THE Home Gas/Electric Bill Thread (merged)

by **SF_ENGINEER** » Thu 17 Mar 2005, 14:20:37

I just got my latest PG&E bill last night. man if there are any increases, it might break me...

cost of gas.... $0.98 for the month. ( of course i do split that with my girlfriend, so call it $0.49)

electricity.... $15.45

and they say San Francisco is an expensive place to live :-D

by **aahala** » Thu 17 Mar 2005, 14:51:18

What are you doing, living on the street?

Can you fill us in how your gas bill is like that? Here in the
midwest, I am paying $11.65 for my home and $15.70 for another
each month as admission fees just to have the right to spin the meter.

by **johnmarkos** » Thu 17 Mar 2005, 14:53:15

Not having to heat in the winter really lowers that gas bill.

John
San Francisco, California

by **johnmarkos** » Thu 17 Mar 2005, 14:55:24

But enough gloating -- we get a lot of our electricity from gas, too. In other words, we're not completely safe from energy troubles.

Also, keep in mind that residential energy is priced artificially low.

Still, I'm curious as to how you managed to get through the winter without heating at all. I mean, it did get down into the 40s occasionally. Do you have a solar heating system, did you wear heavy coats indoors, or what?

by **SF_ENGINEER** » Thu 17 Mar 2005, 15:36:22

we sleep with the windows open probably 300 days a year. of the remaining 65 days, and probably 30 of those we simply close the windows, and even then we usually turn the electric heater on for 1 hour, turn it off, and go to bed. Also we live in a one bedroom apartment on the top (3rd floor) of a building that is surrounded on 3 sides. you couldn't stick a credit card between our building and the neighbors. no heat leaking out there. lastly our front windows face south, and a result we get a huge heating effect.

i should add i just moved here from Boston 2 years ago, so i'm used to apartments that are less than 60 degrees in the winter with the heat cranking! Plus i'm a big fan a winter camping (last time i camped on the east coast it hit minus 15F), so give me a down comforter, and i'm toasty. northern european genes i guess

as for the admin costs of the electric bill...i don't know...maybe as apartment dwellers we're not charged the same basic rate as house owners.

but i'll tell you, compared to living in Boston... rents about the same (although less square footage), i don't need a car (subtract $600), and virtually no utilities. not to mention vastly better quality of life.

by **FoxV** » Thu 17 Mar 2005, 16:41:10

are you guys serious about your monthly bills???

Mine just came in
Gas: $235cnd ($180us) (447m3)
Electricity: $155cnd ($124us) (1240KWh)

and that's not a cold weather spike, that's fairly typical (my electricity is the same all year round).

I live just across the boarder from upstate New York. My house is not particularly well insulated, but I do try to conserve.

by **SD_Scott** » Thu 17 Mar 2005, 17:04:21

Mine is from SDG&E and it's usually around a $100 in the winter and $200 in the summer. Thats combined gas and electric. This winter was colder and wetter than normal. Typically it's very mild here and not much heat or air is needed year round.

by **JBinKC** » Thu 17 Mar 2005, 19:19:17

SF engineer you must be rolling in the dough. I don't know what the parking situation is in San Francisco you probably could live comfortably in a camper without paying any rent.

I just got my gas bill and it was $114. I also used 40% less than last year. I also kept my place at 60 when I was home and 50 when I am gone. I am probably going to turn my heat off next week and just use space heaters as the average low is above freezing now.

by **johnmarkos** » Thu 17 Mar 2005, 23:21:25

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FoxV', '
')Gas: $235cnd ($180us) (447m3)
Electricity: $155cnd ($124us) (1240KWh)

by **FoxV** » Fri 18 Mar 2005, 00:20:11

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('johnmarkos', 'W')here does that extra 1000 kwh/month go?

by **mulroos** » Wed 06 Jul 2005, 10:46:22

link I currently live 20 minutes north of Buffalo N.Y.. Last winter my average heating bill was in the range of 325.00 a month. I kept the thermostat at 65 degrees and wore multiple layers of clothing.

My house is up for sale. I have sold almost everything. I am moving back to Florida. I can't imagine.... Also, another storm moving into the Gulf and after living if Fl. for eighteen years I can say that the hurricane season typically doesn't ramp up until September.

by **Eli** » Wed 06 Jul 2005, 11:06:22

Everyone in the North East and New England should just switch to natural gas.
There is plenty of it to go around.

We just need to invest more capitol in drilling wells and exploration, also new technology will help us find more of it.
So everyhting is fine just fine.

by **Leanan** » Wed 06 Jul 2005, 11:16:00

I think winter heat will be a serious problem in the northeast. We are already on the edge with natural gas, balancing summer electricity use with winter heating only because of mild weather the past few years.

Insulation might be a good investment right now. Along with maybe a wood-burning stove.

People with electric heat might do best. Natural gas is in extremely short supply. Heavy oil like heating oil is more easily transported, but demand tends to be inelastic, so prices may be quite high.

Electricity can come from fossil fuels, or hydroelectric or nuclear. It can be transported a long way to where it's needed. And demand is somewhat elastic. If the cost goes up, people can and will cut back.

by **Doly** » Wed 06 Jul 2005, 11:18:22

Not sure that electric heat is better. For a start, it's usually more expensive. And a lot of electricity comes from gas as well. I think we'll discover as things go along which one was worst.

by **Leanan** » Wed 06 Jul 2005, 11:33:17

Yes, especially in the northeast, a lot of it comes from natural gas. But the powerplants will get first dibsies. Natural gas is in such short supply that if the seasons are extremely hot or cold, there may not be any natural gas for homeowners to buy - at any price.

by **aahala** » Wed 06 Jul 2005, 11:37:24

Household electric prices in the northeast are typically in the Alaska range,
meaning they are somewhat higher than California and quite a bit lower
than Hawaii. Generally 12-14 cents per kilowatt.

by **Eli** » Wed 06 Jul 2005, 11:43:02

All this points to Nuclear as the best option. Power on demand and cleaner than coal, enviromental disposal is managable.

The north east and the rest of the country need to build nuclear plants in a hurry.

NG is going to go to the consumer for heat rather than industrial which is a large consumer.

by MD » Wed 06 Jul 2005, 11:48:39

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', 'E')veryone in the North East and New England should just switch to natural gas.
There is plenty of it to go around.

by **EnemyCombatant** » Wed 06 Jul 2005, 11:49:02

Going nuclear is like putting weapons in the hands of terrorists. It's like boobytrapping the entire country.

And I suppose we can put the waste in your backyard. Or maybe we just dump it on the sandniggers?

People must realize that we must drastically change our ways. Looking for faster ways to kill ourselves is not the solution.

by **EnemyCombatant** » Wed 06 Jul 2005, 11:51:29

It appears that Eli is on the energy companies' mailing list.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')One of the major players in the energy industry has formally admitted that NA natural gas production is in irreversible decline. The industry response is to turn to coal and nuclear.

THE Home Gas/Electric Bill Thread (merged)

Will i be able to afford future gas bills?

Heating bills likely to double

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