Power Bills on Guam

Power Bills on Guam

Martin Howard September 9, 2012 View all blog articles

Everyone that moves here is concerned about the high cost of electricity. Rumors abound of $1,000+ power bills that have no explanation. I don't doubt that there is some unexplainable high utility bills out there, but I've never seen a bill for $1,000 before and I think I would have in almost 8 years of doing this.

Still the cost of power is no doubt higher than it should be, and I have yet to hear a plausible explanation for it. So lets look at some ways to mitigate our risk.

Power Bills on Guam

Don't just turn off stuff, unplug it. A certified electronics geek friend of mine advised that when your tv is off, it uses almost as much electricity as it does when it's on. The same for computers, chargers, etc. Unplugging things is the way to go. Incidentally his power bill for a 3 bedroom home in Paradise Estates (approximately 1700 square feet) was around $150 per month.

Turning off your hot water heater when it's not needed is a sure fire way to lower the cost of power. This I do myself, and our bill dropped about $50 per month. Normally I'll turn on the hot water heater in the morning when I get up and leave it on for about an hour before shut down. This seems to provide enough hot water for a family of three to get through the morning. Solar hot water heaters are becoming pretty popular here.

Power Bills on Guam

Put weather stripping around doors to keep the cool air inside.

Have air conditioning units serviced periodically. & clean or replace filters. When they're clogged up your unit has to work harder.

Look for a home with split air conditioner units instead of central air. Pretty popular on Guam so you just have to cool the room that you're in.

Install ceiling fans. Keeping the air moving makes it seem cooler.

There's lots of tips out there on the internet to help you safe power. I think the key is to be a little "energy aware" until you get a feel for your power consumption. If anyone has any tips please feel free to send them in.