OMG!!! Got the gas bill today!

[peacefulgirl]

Our local Gas & Electric Co does a free walk through to help you save $$ on heating, haven't done it ... but wanted to... call and see if they'll do that for ya. I am sure they can help.

 

[cepmom]

the budget plan is a great idea IF the utility company doesn't keep changing the payment from one extreme to the other!! A couple of years ago I signed up the budget plan with our gas company. They set it at $86/month. After an extremely cold winter, they adjusted it to $156/month - understandable. After paying $156/month over the warmer months, we accumulated a balance in our favor. They then decided to lower the payment to $99 and have said on the last few bills "do not pay this bill" as they were applying the balance in our favor to the monthly bill.

I have still been paying the $99 each time, because, as we all know, this time of year the actual usage will be the highest all year and the balance will eventually be used up. I don't want to end up owing a huge balance at the end of the "budget year".

The budget plan is supposed to help you budget your payments. I don't understand why they keep swinging the payments from one extreme to the other then not wanting me to pay the monthly amount. I know the balance will be used up once the coldest months have passed.
It doesn't make sense to go from $156 to nothing to $99. Not really a smart way to handle a budget!

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

I'm a teacher, so the budget plan doesn't work for me - under the regular monthly billing, the high bills come while I'm working, and vice versa. I have that lovely plastic on some of the windows and plan to do a LOT of caulking this summer. Winter gas bills come with a message that colder-than-usual temperatures result in a "weather credit" or something like that, so I'm looking forward to seeing the upside of these 30-degrees-below-normal weeks we've had!

 

[Jaklackus]

We have electric heat...last winter's highest bill was just under $500...yikes! We have basically shut down half of the apartment(I am going stir crazy and never feel like I have any privacy..but we are saving some money(at least I hope that we are)..I have the heat set around 60 degrees most of the time and the kids are bundled up in sweats all of the time, I'm constantly shutting off lights...unfortunately some unethical business practices were brought to light at our local town owned electric company and I cannot say that I would trust them with a budget plan....they can't shut off the utilities during the winter here so if we do get an impossible bill...we can get by paying what we can until tax refund time.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

We bought this huge old 18 room house way back in the 70's during the energy crisis for a song cause everyone was afraid of the heating bills. It had been an apartment house. Because of the location and cost we determined that we would live downstairs, if necessary, during the winter months to cut down on the cost but it was never needed. Because of the way the house is laid out we are able to close off certain areas when they are not occupied. I have set back thermostats and set them for 68 during the day and 60 at night. When we were sleeping upstairs we bought electric mattress pads for our beds and they kept us cozy, was a bit hard getting out to visit the room at the end of the hall (LOL) but it cut down on our water bill as well since you did not go unless you REALLY needed to go.

The way a house is set up and the natures of the people living in them influences the bills a lot but what peeves me beyond belief is all those new houses with the 20-30 foot celings. It costs a lot to heat/a/c spaces that people do not occupy.

We are retired now and the utility bills keep going up but our income does not. Every increase steals money from our Disney fund. I am hoping that we get too darned old to go before the money runs o ut. LOL

Slightly Goofy

 

[DiznEeyore]

the budget plan is a great idea IF the utility company doesn't keep changing the payment from one extreme to the other!!

The budget plan is supposed to help you budget your payments. I don't understand why they keep swinging the payments from one extreme to the other then not wanting me to pay the monthly amount. I know the balance will be used up once the coldest months have passed.

It doesn't make sense to go from $156 to nothing to $99. Not really a smart way to handle a budget!

This is the exact reason that I do my own "budget" plan, always setting aside the highest amount each month, and having the leftover $$ from lower payments to put in savings or the trip fund.

 

[kimisabella]

MickeyMonstersMom - I almost just fell on the floor after reading your first post as I too am sitting here in long sleeves, a sweatsuit and a fleece robe. How funny is that? I think the gas prices here on long island have got to be the highest. We are on the budget plan now, but last year, our gas bills alone were over $400/month - electric was probably about $120. We have a gas stove/dryer. It is ridiculous, but oil is getting just as expensive. My house is about 1700 square feet, not huge... It's getting so expensive to live here that people are leaving in droves.

 

[summerrluvv]

MickeyMonstersMom - I almost just fell on the floor after reading your first post as I too am sitting here in long sleeves, a sweatsuit and a fleece robe. How funny is that? I think the gas prices here on long island have got to be the highest. We are on the budget plan now, but last year, our gas bills alone were over $400/month - electric was probably about $120. We have a gas stove/dryer. It is ridiculous, but oil is getting just as expensive. My house is about 1700 square feet, not huge... It's getting so expensive to live here that people are leaving in droves.

Yup, I live in a townhouse and my bill was $160.00 last month for Gas and it wasn't even cold! I don't even want to know what it's going to be this month! I keep the thermostat on 64-65 degrees too!!

Isn't it so sad that we have to practically freeze in our own homes in order to afford the gas bills

 

[JustLoveDisney]

I hear you Feeling the pain as well


Debi

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

We recently purchased our (old 1969) home a few months ago. It's all electric. Our first bill was $184... second was $190, and then the third month was $330!!! I couldn't believe it.. we live in Texas and only used the heat like 2-3 days that month, so I couldn't figure out what the huge difference was. I still don't knowfor sure. But I became the electricity fanatic/whatever you want to call it and we bundle up more (think like MIckeyMonsterMom described LOL) after that.... so it's not just gas bills going higher- apparently even if you use the heater with ELECTRICITY the bills skyrocket.

We did have someone come look at our heating unit and "one" of the 4 thingamajigs (hey, I'm not an electrician or heating/ac unit repairmen LOL) was burnt and not connected anymore! I'm still not sure that this could cause the extreme jump in electricity cost only using the heater a few days that month- but I'm holding my breath for the next bill hoping that's what it was! I watch my meter to see if it's going around and around slow or fast. If I look and it's going fast, I go back in the house and start turning off stuff. LOL

 

[heathrow42]

We had the heating unit replaced before we moved in. After 2 winters of high gas bills ($400/mo wasn't uncommon Jan-March) we decided to have the insulation checked out. Our house is just over 30 years old. It turned out that they hadn't insulated edge to edge when it was built.. within 2 days after we had the insulation done, we could tell the house was alot less drafty. The first full gas bill, the number of therms used was half what it had been the previous year (but gas prices have gone up) I am actually looking forward to the next gas bill, to see if the insulation has helped. We anticipate that it will pay for itself in the next 1.5 years. Before when it would snow, the heating of the house would melt the snow on the roof... now the insulation is keeping the heat in, and the snow stays.

I've had the thermostat set around 60 for quite a while... DH complains occasionally, and he might push it up a little on the weekend while we are home. During the week we often come home late and go right to bed.. with lots of fluffy blankets and flannel sheets. I like it cold before bed.. it encourages snuggling!

You might want to consider the age of your home and check your insulation... even new homes might not be well insulated if the contractors were in a hurry.

--Heather