Natural Gas Bill

[cute fuzzy bunny]

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.

 

[deserat]

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

 

[region2]

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.

 

[jug]

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

 

[Nords]

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...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

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.

 

[Dreamer]

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

 

[LOL!]

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.

 

[Calgary_Girl]

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.

 

[SteveR]

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.

 

[LEX]

Its time to switch to coal and wood! 8)

 

[MJ]

I need to find a snuggly girlfriend or a furry sheep dog this winter to keep my heating bill down.

 

[HFWR]

Or how 'bout a furry girlfriend and a snuggly sheep dog...

 

[MJ]

Or how 'bout a furry girlfriend and a snuggly sheep dog...

I'll get both companions, so it will keep me from getting tooooo confused.

 

[unclemick]

The locals here - NW MO

The basic plan - set your natural gas thermostat as low as you can stand it and use small portible electric heaters in the area of the house where you are at.

That's the most common theory I've run across - first winter for me - so I have no idea how well it works.

Other than the big box retailers - most places we've been are big on layering - sweaters/sweats and low settings.



Anywise - have bought bought a few extra sweaters/sweat shirts. With no prior data - I'll have no idea whether we done good or bad - just doing what the locals claim is the way to go.

 

[brewer12345]

Or how 'bout a furry girlfriend and a snuggly sheep dog... 

They can be one and the same, depending on whether you are in a rural area...

 

[justin]

They can be one and the same, depending on whether you are in a rural area...

Or in France.

http://membres.lycos.fr/otakarashi/myfurry/furries.jpg

 

[BUM]

I've been burning alot more firewood this year. Esp. since I lucked into a downed big red oak last summer. The den is small, the fire is big, I hang a old blanket tapestry in the doorway to minimize the draft. DW turns on the electric blanket for later and pretty soon its a toasty 70something.

Even so our NG bill is higher than this time last month with considerably less fuel being used...still havent finished that spreadsheet yet.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Ok dammit, I had every one of the funny quips come immediately to mind in response to the girlfriend/dog comment and they were all made before I got here!

That'll teach me to write long posts in 'Other' before perusing the rest of the posts...

 

[MJ]

That'll teach me to write long posts in 'Other' before perusing the rest of the posts...

(), there's always plenty of opportunity here to share your "serious" and thought prevoking comments.

 

[BUM]

(), there's always plenty of opportunity here to share your "serious" and thought prevoking comments.

I enjoy ()'s posts. I don't think he's a (.)

 

[MJ]

I enjoy ()'s posts. I don't think he's a (.)

Hey hey hey. I have never thunk that.

MJ

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I like (.)(.) 's...but hey, who doesnt?

 

[pbrane]

my energy stats:

for my 2-story townhouse of just under 1200 ft2 in wisconsin:

gas bill for 12 months: $0
electric for 12 months: $0

(thanks, Energy Assistance! --ha)

actual gas usage for 11/02/05 - 12/05/05 (1,053 heating degree days): 49 therms for $69.01

last month: 12/05/05 - 1/05/06 (1,311 htg degree days): 64 therms for $77.13

electric: usually runs about 360-380 kwh's /month for about $33

total avg. energy year-round: $73/mo last year

notes..

2 rooms shut off during winter
67 during day, 58 at nite (w/space heater in bedroom @63)
but then again, I'm home all day
house is poorly insulated, except for attic
sealed off fireplace cuz it was leaky
elec would be a lot lower if I had a new fridge

-pb

 

[CybrMike]

My Gas bill has run about $400 per month the last two months. The price of living in what you guy's call a McMansion. (the heated garage doesnt help with the bill I'm sure).