Got the gas bill......YEE HAW!!!

[PAJerry]

Got our latest gas bill from old NFG (National Fuel Gas, though the letters also express my opinion of them) and we reduced our usage by 80% from last year. We have to pay $26.94 for 10 ccf of use. If the surcharge for reduced usage had been approved, I'm sure we would have got dinged for more, but they withdrew that idea after the locals went ballistic at PUC meetings in August.

The Vista will get a little pat on the blower and we'll shine up the glass

 

[Roospike]

"WhoWa" Mark another one up for "sticking it to the man".

 

[Eric Johnson]

My gas bill for the period Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 was $97, which represents the clothes dryer and gas-fired boiler. I got the wood boiler going on October 15 and switched off the other one.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Glad to hear it! Now, can you figure out how much you saved on gas, and compare it to how much (in value) you burned in wood?

-- Mike

 

[Todd]

Yep, sure is a great feeling. I received my bill yesterday. $22 for 19 therms NG, $60 for 604 kwh.

 

[laynes69]

Got the LP tank topped off last year on NOV. 14th which at 80% was full. We are down to 45% Now and we have a gas dryer, stove and furnace. So from last year and hopefully the rest of this year we wont have a gas bill at all. I wish we could get natural gas. Wood has saved us about 275 to 350 a month in the winter.

 

[mgambuzza]

My gas bill was $48 (National Grid) last month. This is inclusive of hot water, stove, and a couple days (a couple of hours in these days) of a vent free Vermont Castings gas fireplace. Last year I paid about $300 (Gas alone) for the same month period! Hooray for the pellet stoves

 

[Rich M]

Our fuel oil delivery guy showed up last week and didn't add a drop to our still full tank. Normally it would have been a $450 fill up, boy was that a nice feeling.

 

[citizanken]

Congrats Jerry keep socking it to the gas company!!

 

[drizler]

A minimum use surcharge; what criminality. Congradulations on helping starve an oil man. They all ought to be hung anyways.

 

[PAJerry]

We burned maybe 1/2 cord at most and it cost me nothing except the gas and oil for the chainsaw, since it came from my woods. We did buy 1 cord from a neighbor at $160 and just got 1.25 cord of nice cut slab wood for $90 so, if we use it all, will come to $250. Last year's Oct-Nov bill was $225 so we saved a bunch. Our kitchen stove, hot water and dryer are all gas. The really nice thing is that the house is always 70-75, not the 62 to 65 like last year. For two people getting a bit up in years, it is a real joy!!

 

[Toolman]

It is great... I haven't even turned on the oil furnace this year (except when it was cleaned to test fire it.)

And... house is much warmer than last year as well!

 

[MrGriz]

I can't wait to get my insert in and turn off the electric baseboards! With all electric heat, hot water, cloths dryer, stove and well pump any bite I can take from WE Energies is a good one! I'm hoping it will make enough difference that they'll send someone out to investigate.

 

[begreen]

Excellent. I love these reports. We're still on last year's propane fillup and I intend to keep it that way at least until next summer.

 

[Sandor]

I can't wait to get my insert in and turn off the electric baseboards! With all electric heat, hot water, cloths dryer, stove and well pump any bite I can take from WE Energies is a good one! I'm hoping it will make enough difference that they'll send someone out to investigate.

I am was/in the same situation. Switched to all wood heat last year and never used the baseboards.

The next biggest kick your going to get is to cut down on the dryer usage. We have a fold up rack by the stove to dry clothes... it adds to the humidity to house also. With the stove going, clothes dry overnight easily.

I aslo installed compact florescent bulbs in general lighting applications. Changed to low flow showerhead and 1.6 gallon flapperless heads.

The hardest part was educated to teenage girls that electricity was not free.

What was like $250-275 bills are now around 60-80.

So go for it!

 

[njtomatoguy]

Last year, Equal Payment Plan was $152 for gas and electric. After some work on the house, caulking, weatherstrippping, storm windows, and CF bulbs, eliminating the waterbed, and being conscious of usage, I'm down to about $100 for gas and electric. I admit I am still wasteful with the AC and the Electric Dryer. I installed the stove 2 weeks ago, and have not used NG for heating since. I have a vent free wall heater in the living room, and I also have a portable electric radiator for the bedroom if it's really cold. I plan on not using the NG furnace at all this year, and did not use the central at alll last summer. I think the EPP encourages a cavalier attitude towards useage"since we're paying for it anyway".

The water company is an abosulte rip off- I installed a new toilet, low flow shower head, low flow aerators on all faucets, stopped using the dishwasher all together, did full loads of laundry only, stopped watering the lawn, and only watered the garden when absolutely needed, and that bill went from an average of $130 to the minimum of $67- the minimum is the charge for the privelege of being hooked up to the city. My neighbor was in a nursing home for a year before he died and the bastards charged him the same- $67- EVEN THOUGH THE HOUSE WAS UNOCCUPIED.

My plan to reduce gas and electric even more is to cook as much as I can at once in the oven, and use the clothes line as aften as possible rather than using the dryer.

 

[DavidV]

I expect mine will go up this winter. We averaged about 125 a month between gas and electric last winter. The kids are hitting an age with more activities and we are on the go all the time. It seems to make us eat up a lot more energy. I doubt it will be too much higher but still, I expect an increase.

 

[Sandor]

The next biggest kick your going to get is to cut down on the dryer usage. We have a fold up rack by the stove to dry clothes... it adds to the humidity to house also. With the stove going, clothes dry overnight easily.

You don't need to dry the clothes IF you don't wash them.

Ancient Chinese Proverb:

"Sweet Mistresses like Clean Clothes"

I am sure you are familiar with that proverb.

 

[Michael6268]

Im not sure how anyone in the Northeast can really say how much they saved considering the tropical temps we have been having. I live in northern CT. and its been in the 50's to upper 60's for as long as I can remember! I cant believe people in my town. Yesterday its almost 70 and the guy down the street from me has his woodstove going 24/7 but has his window open! Another guy at work has commented how "impressed" he was that he only used half a ton of pellets so far! All I know is if I used a 1/2 ton of coal with a fall like this has been, I would be real worried if it ever does get cold. My house heats up naturally in the day to about 76+ and by morning the lowest its got was 66 on one of those two or three chilly nights we got. I havent burned one "lump" of coal, burned one gallon of LP and havent turned the electric baseboard on at all, so I must be saving a bundle!

 

[restorer]

I got mad at the Gas company two years ago and had them pull the meter. I used no gas one month and got billed for the minimum of $40.00 because my place is listed as commercial. I cut them out for more than that, but it was the day they cashed my check and credited my account 5 days later to collect a $25.00 late fee. Last year I heated with oil, not efficient and no savings. This year it's pellets. Six bags so far, been in the 50's-60's during the day, but nights in the 20's. Need some heat. Electricity is running about $30. per month. Had the meter changed by the Electric Company, because the usage was 1/3 to 1/2 of prior years. Had to be a faulty meter, right? I am doing a lot more by hand, and not using the high HP machines, lighting with florescent, clustering dusty projects together to more efficiently using the dust collectors and air cleaners. Based on three years ago usage and today's usage I am saving about $350.00 per month. In theory I paid for the stove (used), installation supplies, and two ton of pellets with my savings in the first two months of heating this year (October and November). Things are a little different, wear a sweater, or heavy flannel shirt always, use compact cooking appliances, run the Spray booth ventilator high when spraying, but low for only 10 minutes after, use air tools whenever possible, one 5 HP motor vs several 1-3 hp ones. Use a CF reading light in the evening, no overhead light. I'll update when the highs are in the 20's-30's.

 

[MrGriz]

What was like $250-275 bills are now around 60-80.
So go for it!

Awesome job, take that money and put it right back in your pocket!

Timing is everything, just today I received my 'personal energy report' from WE Energies. I don't know if they are trying to impress me or what, but in bold letters it tells me that based on my last 12 months of use I spend an average of $6.97 per day on energy. That's an average of $212.00 per month or $2,544.00 per year. :gulp:
Now maybe I'm just cheap, but when they make me look at it that way, I just don't see why I should be excited. Unless they want me to get excited about all the money I'll save when the insert is up and running.

 

[pistonslap]

I have to agree with Michael, I had a low gas bill but is has been warm for the fall so far. Last year I heated with wood for 15 to 18 hours a day and still got high gas bills. When I called the gas co. to inquire about it they wanted to send a guy out to check my house out. I do my own work and I know what I am doing I have no leaks, but I'd bet million dollars that if I let the gasman in the house he'd red tag something

 

[richg]

Folks, I think we are missing the point here. Saving money is nice, but it is a transient issue. Oil, gas and electricity prices go up, and they come down. A more important goal is moving towards alternative & renewable energy sources to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, as well as to use fuels that are greenhouse-neutral. The source of home heating oil in the US is actually Venezuela, as their oil is heavy and high in sulphur. Oil from the middle east is called light/sweet, and is refined into gasoline. Love Bush or hate him, he is our President, and Hugo Chavez can stick an oil rig up his you know what, coming here and calling Bush the Devil, a drunk, a drug user etc. When I bought my house in 2001, it only had electric baseboard and there are no gas lines in the area. The house needed a heating system, and it was a choice of oil, propane (a byproduct of petroleum refining), or wood. Money was not an issue, but I still chose pellet heat over oil or propane. 300 of my coworkers continue to proudly serve on floors 86-101 of the North Tower. That's why I heat with renewable Yankee wood pellets and corn. It's not an issue of money.

 

[drizler]

With this saving thing you have to do what you can. Still one has to remember you aren't going to save squat on the big things, thats just the way it is. When that fridge kicks on and the well or oil burner motor, coffee maker and hair dryer are on the meter is going to spin like a top. Of course you can choose to live like a cave man and be proud but all in all you would be about a pathetic as the dumbasses with the thermostat set at 75, and double for the ones that leave it up there late at night. The best way to save energy is to turn off stuff you aren't using, thats the bottom line. Most folks have lights on all over all the time. The last thing I ever want to do is end up like some of my parents generation who grew up in the depression. Hoarding stuff, sitting on a pot of gold while living like a poor person and always complaining about being broke, wearing worn out old clothes and freezing to save a dime can lead to a rediculous obsession. I have seen that in my own family. On the other hand I can't stand the tree hugger mentality of living to sub standard levels to save the planet. You have to draw the line someplace. As for Hugo Chaves's comments I laughed like hell. He and the little emperor should go on vacation together, kiss and make up.

 

[PAJerry]

The average daily temp is reported on our bills and, believe it or not, this year has been 5 degrees colder on average than last year for the same period - 46 vs 51. There has been snow and lots of cold rain here by Lake Erie.