Interesting utility billing anomaly?

[widebody911]

Back in June, we bought a new washer and dryer, switching from an electric dryer to a gas one.

What I expected was for the electric bill to drop and the gas bill to rise. Makes sense, right? We do about 5 loads of laundry a week.

Our electric bill has dropped slightly, but it's hard to quantify because of the variations in A/C usage; we had some really hot days in July and August, but didn't use it much at all in September. Our gas bill has been within $1 the whole time.

Both meters are SmartMeters, but I haven't been keeping track of the actual usage data to audit the bills.

Not sure what to make of this. Is gas really that cheap, or are they just averaging out my usage?

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by NotaBRG

I am on an 'even pay' for both gas and electric so the monthly bill is the same throughout the year. But it was by choice, not something they just automatically put in place.

They will adjust every 6 months if needed.

Hmm. Maybe I'm on that and I didn't know it.

[GH85Carrera]

It would be interesting to see a lab test of the energy usage of each type of dryer. To make heat gas is very efficient. It still takes electricity of course to turn the drum, but 110 vs 220 tells you there is a big difference. I average my bills as well but it still varies some.

[mfiazzo]

Does your utility bill show you your usage from last year? In Philly here it does. you can look at last years usage and compare it to this years usage to see if it is close. On my bill it has a bar graph and average usage per day for both gas and electric. It also gives you average temperature from last year and this year.

This would be a good start to determining as the whether the anomaly was the A/C. I am guessing it was.

A gas dryer is very efficient (95-98%) and much cheaper to run than an electric one.

[MRM]

This is an odd question, but how old is your smart meter and can you tell who the manufacturer was? There is a known defect in a series of smart meters manufactured in the early to mid 2000s.

However, gas really is that cheap and efficient.

[biosurfer1]

PM me if you like...I work for SMUD and can look into it for you.

[masraum]

Most utilities allow you to look at your billing history, often both the bill and the usage. Jump on the website and check out a year or two worth of bills. I've got a few years of electric bills in a spreadsheet which enabled me to track the differences after adding more insulation and changing thermostats.

[bell]

Don't forget the only thing you converted to gas is the heat element, its still uses an electric motor to spin it which is a big load......

[T77911S]

we had to buy new washer and dryer and dishwasher. this new "energy efficient" crap.
it takes 2-4 hrs the dishwaher to do its thing. how can it run for so long and not cost more?
same with the washer and dryer. they take longer too. im sure we wont get 20+ yrs out of the washer and dryer like we did with the old set