Addressing high electric bill

Septus

I'm getting pretty ridiculous kwh usage in my new apartment. For December(partial month), January, and February, my usage was 259, 1468(D:), and 944 respectively. Adjusted for days in the period, it was 16, 43, and 34.

This is an old and much lower rent complex, so I expect some differences from my last place, however the square footage is comparable, and my AC habits are the same. At the last place I had a programmable thermostat, but I didn't use the programming, and I just set the temp lower when I'd leave. So I would consider the age of the apartment and its upkeep to be the only significant difference. Well my usage for these three months at the last place was 14.5, 20, and 17 per day.

Is there really anything I can do about the structural efficiency of the apartment? I don't know how I could fix air leakage through windows/doors. How would I go about testing that anyway? I actually think my front door is a very likely culprit since it doesn't shut firmly.

Improvolone

I used an exorbitant amount in my last low rent kind of shitty apartment.
So, yes, integrity and non energy star appliances can eat a ton of juice.

Fats

Yeah, those aren't super out of the ordinary. Electric heat, I presume?

You can usually feel the cold drafts in doorways with your hand, or you could try waiting until dark and having someone shine a flashlight at the cracks, to see where it gets through.

Djeet

If you're in Austin that's pretty goddamn ridiculous. Is this (the heating) gas or electric? Have you compared the reported meter numbers on the bill with the actual meter reading?

Edit: Though if you know you have a leak some weatherstripping round the problem area can help a lot. It did for us around the front and side doors.

Septus

Electric heating, I haven't checked the meters yet.

Is there some way I could check leakage by releasing some sort of smoke and watching its flow? Flashlights won't help for my patio doors and windows.

Beyond that, I assume I have no way of tracking specific use by appliances etc unless the complex installed smart readers?

soxbox

You can buy a fairly cheap electricity meter called the kill-a-watt which you can use to read the power usage of appliances. There's other options at the same price-level, but that's the name I know.

When you say that you can't do flashlights on your patios and windows, I assume that because of the glass? Get a small flashlight and hold it right against the cracks so the only place the light can go is through the crack. Also, if you've got a lot more glass windows/doors in this place, that's going to be a huge source of heat exchange - get yourself some heavy curtains.

urahonky

Supposedly many power companies jacked up their prices in January. I know my bill in January was about $260, and normally it's barely above $100.

Saddler

I used to live in a house that was in worse condition than many abandoned houses, and needless to say it had virtually no protection from cold temperatures. Every once in a while the pipes would even freeze. Anyway, we put plastic wrap over the windows, and affixed it with a blow dryer, and that helped considerably. It wasn't miraculous, mind you, but it stayed noticeably warmer, thus trapping in the heat better, thus lower bill (although it was still high). That should help with any air leakage around your windows.

Check this out:
http://www.howcast.com/videos/87584-How-To-Insulate-Your-Windows-With-Plastic

These days, I don't have need for electric or gas heating, but I use big, thick curtains on the windows, which seem to keep it warmer in the bedroom. I also hung some fabric from jo-ann's or somesuch on the walls, partly with the intention of providing a little extra insulation, castle-style. You could also try placing a towel at the foot of your door or wherever you think heat could escape.

I just looked up the temperature for Austin today, and wow, I really had no idea it got that cold there.

Djeet

To locate a draft you can try this: light a votive candle (any candle will do, but votive/tea candles are cheap, shallow, and have that built in metal holder) and with a steady hand bring it near the seams of the door/window or wherever you think the draft is. The flame will flicker in the direction the draft is blowing, dim, or sometimes even blow out.

A programmable thermostat can pay for itself in a month. In addition to kicking off the heat/cooling when you're away, you can program it to kick off when you're asleep (and use blankets/fans when appropriate of course).