Power Bill Issue!!! Help!!!

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

Recently my female room mate inherited a tarantula from her boyfriend who moved to LA.

She has a 660 W 250 V light that has stayed on top of the tartantula cage on for pretty much 24/7 for the last billing cycle.

We have a $100 jump in our electricity bill. How much would that light be associated with the jump in cost?

[juise]

I went here (http://www.super-grow.biz/Electricity.jsp) and did a calculation based on my kWh cost (~$.09 with taxes). It came out to about $42. Another site gave a similar cost. I might have missed something, though, so you might want to get a second opinion. ;)

[billybreen]

Also, aren't tarantulas kind of a goth cliché? I say flush the thing down the toilet and save yourself some cash. ;)

[pamtar]

The kilowatt hour calculation is correct. You can also find the same calc, as well as other energy usage information at your power company's website. However, you burn much more energy during the winter months than other times. There are various reasons for this - it gets darker earlier, heating cost more than cooling, and you're inside more. I'd give it another month just to see. Especially if the past month where you are has been exceptionally cold.

However, I would definitely show her all the facts if she disagrees.

[pamtar]

Also, aren't tarantulas kind of a goth cliché? I say flush the thing down the toilet and save yourself some cash. ;)

Or, you could sprinkle a few cypermetherin granules in its food. ;)

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

actually he's not really in the goth mold at all. Apparently he was so terrified of spiders she'd have to kill them for him whenever he saw one. So he bought it to try to rid him of his arachnophobia.

Its about to molt soon - I kind of want to see that.

[pamtar]

What does a spider molt consist off?

[Clipsfan]

I went here (http://www.super-grow.biz/Electricity.jsp) and did a calculation based on my kWh cost (~$.09 with taxes). It came out to about $42. Another site gave a similar cost. I might have missed something, though, so you might want to get a second opinion. ;)

I'm guessing that you only did one month, and odds are that his electric billing cycle is actually 2 months. Using 61 days for the billing cycle, I got $86. So, most of the increase would be due to that light.

[YmoBeThere]

I got shocked one winter by my power bill. I had moved into a rental townhome with huge ceilings and the place had electric heat. It was unseasonably cold that winter and my eye popped out of my head when I saw the first winter power bill. I started reading the meter on my own the next month to monitor the usage. I haven't been surprised since and have been much more energy efficient.

[Jarhead]

I got shocked one winter by my power bill.
You should have grounded your power bill before opening it.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

660 W = .66kW (1 kiloWatt = 1000 Watts)
.66kW X 24 Hours = 15.84 kWH per day
15.84 X 30 = 475.2 kWH per month (30 days)
475.2 kWH X $0.10 = $47.52 plus tax for the month @ 10 cents/kWH - check what your rate is.

That's one heckuva heat lamp the spider needs. Is $600/year worth it? What can you sell the tarantula for?

Besides the drier outlet and the stove outlet, where in the world in your house or apartment did you have a 240 V outlet? Did you have an electrician come in and install a new circuit? Or are you using a standard 120 V outlet and only getting 330 Watts output from the bulb?

[YmoBeThere]

You should have grounded your power bill before opening it.

That was a good one!:)

[billybreen]

I got shocked one winter by my power bill. I had moved into a rental townhome with huge ceilings and the place had electric heat. It was unseasonably cold that winter and my eye popped out of my head when I saw the first winter power bill. I started reading the meter on my own the next month to monitor the usage. I haven't been surprised since and have been much more energy efficient.

We're at about $500/mo. Gotta love a house built in 1900.

[CameronBornAndBred]

660 Watts? Are you trying to cook it? Seriously, look on any pet store site and see what they recommend, that seems really extreme. I have two boas, and they would live in the same jungle, and they don't need that kind of bulb.

[YmoBeThere]

We're at about $500/mo. Gotta love a house built in 1900.

If I got a bill like that I would be sitting in the dark with the heat off...yes, in the middle of winter. That or I would move into my car...

[captmojo]

What does a spider molt consist off?

Sugar, spice and........Bill Murray's hair! :eek:

[Lavabe]

Also, aren't tarantulas kind of a goth cliché? I say flush the thing down the toilet and save yourself some cash. ;)

The tarantula could help alleviate a bunny rabbit problem.

[dukegirlinsc]

Also, aren't tarantulas kind of a goth cliché? I say flush the thing down the toilet and save yourself some cash. ;)

This is the best idea ever. I'm a huge arachnophobe, had I known I would have the creepy-crawlies just by reading this post, I would have held out. The thread should be renamed to "Gross spider issue." LOL. ;)

[dukegirlinsc]

What can you sell the tarantula for?

Squishing it sounds awesome. :D ;)

[Lavabe]

Squishing it sounds awesome. :D ;)

Of course, there is the one tarantula scene in Dr. No. I say it's only good to squish if you have orchestration in the background.;)

[dukegirlinsc]

Of course, there is the one tarantula scene in Dr. No. I say it's only good to squish if you have orchestration in the background.;)

Ewwww, Sean Connery had one in his bed! That was such a gross scene.

[xenic]

I'm guessing that you only did one month, and odds are that his electric billing cycle is actually 2 months. Using 61 days for the billing cycle, I got $86. So, most of the increase would be due to that light.


Where do you live that you get an electric bill every 2 months? In Durham, the water bill comes every other month, but everything else is monthly.

[billybreen]

Ewwww, Sean Connery had one in his bed! That was such a gross scene.

For realz. Sean Connery in a bed is enough to put me off my lunch. ;)

[Clipsfan]

Where do you live that you get an electric bill every 2 months? In Durham, the water bill comes every other month, but everything else is monthly.

In Los Angeles we get them bi-monthly.

[Bostondevil]

This is the best idea ever. I'm a huge arachnophobe, had I known I would have the creepy-crawlies just by reading this post, I would have held out. The thread should be renamed to "Gross spider issue." LOL. ;)


I bet I'm a bigger one. Just the thought of one going down the toilet makes me kind of not want to go into the bathroom in case it survives and crawls up my pipes. Oh, now I've done it. I won't be able to go without checking the bowl for a month. My older brother lived in the same dorm as someone who kept a pet tarantula when I was at Duke, the same dorm but not a roommate. I basically refused to visit him in his dorm.

I suggest wrapping the think in multiple layers of duct tape and burying it somewhere that I would never think to look.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Just the thought of one going down the toilet makes me kind of not want to go into the bathroom in case it survives and crawls up my pipes. Oh, now I've done it.

A spider crawling up YOUR pipes? That's quite a visual...:D

[ghost]

A spider crawling up YOUR pipes? That's quite a visual...:D

better than a gerbil... or was it a hamster? :eek:

[billybreen]

better than a gerbil... or was it a hamster? :eek:

Horrible! ;)

[Latta6970]

Of course, there is the one tarantula scene in Dr. No. I say it's only good to squish if you have orchestration in the background.;)

Too bloody funny. Yeah Lavabe, I can't even get a shower without that creepy music from Psycho playing in the background. And I was up walking through the woods in the snow in Wisconsin a few years ago. I had to play Peter and the Wolf just to be able to feel normal.

[Latta6970]

You people have probably heard the urban legend about people in Chicago kicking the bucket, all with similar symptoms. The MD's couldn't figure out why they were sick and keeling over, but the one thing all the victims shared was eating at a resturant near O'Hare. They closed the place down and inspected but found nothing, so they let the place open back up. A few days later someone else comes in with the same symptoms and he too had eaten at that resturant after the reopening. They closed the place back down and found a rare spider from the amazon under a toilet seat. The venom was deadly and it's assumed it hitch hiked a ride from South America to Illinois. At least I think it's an urban legend, I've never seen news worthy documentation of it.

[dukegirlinsc]

You people have probably heard the urban legend about people in Chicago kicking the bucket, all with similar symptoms. The MD's couldn't figure out why they were sick and keeling over, but the one thing all the victims shared was eating at a resturant near O'Hare. They closed the place down and inspected but found nothing, so they let the place open back up. A few days later someone else comes in with the same symptoms and he too had eaten at that resturant after the reopening. They closed the place back down and found a rare spider from the amazon under a toilet seat. The venom was deadly and it's assumed it hitch hiked a ride from South America to Illinois. At least I think it's an urban legend, I've never seen news worthy documentation of it.

Someone in my office actually sent out a mass email not long ago warning people of these "butt spiders" (http://www.snopes.com/horrors/insects/telamonia.asp)...since I'm horrified of even THINKING about spiders, I had to look it up. And of course, according to snopes, it was false. And whoever thought of that idea is nothing but a sick human being. :eek:

[billybreen]

Since this has become a phobia thread, I'll throw mine out there: roaches. Spiders, I don't really mind. But a roach sends me screaming and running from the room in embarrassing fashion. Growing up on a barrier island off of SC, they were all too common. I haven't seen one since moving to Boston, and that's reason enough to stay above the M-D line.

[DukieInKansas]

I don't like to kill spiders. I was told that spiders have large quantities of babies. My unreasonable fear is that, if I kill a spider, all it's babies will come get me. Therefore, I usually respectfully ask them to leave. (Or call someone over to kill it.) Sorry for the image, BostonDevil.

[dukegirlinsc]

I don't like to kill spiders. I was told that spiders have large quantities of babies. My unreasonable fear is that, if I kill a spider, all it's babies will come get me. Therefore, I usually respectfully ask them to leave. (Or call someone over to kill it.) Sorry for the image, BostonDevil.

A co-worker told me that she once smushed a spider, and apparently it was the species that carry their babies on their back. (Wolf Spider, I believe.) I can't imagine. I would die. I feel like thangs are crawlin' on me already, ughhhh.

[dukegirlinsc]

Since this has become a phobia thread, I'll throw mine out there: roaches. Spiders, I don't really mind. But a roach sends me screaming and running from the room in embarrassing fashion. Growing up on a barrier island off of SC, they were all too common. I haven't seen one since moving to Boston, and that's reason enough to stay above the M-D line.

Were they called "Palmetto Bugs"? A friend of mine insists on calling ROACHES "Palmetto Bugs". She says it's a South Carolina thing, and having lived here my entire life, I've never heard of such. The term "Palmetto Bug" is much too graceful to be a roach, imo.

[DukieInKansas]

A co-worker told me that she once smushed a spider, and apparently it was the species that carry their babies on their back. (Wolf Spider, I believe.) I can't imagine. I would die. I feel like thangs are crawlin' on me already, ughhhh.

That would totally freak me out. There is some place in CA where the tarantulas migrate across a road and the slick from smashed tarantulas can cause accidents. My sister went hiking there but was on the lookout for the tarantulas because she was told they can jump 6 ft. Is that true?

[dukegirlinsc]

My sister went hiking there but was on the lookout for the tarantulas because she was told they can jump 6 ft. Is that true?

Ohhhhhh my goodness that is CREEPY. But of course, I had to look it up.
These 2 things disturbed me:

Most tarantulas are harmless to humans, and some species are popular in the exotic pet trade while others are eaten as food. That's just wrong on SO many levels.

And finally:

Most tarantulas will "pounce" on their prey, moving a half-inch to a couple of inches forward. With that said, there are arboreal species (tree dwellers) that can and will jump from branch to branch if necessary. If they live in trees over water, such as a brook or stream, they have been known to jump out of the tree and into the water to avoid an approaching predator. People that keep some of these arboreal species, such as the common pink toe tarantula (Avicularia avicularia), report that they will take a leap from your hand onto your chest or face - or unfortunately, the floor. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! :eek:

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Were they called "Palmetto Bugs"? A friend of mine insists on calling ROACHES "Palmetto Bugs". She says it's a South Carolina thing, and having lived here my entire life, I've never heard of such. The term "Palmetto Bug" is much too graceful to be a roach, imo.

It's a South Florida thing. Mostly transplanted New Yorkers, like my mother, who don't want roaches in their houses but learn to tolerate Palmetto Bugs because they are everywhere, and you can't start screaming every time you see one, no matter how much you clean or how much you pay the exterminator, because you see them often.

[billybreen]

Were they called "Palmetto Bugs"? A friend of mine insists on calling ROACHES "Palmetto Bugs". She says it's a South Carolina thing, and having lived here my entire life, I've never heard of such. The term "Palmetto Bug" is much too graceful to be a roach, imo.

I always heard (and I remember talking about this in a thread here some time ago) that "Palmetto bug" is just a polite euphemism for those who don't want to admit that their house / town / state is infested with roaches.

[captmojo]

Palmetto bugs fly. :eek:

[Indoor66]

A cure for your bug problems - all you need to know and a natural product:

http://www.dfwx.com/boric.htm

[billybreen]

Palmetto bugs fly. :eek:

And it's some scary stuff when they do. That always struck me as an unfair evolutionary advantage.

[captmojo]

And it's some scary stuff when they do. That always struck me as an unfair evolutionary advantage.

This highly inflates the creepiness factor.

dukegirlsc must be in Chamber of Commerce style denial.

[blublood]

And it's some scary stuff when they do. That always struck me as an unfair evolutionary advantage.

No kidding! The worst is when you're doing battle with one that has invaded your home and you think you're winning - you've just about maimed its foul crunchy body enough to kill it - and *then* it flies. Truly enough to break your spirit. (which, of course, is exactly what the little insect wanted in the first place)

[billybreen]

No kidding! The worst is when you're doing battle with one that has invaded your home and you think you're winning - you've just about maimed its foul crunchy body enough to kill it - and *then* it flies. Truly enough to break your spirit. (which, of course, is exactly what the little insect wanted in the first place)

Yep. Many years ago, I was moving in for the kill when one of them came flying off a bookshelf directly at my head. It was clear who won that battle.

Have you noticed that noise they make when they fly? It's a horrible droning sound that is much louder than it should be.

It's the sound of horror.

[SouthgateWindsor]

Public Service Announcement:

If you are afraid of spiders, do NOT go to Google Images and search on "clock spider" or "camel spider," unless you want horrible nightmares.

:eek:

[dukeblueyes]

I hate those things. I remember when I was little, I was watching TV in my brother's room while he was out on a date. The TV was the only light in the room, and it attracted a fairly large (2-3") flying roach. The path of least resistance was to simply leave the room, leaving the problem for him. Later, I heard him come home, and go into his room, which was next than mine. Within a few minutes, I hear a huge SLAM on the common wall. Apparently he trapped it in his closet and then used a shoe to destroy it. But it definitely left a permanent grease mark on the wall.

[dukegirlinsc]

I always heard (and I remember talking about this in a thread here some time ago) that "Palmetto bug" is just a polite euphemism for those who don't want to admit that their house / town / state is infested with roaches.

That's what I've always assumed.