My natural gas bill

[Shame]

Ok, here's the deal: I own a 1575 sq. foot home in the middle of Indiana. Yeah, I know, I should move...

$58.00 = last years budget billing (been on budget for two (2) years, BTW)
$103.00 = Current bill (They increased it in July 2005). Still on budget billing of course.
$131.00 = What I have to pay from December until June 2006.

Now here what perplexes me: The letter I got today from Vectren said that natural gas prices went up between 28% and 38%. I received my degree in Criminal Justice, but when I use the math that I did learn, I come up with about a 125% increase.

I tried calling the gas company, but ended up on hold for a little more than an hour (big surprise!).

I guess my questions are:

1. Did natural gas prices go up that much to justify that kind of increase? Or did they make a mistake in their calculations?
2. Would it be cost efficient to switch to electric heat?

 

[yhelothar]

I live in So. Cal and it costs $20 for a family of 5 - gas stove and oven too.

 

[Ausm]

Where i live they tripled NG prices since 9/11


Ausm

 

[daveymark]

yuo should move

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0
I live in So. Cal and it costs $20 for a family of 5 - gas stove and oven too.

I live in So cal too and it costs me $15/mo just for the pilot light.

 

[Baked]

Gas leak? Somebody's been sniffing the gas?

 

[TallBill]

Electric ftw.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Electric ftw.

Yep me and the girl use a heater in teh bedroom and turn the gas heat down.

Funny how all those Mr Happy natural gas TV ads saying how they save etc... have not been running for a while now.

 

[TallBill]

We just have an all electric heating system. And electric oven, no gas whatsoever.

 

Same exact thing happened to me.

 

[Shame]

Originally posted by: TallBill
We just have an all electric heating system. And electric oven, no gas whatsoever.

Gas heat, gas dryer, gas water heater, gas oven, gas fish tank, pretty much everything here..

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Shame
Ok, here's the deal: I own a 1575 sq. foot home in the middle of Indiana. Yeah, I know, I should move...

$58.00 = last years budget billing (been on budget for two (2) years, BTW)
$103.00 = Current bill (They increased it in July 2005). Still on budget billing of course.
$131.00 = What I have to pay from December until June 2006.

Now here what perplexes me: The letter I got today from Vectren said that natural gas prices went up between 28% and 38%. I received my degree in Criminal Justice, but when I use the math that I did learn, I come up with about a 125% increase.

I tried calling the gas company, but ended up on hold for a little more than an hour (big surprise!).

I guess my questions are:

1. Did natural gas prices go up that much to justify that kind of increase? Or did they make a mistake in their calculations?
2. Would it be cost efficient to switch to electric heat?

Yes natural gas has gone up that much. And here is why.

The clean air act basically forced power plants to run off natural gas. So for about the last 10 years most new power plants were run off natural gas. THis has driven natural gas demand way up. To make matters worse, the goverment has done everything possible to limit natural gas exploration in the US.

THis is just a bad combination.

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Electric ftw.

Fck That, my electric bill over the summer nearly killed me.

 

[MX2]

Budget billing sucks. I canceled my BB last month because it seemed fishy to me all of the sudden too.

 

[iamwiz82]

My gas bill for Oct. was $66! That was a shock, but oh well, it's only $20 more than it should have been.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: Shame
Ok, here's the deal: I own a 1575 sq. foot home in the middle of Indiana. Yeah, I know, I should move...

$58.00 = last years budget billing (been on budget for two (2) years, BTW)
$103.00 = Current bill (They increased it in July 2005). Still on budget billing of course.
$131.00 = What I have to pay from December until June 2006.

Now here what perplexes me: The letter I got today from Vectren said that natural gas prices went up between 28% and 38%. I received my degree in Criminal Justice, but when I use the math that I did learn, I come up with about a 125% increase.

I tried calling the gas company, but ended up on hold for a little more than an hour (big surprise!).

I guess my questions are:

1. Did natural gas prices go up that much to justify that kind of increase? Or did they make a mistake in their calculations?
2. Would it be cost efficient to switch to electric heat?

Same thing happened here.

2 months ago $30.00
last month $60.00
same amount of gas used.

But electricity is still way to expensive. Electric heating would cost me around $300 - $400 per month in the winter.

 

[Slew Foot]

I use about 10-15 bucks a month for gas (CA). I make more than that in my natural gas stocks

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: Shame
Ok, here's the deal: I own a 1575 sq. foot home in the middle of Indiana. Yeah, I know, I should move...

$58.00 = last years budget billing (been on budget for two (2) years, BTW)
$103.00 = Current bill (They increased it in July 2005). Still on budget billing of course.
$131.00 = What I have to pay from December until June 2006.

Now here what perplexes me: The letter I got today from Vectren said that natural gas prices went up between 28% and 38%. I received my degree in Criminal Justice, but when I use the math that I did learn, I come up with about a 125% increase.

I tried calling the gas company, but ended up on hold for a little more than an hour (big surprise!).

I guess my questions are:

1. Did natural gas prices go up that much to justify that kind of increase? Or did they make a mistake in their calculations?
2. Would it be cost efficient to switch to electric heat?

Same thing happened here.

2 months ago $30.00
last month $60.00
same amount of gas used.

But electricity is still way to expensive. Electric heating would cost me around $300 - $400 per month in the winter.

That depends I think. Electric heat is quite expensive. A heatpump is much more effecient than that, however still not anywhere near natural gas. I have been hearing that a heat pump+natural gas back up(for the real cold days) can bring your bills down.

 

[Shame]

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: Shame
Ok, here's the deal: I own a 1575 sq. foot home in the middle of Indiana. Yeah, I know, I should move...

$58.00 = last years budget billing (been on budget for two (2) years, BTW)
$103.00 = Current bill (They increased it in July 2005). Still on budget billing of course.
$131.00 = What I have to pay from December until June 2006.

Now here what perplexes me: The letter I got today from Vectren said that natural gas prices went up between 28% and 38%. I received my degree in Criminal Justice, but when I use the math that I did learn, I come up with about a 125% increase.

I tried calling the gas company, but ended up on hold for a little more than an hour (big surprise!).

I guess my questions are:

1. Did natural gas prices go up that much to justify that kind of increase? Or did they make a mistake in their calculations?
2. Would it be cost efficient to switch to electric heat?

Same thing happened here.

2 months ago $30.00
last month $60.00
same amount of gas used.

But electricity is still way to expensive. Electric heating would cost me around $300 - $400 per month in the winter.

Ouch! I am right on the line to where a heat pump could be used rather than those coils going all the time like in Canada. A really cold winter could really screw me though...

Baked: Nope, not sniffing it. too expensive!

 

Electric heat is not the answer by any means.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: Shame
Ok, here's the deal: I own a 1575 sq. foot home in the middle of Indiana. Yeah, I know, I should move...

$58.00 = last years budget billing (been on budget for two (2) years, BTW)
$103.00 = Current bill (They increased it in July 2005). Still on budget billing of course.
$131.00 = What I have to pay from December until June 2006.

Now here what perplexes me: The letter I got today from Vectren said that natural gas prices went up between 28% and 38%. I received my degree in Criminal Justice, but when I use the math that I did learn, I come up with about a 125% increase.

I tried calling the gas company, but ended up on hold for a little more than an hour (big surprise!).

I guess my questions are:

1. Did natural gas prices go up that much to justify that kind of increase? Or did they make a mistake in their calculations?
2. Would it be cost efficient to switch to electric heat?

Same thing happened here.

2 months ago $30.00
last month $60.00
same amount of gas used.

But electricity is still way to expensive. Electric heating would cost me around $300 - $400 per month in the winter.

That depends I think. Electric heat is quite expensive. A heatpump is much more effecient than that, however still not anywhere near natural gas. I have been hearing that a heat pump+natural gas back up(for the real cold days) can bring your bills down.

We are using a high effeciency furnace.

As long as my bill stays around $60.00 then I will be fine.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: Shame
Ok, here's the deal: I own a 1575 sq. foot home in the middle of Indiana. Yeah, I know, I should move...

$58.00 = last years budget billing (been on budget for two (2) years, BTW)
$103.00 = Current bill (They increased it in July 2005). Still on budget billing of course.
$131.00 = What I have to pay from December until June 2006.

Now here what perplexes me: The letter I got today from Vectren said that natural gas prices went up between 28% and 38%. I received my degree in Criminal Justice, but when I use the math that I did learn, I come up with about a 125% increase.

I tried calling the gas company, but ended up on hold for a little more than an hour (big surprise!).

I guess my questions are:

1. Did natural gas prices go up that much to justify that kind of increase? Or did they make a mistake in their calculations?
2. Would it be cost efficient to switch to electric heat?

Same thing happened here.

2 months ago $30.00
last month $60.00
same amount of gas used.

But electricity is still way to expensive. Electric heating would cost me around $300 - $400 per month in the winter.

That depends I think. Electric heat is quite expensive. A heatpump is much more effecient than that, however still not anywhere near natural gas. I have been hearing that a heat pump+natural gas back up(for the real cold days) can bring your bills down.

Yep thats what a lot of new homes are doing. heat pump until ti gets to cold to work then switch over to gas.

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: TallBill
We just have an all electric heating system. And electric oven, no gas whatsoever.

When I finally get to move and build my own place, I'm going all electric... maybe solar water heating, too. Fvck Nicor.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Electric heat is not the answer by any means.

That is not correct. A heat pump is fairly effecient as long as it does not get too cold.

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Shame
Ok, here's the deal: I own a 1575 sq. foot home in the middle of Indiana. Yeah, I know, I should move...

$58.00 = last years budget billing (been on budget for two (2) years, BTW)
$103.00 = Current bill (They increased it in July 2005). Still on budget billing of course.
$131.00 = What I have to pay from December until June 2006.

Now here what perplexes me: The letter I got today from Vectren said that natural gas prices went up between 28% and 38%. I received my degree in Criminal Justice, but when I use the math that I did learn, I come up with about a 125% increase.

I tried calling the gas company, but ended up on hold for a little more than an hour (big surprise!).

I guess my questions are:

1. Did natural gas prices go up that much to justify that kind of increase? Or did they make a mistake in their calculations?
2. Would it be cost efficient to switch to electric heat?

Yes natural gas has gone up that much. And here is why.

The clean air act basically forced power plants to run off natural gas. So for about the last 10 years most new power plants were run off natural gas. THis has driven natural gas demand way up. To make matters worse, the goverment has done everything possible to limit natural gas exploration in the US.

THis is just a bad combination.

Too bad the government doesn't promote nuclear, but then the nuclear lobby isn't nearly as powerful as big oil.