Why is my energy bill so high? Is this normal here?

Posted by Clear-Elk-1849@reddit | askdfw | View on Reddit | 14 comments

I recently moved to Dallas and I live in a small 2 bedroom apartment it shows 185$ for energy usage and that’s fine, but the bill somehow got to 325$ for 29 days. That seems very steep to me, I tried calling Ambit energy and they said it’s fees the utility company charges and there’s nothing they can do about it and I have to pay it, i just want to check is this normal around here since I was told I should pay around 150$-200$ a month for energy.

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Stunning-Adagio2187@reddit

70 is too low If you're on top floor and there is minimal insulation in the Attic then your bill will be higher in Texas because of direct sun

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melancholy_dreams_@reddit

My clients with the highest utility bills usually have Ambit, TXU, and Reliant. Try looking at Discount Power, Just Energy, and Green Mountain. Also, avoid plans that have “free night or day” or anything that has free hours. They’ll get that money back another way and you’ll usually end up paying more.

I had Green Mountain for 4 years ( I was forced to change due to my apartment) and my bill was never more than $50 in the winter or more than $140 in the summer. I kept my a/c around 66 at night and hovering between 68-71 during the day.

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unbrokenSGCA@reddit

I have a three bedroom 1361 sqft, AC at 70 at all times, and my electric bill has maxed at $185 all summer. When you find the best rate, lock it in for as long as you can. Always shop around at the end of your contract, never blindly renew. It matters how old your building is and if you're upstairs vs downstairs, how weatherized the unit is, how old the AC unit is, etc...

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Clear-Elk-1849@reddit (OP)

It wouldn’t let me upload a photo here. This is what the bill shows.

Base charge - 9.95$ Energy charge (1,322 kWh x $0.133 - 175.83$ Subtotal - 185.78$

TDU Charges and other fees.

ONCOR TDU Delivery charges - 71.97$ ONCOR Disconnect at meter - 0.25$ ONCOR Reconnect at meter - 0.35$ Gross receipts - 5.25$ PUC assessments - 0.43$

Subtotal - 78.25$ Sales tax - 2.64$

Service address charges subtotal - 266.67$ Total miscellaneous charges - 58.03$

Current charges - 324.70$

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DecentPrintworks@reddit

I’m paying like 6.7c per kWh less than half of your rate. Shoot me a dm and I’ll help you search for a plan and switch - happy to help out a fellow citizen

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shawnkfox@reddit

The problem with a deregulated power grid is that companies use deceptive marketing and there are a ton of web sites and companies our who flat out lie to you on how much the plan you sign up for costs. You are paying around 19 cents per kwh when you should be paying 13 cents all in. It is probably worth paying the termination fee to end your contract and switch, assuming the fee is something like $150. A better plan would have saved you around $75 just this month.

The prices on powertochoose.org are regulated and include the TDU fee. I'd recommend only looking at prices there, as every other site is very likely to be purposefully misleading you since there aren't any rules that would stop them.

Another option a lot of people choose is energy ogre. They charge you $10 month to manage your power contract and will generally pick a pretty good plan. It is a good option if you can't be bothered to take 10 minutes to go on powertochoose.org and pick a plan yourself.

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NightGod@reddit

Damn, you're paying 13.3 per kwh BEFORE Oncor fees? Texas has deregulated power, so everyone gets to pick their own plan, but you need to shop around or you'll end up with something like that. www.thepowertochoose.org is the official site for energy shopping. I'm paying 8.0522 cents per kwh before Oncor, with Oncor I'm at 13.58

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mllllllln@reddit

What temp are you keeping your AC?

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Clear-Elk-1849@reddit (OP)

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