How is everyone liking the New Smart Meter Billing with Hydro?

[TeriB]

Makes me glad I have an apartment with hot water heating. My bills have gone up, but for a while (and in the summer) I'd pay $15 every two months. Winter months, $20.

[Draggy]

I got my bill today. 3bdrm townhouse with basement. Bill covers 56 days.

$160.09

I don't really pay attention to time of day rates. We just live our life.

Family of 4, 2 adultd 1 teen and 1 4 year old.

[watergirl73]

Is this hydro and water? Do you have to pay all the fancy service charges in Ottawa as well? I could live with 160.00 for 2 months

I got my bill today. 3bdrm townhouse with basement. Bill covers 56 days.

$160.09

I don't really pay attention to time of day rates. We just live our life.

Family of 4, 2 adultd 1 teen and 1 4 year old.

[Draggy]

We rent so we don't pay water. Yes this included all the fancy charges in ottawa. The delivery charge was almost equal to the hydro we used!!

[momof5boys]

.

[kasha100]

what percent green yellow and red are you.
try to change the red to green- think of it this way
doing a load of laundry at 705 pm cost 1/2 (in hydro ) than doing it in the day!

[aemi]

this sounds to me more like a rip off.... umm anyone else?

[turtlesasha]

I don't know if this has been mentioned already but there is a website started in order to stop the Smart Meter installations. I do not want one so I went onto their website and printed off the form saying 'Do not install a Smart Meter. To do so would constitute trespassing'. THere are also forms for getting them removed and who to mail them to.

Just in case you want to do this here is the website: http://citizensforsafetechnology.org...vernments,73,0

[cheekysaver]

Does that include natural gas? our bill was $315.63 this month and we get billed monthly here. The bill includes electric, gas, water, sewer, waste and recycling. The house is a small 2 bedroom but we have a garage with a loft above it that my room mate has for a bedroom. That also means we are running 2 furnaces full time and the hot water tank is also gas. Gas cost for the month was 100.04 but i believe we get a reduced rate because the city owns the gas rights.

The dryer broke since then and we have been drying everything by hand indoors and as soon as I can i will be outfitting the house in energy efficient bulbs. The heat is always turned up in the house because i have chronic pain and the heat helps reduce pain. It isn't uncommon to see the heat up at 25 C. At least the clothes dry well in the heat lol. I do have to add that in that first month we had construction going on in the house and that drove up the electric costs.

We are not on the smart meters yet but they certainly are coming very soon.

[smackioio]

These rates are stupidly high compared to what we used to pay on the single rate....I hate Hydro!

[watergirl73]

I just wanted to say thanks for the tip. DH was looking to buy a meter on line for 40.00 when I remembered you mentioning the library. I called and they had 15 in stock in our area. Dh and I went to pick one up and he went in and came up with 2. The lady said its been a long time since someone has taken them out. When they first came out theres was lots of hype but not anymore. All the way home DH was smiling and so happy. It was like he just saved money using coupons hahahaha.. who would have thought you could get them at the library.

He's been checking everything in the house that he can. I will report back all the mathematical findings he has. So far I'm shocked at the freezer and PVRs! Time for a new energy star freezer!

I think you are doing some great things already.
Some public libraries will loan the power meters to see where power is being stolen from your house ( excessive use of power). This way you know which appliances and gagets are the worst. You borrow like your borrow library books.

We pay similar to kanewtz. We're in Oshawa and have had TOU for a while.

[momof5boys]

The trouble with the new energy star freezers, and most new appliances, are that they don't last nearly as long....so in the long run you are paying for another new appliance. I was speaking with an appliance repair fellow who confirmed this. He said people are out buying all this new stuff that doesn't last nearly as long, and getting rid of their old appliances that still work well. We have two freezers (one I bought 25 years ago at a garage sale and it still works like a charm). Our fridge and stove are over 17 years old - and also have never been repaired.

My parents have a five year old fridge - needed repairs already...cost $80 just to have the guy drive on the yard and this doesn't include parts/labor! I'll keep my old appliances and believe that in the long run I am ahead. Our electricity use on average per day so far this fall is 29 kwh. Someone has yet to convince me to give up stuff that runs fine.

[Shwa Girl]

I just wanted to say thanks for the tip. DH was looking to buy a meter on line for 40.00 when I remembered you mentioning the library. I called and they had 15 in stock in our area. Dh and I went to pick one up and he went in and came up with 2. The lady said its been a long time since someone has taken them out. When they first came out theres was lots of hype but not anymore. All the way home DH was smiling and so happy. It was like he just saved money using coupons hahahaha.. who would have thought you could get them at the library.

He's been checking everything in the house that he can. I will report back all the mathematical findings he has. So far I'm shocked at the freezer and PVRs! Time for a new energy star freezer!

You are welcome about the library tip.

I went to a local library (Ajax) and they put the meters right at the "check out" desk, so you can't miss it. They also loan out pedometers (10000 steps per day for fitness) like library book loans.

Libraries rock.

[Shwa Girl]

My parents have a five year old fridge - needed repairs already...cost $80 just to have the guy drive on the yard and this doesn't include parts/labor! I'll keep my old appliances and believe that in the long run I am ahead. Our electricity use on average per day so far this fall is 29 kwh. Someone has yet to convince me to give up stuff that runs fine.

You are right - not all Energy Star appliances are created equal.
Before buying new appliances with Energy Star ratings, we check out Consumers Report (at the library, of course) and make a decision based on the best, long lasting appliance and what our budget can afford.

[Shwa Girl]

These rates are stupidly high compared to what we used to pay on the single rate....I hate Hydro!

Me too.
So we are trying to outsmart them.

Just bought solar all season outdoor lights on clearance at Walmart.
You can use them in the snow.
So now our yard is well lit at night (security) and we used the sun to charge the lights - not Ontario Hydro.