For the Hohm

I ran across a Beta Test of a wonderful *FREE* program by Microsoft. It is called "Microsoft Hohm." Not only does it give you great tips that can reduce your power bills, but, by inputting your "history" with the gas and electric utilities, it generates charts and shows you how much you are spending each month/year/etc. on these bills.

Have you ever really sat down and looked at the power and gas bills as they come in? Do you just write a check and move on to next bill?

For example:
My roomate and I- living in an 800 sq ft apartment- kept track of the statements from 3 years ago to present. By inputting the historical data, we can see how much we really are paying for these "utility privileges".

Yearly electric $983
Yearly gas $320
=
Yearly power bill of $1303

Ouch! We've spent almost $10,000 in power bills since we moved into this apartment 7 years ago.

What was surprising to me was how much we pay for gas services on months we don't even use it. In my example the only thing, in the home, that uses gas is the furnace.

We have to pay a fee year-round for "Distribution and Service Charges"- even for a service we don't need 5 months out of the year.

Ex:
For the months with 0 gas usage in 2008 we paid $7.37 (5 months out of the year) = $36.85

For the months with 0 gas usage in 2009 we pay $14.67 (5 months out of the year) = $73.35

That is $110.20 we spent over 2 years-
for a service we didn't even use.

*And that is just the gas bill*


On to the electricity........

The bill tells us "Price to compare: in order for you to save money, a new supplier must offer you a price lower than *Our service provider*'s price of $47.08, or 7.8 cents per kWh, for the same usage that appears on this bill. You may contact *them* for a written explanation of the price-to-compare message."

It states our electricity usage as 604 kWh.
Our Total Account Balance is= $74.45 for the month.

If we are paying 7.8 cents per kWh for 604 kWh the charge should be= $47.11

Yet our bill is $74.45. That is a difference of = $27.34 on this one bill ALONE.

Evidently we are also paying
-- A Customer Charge of $4.25/mo. To be a customer?!?
-- A Distribution Charge of $19.29
-- Transmission Related Charges of $4.70
-- And a Generation Rider of $3.83...........Every MONTH!

--That adds up to about $384.84 you pay in FEES to the Electric company each year.

Your actual kWh (when you account for all the fees) is = 12.3 cents per kWh

What they say you pay ---> 7.8 cents
What you actually pay ---> 12.3 cents

My point is READ YOUR BILL. Figure it out, and see how much you are spending just for the right to get electric and gas to your home. Better yet plug it all in to Microsoft Hohm and let the them show you what is really going on.

We also figured up- that the money we put into rent and utilities -now- would be more than the payment we'd make to buy a piece of land, build a small energy efficient home with daylighting, and power it with renewable energy..At today's interest rate (4.5% fixed) and a 15 year mortgage- we would still pay over $100 LESS each month and we'd have it paid off in 15 years.


Rent (no value to me), +power bill, +gas bill

Or

Own our own home, on our property, that provides its own energy and retire in 15 years?

At that- the quest for the perfect piece of land commences.

Good luck to you and feel free to update me with your results!!!