Electric Bill for the Trailer
I never realized how much it was going to cost to heat a trailer. I had a few people tell me that it was hard to heat a trailer. I just didn’t realize what “hard to heat a trailer” was going to mean.
If you can make out my blurry picture above you can see that my electric bill for this month is $497.78. Yes, you read right – the electric bill for my trailer is $497.78 for one month!!
Why My Electric Bill if Freakin’ Astronomical
I have about $10,000 in this trailer. I bought the actual trailer itself for $1500. I thought I could fix the trailer up the way I wanted if I bought it cheap enough and put my own money into it – and cosmetically, I did.
I replaced all of the flooring. There were several spots in the ceiling as well as the floor boards that were replaced. I bought a brand new electric furnace and water heater. I replaced toilets. I added a front and back porch and painted the entire trailer.
A friend of the family did most of the work. Of course he was paid and trust me it wasn’t cheap! The problem was that some of the work was…well, half assed or something of that nature.
Preventing a Sky High Electric Bill
Please take my advice on this if you ever consider moving into a trailer or know anyone who will be! I bought this place to save money. $497 electric bills are not saving me money. I would be better off renting in this situation.
Number One: Make sure you have proper insulation.
This is so important. If you don’t have proper insulation in a trailer then your warm air won’t stay warm for very long. When I bought my trailer there were several holes in the ceiling. When the old drywall was removed so was the insulation. When the new drywall was put in new insulation was not.
Now I am heating a tin box.
Insulation has got to be the single most important factor in heating a trailer. If you do nothing else before buying one, make sure that it is well insulated.
Number Two: Check Your Doors
Trailer parts are cheap, in this sense I mean not well built. My doors are absolutely horrible. The back door has to be slammed just to shut. And even after it shuts there is a tiny crack that runs about six inches up from the bottom.
Check your doors for cracks. If you find a crack put an insulation strip around your door. You should probably put an insulation strip around your door even if you don’t see a crack.
Number Three: Put Plastic on the Windows
I put plastic on the windows when I moved in. It didn’t prevent me from me having a near $500 electric bill, but who knows it could have prevented me from having a $700 electric bill.
Putting plastic on all of the windows is a smart move. It will keep the cold air from getting in and help prevent that super expensive, warm air from getting out.
Number Four: Get on a Budgeted Plan
When I was complaining about last month’s $203 electric bill a reader suggested that I get on a budgeted plan with my electric company. I thought this was a fantastic idea and had every intention of doing this I just never followed through.
Guess where I am going tomorrow?
Most electric companies will set you up on budgeted plans. They estimate your annual usage and divide the estimate up into equal installments. Then at some point in the year they will look at your actual usage and settle up with you.
Now last month’s $203 electric bill is looking pretty attractive. I will definitely be on the look out to do everything I can to lower my electric bill. Has anyone had any similar experiences or any tips to share? I could sure use them!
Wow that is so expensive!
Yes it is! Scary Expensive!
Right on about insulation and checking doors! And if you can’t afford insulation stripping for your door, just use duct tape and tape around your door to cover the cracks. I used to do that in an old apartment I was in. Like you, there was a 6″ “crack” under the door and so I just covered it with duct tape. It wasn’t pretty, but it kept the heating cost down a bit.
And the insulation thing, man, if that family friend of yours forgot to put insulation in didn’t tel lyou about it, I’d probably demand my money back or demand that he put it in for free or somethign. It’s ridiculous! There isn’t a home in the world that should be without insulation.
Yeah my Dads best friend do the work is a double edged sword. And the thing is he is a contractor!
I really don’t care about looks I think I will try insulation and duct tape. Anything that will keep that bill down will work for me. Thanks for the tip!
You’re right about insulation! Even if houses you need to make sure you got insulation. Here in SoCal most homes still have the old single pane windows and no insulation between walls and in the attic. I’ve seen my gas and electric bill double during the winters because of this.
Yeah I am thinking it might be worth it to pay someone to come insulate the ceilings. It will probably save me money in the long run. I just hate having to redo the ceilings twice!
That bill is horrifying! I am wondering which region of the US you are in. Because I am in the New Jersey, where I thought everything was incredibly expensive and it’s been cold. Is there anything that can be done about the ceiling/roof to keep warm air in?
I live in Ohio. One day we get three inches of snow and its 7 degrees the next it’s sunny and 50 degrees out! Weird weather, but for not being cold all the time you wouldn’t think the bill would be that high.
I use freecycle.org to get insulation help etc, so many people in this group are amazing and very helpful, I would sign in to that group and start asking for help and I bet you will find it
I had never heard of that but thanks for the tip. I am ready to check out everything possible to keep me warm and keep that bill under control.
Wow, that is a killer bill, especially if you weren’t expecting it. We have a pretty well insulated house that uses propane, but before we got on even pay, we had the truck come fill it up when it was empty. You’d get a $500 bill after a fill up. We should have prepared during months when we didn’t need it filled, but we didn’t. Getting on the even pay was a great way to spread it out. I hope that helps balance your payments.
Definitely wasn’t expecting it. I am going to go up and get on the even pay. I just wonder what the even pay bills are going to be? Probably still more than I would like but it will help.
I don’t have any suggestions to add to the ones that have already been offered, but I wanted to say that I’m sorry that you are having to pay a crazy expensive utility bill!
That bill is HARSH! In the UK we have government schemes that help with the cost of insulation because it brings down the carbon footprint. I know Cyrstal touched on that earlier but it might be something to check out.
$487 Electric bill!!! I would be in tears if I had an electric bill that high! Just curious, do you have a heat pump or just an electric furnace?
I have an electric furnace. Is a heat pump better?
Hi Alexa – I lived in a trailer during college. It was the cheapest place to rent. I had all of the pipes wrapped with heat tape so that I didn’t heat the trailer at all while I was in class. I slept with an electric blanket. I also mounted curtain rods over the doors and hung insulated drapes I bought at goodwill over the doors and windows. It wasn’t attractive but I was looking for warmth!!! Also investigate blown in insulation. If you are going to live in your trailer for a while it will be worth the investment – it will be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer! Good luck. Trailer living enabled me to graduate from college with no debt (working and going to school)
Wow, that is an insane bill and I own an extra-long 1996 mobile home. You really need to check the insulation underneath and in the walls, behind the siding also. Then paint if you can, that helps seal all cracks. I second the door, but make sure all doors, windows, and even outlets are sealed. Add curtains for all the windows to keep the cold out, and wear layers.
I had to redo the insulation underneath my master bedroom, because when I purchased it, I had to move it. Well, let’s just say it wasn’t moved with the greatest of care. Anyway, I purchased the stuff from Home Depot and put it all up myself. It really made a difference. Now all I need to do is upgrade my ducting underneath and possibly get a new heater. Good luck!