We received our electric bill in the middle of July, and it was $318! What in the world? We’ve never had an electric bill that high before. If there was a reasonable one-time explanation, I wouldn’t be so upset about it. Unfortunately, there is no good reason for why our bill would be that high.
The only explanation I can think of is my children. When in doubt, always blame the children! It has been extremely hot here in New Jersey. Like all little ones, my kids run in and out of the house during the day. Additionally, we’ve been home way more than usual this summer, using the lights, televisions, computers, etc. I guess when you add up all these things, you get a $318 electric bill.
At dinner, I decided to broach the subject with John and the kids. Everyone agreed to be more mindful of their electric usage. John went around the house and unplugged several electronics we don’t use on a regular basis. The children agreed to turn off ceiling fans and lights when they leave a room. And I am trying to think of dinners that don’t require me to use the oven.
I should probably mentioned that our electric bills are always higher than I expect. For years it has baffled me. Why is our bill so outrageous? The electric company periodically sends comparison sheets letting us see how our usage stacks up against similar sized homes in our neighborhood. Our usage is nearly double that of other homes. I honestly don’t understand what we’re doing wrong. John always reminds me that most homes in our neighborhood have 1 or 2 elderly people living in them. We have 7 people. Regardless of the reason, we need to work on reducing our bill.
I am interested to see how these changes impact our next bill. I’ll update you mid-August when we receive our next bill.