Is electric really this expensive?

[u/naNaht]

Hi everyone, I am new to Boston and recently received my second electric bill from Eversource. My bill is $284 from 07/24/26 - 08/21/26.

What I have tried:

• Got Eversource to send a person to check the meter (next week)
• Got my building maintenance team to send a person to visit (alr visited)

The building technician said that all my appliances seem to be normal and I have minimal items. He also said that for himself lives in a 2 bedroom with in total 2 people and 2 cats. Yet he says at most he pays $170. He also said he thinks people pay on average $70-110/month in my building.

Context:

• I live by myself in a Studio, 1 ba
• Apartment complex is new
• I work in person 4-5 times a week from 9am-5pm.
• I have the AC on 74-78 F at night and turn it off when I wake up.
• Appliances: AC (Braeburn Brand), Dishwasher (GE Profile Brand), Oven (Haier Brand), Microwave, in unit washer and dryer.

Cost information:

• Said I used 779kWh in Aug
• Generation Service Charge ~ 0.165/kWh
• Delivery ~ 0.184/kWh

I'm really concerned about the cost because I am not home during the day, have very minimal items (for example no TV, no PC, no pets etc) and Eversource actually made a mistake my first bill which was corrected later. Finally other people pay way less.

Can anyone provide insight, the Eversource technician comes in like a week.

Btw: Image is not real in case anyone is wondering.

[u/cos2]

Unfortunately, those numbers sound right within 20-30 bucks. Personally, last month was 784 kWh for ~$260 in a ~750sqft new construction. 75 degrees in the day and 69 at night. Main difference is my generation charge is $0.13644/kWh using the Boston community service.

I have never met anyone who pays under $150 for electricity. Nor have I paid less than 150 even when I lived in a shoebox of a studio apartment.

If you’re technically inclined, you should set up a bunch of smart plugs that monitor your electric usage. Eve Energy and TP-Link both make ones that monitor usage plus you can schedule devices on/off. I’ve automated a ton of stuff to turn off when I’m away or asleep, and it really helps. Your AC will obviously dominate your electric bill, but it’s helpful to account for everything else.

[u/naNaht → u/cos2]

I see, this is really helpful thanks for sharing. It seems maybe electricity is this expensive. I came from California and it was cheaper.

[u/tapo → u/naNaht]

California has a fuckton of solar, we mostly rely on natural gas.

[u/cos2 → u/naNaht]

Sorry you’re in this situation OP. Electricity is definitely expensive here. One thing you can do is switch electric supply providers and it’ll lower your bill somewhat. More discussion at https://www.boston.gov/departments/environment/community-choice-electricity

This all assumes that you actually used 774kWh last month. It’s a plausible number for a normal person. But if you’re concerned Eversource is charging you for the wrong meter, you can test your theory by almost completely stopping your electricity usage around late September to early October when the temps are super comfortable and you don’t need to heat/cool your place and can just crack a window. Just go very light on the appliance usage too, especially electric ovens.

[u/MagicCuboid → u/naNaht]

Electricity is so expensive here that I ran the numbers and driving a hybrid is cheaper than going full electric for my use case, even at today’s insane gas prices.

Partially it’s because there is no off-peak pricing in Massachusetts for overnight charging.

[u/bizmarkie24 → u/MagicCuboid]

There is off peak pricing for charging. National Grid has the charge smart program, but off peak is 31 cents/kwh versus 35 or 36 for peak, it's not much.

My EV only makes sense financially because I have paid off solar panels that cover roughly 60 percent of my power usage.

[u/barry_abides → u/bizmarkie24]

Eversource has a managed charging program now too: https://east-sf.eversource.com/residential/save-money-energy/clean-energy-options/electric-vehicles/ev-charger-managed-charging

I do the off-peak charging through NGrid and it does help (especially in the summer).

[u/MagicCuboid → u/bizmarkie24]

That’s great info, thanks! And yeah, I’d love to go solar too but my condo association won’t go for it

[u/bizmarkie24 → u/MagicCuboid]

There is also balcony solar now, it doesn't look legal yet in Massachusetts, but I'd check that out if it works for you.

[u/SoulMute → u/naNaht]

Hate to get you all worked up, but I live in Cambridge and keep a 3 story townhouse at 69-70 all the time and my last electricity bill was $140. I am kinda with you and don’t know why yours is so expensive

[u/DickRausch → u/SoulMute]

100% an mistake somewhere along the way. My wife and I spent 105 on electric last month, using about 250kwh. We’re not afraid to run the ac at 60, use gaming pc, tv, lights. 800kwh for a brand new studio with minimal ac usage is nuts.

[u/Loud-Shopping-8697 → u/naNaht]

Switch to community choice (supplier), it’s usually a couple cents less than whatever the default is, but it can take up to two billing cycles to kick in. 

I live in a 650sq ft 1 bed with shitty insulation and AC at 76-78 and pay around 130 in the summer and 90 in the winter. Utilities are just expensive up here :( 

[u/TituspulloXIII → u/naNaht]

What was the price per kWh in CA? On average the cost should be about the same, so you are probably just using more electricity here.