Utility costs

[Rachael]

The concept of smart meters came from the UK where we've had them for well over 30 years. Each has effectively has two meters. One measures the power useage from 7am until 6pm when power is at higher demand and the other measures the rest of the day. Off peak power use is charged at a fraction of the price. So water heated overnight, timers used so laundry and dishwashers come on over night and so on.

Here in NS we have one power company. Our bills have increased about 20% in the last few years and an increase of 23% has just been approved for the next couple of years.

My power bill is $260.00 a month and my heaters are only on a max of 20º. My water is between $175-$200 bi-monthly. I have 800 sq ft per the three levels although in the winter, the basement is rarely used so we do save on heating that. Just keep those thermostats set to about 14º to make sure nothing freezes although it's all insulated down there.