OGE Bill!

[Karried]

I got the biggest bill I have ever gotten yesterday... anyone else notice a huge increase in their normal bill?

I know we had a lot of hot days but the jump was enormous! ugh.

They offer the choice to Average out the amount over the year... does that mean you lock in the current going rate and pay that all year whether it fluctuates or not?

I know a few people do that..... I'm wondering if it is a good idea?

[rod4soonrs]

I do it, I know what my bill will be each month, no surprises!

[kmf563]

I think ONG are the only ones you can lock in a rate with. But then it's not averaged. You just get that rate per usage amount every month.

I average both electric and gas. That way I have zero surprises in winter or summer. I waited until the summer to start my electric so I felt like I was cheating the system. I wasn't, but I enjoyed tricking myself. haha. Then I waited until winter to join on my gas. I pay roughly $100 a month for each. But it's all year long, so I don't have any surprises and they give you a current usage list on your bill so you know how much it would have been. Then they give you an annual review every year. Mine has fluctuated but only by cents or $1 a month. And then the adjustment from year to year is based on what I used the previous year. Mine actually went down $20 a month this year.

[SoonerDave]

Our June elec. usage was about 40% higher than the same period last year, but then I remembered we had that string of 100+ days about two weeks after school let out, and were out of town on vacation for about 10 days during that same month last year...so the house was essentially shut down, hence the wide disparity.

We average-bill ONG and OGE, but it doesn't give you a flat, fixed amount, but more of a moving average that dampens the highs and lows. Be aware, however, that sometimes OGE and ONG will estimate your meter (unless they read it electronically, which I don't think has been deployed everywhere yet)...

[OKCisOK4me]

I do average monthly billing but I wouldn't compare my electricity usuage to yours. I live on my own with no other bodies running around and I use one light at a time...

[metro]

Yeah, you don't lock a rate, they just average your bills over the last 2 years and you pay the average, if your actual usage fluctuates, then they reaverage it each month or you can pay any overages at the end of the year. If you use less, they cut you a check every 18 months or so.

[bluedogok]

My wife commented that our bill (City of Austin combines water, sewer, garbage and electricity like Edmond) went up quite a bit this past month...but then our average high for the past couple of months has been something like 102 or 103 (according to the news). We have had 45+ days over 100 and the others breaking record streaks were 99, it has just been miserable.

I haven't looked to see if the per kWh rate changed, you might check that on the OG+E bills to see if there was a rate increase enacted.

[CCOKC]

I know that OGE is asking for a rate increase right now from the Corporation Commission so I think we would know if the rate increased from the media. I have heard a few people comment on how high their bills seemed this month but if you remember how ungodly hot it was for most of the month I think that explains the high bills. I don't think the temp ever went below 80 degrees for a stretch of almost two weeks.

[dismayed]

Mine was huge too.

[Easy180]

My bills were mich higher a couple years back and I thought something was up with the system since the temps were moderate that summer....A/C dude said humidity has a lot to do with how hard your unit has to work

Guess I always focused on the temps and didn't factor in the actual air *conditioning* aspect

[drum4no1]

We are are on the OG&E average billing and so far every year our bill has gone down. Only a few bucks but it helps that we've done alot to cut back on electricity liking hanging our clothes out to dry and grilling more and using the oven less.

[HVAC Instructor]

I know a few people do that..... I'm wondering if it is a good idea?

I prefer to pay as we use power. That way it forces us to pay attention to our day to day power consumption. When you average it out, you tend to pay less attention to spikes.

Highest bill so far this year was $206 last month and $184 this month. We keep the thermostat at 75, and of course being an HVAC guy I keep it perfectly serviced for maximum efficiency. Your AC is usually your biggest single power-hog, and most people neglect it, unfortunately.

[BBatesokc]

We have been on OG&E's averaging plan for a few years now and love it.

They average our bill for the entire year. For two years it went down. We got our notice that next year it will go up a couple of bucks a month.

Ours currently is $146/month all year long. We keep the house on 72 and we have a teenager home most days and up till late and I work out of the home with all kinds of things on (lights, A/C, computers, TVs, etc.). We even run a window unit in the pool house that we converted to a workout room.

I really don't see a down side and helps alot with budgeting and we never argue about A/C usage.

[Thunder]

This month's bill came in for July. It is 135 bux, highest ever this year. That is for an 1,000 sq ft 2-floors apt.

[mmonroe]

My electric for June was $87 and my July was $196. I about died when I logged on to OGE and saw that... I had a nice build up of credit seeing as how I pay $100 a month even when the bill is only $64-$82 a month on average, so paying the $196 wasn't too bad, but man. I'll deff cut back on the AC this month.

[Karried]

OGE has a Payment Arrangement that lets you spread your bill out over a few months. With the rate increase I know the next month will probably be just as high.

I don't like the averaging because during winter the Gas is so high.

I'm having our heat and AC units serviced and possibly changed out. Our builder used really crappy cheap units ( before we bought the house) so it's something we've always wanted to do.

We have a 2 story house too so that doesn't help!

[HVAC Instructor]

I'm having our heat and AC units serviced and possibly changed out. Our builder used really crappy cheap units ( before we bought the house) so it's something we've always wanted to do.

We have a 2 story house too so that doesn't help!

Good for you getting your units serviced. Get a company or individual you know you can trust, and it may turn out that those low-end units can be made far more efficient to the point you don't need to replace them.

If you do decide to replace them, get a minimum of 3 bids and go with the company you trust. Quality installation trumps brand every time, so look not only at price, but also at the reliability and integrity of the installing contractor.

And...a super high SEER rating does not always equal savings if it is so expensive to install that you can't get your return on investment before the end of the useful life of the equipment. So spend enough time educating yourself before you decide.

[Karried]

Thanks!

[Jesseda]

i almost passed out when i saw my bill, i had to keep looking at it to thinking maybe the price would change or something i have never paid that much in my life, whats the deal!!! seems like minimum wage went up everything is going up!!!!!!!

[gmwise]

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is what happen.
Those SOBS need to feel the guillotine..i missed the good ole days.

[PennyQuilts]

OGE has a Payment Arrangement that lets you spread your bill out over a few months. With the rate increase I know the next month will probably be just as high.

I don't like the averaging because during winter the Gas is so high.

I'm having our heat and AC units serviced and possibly changed out. Our builder used really crappy cheap units ( before we bought the house) so it's something we've always wanted to do.

We have a 2 story house too so that doesn't help!

Let us know what kind you get if you swap out. I love the look of a two story house but man oh man, they are expensive to heat and cool in comparison to a one story.

We're going to probably be swapping out our units in our OKC house the next three years so I am interested in hearing how other people like their units. We swapped out to an American Standard Alliegence 14 in our Virginia house a few years ago and sure love how quiet it is. We want another quiet one for the OKC house because the compressor is right next to the back patio. The one we have, now, is loud.

[DaveSkater]

My june bill was 189 and my july bill was 191.
That's on a 2,000 sq' house with a new HVAC system. I keep it so cold, you can leave the beer out on the counter! It's a constant 67degrees. : )

[PennyQuilts]

My june bill was 189 and my july bill was 191.
That's on a 2,000 sq' house with a new HVAC system. I keep it so cold, you can leave the beer out on the counter! It's a constant 67degrees. : )

How can anyone leave beer on the counter? Around here, it would be gone inside of 20 minutes.

[bombermwc]

This last month had a large number of very hot days folks. I had a high one too. I just had my unit checked out and it was low on freon by 1.5 lbs. I already knew it was going to be, but it didn't really affect the bill any. It's just freaking hot outside right now.

Don't look at the dollars as much as the kilowatts. If your killowat useage didn't increase, but your bill did, that's when you have a problem. For me, this was the highest KW useage of the year.

[Patrick]

My July bill: $135 for a 1600 square foot 3 year old house.