Texas Heat!

[pacerron]

Yeah, Jim, I don't really know just how much difference it makes, but I used to like to keep the temperature at 72 or less, and now we keep the thermostat on 76. I have ceiling fans running all the time and Margaret either wears a heavy bathrobe or is sitting under a blanket watching TV.:laughing: And I know even 30 years ago the pool we had cost us.

It all adds up. It is amazing how many electric things we have grown so used to and now feel they are necessities. We become complacent about turning things off until these big bills show up. The attached talks about how much you can save by just putting your computers to sleep, among other things.
You can actually save much more by having them "hibernate".
http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/howmuch.html

Ron

 

[Bartcephus]

Ouch.... after months of a water bill only about $50-$55 my last one was $191. Electric hit $264 last month. Usually runs about $220. This is absolutely the hotest driest summer I remember... ever. Truck said it was 120 degrees outside when I started my trip home. Truck was in the shade. When I got home, a marquee said it was 113 degrees. No rain since . . . whenever. . . I can't remember. Worst thing is, they say it is going to continue..... ARGH!!!!!

Has Armegedon hit? Did I miss the rapture? Boys (and girls) it is HOT in TEXAS.

 

[Bird]

Boys (and girls) it is HOT in TEXAS

Well, it's 9:45 p.m. and it's finally cooled down to 99.

 

[Western]

My thermometer read 112*, I thought maybe mine was on the fritz, called my neighbor, he had 113*. That's to D%$m hot no matter where you are. I need to post a picture of the surrounding countryside, outside of the green on the trees, it's brown like winter time.

I lost 35 trees I planted last year, don't know why I've been watering then 2 times a week. This country isn't "built" for this, Arizona, the Sahara and the middle East sure..:laughing:

Ants are starting to "storm" the house, I guess they are looking for moisture or food, so I put out 14# of ant killer around the house and watered in. I worry about my dogs too, I water their yard daily, so now they have dug holes probably 2' deep!

 

[NativeSon]

Good morning.......5:30am it's 85. Yesterday it was 109 here. Son called on his way home yesterday in Richardson it was 111. I'm just trying to keep the horses and the dogs cooled down and I'm about to give up on watering the garden, it's almost completely gone. After about 11:30 Cabin Fever starts setting in.

Charlie

 

[jinman]

Good morning.......5:30am it's 85.

Just before 9 AM here and already 90 degrees. I've been out spot watering my yard and the garden. I also rinsed the dust off of my car and my wife's van. Our cars don't get wet dirt, only dust. It's easy to rinse off. Of course you have to work a little harder on bird poo. Just another day in paradise.

 

[mjarrels]

Last time I was in Barain, it was about 110 degrees at 4 am in the morning.

mark

 

[joemd11]

The heat and humidity in Bahrain is the worst I have ever experienced. Step out of the airplane and it will make you wilt right there. Dubai and Delhi are right up there too. You guys in Texas have my sympathy and my prayers for relief (rain) soon.

 

[xtn]

Anybody know the melting temperature of a New Holland? I can't move it to the shade because I'm afraid it will fall into one of the cracks in the dirt. But I'm also afraid to leave it out as I might just find a bubbling blue puddle where it was parked.

xtn

 

[Bird]

Bird, I just can't imagine what people's electric and water bills are going to be for the next month.:shocked: My daughter has a 2400 sq ft 2-story house in Hurst with a pool. Her electric bill last month was $695 and the water/sewer/garbage bill was $200. No telling what it will be for Jul-Aug when she gets her bill. She only has a postage stamp yard in front and a tiny yard around the pool in back, so watering the grass should not be that much.

My electric bill last month was $314 with all my watering and running the pump for 7-8 hours every other day. My aerobic septic system runs continually and my house is smidge over 2000 sq ft of living area. Our coop electric is similarly priced to electricity in town, so I don't know what makes my daughter's bill so high.

Jim, I got an e-mail from our son-in-law with a month by month list of what they paid for electricity this year. While our 1295 sq. ft. house and one A/C unit made my last electric bill $263.19, their 2947 sq. ft. 2-story house and 2 A/C units made their last electric bill $265.85.:shocked: I can't imagine what makes your daughter's bill so high.

 

[pacerron]

Jim,
Tell your daughter to look for a big green extension cord running from her house to the neighbors!
It really does sound like she has a problem. The electric company should run a history on her use in their computer and come out to check for problems.
There is no sense paying for something you didn't get or something that would save a bundle if fixed.

We were in the 90's here yesterday with 96% humidity to go with it.
Felt like Clark AFB in the Philippines many years ago..

Ron

 

[jinman]

Well, I'm going to tell my daughter what everyone here has suggested. She needs to know exactly what is causing the huge bills. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[Western]

Jim, I thought I had read a thread by you some time back about your daughters AC? or installing a new one up stairs (split)?, I must be "lost in translation".
I think she can get a free energy audit at her home from the electric co., if they still do those. My brother has a 3 system set up in his house, 3600 sq ft. He say's his bill is running around $600-$700, but it is way over insulated too. 2x8 outside walls.

 

[NativeSon]

Ron

I came thru Clark in Dec '68 in the middle of the night. We couldn't see anything of course, but it was a little warm and sticky. About 2am they loaded us on a bus for Subic Bay. The road must of still had bomb craters from WW II, and we hit every one of them. No way you could catch any Z's.

Charlie

 

[Bird]

Of course it's actually a little difficult to compare electric bills, just by dollar amount, since there are literally dozens of providers, each with several "plans".

I've always stayed with TXU Energy (used to be Texas Power & Light before deregulation) and am currently on their "Sure Value 60" 5 year plan that will expire next month. And the lines belong to and are serviced by Oncor. Daughter is with Tri-County Electric and Atmos Energy Gas.

Since my "plan" ends next month, I've been searching the Internet for the best deal and the more I learn, the more confused I am.:laughing: J. D. Power rates TXU Energy right in the middle; not bad, not particularly good.

Life used to be so much simpler when we didn't have to make all these decisions.:laughing:

 

[Larry Caldwell]

You know there's some disagreement as to where and by whom the quote originated, but anyway, some have said, "If I owned **** and Texas, I'd rent out Texas and live in ****.":laughing: But it's only miserable, as far as I'm concerned, about 4 months each year.

I've already posted the comment by the old Texan carpenter I used to work with, who used to say, "If I had a farm in Texas and a home in He!!, I'd sell the farm and go home.

 

[Western]

I had to go to Boyd to get my trailer tags, took the below picture on the way out of the cab, I was just South West of Cottondale Texas.

Bird, one of the local power company's is giving away a $100 gift card to Lowes when you sign up, saw the commercial last night. Think it was Atmos Energy????

Larry, this year, it would be hard to tell the difference..:laughing::laughing:

 

[Bird]

Dennis, that grass in the picture looks nice and green compared to the highway ROW along I-35E in Denton and south of Denton.

And here at 5 p.m., it's 108 and our A/C (heat pump) with the thermostat set on 76 is running continuously and it's still 80 degrees in the house.

 

[pacerron]

Bird,
I'm sure you know your heat pump is more efficient if you turn the fan on constantly and let the thermostat control only the compressor. 108 is probably over the chart they use to figure out how many HP you need for your compressor. They like to say up here, that if they size the unit too high it will not run long enough to get rid of the humidity. I have them put in the next bigger size anyway as it is more capable of getting heat out of the cold air in the winter and saves electricity since the resistance heaters don't run as much. We are total electric with 2 large heat pumps because of the house design. Electric bill $149.00 but we run about 10 degrees cooler outside than you guys.
Ron

 

[Western]

Dennis, that grass in the picture looks nice and green compared to the highway ROW along I-35E in Denton and south of Denton.

And here at 5 p.m., it's 108 and our A/C (heat pump) with the thermostat set on 76 is running continuously and it's still 80 degrees in the house.

Your right Bird, it was the only place I could pull over. The photo came out dark for some reason, looks better than it is. It may take 2 good seasons ,or more, to get things bag to fully hydrated..

My AC is set at 72 and it's 76 in the house. temp outside is 110 right now. I have been changing the cotton type AC filters every 7 day's because of the dust.