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0 pointslocallost1y ago0 comments

I can't see it, even with heating, as it's California. Even at something outrageous like $1 per kwh it's ~1000 kwh per month (I suppose PG&E takes some fixed costs like everyone else in the world). For comparison we're a family of four and just got our final bill for 2024, we were at 1500kwh for the whole year (more or less the same for years now).

Even yours is weird. I don't have a desktop computer running but we cook or bake with electricity every other day. I do realize we spend a lot less than other people, every time I check the prices and estimates if I want to switch the companies estimate 2500kwh for two people. So there's that.

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simoncion1y ago

> [My family of four] were at 1500kwh for the whole year...

Weird. Looking at my past several bills, my monthly usage is fairly constant; ~450kWh per month. So, (if my math is correct) that puts my annual usage at ~5400kWh.

> I can't see it, even with heating, as it's California.

I've no idea where OP is, but there are inland parts of the state that get dangerously hot in the summer. Cooling could be a big concern. Plus, rental housing in the state is often poorly maintained, so all that lovely conditioned air could very well be leaking out all over the damn place.

rsynnott1y ago

> Weird. Looking at my past several bills, my monthly usage is fairly constant; ~450kWh per month. So, (if my math is correct) that puts my annual usage at ~5400kWh.

That’s really quite a lot if you don’t have electric heating and cooling. It’d be worth trying to figure out where it’s going.

simoncion1y ago

This is probably a long shot, but do you have any recommendations for power draw monitors that plug into a US outlet and report power draw either over plain old serial port, or USB?

Every couple of years I look around a bit for something suitable, but have been unable to find anything that fits the bill, looks like it's not totally garbage, and isn't priced in the neighborhood of lab-grade measurement equipment.

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simoncion1y ago

> [My family of four] were at 1500kwh for the whole year...

Weird. Looking at my past several bills, my monthly usage is fairly constant; ~450kWh per month. So, (if my math is correct) that puts my annual usage at ~5400kWh.

> I can't see it, even with heating, as it's California.

rsynnott1y ago

> Weird. Looking at my past several bills, my monthly usage is fairly constant; ~450kWh per month. So, (if my math is correct) that puts my annual usage at ~5400kWh.

That’s really quite a lot if you don’t have electric heating and cooling. It’d be worth trying to figure out where it’s going.

simoncion1y ago

This is probably a long shot, but do you have any recommendations for power draw monitors that plug into a US outlet and report power draw either over plain old serial port, or USB?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse