In central Fl. I paid about $140. month in warm weather and about $65. month in cool weather, this year has been alot cooler too. Nov.08 to APR.2009 has been lots cooler than normal ! We turn air off and use no heating at all in winter .. 308guns

Tennessee here. The ultimate provider is the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). We get power from a local CoOp, which is ultimately a subscriber to the TVA. We had cheap power - primarily hydro, thanks to your tax dollars and the New Deal.

I had the pipe dream of getting off grid, but that is not a practicality. We still plan on adding RE to our home, but as a grid intertie with battery backup. Or lifestyle is too lavish, because of the availability, to go completely off-grid. We have a doublewide home that was made to provide shelter from the elements - not take advantage of building materials to conserve heat and cooling. We have an electric dryer, a heat pump w/ air-conditioner, two freezers, a satellite TV system, a dishwasher and a computer. I think those are the major power users. If push came to shove we could make the changes necessary to live off grid as a contingency. It is a matter of self-reliance. At this time we have the means to enjoy these luxuries, and at our age we are enjoying them. We do use wood heat as our primary heating in the winter. If someone comes up with a way to run an air conditioner by burning wood, I'll be there. Summers are pretty hot in Tennessee, and with a manufactured home made with consideration to weight and cost, we do not have the most efficient home.

Last year we received a 20% hike in energy rates. TVA's reason was dropping water levels made them use more power from other sources and less from hydro. Within three months they had reduced rates by 5-10% - some due to public outcry because of the way TVA was blowing money on lobbying and perks for upper executives. Think AIG before the publicity started.

I have been tracking our energy costs for a number of years now. The method is simple - just a spreadsheet that breaks out the information from the bills into columns. That lets me compare the various fields from one month to another, one season to another, and one year to another. Our low cost season is winter. We use a wood burning stove that operates a small electric blower. We also have ceiling fans that stay in operation most of the year to circulate air - be it heating or cooling.

June through August are our three highest months due to air conditioning- average $110 a month.
The rest of the year averages $70.
This average is getting skewed because of recent rate changes, but is still the lowest energy bills I have ever had. We have a fairly small place - two bedrooms, two baths (only one getting used as a full bath). I try to conserve energy and find waste in any area an extremely bad habit to carry.
Last kwh rate I have record of is $0.1114.

I am a believer in wood heating.

Regards,
Pat

I am kind of curious as to electrical costs in your part of the country and how it relates to changes in average temperatures. We just received our annual-catch-up-on-what-you-owe before we change your rates electric bill from Rocky Mountain Power. We have been on the budget plan so we can know the monthly cost for budgeting purposes. Through March 2009 we paid $67 a month. Wyoming PUC approved a rate increase so that goes up to $75 a month starting now, about a 12% increase. Last year we had an average temperature in April of 34 degrees; this year it is 30. Last year we used 712 KWh in April; this year 1077 KWh. Part of that was the fact that we strictly use a portable electric heater (American-made) in our bedroom, which I think accounts for some of the increased electric use. We went with the little heater to prevent using our natural gas boiler furnace system. Natural gas apparently is going up about 25% in this area. But we still have to keep it set around 50 to keep the pipeworks from getting sluggish due to "freezing". You guys who live off the grid we don't need your na-na-na-na-na-nas, but the rest I would be interested in what you are paying a month and what area you live in, climate-wise.