Crying over my power bill
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=27071
Printed Date: 10 October 2025 at 3:53am
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Topic: Crying over my power bill
Posted By: myfullhouse
Subject: Crying over my power bill
Date Posted: 19 June 2009 at 8:32pm
I got our latest power bill in the mail today and almost died when I saw it. $327.64 for 32 days which is apparently $11.38/day. It's about $100 more than it usually is. Is anyone else's bill this large? I am constantly making sure lights are off, wear a jumper through the day and only turn the heat pump on about mid-afternoon etc etc and still it is that high. I don't know if I want to see what the next one looks like  ------------- Lindsey 
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Replies:
Posted By: Snappy
Date Posted: 19 June 2009 at 8:38pm
Yup, ours was. We use our fireplace as our main source of heating, and have the oil heater on for about 2 hours a day to warm Jacksons room. Im dreading next months as last year in our June/July bill we had a $700 one  Its just ridiculous!
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Posted By: BeLoved
Date Posted: 19 June 2009 at 9:10pm
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I hate to think what our next power bill will be as we have been using our heater all day everyday for last week or so.
I have heard that turning your heat pump on & off costs more than leaving it going to keep your room at a set temperature rather than turning it on to get it to a certain temp then turning it off. ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: FreeSpirit
Date Posted: 19 June 2009 at 9:19pm
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We got ours today, 311 which is a 130 jump up from last month. It's just ridiculous. ------------- http://www.babysfirstsite.com"> 
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Posted By: HoneybunsMa
Date Posted: 19 June 2009 at 9:43pm
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OMG I would die if our powerbill got that high! We only have a one bedroom place mind you but we have laptop and internet going most of the time and a 41" lcd going most of the time as well as a dehumidifier that only turns off about 4hrs a day and it was only $90 last month most ours gets up to is about $160. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: rachelsea
Date Posted: 19 June 2009 at 10:00pm
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Our power bill is usually only $80, but this month's was $247!! I hope they don't estimate future bills at this higher price!! ------------- DD 4yrs DS 2yrs http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 19 June 2009 at 10:02pm
| Ours is also up from approx 150 to 300 i almost died at it was a flippen read! i dont understand how it was sooo high |
Posted By: peachy
Date Posted: 19 June 2009 at 10:17pm
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Wow, I would flip if ours went over $200!! Ours is around $160-$180 and I get angry at that amount!
Our only source of heating is a fireplace and electric blankets on for an hour before bed. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: yummymummy
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 6:31am
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It was sooo cold last month though - I think most of us have been using heaters. Our one was high too - about the $220 mark but then we are at work during the day so that saves on power ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Snappy
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 7:19am
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Plasma tv's cost 16.6c to run per hour, I worked out it costs us $17.43 a week just to watch the telly!!!!
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Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 8:02am
Sorry but I feel a little bit better now that some of your guys bills have jumped about as much as ours!
Someone had a thread on this a while ago and a link to the Mitsubishi website which contradicted this. So I only turns ours on as it starts to get colder in the afternoon. ------------- Lindsey
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HeidisMum wrote:Posted By: MissCandice
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 8:23am
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My heatpump brke down for four days in the freezing cold cold days this month so used an oil heater all day and noght, as this house isnt very warm.
So fay, and i still have untill the 26th for it to be read, its $310 and thats not including the levies.. ------------- ~ Mummy to a beautiful girl ~ |
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 9:20am
OMG our last one was $180 and I *know* this next one will be higher because our new house is so much colder. I'm dreading it  -------------  
 
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Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 9:39am
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Im dreading ours as well! Our first one in this house was $190, but that was an estimate and plus we had my brother living with us, so he used his lap top and then theres the extra water etc.
This house is SO cold, we have the gas heater in the lounge/dining area, and up the hall is the oil heater and I turn it on high to get the rooms to temp and them turn it to low and leave it going and that keeps the chill off the rooms, the bedrooms in this house are like ice blocks if you dont have the heater going
We pay $30 a week to our power so if we do have to pay anything extra we are hoping its not heaps! We are new to all this power bill stuff, didnt have to worry about that at mum and dads. ------------- |
Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 10:08am
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Ours went up from $220last month to $303 this month.
I run our heat pump all day though and think this actually helps with our bill - I put it on low and 18 during the day when we are not home (we leave for work at 7.30 and get home about 4pm) and over night and bump it up to low and 22 from 4.30pm-7.30pm. We also have a heated towel rail going and underfloor heating in the bathroom and toilet. I do a load of washing a day and a load through the dishwasher plus our plasma tv is on for about 7 hours a day as like the noise in the background. We have a oil heater in DS room that switches on at 11pm until about 5 am. SO...I am quite pleased with ours really as was stressing it would be around the $380 mark as our power bill is always around $200 in summer -------------  
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Posted By: mamanee
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 10:55am
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Do any of your power companies offer an even pay system?
I am with genesis energy and I have an even pay system where I have a direct debit payment come out every week for $35, which works out at $140 a month. They send me a bill each month that says 'No further action is required' so I don't have to worry about it. I pay $35 a week year round and it evens itself out over summer when I don't use as much. If I have paid too much at the end of the year they refund me, and if I haven't paid enough they put my weekly amount up a little bit to cover it. I know that doesn't help with your bill right now, but after having a faulty central heating unit at my old place and ending up with a $450 bill TWICE and my landlord refusing to help or take responsibility because I was using it, I don't want a bill ever again! |
Posted By: RBsMama
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 11:22am
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We've switched to Powershop and so far it's working out much cheaper than being with Meridian. The bill from 16 may until 16 June was $233 which I thought was really good, as I was still at home with DS and it was freezing here in Chch. I haven't calculated the savings this month, but for the april/may bill, we saved $50.00 on what we would have paid with Meridian. We have a big oil column heater in DH's room, which is on low during the day and turn up from the early evening through to morning, a small column in our room which is only on if it's super cold and only at night, and a convection heater in the lounge which is on from 5pm until bedtime (approx 10pm). We also have a heatpump in the dining/kitchen and that's only on from 4pm until 8pm and then from 5am to 7am. I run the dryer at least 2-3 a week and the washing machine on nearly daily, at least once. We have gas for hotwater though, and we need a new gas bottle every 3 months. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 12:17pm
| Ours is only up at around 180, we get an actual read each month. Our heat pump is on from 7-7 every day on 21 degrees and we use the dryer when we have washing cause it just doesn't get dry outside now. And we use a dishwasher. I don't leave our heat pump on during the night. I just think thats stupid lol, it doesn't save on power |
Posted By: LeahandJoel
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 2:42pm
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Ours is a big fat $370 this month, this one is actual and the last was not so guess they underestimated that sucker -------------  
 
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Posted By: Chickaboo
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 3:18pm
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oh I would die if mine was in the $300 - ours was read this month and it was $240 (less if I pay early) although up from last month - it was only an estimate last month so expected it to be a lil more, doesnt normally get up more than that.
ETA: we run a oil heater in RHyley's room every night from 8pm till 8-9am. Tv (LCD) is on most of the time when we are home. Having been using the dryer a bit too last month. And basically 3 adults and 2 children in the house adds up (master 16 is basically an adult) ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 3:40pm
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Ours has gone from $124 to $146 and this month is our actual read.
We have an oil heater in Jakes room and Living room on at night, Jakes runs all night. I do a load of washing every day and laptop is running constantly. We dont have a dryer...am trying to avoid getting one. We also have an electric mower and leaf blower which are both getting a work out ont he weekends at the moment. I hope we dont get a nasty suprise like that anytime soon.. or ever. -------------   
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Posted By: jano1
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 3:44pm
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Yep got ours yesterday- $330. I almost cried. I can't believe how much they charge when the majority of NZers live in poorly insulated homes. We are in a rental property and our landlord is too cheap to properly insulate the house so we have heaters and a dehumidifier running 24/7. Time to move ------------- http://www.thebump.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=UBB&utm_campaign=tickers"> |
Posted By: Bexee
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 4:37pm
| I thought I was the only one! Ours came yesterday and was $300. We've just moved into a new house and it's double what we used to pay! We run a heatpump for a few hours each night, and do use a drier and heated towel rail occassionally but it's still way up on what I expecteD!! |
Posted By: BaAsKa
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 7:32pm
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ours this month is $220!!! this is one of our biggest BUT we have loads of power guzzling things - dishwasher once a day, washing machine 3 times a day, 42" plasma on all day from 8am - 11pm most days, laptop, little column heater on all night in astins room (his room is always the coldest), big column heater on in hallway all night, small fan heater on most of day and from 5pm - 11pm, the normal fridge, chest freezer etc and DH had been using the welder ALOT last month!! and the obvious oven once a night etc!
Id say ours is going to be this much or scarier for this winter! especially with new baby![:s] oh and our house is fully insulated and is a very sunny house. |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 8:41pm
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I have a power guzzler somewhere cos I read all of your bills and think you are using MUCH more than me....yet our bill was $450!!!! and 2 of my friends just had bills of $600.....and we live right beside the bloody dam!!
We have a brand new full insulated double glazed small house. Last month we did have the under tile heating on in the bathroom as it was so toasty but thats now turned off. Heat pump was running 24/7 but I now have it on 5.30 to 10.30 (but then ran it through the night the last 2 nights as it was getting down to -7 overnight outside and that just makes it a bit too cold in the morning). I also have just started putting the oil heater in the boys' room for half an hour or so to bring their room up to a warm temp....then I turn it off and if it is cold during a feed I put it back on. I know everyone thinks it costs more to turn them on and off but Dad pointed out a good point. It DOES use a lot of power to warm up an oil column heater but you get "free" heat at the end when you turn it off so it kinda evens out. |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 9:00pm
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Meh, I like to pretend we don't have a power bill so I use the dryer, dishwasher, oil fin heaters in lil miss and Maya's rooms, convector heater in the lounge and electric blanket on our bed as and when I feel like it.
Sucks when we do get a bill tho 
We got one today for $340 which wasn't too bad, we had some over $400 last winter. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: hannibal
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 9:00pm
| Hi - our last one was $230 - so I am going to hate the next one. I always ring it in each month - and the power man comes and almost bangs the door down the next month. Hubby rang around the other companies and they were more expensive! We aren't home during the day and we don't use the heatpump much at all we have a small portable gas heater and the bigger one (probably costs us more to run these a month - than having the heatpump on). Washing machine can do 1-2 loads a day, dryer probably half an hour, dishwasher once a week, an oil heater in our room - bubs is 8 months old but I have her in our room still as we are in an older villa and it is easier to have us all in the same room. |
Posted By: Troods
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 9:20pm
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We got our first power bill yesterday since moving into our new house a month ago and it was $246 ($222 with the discount). That's the highest bill we've had. The highest before that was around $180 and that was at our previous house which we rented, which was smaller and colder, but did have a fireplace which we used alot during winter. If it didn't have the fireplace we probably would've used the heaters more and had higher power bills.
Our new house though has a heat pump which is a novelty for us. We don't use it during the day though. It' usually on from about 5pm then we set it to night mode when we go to bed, then I turn it off in the mornings because the house stays pretty warm without it during the day. We do run the oil column heater in DD's room during the night, and occassionally run a second oil column heater in our room for a bit before we go to bed. Have hardly used the electic blankets though this winter so far. I do however do lots of washing, esp with DDs cloth nappies which probably use a lot of hot water. And when we have had really frosty nights and end up with condensation the next morning I run the dehumidifier during the day. I guess I really have to wait until the next bill to compare our power usage and I certainly hope it doesn't get to the $300s!! DH is an electrician though and he plans to do a few things around the house to make it a bit more energy efficient so hopefully that helps. ------------- 
Missed MC July 2011
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Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 20 June 2009 at 9:44pm
OK I don't feel too bad about my power bill meltdown then - $145  But.... we paid $350 for a load of wood in April and are 3/4 through the pile, so if you work it out we're averaging about an extra $90ish a month on top of that.
Every power company you can just pay online through IB... work out your average consumption (between winter consumption and summer consumption) then pay that every payday. We pay $42 a fortnight as our power bills in summer are usually about $70. Anyway, $145 freaked me out enough that I've turned Jack's heater off ($10 a month for 2.5 hours a night), turned our surround sound off so just running sound through TV (DH away for a couple of months so he won't care - otherwise it would have to be on lol) and I'm only using 1 light in the lounge. Small things I guess 
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Posted By: BessieBear
Date Posted: 22 June 2009 at 2:22pm
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Ours came on Firday and was $280, I knew it was going to be big cause we have the DVS going and a fin heater in Ryan's room from 7 - 7. ------------- Sarah Mum to, Boy 07/2008, Girl 03/2010, Boy 05/2012, Angel 07/08/2014
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Posted By: clover
Date Posted: 22 June 2009 at 2:28pm
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Our actual last month was $250 and the estimate that came the other day was $170, I thought that one would probably be too low but when i checked it seemed about right.
I figure there isn't anything much you can do about it, it costs what it costs and I'd rather be warm and have a slightly inflated power bill than freezing cold to save a few bucks (which of course if you can't afford the extra $ it is more of an issue). ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: GuestGuest
Date Posted: 22 June 2009 at 2:32pm
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Ours went from $170 last month to $320 this month and there is just the two of us in a new home
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Posted By: Parki
Date Posted: 22 June 2009 at 2:41pm
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Our latest power bill came the other day and it is $387. Normally around $120.
It is so high and I cannot understand how it could triplein a month when we have made no really drastic changes?? We have gas cooking & heating too so that is on top of the power! |
Posted By: SMoody
Date Posted: 22 June 2009 at 2:55pm
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Okay you guys are now literally scaring me with all these bills. Specially seeing that last month I used the dryer a lot for our clothes due to weather and me being to tired to run out each time and put clothes on and off. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 22 June 2009 at 6:05pm
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OK I really feel for you girls with large ones but mine is only $110 a month (I pay $120, $60 a fortnight on smooth pay). But we don't pay for hot water as we have a chippy here in our house that is lit almost every night and when wood is free (for the chippy) and only $60 for a mog load (is about 9m3) I think we have a great deal. I really do feel for you as if we were in Palmy we would be paying for hot water and the wood wouldn't be free or very cheap. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: ange221
Date Posted: 26 June 2009 at 2:26pm
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Ours just came today and with the discount already taken off it was still $630. Scary stuff. The house is 4 bedrooms and I'm using the dryer a lot but still thats an awful amount of money going out the door every month. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: Nutella
Date Posted: 26 June 2009 at 3:38pm
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holy moly ladies, those are some crazy bills. I sure never had bills that high when I was in NZ but we also had gas which was great.
But far out, like $630...is that one month or more? Jeepers if I had those sorts of bills I would def be doing easy pay so it wasn't such heart attack material. Someone commented on not using electric blankets very much...to be honest I have often used electric blankets and just gone to bed early and not bothered heating the house hahaha! ------------- 
Oct 11
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