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Gas Bill

Discussion in 'Homeowners Corner' started by CarloN, Mar 9, 2007.

  1. CarloN

    CarloN New Member

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    I know for the past 2 months it has been very cold, but our monthly bills for the past 2 month are about $400 to $500 per month (about 300 to 400 ccf)! I just can't believe we used this much gas to heat the house, does this sound right?

    The house is about 4400 sq ft (2 level2) + 2000 sqft (unfinished basement). Just curious as to see what you guys ccf gas usage level and/or past gas month bills.

    TIA,

    CarloN
     
  2. woopity

    woopity cdubs ya know!

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    my gas bill has made me cry for two months. i have a townhouse (~2800 sq ft)/single zone, and it was $200 for jan (remember we had a few 70 degree days in jan) and i just got my last one for $260. i think last month i used about 190 ccf in feb...up from 130 in jan. for what it's worth---whatever it means, the PCG went down 10 cents per therm. what's the point of the conversion to therms??? to make sure they get a little bit more money?? :)
     
  3. Dwarflord

    Dwarflord New Member

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    My wife hates it and always gives me a hard time about what I set our thermostats at, but you do get used to it. It is because of that, that I can say our bills are appropriate.
    Last month we had a bill of $278 and the month before we paid $235. Our home is 3300 sq. ft with an additional 1650 in the unfinished basement for close to 5000 sq. ft. During the day it is set at 68 and cuts on at 66 and off at 70. At night its 4 degrees colder. Just put a sweater on during the day, which makes sense since it is winter, and wear sweats at night and everything is just peachy. When my wife complains about being cold I look at her and she is wearing a thin shirt. I tell her, of course you're cold I can basically see through your shirt. Its all in what you want. I know some folks prefer to wear shorts and not much in the winter, but you pay for it. I prefer to save the difference or use it on something better than heat. Everyone is different. Keep in mind that we do use our gas fireplace about 6-10 times a month, have gas water heater and gas dryer so we use a lot of gas. In the summer our gas bill is around $50-$60, so to see a $200 increase in the dead of winter is actually nice. A few years back when our neighbors had $800-$1000 heating bills, we were around $450.
     
  4. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    It wasn't all that cold this winter either....for the most part....we're on balanced billing which works out fine for us.
     
  5. gator

    gator New Member

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    My suggestion is to get on the scheduled payment plan where the average the bill out over the year. You can do it for both elec, and gas, so you always know what you are paying and don't have huge swings month to month. Makes budgeting much easier.
     
  6. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    Exactly!!! We have both the gas and electric on the balanced billing and I wouldn't have it any other way! It's the way to go!!!
     
  7. Dawne

    Dawne HOA Sec/Treas, Tech Comm

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    Also - Consider an automatic thermostat if you don't already have one. We have about 2600 square feet, with 900 in unfinished basement. Our last gas bill was $250.

    The house is set at 72 when occupied and 65 when not (and at night). Very comfortable - a sweater only now and then. Overall, our gas and electric run about $300 together (gas peaks in winter, electric in summer). Then, in May and October, they're about $200 combined, sometimes less if mild.

    Also, we added insulation to the attic of our garage (the garage is partially inset to the house). That helps keep the garage slightly warmer than no insulation. Since it's got 1.5 shared walls with the house, that's less cold to pass through.

    Check the seals around your doors. If you can see daylight, adjust the striker plate so the door closes more snugly.

    Finally, go down to your basement with 4 cans of "Great Stuff." Fill all the daylight you can see coming in between the top of the foundation and the bottom sill of the upstairs walls. (Also reduces your spider population).
     
  8. mcharles

    mcharles New Member

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    WIth all due respect I don't think the original poster was concerned about budgeting as they were with possibly excessive gas usage. If you have excessive gas usage then going to a schedule payment plan only masks the problem (they will still have a higher average monthly bill then others). Fix the problem/problems first and then decide whether the scheduled plan is preferred.
     
  9. Zeratul

    Zeratul Well-Known Member

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    agree... and it has more to do with the rates these past 2 months... I think. I did not do a details comparison yet, but we have been watching closely so that we can make an informed decision about balanced billing (I think it was referenced as that in an earlier post).

    But upon examining usage and costs against what is offered for balanced billing, historically, it would be more expensive for balanced billing - for our house and usage patterns. So my point is, look carefully at the deal you are getting.

    As for bills the past 2 months, it was a shame to see that, given need/usage. We generally follow a basic schedule of 68 daytime (people in house) and 63 at night. And our bills this past month sucked, almost $480. Our house is 4300 sq feet with an unfinished basement....
     
  10. Mr Rogers

    Mr Rogers Active Member

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    Good news...it is warm out!
     
  11. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    Whether the balanced billing works for you or not - I still would rather have the bills spread out over the year rather than have one or two months with over $400. But that's me. We have about 3800 sq. feet with a finished basement and balanced billing works wonderful for us!
     
  12. CarloN

    CarloN New Member

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    Ok, it looks like my gas bill was correct and gas usage is "normal" comparing to you guys, I'm still kind of surprise we all are paying so much for heating. Oh well, spring is coming!!!:)
     
  13. lilpea

    lilpea Member

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    We have about the same size house 4400Sqf w/1850 as a finished basement. The main level is set for 68 and upper level is 65.

    Couple of tips:
    · We keep the (HVAC) fan running at all times (per HVAC Vendor).
    · Added a humidifier – big difference
    · Change the filters once a month on both units
    · If it dips below 30 we close our plantation shutters and wood blinds. (Wood absorbs the cold - convex - I think)
    · Caulked around ALL the windows and door jams
    · Installed ceiling fans in 2 Story living room & family room (reverse the rotation of the blades - pull the cold air up and force the hot air down)

    Our bills for 12/06 $160, 01/07 $85 & 02/07 $89.

    And NO we are not on the Was Gas Flat rate billing program...we pay for actual usage.
     
  14. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    So that's why my toes were numb last time I was in your basement!!
     
  15. lilpea

    lilpea Member

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    I grew up as an Army Brat - so in the loving words of my father - that's what socks are for and its not cold until you can see your breathe.;)
     
  16. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    Geez! I thought Michigan men were a tad more hearty than complaing about chilly lil ole piggy toes! :D
     
  17. Zeratul

    Zeratul Well-Known Member

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    Erika... what do you mean by caulked around windows and doors? I can see where the builder caulked, but are you doing this in other locations around the windows? I ask because I have been really surprised by the draft that these windows let come in... on the sides between the frame and the window.

    And if you HVAC fan runs all the time, do you think that is a pretty big hit on the electricity?
     
  18. lilpea

    lilpea Member

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    Hi Dave, we found that the builder did a pretty shotty job of caulking the frames of the windows and doors (go figure).

    So yes we actually caulked the frames again (as well as a little extra weather stripping) - I just checked our electric bill and it was $138.62 (keep in mind that we have the following running at all times - three ceiling fans, HVAC Fans) and not to mention our outdoor lights which we opted for low voltage.

    I guess its a toss up - higher gas bill or higher electric bill...we are looking into other more eco friendly alternatives. B/C turning the lights off when my hubby is still in the room hasnt worked as well as I had hoped it would.
     
  19. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    we looked a a few spread out plans and they actually cost us more than our average usage from last year...
     

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