High Bill Concern & Home Energy Audits

Did you have a higher than average bill this month? Your electric bill can fluctuate for a variety of reasons. Before you contact DS&O Rural Electric about your high bill, look into these possible reasons that may explain why your bill was higher than average.

Longer Billing Period
Increased Heating and Cooling
Addition of New Household Appliances or Lifestyle Changes
Inefficient Appliances and Needed Repairs
Can a Meter Malfunction?

Longer Billing Period

DS&O Rural Electric's billing cycles do not exactly correspond with the calendar months, so cycle lengths can vary. Sometimes holidays and meter reading schedules can shorten or extend a billing cycle. Look carefully at your bill to determine the number of days you were billed for.

Increased Heating and Cooling

When extreme weather conditions exist outside, the temperatures inside is adjusted. During the hottest months of the summer and the coldest months of the winter, our members often increase their energy use. Even if you did not adjust the temperature on your thermostat, colder or warmer than average weather probably had your system working overtime to maintain a comfortable temperature inside.

Check out our Energy Savings Tips for more information on heating and cooling your home efficiently.

Addition of New Household Appliances or Lifestyle Changes

When looking at your electric bill, consider any recent purchases or upgrades that may be drawing additional power in your home.

Electronics and other gadgets are making us more "plugged" in each year. Televisions account for about 4 percent of annual residential electricity, and the newer, high-definition TVs (HDTVs) draw even more power. One 50-inch plasma high-definition TV (HDTV) uses approximately 679 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. A 32-inch LCD (liquid-crystal display) with HDTV capability was pegged at 387 kWh per year. By contrast, an older analog 34-inch TV was estimated to use just 209 kWh per year. And don't forget about that DVD player, didital cable box and surround-sound system.

Electronics aren't the only culprits either. Home upgrades may also be adding to your electric bill. Hot tubs, and water features and fountains often surprise homeowners when they learn how much electricity they really use.

Also consider how much time you are spending at home. When the kids are out of school during the summer, they may operate the TV longer during the day, or when the whole family is at home for the holidays, your energy usage may increase.

Inefficient Appliances and Needed Repairs

The efficiency of household appliances like air conditioners, washers and dryers has dramatically increased over the last few years. However older appliances in your home may be losing efficiency or a needed repair may be what's drawing more power.

Just a small leak in your water heater could make your water heater work overtime as it refills and continuously reheats. The old refrigerator in your garage may be work turning off if it's not being put to good use.

If it's time to shop for new household appliances, choose those that have earned the government's ENERGY STAR® rating.

Can a Meter Malfunction?

Customers often ask us if their higher than average electric bill could be due to a meter that is malfunctioning? Because of the mechanics of your electric meter, a malfunctioning meter can actually be to your benefit.

Meters operate using a series of disks and moving parts. Like any other mechanical device, a mechanical electric meter tends to slow down with age, not speed up. That's due to wear on the gears and other mechanical parts. If your meter goes bad, you'll likely benefit from it.

Meter malfunction is rarely the reason your electric bill rises. In fact, your meter is actually your greatest tool in helping track down inefficient or malfunctioning appliances.