Well, the good news is that this month's utility bill was lower than last month, $345 vs. $408. I think that replacing the attic fans really helped a lot, although August was 50 CDD cooler than July. Of course, we are still taking a beating with the portable air conditioner in my wife's bedroom — I figure that cost us about $75 this month by itself.
Cooling
To start with, it was slightly cooler in August, especially compared with last August. We also replaced the attic exhaust fans at the end of July, so whenever the attic hits 100°F the exhaust fans kick on and get rid of the excess heat. Our thermostat is still set at 78°F, except in my wife's bedroom, but it seemed like the A/C turned on less often than previously. It looks like those attic fans saved us about $50 in the last month alone!Hot Water
Our gas usage was down slightly since last month, a savings of about $6. Possibly this is due to the fact that my wife takes cold showers —or possibly our middle daughter is taking shorter, cooler showers.Water
Our water usage was up slightly last month because we started watering some of the specimen plants in the backyard rather than have them die. We lost a columnar juniper by the front door because of the drought and heat; we nearly lost the three 20-year-old bonsai-ed Japanese maples out back. To save them, we ran the hose out and watered the maples on a trickle for three solid weeks, 24 hours a day, until hurricane season started and it started raining again. This worked out to about 500 cubic feet, or 3,500 gallons, or $12.Lighting & Computers
School started last month, so we are probably running the computers more than ever.August 2008 Data
| Electricity, in kWh | Cost / Unit | Gas, in Therms | Cost / Unit | Water, in CCF | Cost / Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,897 | $.101 | 9 | $2.82 | 14 | $1.94 |