Just moved into a condo that has an electric water heater and a recirculator. Known past history of high electric bills related to the water heater (about 5 years old). Our neighbor with a similar condo but has a gas water heater has an electric bill at least $200 less than ours. Can this be normal? Or could there be a problem with either the water heater or recirculator to cause excessive electrical usage? Thanks!! Doug

Do you pay your own water bill? If your water bill is also higher than your neighbor it is possible that you might have a water leak in your hot water line and the water is going under the slab. Do you ever hear the sound of water running when you don't have any water on?
Another possibility is that you have an element shorted out to the water heater tank and it is actually heating the water with 120 volts. If the element is a 4500 watt element and it is using 120 volts, that would you mean that you are using 37.5 amps per hour continually 24 hours a day. Does your hot water ever seem extremely hot?

Just moved into a condo that has an electric water heater and a recirculator. Known past history of high electric bills related to the water heater (about 5 years old). Our neighbor with a similar condo but has a gas water heater has an electric bill at least $200 less than ours. Can this be normal? Or could there be a problem with either the water heater or recirculator to cause excessive electrical usage? Thanks!!! Doug
Check the meter number and how, where it runs. You may be paying gas for the whole building, I moved into condo and was being billed for the whole building, someone else was paying my gas bill. But I moved into new construction building. The developer screwed everyone's meters up. We only figured it out until someone's meter was shut off for none payment. But the persons meter that was shut off had been paying all along.

Could be a water leak.

There could be many reasons for a high electric bill on your water heater. The temperature could be set too high,( 120 F. is the factory setting).
Teen age showers can run the bill up. Large families contribute to a high energy bill. As Mowerman pointed out you could have a hot water lkeak or a dripping hot water faucet, check your water meter for a in-house leak. All of the above can cause your electric bill to shoot up. Regards, Tom