Holy heating bill!

[Jim Oaks]

I called to get 100 gallons of propane.

My propane company went from $234 last year to $298 this year. I usually have to buy 100 gallons a month. I'm not paying $300 a month for heat. :bawling:

I'm off to Walmart to see if I can find a good space heater for the living room. I've been turning down the heat at night and using an electric heater (thermostat controlled) in our bedroom at night to conserve propane. Looks like I may have to do that during the day now too. Paying for more electric is probably going to be cheaper than buying more propane.

[BDAB]

man I feel for ya ......... ours is almost that much ........ we used 98 units last month at a rate of 2.51 a unit ........... thats a 25% price increase over last year.......

[JohnnyO]

All depends. I have natural gas, it gets piped into the house also :icon_twisted:, I'm on the budget plan so I start paying more in Sept to keep it even until summer. $171 a month, which is a dollar less than last year but my straight-up usage can be over $300 a month. The big jump was two years ago, I pay almost double what I did three years ago.
Thank God for the warm fall.
Try using the electric more and see how it goes. Where I live I'm told we have the third-highest electric rates in the nation.

[azhrei]

Jim where are you? there is a co-op that you can join and they have discounts with fuel dealers... it is here http://www.nrgy.org/ I know they did fla at one point too... might be worth trying to start one...

Paul

[Will]

Being warm is better than being cold.

Remember that.

[RobbieD]

Do what I do; burn the furniture.


Just kidding. Heating oil, propane, gasoline, just about everything is getting more expensive these days; unfortunately more expensive than it seems it should be getting. It hurts, but what can you do?

[Psychopete]

Being warm is better than being cold.

Remember that.

You can always add blankets... :) Although I tend to agree, I refuse to do a lot outside if it's cold, but no problem if it's 90.

I use to live in a 2 bedroom apartment (other room was full of parts, it was called my 'garage' by my neighbors), private entrance, w/ washer and dryer that had electric heat. I think my bill was 150 at the most and I was pretty careless about it. The rent was 430/mo. but it was in the south part of town.

The apartment was cheap, but there were lots of drug raids, robberies and the occasional gun shots. I honestly couldn't care about that though, just as long as no one ****s with my shit. I've learned (not from experience, only witnessed) if you complain about a neighbor, or give them any shit, I can guarentee that you'll have problems. Like your car getting broke into with nothing stolen, only damage. I never had a single problem, but I ALWAYS kept to myself.

Pete

[Danger FX4 Ranger]

All depends. I have natural gas, it gets piped into the house also :icon_twisted:, I'm on the budget plan so I start paying more in Sept to keep it even until summer. $171 a month, which is a dollar less than last year but my straight-up usage can be over $300 a month. The big jump was two years ago, I pay almost double what I did three years ago.
Thank God for the warm fall.
Try using the electric more and see how it goes. Where I live I'm told we have the third-highest electric rates in the nation.

Here where I live, we have the second lowest rate for electricity while some of the highest for natural gas in the nation. I replaced my mother's natural gas furnace 2 winters ago and installed a 12 seer heat pump. Her natural gas bill was easily $175/month with the power bill right at $75 during the middle of winter. After installing the heat pump her power bill went up to $125/month with no gas bill at all. $125/month savings sure is nice. It would be worth checking into depending on your climate, electricity and fuel rates.

[Will]

Well, I have 4 small children and they aren't good at keeping blankets on. We have to keep it up more than I like.

My own thermostat is pretty high. I function fine outside down to 25*F. Below that, I start to get mulie. Inside, I would keep it at 60* but my wife likes it hot even in the winter and doesn't care what it costs. My wife keeps the thermostat full blast and I keep the wood going full blast to combat her efforts to get knighted by the king of Saudi Arabia.

[ZMan]

those space heaters use alot of electricity. Check out your electric bills when they come, might not be worth it using a space heater.

[krugford]

I'm picking up a corn/pellet burner up this weekend from a friend to use in my shop. My heating bill last year was $300-$400 a month. Hopefully I'll be able to lower it a little bit this year.

[AllanD]

I feel for you Jim,

I have both an oil furnace (my only source of domestic hot water)
And a coal stove.

Heating oil is over $3/gal, but you have to buy a minimum
of 100gallons and I just don't have it. So I keep adding
Diesel ($3.59/gal) or Kerosene ($3.39/gal) 5-6gallons at a time.
The oil heat is switched OFF.

it takes 4-5gal a week to keep the hot water working.

Coal is up but I haven't bought any yet this year,
I have "leftovers" from last year, but I'm probably
going to go through 2-2.5 tons again this winter.
at $135/ton.

atleast with my "new" stove I can burn wood if I really have to....

AD

[ozzy85]

I live in an old singlewide (1974) that was drafty as hell last year. All electric. The highest bill was $196 for one month. A couple months ago my folks pitched in for new windows. So far the bills seem to be about a third less, but the heat is turned up a bit more since the place retains heat instead of just sending it out the windows. I have a space heater which is nice but I'm not so sure about it being any kind of savings $-wise.

[Simple_serf]

We have been running the woodstove for the last few years continuously and have been able to keep the gas bill down below 120/month in Dec, Jan and Feb. I use kero in the shop and in lamps in the house. It's gone up $.50 in the last two months, it now is more expensive than gasoline for clear undyed (I can't run red dyed, it ruins $15 lamp wicks and $7 mantles in about a month's worth of use, with clear undyed I have never had to change a wick and the broken mantle was because I am dumb. Kero heater wicks are about $25 before shipping...don't want to kill those either).

Wood costs us about $150/year to log and haul. If I keep my basement at about 80 degrees with that, it keeps the upstairs (where my parents live) at about 65-68 depending on outdoor temp.

[Jim Oaks]

I bought a ceramic electric heater to heat the living room. High is 1500W / 5118 BTU, but the low setting is only 750W / 2559 BTU. Most space heaters are 1500W and those with lows are 900W on low. If I turn the heat down to say 50 in the house and use the heater in our bedroom at 65-70 at night, I should be able to save something VS heating the whole house at night while we're sleeping.

I figure it's worth a shot.

[skippy]

I bought a ceramic electric heater to heat the living room. High is 1500W / 5118 BTU, but the low setting is only 750W / 2559 BTU. Most space heaters are 1500W and those with lows are 900W on low. If I turn the heat down to say 50 in the house and use the heater in our bedroom at 65-70 at night, I should be able to save something VS heating the whole house at night while we're sleeping.

I figure it's worth a shot.

jim,if you don't have one yet,you can use a electric blanket.put the electric heater in the bathroom for nitetime trips for nature calls.

[Dave R]

I bought a ceramic electric heater to heat the living room. High is 1500W / 5118 BTU, but the low setting is only 750W / 2559 BTU. Most space heaters are 1500W and those with lows are 900W on low. If I turn the heat down to say 50 in the house and use the heater in our bedroom at 65-70 at night, I should be able to save something VS heating the whole house at night while we're sleeping.

I figure it's worth a shot.

Figure 10 hours per night X 750watts x 30 days (month) equals 225KW multiply that by your electric rate, then decide if it's worth it. Too bad you don't live closer I have a 10-15year old, but never used, space heater here you could have had for the asking.

[Sol]

Go out and buy some Insulating Film (Shrink Film or whatever you call it) and put it over all of your windows. I have to do that every year. The stuff works pretty good! My heating bill went from $323 a month in the winter to $267 a month with just doing that with the heat set at the same place.

[chittybangbang]

Jim
The things that I would upgrade if you can is install new windows,programmable thermostat,and add insulation in the attic.After last years winter and having the gas bill hit $425.I had no other choice but to upgrade my crappy 40 yr old windows.While the windows were not cheap I know they will pay for themselves over the next few years.

[skippy]

Jim
The things that I would upgrade if you can is install new windows,programmable thermostat,and add insulation in the attic.After last years winter and having the gas bill hit $425.I had no other choice but to upgrade my crappy 40 yr old windows.While the windows were not cheap I know they will pay for themselves over the next few years.

all very good suggestions,if you own the property.believe he and vanessa are renting iirc.when i rented,my programmable t-stat went with me,be lost without it.jim,make sure the owner is having regular service checks done on the furnace so your getting the most out of your heating dollar.

[samsonitesamsonite]

go with geothermal. pricey on the install but so inexpensive to operate.

[kunar]

go with geothermal. pricey on the install but so inexpensive to operate.

i wish more people realized that.....

[Bent Bolt]

When we build a new house someday, I'd like like to install geo-thermal and some solar panels as well.

Mind you solar panels don't work so well covered with snow and only 8 hours of daylight in the wintertime. :icon_twisted:

[Jim Oaks]

Vanessa and I rent a double wide.

When I was married before, I owned a new home that was geo-thermal. Didn't know anything about it until I bought a house with it. I think the builder said they were an extra $3,000 to install. That house was very efficient. The house was all electric and I just looked at a check book register and saw that I paid an electric bill of $233.64 on 01/25/05. That's cheap for a (2) story (4) bedroom all electric house in the winter.

Dave, my electric bill displays KWH (kilowatt hours) used. Would the 225KW be 225KWH?

My bill doesn't show the rate, but dividing my last kilowatt hours used and bill amount due, it looked like it was around $0.12 per kilowatt hour.

If that's right, does that meen the heater is going to up my bill by $27 for using the 225KW's?

[LearjetMinako]

I stay warm by running my PS3 more often. The system is a natural heat producer. Since my little room is 12x12, and with a powerhouse PC, PS3, Sound System. It does stay warm here: even w/o heat. Cooling is another problem.

[Jim Oaks]

I actually notice when I have the laptop in the bedroom it seems a lot warmer. This laptop blows out a lot of warm air.

[BDAB]

the LCD gives off alot of heat too. Get a waterbed. I set our kingsize to 95* and it keeps the master bedroom and master bath really warm. I have to close the heat vents in our room. keep enough blankets on it during the day and it doesn't cost alot to run either. thinking about an insert for the fireplace in the basement.......... around $90 a cord around here for fire wood ................ figure 1.5 cords a month...........

[Thumper113]

OMG! DAYUM! :eek:

And here I was upset that winter is here cause I paid my utility bill yesterday for $171.24, that's gas, electric, water, & sewage, combined, in a 4 bedroom house. Dammit Jim, sorry to hear that, it seems sooooooo high just for the heat. I guess I shouldn't bitch about it anymore.

[michowski]

You could always park your ranger in the house and just let your truck run with the heat blasting ;). Worth a shot.

[Pt_Ranger_V8]

I burn wood

otherwise, my baseboard register heat would run me about $300 or so a month - and that's on natural gas...

[holyford86]

In the hose I live in 100 gals of #2 fuel oil heats the house for three weeks the stuff is about $3.14 a gallon right now. And thats with the most efficient oil boiler we could get two years ago. I believe the efficiency rating is 92% 37 single pane windows in a 101 year old house isn't kind to the wallet even though it has been insulated. Good windows are also a ridiculous amount of money. The windows would need have to be custom made and the way that they are laid out the walls would practically have to be reconstructed to fit a stock size window in. 500 bucks a pop plus installation is quite a big chunk of change. thats 18,500 just for the windows.

[swamprat]

We got a couple of those oil filled electric radiators. We have a good sized living room with vaulted ceilings. They keep it warm.We have a fireplace but is is not very efficient. Keeps the living room hot but the rest of the house is ice cold. I keep an eye on the thermostat and make sure nobody raises it. I need one that requires a code or something.

[DesertStorm]

My wood stove burns 24/7 from Nov. to April. When I first moved into my house i had the $300 heating bill blues. Got me a Craftstove freestanding for $100 used. Ran some double wall stove pipe and now I have free heat galore. Gas bill now $5-$15. Keep t-stat at 65 the house stays around 74-80. I get a little hot on warmer nights but thats ok. Getting the firewood is fun too. Playing in the mud to get back in the woods and watching BIG trees fall. I love it.

[ashleyroachclip]

I have a 3 bedroom 2 bath , and also a wife that ****s with the thermostat .
My bill last month , was 147.00 , temps were not real cold .
This next month I suspect about the same price .
I do like having Electric everything , and a heat pump.
Looks like a house built here with the geothermal set up is a bit more than where others live .
Probably because this is the biggest Nazi state in the nation as far as politics are concerned , but it is just such a beautiful place geografficly

[samsonitesamsonite]

when I lived in washington we had the cheapest electric in the nation. family budget plan was 80$ a month all year long.

[skippy]

my heating bill for november is $66.06,dang i love the south.went down a lot just converting to tankless water heater.of course we haven't seen real cold weather yet.last year highest bill was around $120.

[Dave R]

Dave, my electric bill displays KWH (kilowatt hours) used. Would the 225KW be 225KWH?

My bill doesn't show the rate, but dividing my last kilowatt hours used and bill amount due, it looked like it was around $0.12 per kilowatt hour.

If that's right, does that meen the heater is going to up my bill by $27 for using the 225KW's?

Correct on both counts. Though your bill probably won't rise quite that much. Generally there are other fees and misc charges, not related to the amount of power used, on the bill. So dividing the total bill by the usage usually will show a higher per KWH rate.

[Snowplow]

This is exactly why I have an electric heat pump in my house. People thought we were nuts for not switching to gas about 10 years ago when the gas company offered to do a free tie in. I knew the merits of having the heat pump thats why I stuck with it. They only require electricity, unlike a furnace that uses a fuel along with electrical, so thats one thing thats nice.

Our house is about 6000sq ft (thats including my finished basement) and my electric bills are about $400 a month all winter. Thats for my heat, my stove, TVs PCs, the home theater, dryer, everything. Can't beat that with a stick in todays world.

Jim, look into a PTHP (Packaged Terminal Heat Pump) for your place. You can shove it into a window like a window AC, they don't cost a ton (700-2000 depending on size) and will use less power then a electric heater.

[Bill G]

Have any of you that use #2 fuel oil to heat their house think about making biodiesel from waste vegtable oil? It cost less the $1.00 a gallon to make and most places will just give you the oil. Some of you that live in the colder climates might want to look into it.

[kimcrwbr1]

Yea depending where you are normally propane and oil are the most expensive ways to heat. I install HVAC we install trane equiptment but any high effeciency heat pump all electric would probably save money in the long run they are not cheap tho. Just putting in a good energy setback t-stat and keeping the temp the same day and night say 68 degrees and open all the vents in the house. we set our stats to run 3 cycles per hour and only the outside walls are insulated so when the heat turns off it goes through the walls to the colder rooms and furnace cycles faster longer just a couple things to try

[wahlstrom1]

...bringing back the dead! Check the post date.....

[Will]

When you do searches like you are supposed to, these posts show up. They aren't closed so I wouldn't try to shame people out of posting in them. Nothing on this entire site is exacty cutting edge technology.

That said, it's appropriate to post the official crypt opening photo:
http://www.framptondorset.com/bld_crypt_open.JPG

[wahlstrom1]

My bad....fingers before thought sometimes....

In an effort to lower heating bills, I had a digital thermostat installed that lowers the room temp by 10* in the daytime when no ones home.....so far I'm averaging $15-20 a month less so it should be paid off in time for next winter!

[mattpresley]

I just dont use a heater...........

[red85]

Holy crap. We keep our house at 68* and the gas bill is still sky high! Welcome to Canadian winters...

[runn6610]

Regardless of where you live or what you live in, the first step to lowering your heating/cooling bills is making your "home" more energy efficient. Reduce the amount of "conditioned" air escaping from the interior and you'll use less energy to keep it at the temperature you want it.

[LEVE]

Last year the in the inland PNW we had our worst winter on record. Our heating bills for a 2200sqft (one level) home was over $300 per month. The furnace is electric. In search for an answer to lower the bill I picked up an old Quadrafire Pellet stove and installed it over the summer. It had a few quirks to work out. I bought two tons of pellets and put them on a rack in the garage... and when the cold winter hit... I watched the bags disappear as I'd heft them into the house.

I'm heating the house with pellet stove 18 hours a day and the electric furnace takes over at night. I did install a remote thermostat to control the stove and though expensive, I highly recommend it.

Bottom line is that I pay a little over $5.00 a day to heat the house. I'd like to get corn to try, but it's not available in this area.

While living in the Cascades I heated with a wood stove and hauled in a logging truck's worth of wood. I buck it in the summer and the kids would carry it up during the day. That cost about $40 a month for the wood. The stove wouldn't bank well at night, so I went to banking at coal. I'd use a ton, or so, a winter and buried two tons of coal in the backyard as an "energy supply" if I ever needed it.

I liked the coal and the wood, and the ease of the pellet stove. One problem with the pellet stove is that if you loose electricity then you'd best have a backup generator or lots of batteries and an inverter. Me, I have both, and I'm modifying my Prius to power the house during these weather events.

There are alternatives, but there's an up-front cost to each of them.