Cost to Heat a Home

[Mulligan]

I switched from oil to ng in '06 and been very happy so far. no more clean-outs The last straw was when I paid $550 for a tank of oil and it lasted less than 2 months. No more oil deliveries and i'm on balanced billing of $84 a month with the gas company.

Good strategy. Natural gas prices continue to fall through the floor, and I expect to see my piece of the savings pie kicked back to me in my bill statement ( I hope anyways). They say we have over a hundred year supply already in NG, as long as the anti-frackers dont get it shut down. There could really become severe bill differences (like there isnt already) between the heating oil and NG houses. I read you can get an NG pump installed into your house for your NG car for a few grand and then enjoy $1 a gallon equivalent gas.

 

[lrak]

I think the people replying $2-3/day are talking about year round averages, not heating 35 degrees.

I have a 1970 vintage 2000sqft house I've been gradually improving the insulation on in MA. If it weren't for the wood stove and wood insert, I'd be paying ~$5-15/day mid December through mid March for gas. In mid May through mid Sept, when the rates are lower, the incoming water isn't numbingly cold, we grill outside a lot, and more outfits fit in the washer/dryer at once, its ~$1/day.

 

[MooreBonds]

Location: St. Louis, MO
House: 1,760 sq ft ranch, full basement.
Age: 52 years old (blown cellulose insulation in attic 2 years ago, but original wall insulation).
Heat source: Natural gas (along with water heater and my range)

I keep the thermostat on 68 in the winter. Missouri doesn't get as much harshly cold weather as the NE, but it's been somewhat average this winter so far.

For Dec 2010/Jan 2011/Feb 2011, I averaged 118.9 Therms/month, or $127.71/month (including water heater/gas range)

For Dec 2011, it was 100.3 Therms, or $109.72.

 

[jimnjana]

I have a friend that has been using an Eden Pure heater for several years with no problems at all.

My FIL bought an Edenpure in 2010. I gave him a little bit of a hard time about it at the time. But I have to admit that it works very well. He has an oil furnace with an wood burning ancillary unit attached. Since at age 85 in 2010 he finally gave up splitting his own firewood, he began using the oil furnace full time. The edenpure keeps his den and kitchen hot. He was able to reduce his oil bill substantially. He ran it 24/7 so his electric bill went up about $1.40 per day. If I didn't live in Florida, I'd have one too.

 

[jazz4cash]

My FIL bought an Edenpure in 2010. I gave him a little bit of a hard time about it at the time. But I have to admit that it works very well. He has an oil furnace with an wood burning ancillary unit attached. Since at age 85 in 2010 he finally gave up splitting his own firewood, he began using the oil furnace full time. The edenpure keeps his den and kitchen hot. He was able to reduce his oil bill substantially. He ran it 24/7 so his electric bill went up about $1.40 per day. If I didn't live in Florida, I'd have one too.

If it only costs $1.40 more, that means its only actually running 9.3 hrs/day@ .15/kw-hr

 

[target2019]

If it only costs $1.40 more, that means its only actually running 9.3 hrs/day@ .15/kw-hr

There must be savings in electricity used by the oil furnace too. IOW, the bill is that cost, but there is more than one factor at work.

 

[jimnjana]

If it only costs $1.40 more, that means its only actually running 9.3 hrs/day@ .15/kw-hr

Assuming he paid .15/kw you would be right. He didn't. In NC he paid less than .11/Kw. I guess the other savings may have come from unplugging some freezers in his basement.

 

[rescueme]

It costs me nothing. Heck, I even have to turn my AC on in the winter (and I'm in the northeast/mid-Atlantic area).

It's all because my DW is so hot ...

(Thought I'd add some humor to the thread)...

 

[TromboneAl]

It costs me nothing. Heck, I even have to turn my AC on in the winter (and I'm in the northeast/mid-Atlantic area).

It's all because my DW is so hot ...

You mean hot flashes?

 

[NW-Bound]

We do not have NG, nor spend much at all for heating in the winter. But recently, saw that the price of NG is down to $3 per 1 million BTUs. As I cannot relate to that, I convert it for comparison with electric power costs, and that price is equivalent to 1 cent/KWh!

And with the mild winter, the consumption is down, and they run out of storage space for all that gas!

 

[braumeister]

And yet ...

We don't have natural gas (all electric home with heat pump/central air) and it costs us between $6 and $7 a day (annualized) for electricity here in the upper Midwest.

But our local natural gas supplier (Duke Energy) has this on its website (completely inexplicable to me, based on everything I read in the news):

Reasons for Increased Gas Costs

What is the outlook for natural gas prices this winter?

Natural gas prices remain sensitive to weather, to a limited extent in terms of natural gas supply (such as a hurricane that may affect production in the Gulf of Mexico) and far more so in terms of natural gas demand (such as cold weather that increases usage for home heating). In fact, weather is often the biggest factor in how much residential customers pay for natural gas during the winter.

Winter gas prices are forecasted to be higher than we've seen in past years. Despite the increase, Duke Energy still remains one of the lowest gas providers in the region.

Is this occurring only in our area, or nationwide?
The price of natural gas is increasing throughout the United States.

Are my rates going up?
It’s not your natural gas delivery charge that’s increasing, but the cost for Duke Energy to purchase gas from its suppliers. This cost is referred to as our gas cost recovery charge that changes monthly. Regulators allow us to pass our prudently incurred gas costs along to customers on a dollar for dollar basis, without any markup.

Is this increase permanent or temporary?
It is possible that natural gas prices will remain high over the next couple of years, depending on weather and new supplies of gas coming into the market.