On 2/26/2018 6:16 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 2018-02-26 1:24 AM, Julie Bove wrote:
>> I was chastised the other day by a friend of a friend for using my
>> oven. I said that I liked to use it a lot in the winter for baking and
>> such because it helped warm up the house and that meant I could often
>> keep the heat off when it was on. She told me that it is very costly
>> to run an electric oven and that I shouldn't use it. Told me if I
>> didn't believe her to go look at my meter next time it was on. I can't
>> see that would help me as I am not in the habit of looking at my meter
>> so don't know what it does to begin with.
>>
>> Anyway... Is there any truth to this? This person has told me a lot of
>> other things that were wrong.
>
> I can't see the point of offering advice. Your friend told you to look
> at the meter. That would tell you how much power it is using. It would
> take enough brains to look at it with and without the oven on to compare
> the consumption rates, but you won't do that.

Due to a highly unusual cold spell here, everyone's January electric
bill at least doubled. I was talking with my neighbors about it and we
were comparing bills and meter readings. Not that you can argue with
the electric company but it helps to know how to read the meter when you
call to inquire why the rate jumped. Compare usage from a few prior
months with like temperatures to see if something is amiss. (In this
case it was just unusually cold.)

I use my oven year round. Then again, I'm not trying to use it to heat
the house in the winter. The way my house is laid out that wouldn't
work unless I *lived* in the kitchen! In the summer when I'm running
the central AC I still use the oven and don't notice any significant
jump in the electric bill.

I'm not sure why this "friend of a friend" is worried about Julie using
her electric oven unless she's the one paying the bill.

Jill