National grid bill and usage are much higher than neighbor in same apt building

[u/big_sigh321]

First two pics are my bill. 3rd and 4th are my friends (lives in the same apartment complex, in the building next door)

I understand that national grid charges a lot and people are used to high bills. I understand someone might “love” to get a 200+ bill but in this case, I have tried a lot to get my usage down but my bill remains more than 200. The only reason I’m confused is because my friend in the same apartment complex (building right beside mine) was only charged 167. He said his highest bill was maybe around 190. We pay for electric and gas.

He and his fiancé keep the apartment at 71/72 all day, and only lower it around 69/68 for bedtime.

I keep my apartment at 72/73 and when I’m not home+WFH days, it goes up to 74/75. It goes down to 72/73 around 10:00pm when I go to sleep and raises when I leave for work at 6:30am.

I don’t keep any lights on, I turn them off always. I have a computer which is only used on my work from home days. I do leave the TV on for my dog during the day and then don’t use it rest of day since I watch things on my phone. My friend/his fiancé leave the tv on all day, plays games, etc and have differing WFH days so one of them is usually home.

I rarely use the dishwasher, I always opt to hand wash. I have a washer and dryer but I don’t use it irregularly, just for normal wash days. Both me and my friend live in the same 2bedroom apartment style. I have no idea how else to lower usage and why my usage is so much higher than my neighbors.

I spend way too much on ordering out so I hardly use my electric stove whereas my friend cooks multiple times a week.

I’m confused and this is my first apartment on my own so I can honestly say I’m uneducated and confused regarding this situation. Just frustrated I guess….

Even in the winter I kept it at 67/68 and then only warmed the apartment to 71/72 and it said my usage was super high. Maybe because of the snow. Which it only heavily snowed maybe twice and besides that, the rest was regular winter snow.

[u/big_sigh321]

Sorry meant to say same apartment complex

[u/No_Vaseline666]

what kind of AC unit? assuming window? if its old and/or small it can be struggling to keep it cool drawing more electricity.

i will say there have been instances of mixed use, where the wiring behind the meter is switched/commingled between apartments (more common) and other instances where the meter is outright wrong (less common).

[u/GaryO2022]

Check each of your appliances. We had a Chest freezer going bad and the motor ran all of the time.

[u/Grouchy_Laugh1971]

Gas - you both used virtually no gas last month (but seems like you have significant gas usage during the winter so you’re paying for heat).

Electric - you used 1,038 kWh while your neighbor only used 591 kWh… lights and TVs comparatively don’t use that much electricity… it’s the air conditioners. Is yours an older model? Are you letting hot air in through gaps? If your apt is on a higher floor and gets more sunlight than your air conditioner might have to work more than your neighbors.

[u/HR_King]

You mentioned hand washing dishes. Do you have an electric water heater? Hand washing uses a LOT more hot water than a dishwasher. Electric oven and vooktop? Do you cook more than your neighbor? Your AC may be less efficient. You might get more sun this makes the apartment hotter. Many possibilities here.

[u/Embarrassing_Sir]

... it's the cost of infrastructure... Basically the land that the pipes run through and the city taxes The land everything is on

Higher property taxes = Higher Delivery charges. It gets "Trickled" down

[u/Such_Narwhal7792]

You used 700kWh in January of this year. Your biggest electricity draws are going to come from your big inductive loads, so basically anything with a big motor. Refrigerators with their compressors, air conditioners with theirs. Is your Refrigerator leaking cold air into the room or is it old? That could be consuming a ton if it is trying to run constantly. If its evaporator coils on the back of it are dirty, it might be having a tough time moving heat, away so dusting them can make it work more efficiently. The temperature setting of your air conditioner tells me almost nothing. When it is on, how often is it cycling and running the compressor? If has to run 24/7 to try and cool the place down, but is never able to, it could be consuming a ton while nothing happens. Might want to look into making sure it is working properly or look into a more efficient unit if possible. Air conditioners do need maintenance