Utility bills are too high

[DakotaKai_fan20]

I know a lot of people saying utilities are too high this summer. I mean water is very high, over 200 dollars. But what is really killing Americans wallets is the electricity bills. I have heard that some Hawaiians and Californians are getting electric bills up to a thousand bucks. Meanwhile here in South Carolina electric bills run 400, 500 dollars. I say that the utility companies are price gouging. It forces folks to spend money on the other stuff the need like food. It is honestly gotten ridiculous.

 

[DukeU]

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Yeah, but it's greener and less reliable.

 

[White 6]

I know a lot of people saying utilities are too high this summer. I mean water is very high, over 200 dollars. But what is really killing Americans wallets is the electricity bills. I have heard that some Hawaiians and Californians are getting electric bills up to a thousand bucks. Meanwhile here in South Carolina electric bills run 400, 500 dollars. I say that the utility companies are price gouging. It forces folks to spend money on the other stuff the need like food. It is honestly gotten ridiculous.

Waste water bill is higher than water bill, here, as it takes more to clean it after it is used. I never have been thrilled that when putting thousands of gallons in the pool to raise water level back above the skimmers at beginning of season, I got charged for the water and charged again as if it had gone into the sewers as waste water, but I have never had a water and waste water any where near $200 dollars. Of course water is plentiful here, coming from a sand aquifer going all the way to the Ozarks in Arkansas.

My total utilities will steeply drop after this month, when we close the pool for the years. Running one or two pumps for 6 hours or more a day, does make it jump in pool season. My total utilities (electric, gas, water, wasted water and cable TV included) are usually less than $430, with a couple of months in fall and spring dropping to the mid to upper $300 dollar range.

 

[DakotaKai_fan20]

Waste water bill is higher than water bill, here, as it takes more to clean it after it is used. I never have been thrilled that when putting thousands of gallons in the pool to raise water level back above the skimmers at beginning of season, I got charged for the water and charged again as if it had gone into the sewers as waste water, but I have never had a water and waste water any where near $200 dollars. Of course water is plentiful here, coming from a sand aquifer going all the way to the Ozarks in Arkansas.

My total utilities will steeply drop after this month, when we close the pool for the years. Running one or two pumps for 6 hours or more a day, does make it jump in pool season. My total utilities (electric, gas, water, wasted water and cable TV included) are usually less than $430, with a couple of months in fall and spring dropping to the mid to upper $300 dollar range.

When you clean pools, the water doesn't drain into the sewers. I'm lucky and don't have to pay waste water bills as I use a septic tank. And for my case the average electric bill is around 160 dollars in my state of South Carolina. It is ridiculous getting a 400 - 500 dollar bill for electricity in the summer.

 

[Picaro]

Mine ran around $190 the last two months, the highest all year. I built my house for the climate we live in. Pretty simple. 10' wide porch all the way around, reflective roof, thick stone walls, high ceilings.

 

[White 6]

When you clean pools, the water doesn't drain into the sewers. I'm lucky and don't have to pay waste water bills as I use a septic tank. And for my case the average electric bill is around 160 dollars in my state of South Carolina. It is ridiculous getting a 400 - 500 dollar bill for electricity in the summer.

True. My electricity, water and waste water were higher in August as it was hot with no rain and I added about 6 inches to the pool as well as doing some watering of the Zoysia for only the first or second time, this year. The city bases waste water off the amount of water, so nothing I can do about it. Like you, I have never seen a $400 to $500 electric bill. I understand some parts of the country get burnt pretty bad on electric rates. The National Average is 16.41 ¢/kWh. Tennessee is down around 12.57 ¢/kWh and in the top 10 for lowest rates in the country. I guess Utah has it best at 11.5 ¢/kWh and Hawaii has it worst at
42.45 ¢/kWh.
Here is the latest report, I found.

Electricity Rates by State | April 2025 | Choose Energy

Discover which state has the highest and lowest kWh costs throughout the country with our April 2025 Electricity Rates Report.

www.chooseenergy.com

 

[lafayette]

$111,17 in the Nevada desert.

$1.96 for a gallon of gas.

 

[sparky]

80% of nukes are fossil fuel fired in this country , there is no possibility of a wind or solar 'retrofit' simply because they can not supply the amount of 'umph' the green machine is insisting on

Even if they could, our infrastructure doesn't exist to integrate it all.

Nor is electricity going to 'save the planet' , by trading pollution you do see for pollution you do not

want to save the planet?

turn something off

~S~

 

[DakotaKai_fan20]

I remember when electric bills was around 100 dollars. Water bills were 20 dollars. That was around 2005 when I was four. At that time, I lived in upstate South Carolina. These days I live near the coast.

 

[sparky]

That was around 2005 when I was four

I was divorced twice by then Dakota
but i digress, my mentors went back to post WW2 era
they all told me 'lectricity' would be $$$$$ in my day
seems they were right,,,,,~S~

 

[Harry Dresden]

I know a lot of people saying utilities are too high this summer. I mean water is very high, over 200 dollars. But what is really killing Americans wallets is the electricity bills. I have heard that some Hawaiians and Californians are getting electric bills up to a thousand bucks. Meanwhile here in South Carolina electric bills run 400, 500 dollars. I say that the utility companies are price gouging. It forces folks to spend money on the other stuff the need like food. It is honestly gotten ridiculous.

200 for a water bill?....i live in the fucking desert and pay about 40 a month...

 

[para bellum]

True. My electricity, water and waste water were higher in August as it was hot with no rain and I added about 6 inches to the pool as well as doing some watering of the Zoysia for only the first or second time, this year. The city bases waste water off the amount of water, so nothing I can do about it. Like you, I have never seen a $400 to $500 electric bill. I understand some parts of the country get burnt pretty bad on electric rates. The National Average is 16.41 ¢/kWh. Tennessee is down around 12.57 ¢/kWh and in the top 10 for lowest rates in the country. I guess Utah has it best at 11.5 ¢/kWh and Hawaii has it worst at
42.45 ¢/kWh.
Here is the latest report, I found.

Electricity Rates by State | April 2025 | Choose Energy

Discover which state has the highest and lowest kWh costs throughout the country with our April 2025 Electricity Rates Report.

www.chooseenergy.com

I pay .086/KWh with a 1.60/day connection fee. Have my own well and septic so don't pay for water or sewer (but they were not cheap to put in).

The municipal water/sewer around here is pricey- my nephew does not water his lawn in the summer due to the sewer rates. The county just south of us adjusts their sewer rates by charging the winter usage year-round, so my brother who lives there can water his lawn without getting hit with the sewer charge...

 

[Dekster]

I know a lot of people saying utilities are too high this summer. I mean water is very high, over 200 dollars. But what is really killing Americans wallets is the electricity bills. I have heard that some Hawaiians and Californians are getting electric bills up to a thousand bucks. Meanwhile here in South Carolina electric bills run 400, 500 dollars. I say that the utility companies are price gouging. It forces folks to spend money on the other stuff the need like food. It is honestly gotten ridiculous.

My water, gas, electricity, sewage, and garbage jumbo bill was only $275 this month. It is usually around $250 give or take $5, but not bad considering how freaking hot it was here the first couple weeks of the last billing cycle. I wasn't a true believer, but apparently the city battery farms are allowing them to levelize prices by releasing the stores during peak hours and recharging during low demand hours. My bill has been extremely stable for the last year which it really never was before the battery farms started coming online.

 

[White 6]

I pay .086/KWh with a 1.60/day connection fee. Have my own well and septic so don't pay for water or sewer (but they were not cheap to put in).

The municipal water/sewer around here is pricey- my nephew does not water his lawn in the summer due to the sewer rates. The county just south of us adjusts their sewer rates by charging the winter usage year-round, so my brother who lives there can water his lawn without getting hit with the sewer charge...

Wow! That sound great! I am in a small city, to it isn't an option. How are you getting down to .086/KWh? Do you generate solar or wind with equipment installed? I did not read a single state with a rate that low. Whatever you are doing, it sounds like you have it figured out.

 

[para bellum]

Wow! That sound great! I am in a small city, to it isn't an option. How are you getting down to .086/KWh? Do you generate solar or wind with equipment installed? I did not read a single state with a rate that low. Whatever you are doing, it sounds like you have it figured out.

That's just the rate for residential power here. That site is not very accurate.

When I retired a couple years ago I set myself up so I could live on my social security (which is a challenge to say the least, lol). I bought a new energy efficient manufactured home, ordered it with some structural and insulation upgrades, put in a new well and septic on a small parcel of land I owned, brought in the power, and moved out of the city.

I did everything with efficiency in mind. My well is controlled by a VFD that matches the pump speed to my usage and maintains a constant 60 PSI in the system. There is a small pressure tank underground, but no pumphouse needed and no cycling of the pump.

I'm all electric. My bill is about $75 in the summer and $150 max in the winter ($50 of that is the connection fee). No water bill, $25 a month for garbage and $130 covers phone and Internet, those are my only recurring monthly expenses. No mortgage, no debt, but it took most of my savings to get setup so rebuilding my savings is a slow process...

 

[White 6]

That's just the rate for residential power here. That site is not very accurate.

When I retired a couple years ago I set myself up so I could live on my social security (which is a challenge to say the least, lol). I bought a new energy efficient manufactured home, ordered it with some structural and insulation upgrades, put in a new well and septic on a small parcel of land I owned, brought in the power, and moved out of the city.

I did everything with efficiency in mind. My well is controlled by a VFD that matches the pump speed to my usage and maintains a constant 60 PSI in the system. There is a small pressure tank underground, but no pumphouse needed and no cycling of the pump.

I'm all electric. My bill is about $75 in the summer and $150 max in the winter ($50 of that is the connection fee). No water bill, $25 a month for garbage and $130 covers phone and Internet, those are my only recurring monthly expenses. No mortgage, no debt, but it took most of my savings to get setup so rebuilding my savings is a slow process...

You definitely have it figure out and did the planning and execution to make it work. Congrats!

 

[para bellum]

You definitely have it figure out and did the planning and execution to make it work. Congrats!

And I get to enjoy watching the deer in the yard everyday. I only cleared about 1/2 acre for my building site, so I'm nestled in amongst the trees and you wouldn't even know I'm here. It's wonderful.

 

[Moonglow]

I ain't paid no water bill since 2001, September. My well is 976 feet deep.

 

[Harry Dresden]

$111,17 in the Nevada desert.

$1.96 for a gallon of gas.

1.96 in nevada?.....were im at its 3.75....