high electric bill $900++ please help

[nukeman]

Since rates vary from location to location, it is helpful if you show kwh instead of price. What would be helpful would be a cooling bill (say July), a peak heating month (say Dec. or Jan.), and then a month or two where you aren't really heating or cooling (perhaps April or Sept.). This would give us an idea of how much it takes to heat/cool vs. normal months (without heating/cooling).

If the bill is only very high in the winter, it could be the furnance. If it is high during non-heating/cooling months, then the draw is from somewhere else.

There was a guy on here sometime back that was seeing very high cooling bills (like 3x normal). It turned out that a tech that worked on his system during the winter added a jumper to force the electric heat on since the system wasn't heating well. Since this jumper was in place, those heating elements were also coming on in the summer, so you can imagine what that would do to your electric bill.

Now as a reference point, I am in a similar climate (central VA), house is ~3300 sq.ft, 42 years old, single pane windows, and run a full electric furnance (no heat pump) and I can tell you that in the winter, my bill peaks at about 1/2 of what you are seeing in terms of $$$. In terms of kwh, it is usually something like 3300 kwh in winter, but had been over 4000 kwh before adding insulation to the attic. As this system uses a lot of energy, we run it as little as possible. If we kept it warmer and kept the temperature up all the time, then I could easily get a bill similar to what you are getting.

With you having a heat pump and a newer place, you should be using much less electricity than I am unless you are keeping the place 80 degrees 24/7. The other possibility is that you aren't using that much electricity, but you have a high rate where you are at. I don't think that is going to be the case, though. Your rates are probably similar to what they are around here.

[ballvalve]

Now, it is interesting how the power company ran over when they heard the meter ran a bit BACKWARD when off, and at other times when it ran forward, you were just foolish to them?

Bad meter and bad electric company. They help you only when its good for them.

Inquire for GOV. programs to tighten the house and winter heating rates from this nice utility of yours.