whichway Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 OK. I was wondering if anyone has any advice. We just got a whopper of an electricity bill. We live in QLD in a 4 bedroom house, there are only two of us and a baby. We have a small 3 person spa, air conditioning and gas hot water. We have to keep the spa running to kill bacteria but we rarely use the jets etc cos lately we never have any time to be in the thing. The air con, yes, I know this is expensive but the last three months it has been on way less than normal and the bill is the same. I've compared to other bills so have accounted for the price rise, so we used 34.1kwh last quarter which was $895. Would anyone like to compare? What is average for a family like this? I know other people with spas and air con and their bill is nothing like mine. If anyone has any ideas or advice or anything I'd be really really grateful. I'd also like to point out that i do try to be wise, turn things off when not in use, turn off lights etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Hi. I have a pool and I know the pump has a big impact on the electricity bill. Make sure you only use the pump as much as you need to keep the spa clean. For my pool it does need to run about 10 hours a day in the peak of summer but I drop it back to about 3 or 4 hours a day in winter. I would experiment with cutting the pump back and testing your water. Try running the pump 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNMACMD Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Our last quarters bill was over 1200 and we have friends whose was 2200 both of us have pools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Our electricity bills are about $600 per quarter (four of us, two children, big pool, electric hot water) in NSW. Our pool and the water take the lions share of that, I am a real tight-arse when it comes to electricity otherwise, and always switch things off at the wall, even the toaster and the oven because they both have luminated displays! I agree with Parleycross, experiment with your spa and see if you can drop the pump down a bit. We run ours far less in the winter than when we are using it. Also make sure that you switch things off at the wall. Phantom red lights from tv's etc use a surprising amount of power. We are getting a solar PV and hot water system installed next month. Hoping that that will bring our bill down a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Phew this thread doesn't make me feel as worried, ours was just under $1k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I'll just add I think it is worth checking the rates your are paying and shopping around. If you are like me you probably never think about changing providers but I have just switched from AGL to Energy Australia (owned by Tru Energy) whose rates are significantly less than what I was paying. I did this after talking to a local friend who had just switched and then I realised what a good deal was getting by switching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichway Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 thanks all. I just phoned the power company :mad:after realising that there are no off peak charges to my bill. Apparantly this is normal for where I live, but, if you have a pool you may be entitled to get off peak rates and an off peak meter installed. Of course you'd probably have to buy the meter and pay the electrician etc. However, I am definitely going to look at the spa pool manual and change the settings. Thanks for the advice on that. Also thanks for sharing your bill prices. I was panicking cos everyone I seem to talk to had a $300 bill!!! Good luck with the solar power. Does anyone know hoe this compares to UK prices? I can't remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest30038 Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Electricity rates are set by the Qld gov't so all energy companies should be charging the same. The only way that they can get round this, in order to compete, is to offer you a discount on the total bill. I'm in a large 4 bed, family of 4, one of whom has a half hour shower twice daily for therapeutic reasons. I have an above average pool pump (just under 1 kw) running 8 hrs a day, and 32 fish tanks, all heated, with 1kw of lighting running 4 hrs a day and 500w of filtration running 24/7. My biggest bill (winter for the fish tank heaters - 32 in all) was $1100 and the summer one was 900. looking at some of the figures stated for running an average home, :eek:I think I'm doing OK. As an aside, I change 40% of the fish tanks water weekly (8000 litres = 3,200 litres) and my water bill is $300 kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewebweazel Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I've compared to other bills so have accounted for the price rise, so we used 34.1kwh last quarter which was $895. Some thing seems a bit strange here 34.1kwh seems extremely low for a quarter on as it works out to be $26.25 per KWh I think that there might be a problem with the bill, or you are not reading it correctly. I would contact your supplier and get them to clarify the bill for you first and if (dare I say ) Oz is any thing like the UK there should be a Dept. that should help you with reducing your bill. Also consider, if you have that is, some exterior flood lighting using Halogen lamps can consume anywhere between 500w and 2kw per bulb. I have been caught out like that before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janine the party queen Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 We had our bill 2 weeks ago and it was only $535.We live in a large 4 bedroomed single storied house.The fans in the main rooms are on all the time.The air-con in the main bedroom is on all night and we run a 4,500 litre spa.We have solar hot water. Now our spa man has set our timer to come on 2 hrs in the morning and 2 hrs at night.As long as you test and adjust every day there should be no issues with any nasties growing in it.Ours has been fine apart from the odd cane toad or 2. Have to admit it took us 2 days to open the bill as we were lead to believe electric cost a fortune up here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichway Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 Some thing seems a bit strange here 34.1kwh seems extremely low for a quarter on as it works out to be $26.25 per KWh I think that there might be a problem with the bill, or you are not reading it correctly. I would contact your supplier and get them to clarify the bill for you first and if (dare I say ) Oz is any thing like the UK there should be a Dept. that should help you with reducing your bill. Also consider, if you have that is, some exterior flood lighting using Halogen lamps can consume anywhere between 500w and 2kw per bulb. I have been caught out like that before! Rate per kWh is 19.41 is that dear? the extra is things like ambulance charge, gst and green power which is $42. I want to be better to the planet but this may have to go.:sad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 As an aside, I change 40% of the fish tanks water weekly (8000 litres = 3,200 litres) and my water bill is $300 kev off topic, sorry... 40% ? that seems really high, I thought the recommended was 10-20% weekly (My sis keeps fish in the UK). Do different types of fish need different amounts? Or do they just get lots of light in australia so build up more gunk and need more change? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Oh and wrt the electricity bill, first thing to check is whether they did a actual meter reading or an estimate. Have been caught out by this before in the UK, where the company didn't actually check the meter for about two years and was just basing our bills on an estimate based on what the previous tenants used to use. When we checked the meter and sent them a proper reading we got a significant amount of credit back on the account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest30038 Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 off topic, sorry... 40% ? that seems really high, I thought the recommended was 10-20% weekly (My sis keeps fish in the UK). Do different types of fish need different amounts? Or do they just get lots of light in australia so build up more gunk and need more change? As long as the water isn't changed in one big hit, you can change as much as you want, providing the PH is more or less the same. This is to remove nitrates which cannot be converted in the filter as ammonia and nitrite are..........nitrate being the end product of them both which can only be removed by dilution. Nitrate is a growth inhibitor and the old wive's tale that a fish will only grow as big as the tank will allow, is incorrect............it should state as big as the nitrates in the tank will allow. So the more you dilute the nitrate, the faster fish will grow and the healthier they will be. My discus tank has 100% change over 3 days as they are notoriously susceptible to nitrate. Whilst some fish will tolerate higher than 40ppm they will never grow,breed, and exhibit their true colour as a fish will do kept in water less than 10ppm. As most of my tanks hold fry, I want them to grow as quickly as possible to selling size. Bet you wish you never asked :laugh: kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kungfustu Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 OK. I was wondering if anyone has any advice. We just got a whopper of an electricity bill. We live in QLD in a 4 bedroom house, there are only two of us and a baby. We have a small 3 person spa, air conditioning and gas hot water. We have to keep the spa running to kill bacteria but we rarely use the jets etc cos lately we never have any time to be in the thing. The air con, yes, I know this is expensive but the last three months it has been on way less than normal and the bill is the same. I've compared to other bills so have accounted for the price rise, so we used 34.1kwh last quarter which was $895. Would anyone like to compare? What is average for a family like this? I know other people with spas and air con and their bill is nothing like mine. If anyone has any ideas or advice or anything I'd be really really grateful. I'd also like to point out that i do try to be wise, turn things off when not in use, turn off lights etc. thats a lot of money, I have just checked our recent electricity bill, end of jan to end of april £199, gas for the same period was £230. a standard house not on any special tarrifs. Those utilities seem very expensive in Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eera Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I think I'd fall over if that was my bill. We're 2 people and one child and have never paid more than $300 per quarter, even with electric hot water. Does your spa need to be heated all the time? Can you just make it a weekend indulgence and turn it off the rest of the week? We use the barbeque a lot, probably 1/3 of meals are cooked on it which makes a lot of difference, plus it's amazing the difference turning off appliances at the walls makes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichway Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 I think I'd fall over if that was my bill. We're 2 people and one child and have never paid more than $300 per quarter, even with electric hot water. Does your spa need to be heated all the time? Can you just make it a weekend indulgence and turn it off the rest of the week? We use the barbeque a lot, probably 1/3 of meals are cooked on it which makes a lot of difference, plus it's amazing the difference turning off appliances at the walls makes. with the spa it's more about the filtration system. if you turn it off,regardless of the heat it goes yukky and you'd probably have to change the water (which god knows how much that would cost if you were to do it regularly). but I yes am going to turn the temp down and change the filtration settings. The other option is to empty it and just forget about the thing. in my next house i am never getting a spa or a pool again i had no idea it would cost this much, stupid i know. but you live and learn i suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewebweazel Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Rate per kWh is 19.41 is that dear? the extra is things like ambulance charge, gst and green power which is $42. I want to be better to the planet but this may have to go.:sad: 19.41 cents= approx 13 pence per kilo watt hour, its pretty much the same as the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I have a large 4 bed detatched , and I pay £131 a month for both gas and electric. Gas central heating of course. And its been on alot the last two winters. Didnt realise electric was so expensive over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichway Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 I think for me, looking at the comparisons between here and UK and other people's leccy bills, the lesson is that the spa is the bugger. Although we have air con and it is a luxury we would definitely struggle without now the spa will have to go if we wanna save. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PontePom Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 We just got our bill through post... $524.14 Off peak is charged at 11.66 and peak at 19.41 We have the Green Earth account with Origin No pool atm but were having one installed for summer so I guess that will increase it quite a bit We have gas also but that's just for the hob. We have been here for 9 months and the bottle is still going strong so no cost to us yet. Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Our gas and electric yearly bill in the uk is about $3,500 based on wages, not the exchange rate and we live in a good sized 4 bedroomed detached house and our rates are over $3,000. It appears in Australia there is quite a varience from state to state and even in each state, alot of the houses are huge compared to the majority of houses in the uk, i think it is almost impossible to compare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 We just got our bill through post... $524.14 Off peak is charged at 11.66 and peak at 19.41 We have the Green Earth account with Origin No pool atm but were having one installed for summer so I guess that will increase it quite a bit We have gas also but that's just for the hob. We have been here for 9 months and the bottle is still going strong so no cost to us yet. Howard If you set your pool timer (when you get one) to run late night or early hours (mine is both) you shoudn't notice much of a difference. Our average bill for - 4 people (2 adults, 2 kids) 3 bed lowset house Large Pool (running 8 hrs per day in summer and 5 in witer) Big workshop With no gas supply and no air con, (we have it but prefer ceiling fans) so all electric is just short of $500 pr quarter of late. I try not to leave things on standby during the day such as TV ,microwave etc and we do have good insulation so i don't think its too bad. No doubt our next one will be higher when we have the electric heater on a few nights,lol. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PontePom Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 If you set your pool timer (when you get one) to run late night or early hours (mine is both) you shoudn't notice much of a difference. Our average bill for - 4 people (2 adults, 2 kids) 3 bed lowset house Large Pool (running 8 hrs per day in summer and 5 in witer) Big workshop With no gas supply and no air con, (we have it but prefer ceiling fans) so all electric is just short of $500 pr quarter of late. I try not to leave things on standby during the day such as TV ,microwave etc and we do have good insulation so i don't think its too bad. No doubt our next one will be higher when we have the electric heater on a few nights,lol. Cal x Thats good to know and thanks for tip for the pump hours Our problem is with all the electrical stuff running most of the day 2 computers 24/7 5 at peak times kids eh lol Plus the rest. We've used the aircon maybe 6 times this summer and we also prefer fans. Not needed heaters yet but will need em soon cos it's chilly on a morning now. Been looking at a decent portable oil heater and one that didn't need oil. Pricey but supposed to be cheaper to run than traditional heaters which is important. Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 We have a wood fire,, cost a fair whack to buy but fuel costs nothing for us,lol. It really chucks off the heat but our bedroom is right at the other end of the house hence the heater for us in winter, we have used the oil radiator type ones but find the Panel type warm the room up quicker so doesnt need to stay on as long. As for the pool as soon as you stop swimming for winter (early April this year for us) you can knock the running time down loads, just remember to put it back up when summer comes again, (normally early October)lol. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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