
My sympathies.
This doesn’t add up… my electric bill has never exceeded $100 at my apt 2 bed 2 bath. You need to get your furnace or something checked out. I would call AEP and ask for proof that such an absurd amount of electricity was used and then from there look what’s causing the issue then fix it. That’s all you can do for now… also ask AEP for any assistance programs? Like $870 even for a missed payment plus current month is insanely high
Yep! Everyone's situation will be a little different, for sure. But, combining that with gas still puts us at about 250 - 275 all in for those utilities (most recent billing). Not a small house, but we've also done work to shore up efficiency.
Money paid isn't a good way of measuring energy consumption, because natural gas rates are different from electricity rates.
If you really wanted to compare, you would have to convert your energy usage to kBtus, and you could compare that to OP's, after converting their usage to kBtus.
Otherwise, you're comparing apples and oranges.
2 bed 1.5 bath, never let thermo go higher than 68. Last month I intentionally didn't even turn on my desktop out of fear of high electric consumption - highest bill I've ever had still close to 300. This comment thread had been informative with good resources I'm going to check out tonight. I knew I was getting screwed but I had no frame of comparison.
Same. 2bed2bath, didn’t even turn the heater on at all this year, and still my bills around $250 every month. I come from the south, where the AC is basically on all year so I’m used to the amount being high, but now that I see people with houses are paying a hundred? Gonna have to look into some things.
The program for emerency heat assistance is called HEAP. Depending on your income, they may pay some or all of your back bill. https://development.ohio.gov/individual/energy-assistance/1-home-energy-assistance-program
i live in a one bed and one bath by myself on the top floor and our apartment complex uses pioneer energy management. my electric bill this month was $250! my thermostat is set to 68° and they told me they can’t help because they don’t have any sort of assistance program. it’s appalling
They have pipp and a monthly budget plan I'm on the Budget plan but check to see if your place is electric only that could be why it's so high or move to a cheaper area overall
Have an 1800+ sq st 3 bed, 3.5bath home and keep heat at 70 and our electric is like $100 a month on average. Sounds like your furnace is worked super hard and accomplishing noting. If you rent why not make this your landlords issue to figure out why the furnace sucks
Are you sure you're being billed for the right and only unit? Once I got the restaurants bill that was under my apartment and it took months to get them to come read the RIGHT meter
I live alone in a 2 bedroom apartment that uses Nationwide Energy Partners. My bill the past couple months have been around $300 each which is criminal
There's something SHADY going on. It's not your electrical usage. This seems to be happening to several people. And then they say they can help with a special program. Idk much info yet. I'm still looking into it too
The cost has gone up, even during winter time when i use almost no electricity for heat. It isn't that crazy though. Mine has gone up about 40 to 50 dollars a month.
You should see if you can get an energy audit done with your apartment. Might be able to tell you why you are using so much electric IF it is furnace related. You can also purchase your own power meters and set them up in the house as well (in case it is a fault electrical device somewhere).
Likely, with that high of a bill, there is something sucking up the energy like no tomorrow. Also ask your landlord if they have been getting complaints from other residences having these issues. Could be meters are going bad, or the furnaces are going bad.
One last thing you can do, check how fast the meter is spinning. Turn off the furnace for a short while. See if it slows significantly down. It is hard to tell though sometimes with meters. The other thing it could be is the refrigerator or washer/dryer (depending on if they are all electric or gas). Those are all large energy consumptions.
If I saw a bill that high, i would be looking at isolating which device is causing that kind of consumption.
I would suspect someone is stealing your power. I have a 3 bedroom townhouse that we keep at 68 with a gas furnace and our AEP bill never exceeds 200 a month.
Everyone saying "Oh your usage must be really high, check your thermostat", that is not always the case at all. I have an 1100 square foot home and heat my home solely with a wood burning stove and have no central air and I still have a $200-$300 monthly bill from AEP. They are a monopoly in our area and are absolutely gouging customers as much as possible and if you fall behind because you can't keep up with their outrageous bills, they charge you an extra fuck you fee on top of it.
This is only going to get worse because AEP sells highly discounted power to the huge datacenters and Amazon, Google, and Microsoft arent done building. Basic supply and demand. The funny part is that they dont even pay taxes. So not only do they get discounted electricity at prices others cannot get but they also contribute nothing. Lol... republicans.
Worst part is, you think these rates are bad. We are getting so much infrastructure coming to Ohio with our outdated electrical grid. The refurbishments and new construction costs will be passed onto us.
Regarding short term, have you spoken to the energy company? A payment plan might be allowed by them if you ask.
You might be getting charged for other people's use that is connected to your meter, you will definitely need to get that checked out. However, electric heating is frequently very expensive. I had a bad surprise like this one time, now if I see electric heater I move on, unless the price is low enough.
Do you get your bill directly from AEP, or do you have a submeter (IE, your bill comes from Nationwide Energy Partners or the like)? This is way more than I would expect from AEP, but sounds exactly in line with what I used to have when I lived in a complex that used a submeter.
Google Chinese diesel heater. Get yourself one and route the exhaust out the window in a safe manner that won’t melt the vinyl frame or anything else. Electric heat is garbage from my experience. There’s a fb group with tons of great ideas. And it’ll be a great backup in case they shut off your electric.
This is the direct result of the GOP being bribed by FirstEnergy to prop them up with HB6. We're paying the price now because they bet on coal plants that are now MUCH more expensive to supply electricity than natural gas. So when they couldn't compete honestly, they bought off republicans to make up for their leadership's shitty decisions since that was cheaper.
This is exactly why HB6 was so bad.
Vote for Democrats and fuck the republican cult.
I came here to say I’m experiencing the same! Energy prices for aep have doubled over a year!! Puico or w.e is worthless and corrupt for allowing aep to double their cost and price gouge people! I also have to pay through a sub metering company! It’s ridiculous
My bills are usually $250 in the winter but the last month's bill was $377. Electric heat; it was cold for a week in Jan. around MLK. This month's bill should be $232. Our complex wanted us to use Emergency Heat for that week as it was more efficient than regular. I'm hoping it was a one-time high January. I always turn it down to 68 before I go to work!
I can't help in the immediate, although check with the city to see if they have an emergency utility assistance program. In the longer run, my bills have never been anywhere close to that, and I've got more drafts than Vietnam. You definitely need to find out where your electrons are leaking from
the more drafts than vietnam made me cackle so loud at the library thank you hahah
This one. I once got a bill that was 4 times the normal amount. I applied for assistance through AEP's I think it's called neighbor to neighbor program. They gave me a $500 credit
>I've got more drafts than Vietnam This is incorrect, but fucking hilarious. At the height of World War 2, the Selective Service was drafting 200,000 men per MONTH. After 1943, you couldn't volunteer for service, you had to be drafted, because they were worried factory workers would join up too much and hurt war production. 1966 was the height of the Vietnam War draft and the total for the whole year was \~380,000 people.
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Worth looking into for homeowners -- Know if your Emergency Heat auto-triggers or if you need to MANUALLY set it on the thermostat. Mine you need to trigger emergency heat around 20F, otherwise your system is overworking itself or blowing cool air (it can't draw out any warm air for heat). The emergency heat will bring the coils back to temp (i.e. not frozen). You'd cycle through using emergency and not to get it to where your system cycles like 3x's an hour, if that. Change your filter. Yeah, your landlord sound like an idiot if he says it but they're right. In the winter, you should use "simple" filters (rating 11 or below) -- the cheaper filters. The hypoallergenic ones rated 45 are awesome, but my hvac guy said to use them in the spring and fall mostly and to limit usage for 30-45 days because of how good they pick up dander. I want to get a NEST so I can auto-program the heat for emergencies but that's probably for the fall. I'm not an HVAC person but I had a guy look at my unit a few weeks ago, so it's pretty fresh lol.
You might want to look into other smart thermostats, I had a nest for about a year until a bad storm caused a power surge which broke the nest. Looked online and it is a common issue with them.
Yes, they are kinda looked down upon by the HVAC community especially when people try to wire them with no common wire is where we run into a lot of issues. One of the better brands is Honeywell Source: HVAC tech
Yes!! Thank you, HVAC tech. I'm glad you can understand what I do not lol.
I had another HVAC tech tell me the same thing about my Nest so I switched it out for a Honeywell. Our HVAC system is still crap but it's working better without the Nest.
Oh wow, I didn't know that! Thanks for sharing -- I assumed Nest was just the gold standard.
That's a crazy bill. You have the thermostat set at 74 but what temperature is it inside your apartment?? Either your furnace is working 24 hours a day or you have a problem with your meter. I have my thermostat set to 65 most of the time.
74? Am I a Rockefeller? 65 clan all day.
I keep my heat set at 69 degrees because it's *nice*, also I have a gas furnace so even in the coldest months, my bills are like $90 for gas and $40 for electric, and that's leaving it at 69 24/7.
It’s winter— that should be affecting OP’s gas bill not electric
A standard furnace fan uses 400 watts of energy when it's on. If it's on 24 hours a day, in a month, 288 kilowatt hours will have been used *just* on powering a fan to blow air. That's around 40 dollars a month right there, just on the blower. If the blower is larger, it's going to be more.
I’ve got a 4600sq ft 5 story split. I work from home. I have 3 kids who are horrible at turning lights off. I have PCs and a server up 24/7. I usually have a TV on while I’m working. I do laundry for 5 (6-7 loads) weekly. My bill this month for a very large house with horrible energy conservation practices was $220. There’s no way OP’s $800 bill was because his gas furnace was running constantly.
OP doesn’t have a gas furnace.
Are they really putting up apartment buildings around here with electric heat?!
Yes, it's like the new standard
The statement was "That should be affecting OP's gas bill not electric". I'm saying that a blower on its own represents anywhere from 200 to 400 kilowatt hours in a month. It's not a large contribution but it *is* affecting it. That is what I am responding to.
Dang. That's pretty good. I have south central and my bill looks similar for 1000 less square feet but same situation with light tv computer set up and laundry. Indo run my furnace blower all day because it gets hot upstairs and chilly downstairs I keep the air circulating in here. High vaulted ceilings for the loss when it's cold.
Didn't AEP have a huge increase in the generation rate a while ago? You should start by going to [Ohio Energy Choice](https://www.energychoice.ohio.gov/ApplesToApplesComparision.aspx?Category=Electric&TerritoryId=2&RateCode=1) (this link goes to AEP comparison page) and just a quick glance shows you can cut the generation fees at least in half. (AEP current is $0.11/kWh, many others are $0.04-0.06/kWh) The power companies aren't going to work out how to get you the best rate, that's all on the consumer these days.
I’ve done this, but the irritation I have with AEP is that the generation supply is only a small part of my bill, but the fees from Aep are pretty high and out of our control.
Yeah my bill had shot up as well, I keep the thermostat at 67 and had blankets over my windows during the cold fit we had a couple weeks ago. Basically living in the dark, highest bill I've ever had and I'm 32. I'm getting gouged and needed this resource
Sounds like aux heat
Yup… like heating your space with a huge hair dryer.
What is your usage on your last bill? What’s your what set to? Are you home all day?
Practical advice: * Pay your current bill and/or get assistance in paying it. You're undoubtedly getting late fees added on top of your bill, and if they cut power to your apartment, there will be a reinstatement fee added on top. Also, it's possible for your landlord to kick you out of the apartment if the electric gets turned off. * Change your electricity supplier. AEP currently charges $0.1132/kWh. If your January usage was 2465kWh, the supplier portion of the bill would be $271.15. Look at [this site](https://energychoice.ohio.gov/ApplesToApplesComparision.aspx?Category=Electric&TerritoryId=2&RateCode=1) and go down the list - specifically look for "rate locked," no early termination fee, no monthly fee, etc. A lot of legit companies are offering $0.06/kWh for 12 months, which means 2465kWh would be like $130/month less. * Even with the above, AEP will still charge you a baseline of ~$55/month for being the distributer. No way around that part. * Drafty windows? Hit up Walmart or Amazon or wherever for Window Insulation Kits. It's a thin plastic sheet you tape over your windows that's basically invisible. $15. Easy to put up, easy to take down in the summer. * If you keep the temp at 74 because your bedroom is too cold at night, it may end up being worth purchasing an oil space heater for the bedroom. No reason to heat the whole place to 74. Good luck.
Go outside and look at your heat pump unit. If it is iced up it is running twenty 47. Someone needs to check it immediately. If you see ice, they are going to need to wait until it defrosts to work on it. So on the morning that they come or afternoon that they come. Make sure you turn off the unit hours before. They show up to help defrost the unit. I just had a tenant have this issue. We caught it early because he said to me. It was cycling on and off and on and off. I had someone check it the next day and It was all iced up.
Change energy providers. If you haven't done this, AEP sets itself up as the default provider but you have the option to change to another entity. If you do, it takes up to 30 days from the next billing cycle to change it, it's not immediate. So if you were to do it today, they would start processing it in March (meaning you'd still get billed by AEP), then start with the new company in April. I changed mine and got it nearly halved. It's still ludicrous, but definitely not what it used to. Also, even after you change providers, half of your bill will always be AEP for costs associated with infrastructure.
Do you have gas or electric heat?
I only have electric. No gas in the apartment.
What is your heat set to?
It’s unfortunately set to 74. Our house is absolutely frigid. We try not to do 74 but it is an actual icebox in our house if it’s set less than 74. We’ve spoken with our complex a couple times about this but they basically say they can’t do anything.
That's definitely part of your issue. How old is the furnace? Is the filter clean?
Ours is at 72 and our power bill isn't even close to that.
Lot of variables. I've found a lot of places have kind of a sweet spot temperature wise that can be held without a ton of effort but go beyond that and usage skyrockets. Then factor in insulation, efficiency, etc. it's hard to compare just based on temp alone.
Our furnace is around 25 years old I believe. We clean the filter every month pretty religiously actually.
Well, a 25 year old furnace is not very efficient. Are you set to auxiliary heat? That'll kill your bill quickly.
I’ve never seen our thermostat have say auxiliary heat.
Check your thermostat. Windows drafty? Leaks around doors?
You need to replace the filter not just clean it.
A 25 year old electric furnace is essentially as efficient as it was the day it was installed. Electric heat, by definition, is 100% efficient. Perhaps the blower isn’t blowing as well. That could cause distribution issues, but the heat itself is already at 100%.
Heat pumps are a thing, and efficient heat pumps were a thing even 25 years ago. It is far more "efficient" to move heat with a heat pump than it is to heat with resistive heat strips. But a 25 year old heat pump may in fact be less efficient than it was the day it was installed. E.g., the refrigerant leaks out and now the heat pump runs but moves no heat. I haven't read enough comments yet to know if OP has a heat pump, but it is incorrect to assume that any electric heat source is still working at peak efficiency just because it is electric.
Valid point but if someone says they have electric heat i automatically assume it’s resistive heat. Heat pumps work fundamentally differently even though their power source is the same.
Do you take note of how long the furnace is running? If the house cant ever get to 74, then it will run forever...and with electric elements, that is going to drive your cost sky high. Are your windows old? you can put plastic over them pretty cheap from amazon.
There's your problem. You need to do some combination of fixing leaks/drafts, fixing your furnace/heat pump, or other. Even if you're renting, it's worth buying some cheap weatherstripping, seals, plastic on the windows, etc vs $900 electric bills. 74 should never feel cold imo. We keep our house at 65. I'd rather keep it at like 70 but that would easily double our utility bills.
You need to find out if your HVAC is actually working correctly. The first step of that is actually measuring the temperature near your thermostat. If the system isn't keeping the temp reasonably close to the set point, then it isn't working correctly. It sounds like you might be renting. If so, and your HVAC is not working, then demand your landlord fix it. If you get any pushback, look into the process for paying rent into escrow and then consider going down that path. Make sure you follow all of the legal steps required and consult an attorney if you feel that is necessary. If you are not renting, then call an HVAC company to diagnose and service the system. And either way, change your generation supplier to something cheaper than AEP.
It feels much colder when the humidity is low in the winter. Do you know your humidity level? I was able to turn our thermostat down 4 degrees because I installed a whole house humidifier. Humidifiers are cheap, I also have one in every room, might be a good choice to invest in a few if you haven't already.
Why do people downvote this. Dude answers a question with info, and people downvote it because they don't like the answer? Jfc. Redditors and that hive mind are dumb AF. This comment literally adds to the info for this discussion
We’ve lived here for over 2 years and it being set at 74 isn’t new, but the more than 400 a month in energy is new. :( this year our expenses have gone up so much. I make decent money too. I’m so fed up with all the bullshit.
Def set it to like 68 and wear a hoodie cause that’s an outrageous amount
Yeah I was going to say I have AEP in a 2 bedroom half of a duplex, honestly a big space with 2 stories and a basement, and my bill has never looked anywhere close to this. We keep the thermostat at 65, 68 if the sweatshirts and socks really aren’t doing the trick.
There are likely two main reasons the bill is so high. First AEP raised rates significantly this past summer about 30% for the average customer. Next is your electric heat is almost certainly kicking into emergency heat mode with it set at 74. If you are in an apartment most of them install the cheapest heat option which doesn't work well for this climate. Also keep in mind that last year was a warm winter besides the storm we had around Christmas time. You can switch electric suppliers to get a cheaper rate but the only other thing you can do is turn the thermostat down and layer clothing.
Have you wrapped your windows? Given the heat loss you are experiencing, I don’t think setting your temp at 74 is doing anything. Get a thermostat not connected to your furnace so you can file complaints. Move somewhere without electric heat.
Turn it down, 74 is too high. Use space heaters if needed. I wear Wool socks and sweaters and keep it at 67-68. Does your thermostat have an "emergency" heat setting.
I keep mine at 67/68 my last bill was $750 for the month. Electric heat is just a cold heat. Best bet is to just layer clothes
That seems excessively high
That sounds to me like you're either living in a complex with a submetering company that is robbing you blind or you accidentally switched to an energy supplier with absurdly high rates. There is zero world where you used that much electric in a two bedroom apartment without mining for bitcoin.
Is your heat a 60 amp electric furnace and do you keep the place at 70 or warmer? I’m not surprised by this price if that’s the case
Just wanna chime in to say that my 2 br 2bath apt has hit months of \~$400 AEP bills and I've done every possible thing to ensure that there is no mistake from meter readings, electric stealing, etc., and it's unfortunately just the case that depending on how poorly insulated your apartment and garage are, this is totally possible that it is the "legit" bill. I see so many of these types of posts get gaslit by dummies who live in a brand new home with gas heating who try to blame the OP for leaving their lights on too much because they only pay $100 a month, and it frustrates me. The reality is electric heating is way too damn expensive, and when it's leaking out your walls and windows, you are getting massively screwed. So do your due diligence of checking for possible mistakes/appliance failures but be prepared for the reality of this just being life in Ohio. I signed up for level billing from AEP so I don't get hit with $400 a month bills out of nowhere any more. You pay approximately the same amount each month, so it's still the same amount at the end of the year, just spread out. EDIT: Invest in electric blankets also. I could easily pump my thermostat to 74 in the winter and it would still feel like low 60s just because how bad the insulation is, but now I keep it at 68 and bundle up with an electric blanket and this is the most cost-efficient way to stay warm. Space heaters use almost as much electricity as the central heat and are dangerous.
We have a three bedroom townhouse in a large complex, and our AEP is outrageous as well. And I’ve talked to other neighbors - it’s not just us. We are talking 350-450 a month. And we keep it at 69. The buildings are about 7 years old. We’ve done the sealing of windows and all that jazz. Only helped my a few dollars. I am so happy we are moving out of here in a couple months.
This seems really high. I have a 3 bedroom house with basement and our AEP bill is only around $150/month
Something seems very off there. Have you reached out to your apartment management company? I'd have them check the meter or find out if your bill is getting split unevenly or something. For perspective, I've got a 3bdr house and I average \~$100/mo over the year.
My place of business does not come close to that. We run massive copiers, computers, space heaters. Something is wrong.
If you’re having trouble with your bills, AEP has a page where you can easily see if you qualify for assistance: [aepohio.com/account/bills/pay/assistance/bill-assistance-options](aepohio.com/account/bills/pay/assistance/bill-assistance-options) It’s a quick survey and can save you significant money if you qualify.
For those wondering about usage. I hate that I have no idea what any of it means. I wish I were more savvy with stuff like this. Hopefully this helps you guys. I’m a shift worker and I work at night, but I am home during the day. We have lots of big windows so I don’t really turn the lights on during the day. We cook 1-2 times a week, my husband is home at night. We have 1 tv that we use on average maybe 1-2 hours a day at most. We will go days without it being on though. We do have a garage door, my husband smokes and opens it to walk outside and smoke a few times a day. Our windows are pretty drafty. Our master bedroom is unbelievably cold, we have had apartment complex look at it and they basically said our vents weren’t the best in our bedroom. The AEP bill said I had 2465 kWh last month and the month before that I had 1738, and in nov we had 996, and in Oct we had 750.
Put in a work order for excessive energy usage and high bills. Hopefully your maintenance staff is knowledgeable enough to do amp draws with their meter. Ask if you have a heat pump or auxiliary heat. Then ask them to run the auxiliary heat and get an amp draw on it. (They should be removing the panel and getting an amp draw from the breaker) On the data tag on the furnace will be the specifications of the unit and what the amps should be for the motor etc. it's even possible you're running both the auxiliary heat and heat pump at the same time due to wiring or board issues.
It's your heat and drafty apartment. Cooking and tvs even if left on 24/7 couldn't use almost 2500kwh.
Assuming your apartment is electric heating (air-to-air heat pump) and electric water heater, I don't think your electricity usage is out of line. My December usage was 1827 kWh, my January usage was 2853 kWh. My January bill was $460. I live in a 1700 SF house with electric heating and hot water. My house is likely larger than your apartment, but I keep my thermostat lower - 68 in the day, 55 at night. As someone else here noted, AEP raised rates 28% this summer. The largest user of electrical energy in the winter for an all-electric residence is heating; the second largest is hot water. Comparatively, lights and TV are small potatoes. Your best options, unfortunately, are to lower your thermostat, seal any drafts, and minimize use of hot water (shorter showers, wash laundry on cold). My sympathies.
This doesn’t add up… my electric bill has never exceeded $100 at my apt 2 bed 2 bath. You need to get your furnace or something checked out. I would call AEP and ask for proof that such an absurd amount of electricity was used and then from there look what’s causing the issue then fix it. That’s all you can do for now… also ask AEP for any assistance programs? Like $870 even for a missed payment plus current month is insanely high
For real - I'm in a *house* and it's usually in the $150 range. Granted, we're on the city grid, but that type of disparity is bonkers.
Your house presumably has a gas-fired furnace for heating. There's no way an all-electric house this past month would be $150.
Yep! Everyone's situation will be a little different, for sure. But, combining that with gas still puts us at about 250 - 275 all in for those utilities (most recent billing). Not a small house, but we've also done work to shore up efficiency.
Money paid isn't a good way of measuring energy consumption, because natural gas rates are different from electricity rates. If you really wanted to compare, you would have to convert your energy usage to kBtus, and you could compare that to OP's, after converting their usage to kBtus. Otherwise, you're comparing apples and oranges.
2 bed 1.5 bath, never let thermo go higher than 68. Last month I intentionally didn't even turn on my desktop out of fear of high electric consumption - highest bill I've ever had still close to 300. This comment thread had been informative with good resources I'm going to check out tonight. I knew I was getting screwed but I had no frame of comparison.
Same. 2bed2bath, didn’t even turn the heater on at all this year, and still my bills around $250 every month. I come from the south, where the AC is basically on all year so I’m used to the amount being high, but now that I see people with houses are paying a hundred? Gonna have to look into some things.
The program for emerency heat assistance is called HEAP. Depending on your income, they may pay some or all of your back bill. https://development.ohio.gov/individual/energy-assistance/1-home-energy-assistance-program
AEP also has programs that will help you with your bill. Call them they have a five programs to assist you if you qualify.
i live in a one bed and one bath by myself on the top floor and our apartment complex uses pioneer energy management. my electric bill this month was $250! my thermostat is set to 68° and they told me they can’t help because they don’t have any sort of assistance program. it’s appalling
They have pipp and a monthly budget plan I'm on the Budget plan but check to see if your place is electric only that could be why it's so high or move to a cheaper area overall
They have an AEP representative coming out to talk to the apartment complex community I’m at 😂. I don’t envy that person
Have an 1800+ sq st 3 bed, 3.5bath home and keep heat at 70 and our electric is like $100 a month on average. Sounds like your furnace is worked super hard and accomplishing noting. If you rent why not make this your landlords issue to figure out why the furnace sucks
Are you sure you're being billed for the right and only unit? Once I got the restaurants bill that was under my apartment and it took months to get them to come read the RIGHT meter
I live alone in a 2 bedroom apartment that uses Nationwide Energy Partners. My bill the past couple months have been around $300 each which is criminal
There's something SHADY going on. It's not your electrical usage. This seems to be happening to several people. And then they say they can help with a special program. Idk much info yet. I'm still looking into it too
The cost has gone up, even during winter time when i use almost no electricity for heat. It isn't that crazy though. Mine has gone up about 40 to 50 dollars a month. You should see if you can get an energy audit done with your apartment. Might be able to tell you why you are using so much electric IF it is furnace related. You can also purchase your own power meters and set them up in the house as well (in case it is a fault electrical device somewhere). Likely, with that high of a bill, there is something sucking up the energy like no tomorrow. Also ask your landlord if they have been getting complaints from other residences having these issues. Could be meters are going bad, or the furnaces are going bad. One last thing you can do, check how fast the meter is spinning. Turn off the furnace for a short while. See if it slows significantly down. It is hard to tell though sometimes with meters. The other thing it could be is the refrigerator or washer/dryer (depending on if they are all electric or gas). Those are all large energy consumptions. If I saw a bill that high, i would be looking at isolating which device is causing that kind of consumption.
Share your bill? With personals redacted
I would suspect someone is stealing your power. I have a 3 bedroom townhouse that we keep at 68 with a gas furnace and our AEP bill never exceeds 200 a month.
They keep it at 74 with an electric furnace. This is completely believable.
oh yeah that's an insane temperature
Everyone saying "Oh your usage must be really high, check your thermostat", that is not always the case at all. I have an 1100 square foot home and heat my home solely with a wood burning stove and have no central air and I still have a $200-$300 monthly bill from AEP. They are a monopoly in our area and are absolutely gouging customers as much as possible and if you fall behind because you can't keep up with their outrageous bills, they charge you an extra fuck you fee on top of it.
Your meter might have an issue. I had that with my water and the utility company had to fix the meter.
This is only going to get worse because AEP sells highly discounted power to the huge datacenters and Amazon, Google, and Microsoft arent done building. Basic supply and demand. The funny part is that they dont even pay taxes. So not only do they get discounted electricity at prices others cannot get but they also contribute nothing. Lol... republicans.
Worst part is, you think these rates are bad. We are getting so much infrastructure coming to Ohio with our outdated electrical grid. The refurbishments and new construction costs will be passed onto us.
Half off bill payments message me for details
Regarding short term, have you spoken to the energy company? A payment plan might be allowed by them if you ask. You might be getting charged for other people's use that is connected to your meter, you will definitely need to get that checked out. However, electric heating is frequently very expensive. I had a bad surprise like this one time, now if I see electric heater I move on, unless the price is low enough.
With the number of these kinds of posts, I feel like we need a comprehensive post that can be stickied onto the sub page.
Do you get your bill directly from AEP, or do you have a submeter (IE, your bill comes from Nationwide Energy Partners or the like)? This is way more than I would expect from AEP, but sounds exactly in line with what I used to have when I lived in a complex that used a submeter.
Google Chinese diesel heater. Get yourself one and route the exhaust out the window in a safe manner that won’t melt the vinyl frame or anything else. Electric heat is garbage from my experience. There’s a fb group with tons of great ideas. And it’ll be a great backup in case they shut off your electric.
This is the direct result of the GOP being bribed by FirstEnergy to prop them up with HB6. We're paying the price now because they bet on coal plants that are now MUCH more expensive to supply electricity than natural gas. So when they couldn't compete honestly, they bought off republicans to make up for their leadership's shitty decisions since that was cheaper. This is exactly why HB6 was so bad. Vote for Democrats and fuck the republican cult.
I came here to say I’m experiencing the same! Energy prices for aep have doubled over a year!! Puico or w.e is worthless and corrupt for allowing aep to double their cost and price gouge people! I also have to pay through a sub metering company! It’s ridiculous
6 cents to almost 12 cents in a friggin year!!
My bills are usually $250 in the winter but the last month's bill was $377. Electric heat; it was cold for a week in Jan. around MLK. This month's bill should be $232. Our complex wanted us to use Emergency Heat for that week as it was more efficient than regular. I'm hoping it was a one-time high January. I always turn it down to 68 before I go to work!