Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 12-31-2005, 04:42 PM   #41
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Dawg52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Central MS/Orange Beach, AL
Posts: 9,067
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Mine was $169 for December. I live in a very small house, had the thermostat set on 60. Kind of high under that scenero.*
__________________
Retired 3/31/2007@52
Investing style: Full time wuss.
Dawg52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 12-31-2005, 05:37 PM   #42
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 325
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Though I live in the Phoenix area we still use our fireplace on cooler nights and it makes a difference.* No one is going to freeze to death during a Phoenix blizzard.* 8) My cost for utilities is driven by electricity in the six months of summer, but I am somewhat of a traveler in summer and like to head to the coast or milder climes.* Fall and spring we can get buy with neither heat or a/c for at least three months or so each year.* The guys in the islands and SOCAL have it truly made when it comes to utilities, either open or close a window and call it good.

I would guess that the economics of being a snowbird has become more compelling with higher energy prices.
__________________
"TEMPUS FUGIT"
LEX is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-01-2006, 11:19 AM   #43
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
grumpy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,321
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Just paid the gas bill covering 11/21 thru 12/21. It's been fairly cold here for this time of year (northern Virginia). The bill was $183. I'm sure that there will be a few months of $200+ coming up. This is for an 1800 sq. ft. single level home. I put extra insulation in the attic (R-49), sealed around all the electrical outlets on outside walls, and installed a storm door. Looks like the "Purchased Gas Charge" rate went up 34.5% from last winter. The "Distribution Charge" also went up 30.8% from last winter.

We are keeping the thermostat set at 71 during the day (programmable thermostat I installed myself). I bought a separate digital thermometer because the house felt chilly with the thermostat set at 70. The digital thermometer shows that when the thermostat says its 71 in the house it is really only 68. I am usually cold when others feel comfortable so I always wear a warm up jacket in the house.

Grumpy
__________________
...you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave...
grumpy is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-01-2006, 11:23 AM   #44
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
73ss454's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: LaLa Land
Posts: 4,698
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Grump,

68 sounds good, some on this board like it in the 50's.

To me they might as well live in a tent.
__________________
Work is something you do to get enough $ so you don't have to....Me.
73ss454 is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-01-2006, 12:23 PM   #45
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,375
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cut-Throat
Mine was $336 for 1 month!* - Yikes - New house and great insulation. Home the whole time
Actually, that doesn't sound bad considering where your temps. are during the winter months.

Also, considering you have over 3,000 sq. feet to take care of.

What do you set your thermostat at? What type of heating do you have?

You may answer the above questions at your leisure!

We are working on our 10th. day of rain, and golf course under water. (51 inches or rain since Nov. 1st.) S---. it's a damn rain forest this year.

Stay warm, Jarhead

Jarhead* is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-01-2006, 01:20 PM   #46
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Eagle43's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: DFW
Posts: 2,016
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarhead*
Actually, that doesn't sound bad considering where your temps. are during the winter months.*

Also, considering you have over 3,000 sq. feet to take care of.

What do you set your thermostat at?* What type of heating do you have?

You may answer the above questions at your leisure!

We are working on our 10th. day of rain, and golf course under water. (51 inches or rain since Nov. 1st.)* S---. it's a damn rain forest this year.

Stay warm, Jarhead

Sir,
I can sweat more than it's rained here in months. Let's trade houses. You can come play golf, and I'll move in and listen to the rain. Just a few days, till we each get our fill.
__________________
Resist much. Obey Little. . . . Ed Abbey

Disclaimer: My Posts are for my amusement only.
Eagle43 is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-01-2006, 05:42 PM   #47
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,341
Re: Natural Gas Bill

I have an old house that is not very insulated so my bill has always been high. Starting the 2nd week of Nov for 32 days my bill was $451 (ouch). Before my tenant left 2 weeks ago, I kept thermostat during the weekdays at 62, in the evening at 68 and at night @ 63. Now that he's gone, I keep the stat at 60 during the day and night and 66 during the morning and evening. I hope to reduce my bill by 1/3 to 1/2.
__________________
I look to the present moment because that's where I live my life.
MJ is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-02-2006, 07:40 AM   #48
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
cute fuzzy bunny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
Re: Natural Gas Bill

$98 for gas last month and $108 for electricity. Not too bad.

Hey Jarhead...wet enough for ya? We're about 7 miles from the confluence of the feather and bear rivers. The whole area's starting to look like a giant rice paddy.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
cute fuzzy bunny is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-02-2006, 08:49 AM   #49
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,375
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Quote:
Originally Posted by ()


Hey Jarhead...wet enough for ya?* We're about 7 miles from the confluence of the feather and bear rivers.* The whole area's starting to look like a giant rice paddy.
No doubt about it, games on!

River watch for flatlanders.

Hope you don't have any serious problems in this area. (Living in the mountains, it's all run-off for us personally).











Jarhead* is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-02-2006, 05:28 PM   #50
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Dawg52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Central MS/Orange Beach, AL
Posts: 9,067
Re: Natural Gas Bill

If the weather stays like this for a few days my gas bill will be almost nothing. The temp reached 79 today. Took my dog to the Reservoir for a long walk and there were people jogging and walking in shorts. It's not unusual for MS to have mild winters but this is insane. December was a little cooler than normal so who knows what it will do from here.*
__________________
Retired 3/31/2007@52
Investing style: Full time wuss.
Dawg52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-03-2006, 11:14 AM   #51
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
cute fuzzy bunny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarhead*
Hope you don't have any serious problems in this area. (Living in the mountains, it's all run-off for us personally).
We're all good. The curb at my house is roughly 40' above the waterline of the nearest major river, and its another 3-4' from there until it would lap over the top of the slab.

Its amazing to drive over the bridges though. I'll have to snap a few shots sometime in the next few days. There's a boat launch/parking area next to one. In it theres a little stone building with bathrooms in it, up on a knoll, from foundation to roof peak is probably about 16'. Parking lot all around it. Steep boat launch that drops at least 20 feet down into the river.

Right now about 2' of the top of that building is sticking up out of the water, along with a handful of treetops, and the water runs from levy to levy. Normally the river is 30-40' wide, its about 250' right now. And moving.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
cute fuzzy bunny is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-03-2006, 02:07 PM   #52
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,558
Re: Natural Gas Bill

My little housebox in Vacaville survived our floods - not the neighbors, though. The people on each end of the street lost their cars...water past the windshield and some in their garages. Luckily it only went up 2/3rds of our garage driveway. Happy New Year!

The rain was amazing - seemed like a monsoon rain for days on end...buckets and buckets for hours and hours. Amazing - I was around in 1997 and this seems worse that that.

Bridget aka Deserat
__________________
Deserat aka Bridget
“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”
deserat is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-03-2006, 03:11 PM   #53
Dryer sheet aficionado
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 46
Re: Natural Gas Bill

1700 sq ft home built in 1964 in rural township just outside of Twin Cities, Minnesotah

All utilities (gas furnace, electricity, cable TV, garbage and recycling) averaged $366/mo in 2005. However, gas and electic bill payable next week for mid Nov - mid Dec was over $400. (Thermostat is set at 55 night and work time, and 65 when home) Remind me why I live here again.

Total cost of living in my paid up home for 2005 averaged $666/month (utilities, taxes, insurance, maintenance, gardening). Does not include purchase price of home furnishings. Remind me again why it's good to own a home.
region2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-04-2006, 09:19 AM   #54
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 331
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Gas bills, not too bad here in NYC.

$147 for the month, keep thermo down at 64 at nite, wife gets night sweats. It goes up only to 67 when at home, we both work.

The problem is the natural gas, it keeps coming out once I fall asleep and wife kicks me in the head.

Must be a symptom of old fartdom.

jug
jug is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-04-2006, 06:55 PM   #55
Moderator Emeritus
Nords's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,856
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Quote:
Originally Posted by ()
I'll have to snap a few shots sometime in the next few days.
You'll want to frame them and gaze upon them with fond nostalgia when the drought hits in a few more years...
__________________
*

Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."

I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
Nords is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-05-2006, 01:11 PM   #56
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
cute fuzzy bunny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
Re: Natural Gas Bill

In the middle of one of the worlds largest flood plains just downhill from the entire sierra nevada chain?

When the drought hits, we'll still have water. Problem will be keeping it from the barbarians who live downstream and built 57 million homes where there aint no freakin' water ever.

Oh well, I have a couple of buckets.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
cute fuzzy bunny is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-08-2006, 06:00 PM   #57
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,528
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Yikes is right! I just received my gas bill yesterday and it is $391.11 for 1 month. I am going to start turning the thermostat to 63 degrees at night and I think I am going to turn it down to 55 degrees when we are at work. I have already forewarned everyone that they need to start layering. We are in WV.

Dreamer
Dreamer is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-08-2006, 06:57 PM   #58
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 10,252
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Got our bill last week as well. Double yikes!
Upon closer examination, the meter was not read, but simply estimated. First, the usage rate they used for the estimate was 5.3 hcf per day, but right on the bill they state that last year our usage rate for the same time was 4.3 hcf. My wife goes out and checks that the meter is about 8 hcf above their estimate and it's 8 days later. It's been a pretty warm December so I know we have not used the amount they say we have used. They've overbilled us by at least 20%.

Now the question for is, should we complain? It's possible that the floating rate goes further up next month. In that case we've pre-paid at a lower rate. Or it might go down.
LOL! is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-09-2006, 07:39 AM   #59
Full time employment: Posting here.
Calgary_Girl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Calgary
Posts: 805
Re: Natural Gas Bill

Quote:
Originally Posted by LOL!

Now the question for is, should we complain?
No, they'll probably adjust your bill next month when they do an actual read. My local gas company "estimated" our usage a couple of years ago for two months straight. The third month they did an actual read and our bill following that was only $3 since we use less than the typical consumer.
__________________
I can only be nice to one person today! Today is not your day...tomorrow doesn't look good either.
Calgary_Girl is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Natural Gas Bill
Old 01-09-2006, 08:18 AM   #60
Moderator Emeritus
SteveR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,811
Re: Natural Gas Bill

My Nov.-Dec. bill was up about 25% from the same time last year. The local gas company here has their own source for NG and it helps to keep the costs down. We are now back on conservation mode since the holidays caused us to keep the house a bit warmer (Calif. family visiting) and gas fireplace use. The temperatures were not all that low either which helps a lot. We are still waiting for the 'real' winter to show up. I am glad it hasn't yet but I am sure it is coming.

__________________
Work? I don't have time to work....I'm retired.
SteveR is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Natural Gas Cartel - Just what we need higher prices chinaco FIRE and Money 0 04-19-2007 05:07 PM
I think I was posioned by natural gas.... thefed Other topics 31 07-20-2006 11:37 PM
Bad news insurance bill Martha FIRE and Money 6 05-08-2006 09:37 AM
Natural gas system structure uncledrz FIRE and Money 4 10-04-2005 05:47 AM
Natural Gas prices to Increase 71% this winter.............. Cut-Throat FIRE and Money 33 09-11-2005 04:16 AM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:40 PM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.