We live in Folsom and we can't seem to get out of Tier III. --no matter what we do.
In fact, last year we were out of the country for three weeks out of the 30 day billing period, and we were still in Tier III!!!
Before we left I turned off and unplugged everything I could think of with the exception of the refrigerator. That included unplugging the microwave, TVs, computer, small appliances, and the washer or dryer (I don't remember which one right now or if it was both.) I turned the AC/heater to off. No one stayed in the house. I figured we'd get down to Tier I (Yippee!!), but no...Tier III again. :-( We're even in Tier III in the "shoulder" months.
Granted, we are all electric (no gas), no pool, no hot tub, the house is 2 stories, about 2000sq. ft with a very open floor plan and 21ft high ceilings. (Yeah, it is kind of like trying to heat/cool a barn.)
But we weren't even there!!
We do have an extensive garden that is on automatic sprinklers. They stayed on while we were gone.
Any ideas? Could the AC/heat pump be using electricity even though it is "off"? Still, I can't see how it could be that much. I can't see where the refrigerator would use that much. (It is about 9 years old.)
However, even being in Tier III most of the time our bills are nothing like the ones cited here. Our average monthly bill is about $150.00. ( It goes way up in December with our extensive Christmas lights. Even then, it is in the $300+ range) Since we are all electric and have lived in our home for a long time (since '87 ) we have the lowest rate that SMUD charges (without being disabled etc.). Being on Rate 14 is really great, but I am in a sort of a conundrum in that when we remodel I really would like a gas stove top. It will be really hard to forgo the great rate we have just to get a gas cook top.
I had the same thing happen after I had moved out of my first house. I seem to recall them saying something about bill averaging to spread out the higher rate months... I don't know where I'm remembering this from, but perhaps they charged you a higher rate when your usage was metered so low... Does this ring any bells with others?
What is the power rating of your pool pump(s) and how many hours/day were you running them? Also, did you leave an electric (?) pool heater on during your time away? That definitely sounds like a lot for just a fridge, and some ghost NRG usage around an empty house. D
How does your August 2008 bill compare to this one, considering the differences in your time in the house?
In addition to the special power strips that I mentioned above, I also picked up one of these
kill-a-watt meters for measuring on and off NRG usage by the various electronics items and appliances around the house. I was pretty surprised at how relatively high the powered-off ghost usage was compared to the operating usage for some items!
How do they establish one's assigned rate (yours being 14)... I'm also in North Folsom, but just found that my rate is 8.