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kebakat
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Location: Palmy North
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 12:13pm |
How on earth do you guys use so much power???? Everything is on power here, heat pump, dryer (which until yesterday when it broke was being used for ALL of our washing), hot water which I have baths every night and the dishwasher gets used 6 times a week and ours only comes to $170 a month
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jazzy
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 12:29pm |
Our power is about $300 in winter & we use heaters. I am home most days & there is 5 of us. I am looking at changing power companies & that will save some.
So $300 / by 5 people is $60 a month each
$170 / by 3 people is $56 a month each...so kebakat we don't use much more power than you lol
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kebakat
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 12:48pm |
Thats a silly way of working it out though.. cause even when number 4 comes along it wont add to the power by $50 odd. Going from 2 of us with both working to me being home all day every day plus Daniel has only added about $20 in winter
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myfullhouse
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 1:25pm |
I don't know how we get that high in winter . I have been trying to keep unused lights off, only use the dryer once or twice a week for the sheets etc etc but it still adds up. Although I do a warm (40C) wash each time in my front loader so that would add to it and I must do at least 10-12 loads a week
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jazzy
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 1:32pm |
kebakat wrote:
Thats a silly way of working it out though.. cause even when number 4 comes along it wont add to the power by $50 odd. Going from 2 of us with both working to me being home all day every day plus Daniel has only added about $20 in winter |
Well then I would have to say you use a lot of power if yours is $170 a month for 3 of you
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kebakat
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Location: Palmy North
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 1:35pm |
Have you tried getting one of those plug in meters from a sparky shop or the warehouse where you plug your appliance into it and input how much your power costs per unit and it tells you how much it costs to use the appliance. They are only $20-30 depending where you get it from. Really handy too, I found out that my dryer doesn't suck that much power at all so thats why I use it
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xLUCKYx
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Location: Waitakere
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 1:37pm |
power is a wierd thing... pre kids, the first place DF and I lived together cost us 90-100 a month... in our own homw it costs 150-300 (summer-winter).. that was before we had the kids and now that we have 2 it has hardly changed....
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kebakat
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 1:38pm |
jazzy wrote:
kebakat wrote:
Thats a silly way of working it out though.. cause even when number 4 comes along it wont add to the power by $50 odd. Going from 2 of us with both working to me being home all day every day plus Daniel has only added about $20 in winter |
Well then I would have to say you use a lot of power if yours is $170 a month for 3 of you |
Yup we do, but like I was pointing out we don't try and save power at all by using the dish washer all the time, dryer all the time, deep baths every night while I'm preg, we also have an old big deep chest freezer which isn't energy efficient by any means. Thats why I'm shocked at $300 power bills when we make no effort.
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jazzy
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 2:02pm |
kebakat wrote:
jazzy wrote:
kebakat wrote:
Thats a silly way of working it out though.. cause even when number 4 comes along it wont add to the power by $50 odd. Going from 2 of us with both working to me being home all day every day plus Daniel has only added about $20 in winter |
Well then I would have to say you use a lot of power if yours is $170 a month for 3 of you |
Yup we do, but like I was pointing out we don't try and save power at all by using the dish washer all the time, dryer all the time, deep baths every night while I'm preg, we also have an old big deep chest freezer which isn't energy efficient by any means. Thats why I'm shocked at $300 power bills when we make no effort. |
I don't get why you would be shocked at a $300 power bill especially when it is for more people.
I don't think $300 a month is too bad for power. We are a family of 5, I am home everyday. I use the dishwasher, daily washing, baths/showers for 5 daily, baking, housework, heaters in the 3 bedrooms at night...we leave a hall light on for DS3 at night & he often gets up to turn it back on in the middle of the night as we turn it out when we go to bed...so will get a new night light for him that can run all night.
When I lived alone my power was about 80 a mth & I was at work 5-6 days a week & out a lot.
Its the water bill I hate, ha ha...
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kebakat
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 2:08pm |
$300 is still lots IMO. My parents bill is at the $220 mark and thats for 4 adults, an electric fence system as they have 20 acres, as well as all their contracting business stuff (so like compressers, power tools, welding equipment etc). We will have to agree to disagree.
But I am thankful we don't pay for water here, its included in our rates :)
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jazzy
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 2:14pm |
Do you think it has anything to do with the area?
Water sucks as you pay 1x in 2x out...but I was looking at he water bill & it shows us using the same amount as 3 people & that $250-320 every 3 mths.
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lilfatty
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 2:14pm |
We live in a huge house .. hence the power bill because it includes the granny flat and both Mum and I cook alot which uses the oven, apparently the oven uses a LOAD of power, more than most domestic appliances.
Also our kids bath each night ..
And I have a sunbed .. and treadmill ... and crosstrainer, that I use alot lol.
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jazzy
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 2:17pm |
lilfatty wrote:
And I have a sunbed .. and treadmill ... and crosstrainer, that I use alot lol. |
& your address was...ha ha
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HoneybunsMa
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 7:58pm |
$300 is A LOT for 5people especially when some of them are only kids.
We live with my parents and aside from DD we are all adults all shower everyday use the dryer, heaters, computers are on modems on, tv and sky on all day and I think the powerbill gets up to a max of $400 but that's with two fridges and 6adults plus DD in cloth nappies and the fact that in the weekend at any one time there is upwards of 12people having showers, baths, playing games, watching tv. Oh and my bro has basically a mini recording studio in his room out in the sleepout. (we're a technology household) and dad, DD and I are home all day as well.
Edited to change that to $400 just spoke to mum. She said last months was $375 she says its less this year then last and theres more people here and we have the heater going in our room all night because of DD too, a heater in the hallway a heater in their room and a heater in the front of the house.
We do have an open fire but its not used every night. Oh and dehumidifiers!
Edited by HoneybunsMa
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Posted: 17 September 2010 at 9:19pm |
Last winter it was DH DD and I , we had an oil heater going in her room every night for 2 months and our power bill was $300 + for those months.
This year cause its been warmer no oil heater and the power bill just went over $200 last month ($210) . YAY
We also turn off all the lights except the dimmer in our room ( when kids go to bed ) and I think thast saved a heap too.
For a budget I have everything set up fortnightly so theres always money in the account.
I have a strict shopping budget that we NEVER go over ( only cause we can't lol) I take a calculator
I do work off a basic meal plan.
I always allow for savings then bills then groceries inthat order and if theres nothing left then thats that . Thats just the way it is.
Kebakat I'm calling it the 'tough s$%t ' policy from now on
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jazzy
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Posted: 18 September 2010 at 7:45am |
HoneybunsMa wrote:
$300 is A LOT for 5people especially when some of them are only kids.
We live with my parents and aside from DD we are all adults all shower everyday use the dryer, heaters, computers are on modems on, tv and sky on all day and I think the powerbill gets up to a max of $400 but that's with two fridges and 6adults plus DD in cloth nappies and the fact that in the weekend at any one time there is upwards of 12people having showers, baths, playing games, watching tv. Oh and my bro has basically a mini recording studio in his room out in the sleepout. (we're a technology household) and dad, DD and I are home all day as well.
Edited to change that to $400 just spoke to mum. She said last months was $375 she says its less this year then last and theres more people here and we have the heater going in our room all night because of DD too, a heater in the hallway a heater in their room and a heater in the front of the house.
We do have an open fire but its not used every night. Oh and dehumidifiers! |
Were do you live...as I am wondering if it is AK that has higher power charges.
& how do you get away with $400 for 12 people, good thing tho if the bill is split between heaps of people you wont pay much at all...wow the washing pile must be huge & I have a lot with 3 kids
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jazzy
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Posted: 18 September 2010 at 8:48am |
Just checked the last power bill & it was $260...roll on summer as that will go down heaps.
Now to work on the phone bill
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caliandjack
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Posted: 18 September 2010 at 9:43am |
Our power bill in summer is around $100 and for winter including gas is around $200-300 a month.
For the last 2 winters there's been only 1 of us home so have kept it down around $200. Ours includes gas for heating.
I have my wages split so that my share of the fixed expenses - mortgage, rates, insurance, power etc goes into the house account and I have $200 a fortnight left in my own account - this pays for my cellphone bill and my petrol. Tank of gas lasts 2 weeks and costs $70.
I'll do the same with PPL and WFF when it starts will be paid into my account is a lot less but that will be money for the baby as I wouldn't be getting it if it weren't for her.
Won't be spending hardly anything on petrol once on maternity leave, as everything I need is in walking distance. Will do the weekly/fortnightly grocery shop with DH.
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HoneybunsMa
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Posted: 18 September 2010 at 11:32am |
Jazzy we're in East Auck so same situation as you. Yep I normally do a load of washing a day just so it doesn't topple out of the basket onto the cat food In the weekend is the big clean, washing yadda yadda. Mums a virgo so likes things done a specific way and to a certain level. She also likes doing the housework its relaxing
We don't split the powerbill we should but we don't I actually have it pretty good here but we only moved back because we needed to pay off bills from the 6yrs I lived out of home. We'll be moving again soon can't wait for my own space! But everyone knows that next year they are going to have to help as dad's insurance money will be finished and he'll only get super and mums pay won't pay for everything. One of my brothers already pays his share of board etc and most nights its fend for yourself for food which I have a pantry load in our wardrobe lol
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lizzle
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Posted: 18 September 2010 at 12:01pm |
Stacey - my electricty bill in winter ranges from $290 (this last bill - over estimate tho) and $350. We have three adults, two kids, and three computers. i wash A LOT of clothes, and we have the dryer on. Must get one of those doo-hickeys you talk about though. we make no effort to save electricity apart from periods of me rushing around turning off bloody computers left on all day.
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