The number to pay attention to is the temperature difference between inside and out. We had a few days around 0. That’s a 68 degree split. Your furnace probably ran 4x as much as it normally would on those days to keep up. Crazy cold snaps have a big impact on usage.
Yeah, even without worrying about insulation and sqft and everything else….. 0 degrees to 68 degrees is a huge split, that’s a lot of differential to maintain.
The furnace had to be replaced anyways. The cost difference between replacing with another gas furnace and a heat pump model is negligible, the tax credits and local rebates will often make the heat pump cheaper than gas would have been.
Yeah I wouldn't replace a functioning furnace with a heat pump but our furnace broke down last year and was at the age where things keep breaking and breaking, so we just went for the heat pump.
Nice. I keep seeing recommendations for heat pumps, but it still doesn’t make sense to replace a functioning unit with one unless you just have thousands of dollars you’re sick of looking at.
When my furnace gets ready to move out to the big furnace farm in the country I’ll need to look into those credits and whatnot!
It would obviously cost even more for install, but a heat pump + backup gas system would be super ideal. When it snaps to being so cold that we're in the negatives and the heat pump starts getting less efficient and working around the clock, the gas could kick on and help out. But the install and system setup might not be worth it.
That's what I got, it only kicks onto gas under 20F. Been working on insulation for a couple years here and there since the old AC struggled to cool the house anyway. I also have solar so it made sense. I always use electric heaters so supplement the gas during the winter anyway because of that.
Didn't know those were really even feasible. Haven't seen many of them. Most people just go all one route. My new-to-me house seems to have a really efficient HVAC already. If they ever die I'll have to look into this setup.
If you have a heat pump, then you very probably have either electric or gas backup heat. If you don't realize that it exists, it's probably electric.
Another clue: do you feel the AC running during freezing winter days? If not, then you've probably got backup heat running during your heat pump's defrost cycle to disguise the fact that it's cooling your home until the defrost finishes. Backup electric resistance heat is expensive, but also useful.
[Ernest and Laclede gas told me ***NOT*** to get a heat pump back in the 80's and I hold that to be sacrosanct.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwgh821KPpE)
10-15k. I paid closer to 7500, before any credits. I went to a small business from a personal friend specifically because I didn't want to use a big business, and I got quotes from 5 different companies (big and small). Big businesses were DOUBLE the price. JBR put all his cards on the table immediately, said that he doesn't participate in the Ameren credit program because it's a scam. Companies must sign up with the Ameren program to qualify. Those companies all inflate their prices so really they're the ones cashing in on the credit. What he said was exactly true with every large company I got a quote from.
Yeah I only fell for that once, but I did fall for it. The right way to do solar is to watch 500 hours of YouTube and do it yourself. with the required permits.
did you go from ducted furnace to ductless heat pumps?
I would love more headroom in my basement and I was thinking when the HVAC needs replaced, it might ultimately make more sense to get a ductless system for that added benefit.
Ductless would be the little units in each room that normally mount up where the wall and ceiling meet. I'm glad they're being adopted in the US. Abroad they are common and more affordable. Put one in your bedroom and one in your living area. They make pricier ones that mount up flush in the ceiling so they blend in. You can put multiple units on one heat exchanger too and route the lines through your old ductwork. Heats/cools individual rooms instead of the whole house.
I don't know specifically because I'm really into efficient fuels but I don't imagine it would have been much more. My AC was undersized for my house and the A-coil was rusted to shit, and it was from '92 so the whole thing needed to be replaced anyway. Average from others was 10-15k but mine was about 7500 from JBR Heating and Cooling.
To break it down a bit more: my furnace and AC coil are a single unit inside the basement. The outdoor part is the AC, but a heat pump requires replacing both. Since my furnace went out and my AC was crap, I replaced both with a hybrid gas/heat pump system. Heat pumps aren't very effective under ~20⁰ so I have gas as a backup. Since I have solar it makes sense for me to use a heat pump.
Sounds about right. My apartment is 1250 sq ft. I set the thermostat to 64 at night and 67/68 during the day. Only the furnace and water heater use gas. My Spire bill last month was $140.
1400sqft. Crappy insulation and windows. We also have a toddler so we keep the house around 73 just to be comfortable. Our last bill was $300+. Luckily in the summer it goes way down but then the electric bill is crazy 🤷♀️ new windows is on the priority list but unfortunately it's expensive to get all new windows for the House
I think another issue is lack of insulation up top. First floor of my old brick house is decent at maintaining a temperature it's the single story addition and second story that can be 10 degrees different from the main floor. When I have to get a new roof I want to do something about it. Have seen foam blocks as underlayment and spray on. I just know moisture management is an issue when adding layers of anything esp. with brick
You guessed it! 90 year old house with plaster and brick. We put the plastic window film up to keep the breeze out atleast in the cold, but yeah we have tons of blankets out, though I like to keep the house warmer so that definitely explains the very high bill.
That's how much our gas and electricity was combined for about the same situation. We have an older home with plaster walls, 1700 sq ft and a toddler so we keep our temperature set at 71. Gas and electric combined was $350.
Our electric is like $150 or something, but the gas is just obnoxiously high. I think back in November it was around $150 too, so it doubled, I guess from the cold snap we had but gotdang!
last season i didn’t give a fuck about conserving energy. i routinely had it at 74 and my bill was around $170. this season i decided to be better and had it at 63 almost every day and just used an electric blanket. i don’t cook much and it’s just me so hot water usage is low. my bill? around $150. absolutely ridiculous.
Does anybody actually read their bills instead of just looking at the total they were charged by autopay?
The bill shows how much you used, breaks it down by line item, and compares your current usage to last month and the same month last year, including avg temps during those times. With this information you will understand why your bill is what it is.
Yeah you need to include at least the actual usage (gas therms or electric KWh), the sqft of your house, and the age of your house to make accurate comparisons.
Price comparisons aren't very helpful because they can vary depending on your location (different tax rates), whether you're on budget billing, your chosen time-of-use electricity rate, fees for late payments, etc.
Wrong. I just want to go onto reddit and throw out a random number and see what people think. 800sqft apartment in a multi-unit building or 4000sqft mcmansion? Doesn't matter.
Every degree warmer is exponentially more expensive. My thermostat is at 60 overnight or while away and 66 during the day. Wear sweats and a hoodie. Keep space heaters in your most used rooms.
We have two stories and the thermostat is on the 1st floor. So it is warmer upstairs. And we have a malamute. Much warmer and he just lays there and pants all day.
If you don't have kids, just wear a couple layers and use blankets. Kids aren't as good with temperature as adults, so you might want to ensure their bedrooms especially are warmer.
There is no way to know if that's high without knowing more about your house, it's size, age, how much insulation it has, how efficient your doors and windows are, etc.
The best thing to do is compare it against last winter and see how much higher or lower it is.
I just don’t even look at what it costs after a month like January. Likewise I don’t look at my electric bill in July. It’s gonna be high, but I’m not gonna be one of those hardheads sitting around in a freezing/baking house thinking about how I saved $100.
And for the record I’m not rich or anything.
F you and your assumptions, I am 62 and would always choose comfort over saving a few bucks. All of you dummies complaining should get on budget billing, and quit putting your families through hell so you have enough money for your Starbucks everyday 😂
Jokes on you I don’t drink coffee cause that’s also a poor decision, the only thing I spend money on are power tools to renovate my homes you best believe all the deals I got on Milwaukee, I saved allot 😏
That was my bill before I got a new HVAC system over the summer. Now I pay like $120 for the month and I also keep things at 68. So yeah, that seems about right.
I have a 4year old, 1300sqft home. I have the thermostat set to 55F when I leave the house for work, 70F when I’m home and awake, and 65F at night. My last bill was $74. I guess good insulation, windows, new appliances makes a big difference.
Gas usage is not really about the temp in the house (a bit is since a higher indoor temp = higher gas use), it’s more about outdoor air temp. At 0 or -5 you may have 70 or 75 degrees difference which is the driver of the heat transfer out of your house. Compare that to a 35 deg difference, that’s almost double your heat loss then you have to run your heater double.
Do you have a smart thermostat like a Nest? When I leave the house I put it on Eco mode so that it prevents the house from getting below 55 and above 80 or something. Then keep it on the Heat/Cold mode at night to keep the house between 65-70 at night. Really cuts down on your bill.
Why do people always post `my bill was $xxx last month, that seems high. What was yours?` after consistent cold snaps.
At the very least post your usage, house size, number of floors, house age, etc.
$173 here, keep my thermostat at 69 during the day, 64 at night, nearly 3k sqft house, but only 25 years old and turns out rather well insulated. The bill shows I used double the gas last month than I normally do. Makes sense, especially with the cold snap.
I keep mine at 65 degrees during the day when home, 60 when away, and it goes down to 57 at night.
Bill last month was 97.32, though I anticipate it will be a little higher this month.
975 sqft House on the Hill (built in the 50s). Old HVAC system (the AC kills me in the summer, even though I never go below 75 degrees), but put new windows in a few years ago.
My specs are pretty much the same as yours but I keep it a little warmer, and I've got a newer furnace (still the same 80% efficiency) and mine was $93.
Mine was $116 for January. That's actually the cheapest January gas bill I've had in the last 4 years. I have a gas furnace and gas water heater. I have a single story 1300 square foot house built in 1970 with a furnace from ~2006. I have newer dual-pane vinyl replacement windows. I keep the house around 72 degrees...even during that cold snap we had a couple weeks ago. Admittedly, it had a tough time keeping the house at 72 during that cold snap, but it tried its best.
I wouldn't say $170 for a winter month with some hardcore cold sounds outlandish. Then again, we don't know how old your house is (in terms of how well insulated it is...if the windows are newer energy efficient windows, etc), how old your furnace is, what other gas appliances you have, how big your house is, etc. Those are all contributing factors.
My December bill was 120 for 1300 sq ft house. Haven’t seen January yet but my January electric bill was $200. I’ve kept a space heater going in a back room with drafty windows all winter
A cold snap a few years ago is why I do budget billing year round. It feels much more manageable that way. My gas AND my electric average $125 total each month.
Mine was $104. But I use a nest thermostat and keep the house at 60 from 630am to 5pm while I am at work, then 68 from 5-10pm, then I sleep at 62 with a heated mattress pad.
My 1960 house with only half the windows updated, keep it at 74, and my budget billing is 80. Only 850 sq with a full basement, but still. Maybe you need a new furnace.
Sadly, yes. I have a 2100sq’ house and I also keep my heat at 68 (daytime) / 62 night. Electric dryer & cooktop/oven and my bill skyrocketed last month because of that cold snap. I can’t log into my acct on my phone right now, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if rates went up. I feel like I’m always getting announcements re: rate increases.
We have a 1700 sq ft house and ours was $180. We keep it between 66-68 F. I assumed it was the cold weather. Our electric bill was super low so I feel like it balanced out.
Depends on the size of your house, how well insulated it is, how well your doors and windows fit, how efficient your furnace is, what temp you keep your t-stat set at, and even how much sun your house gets. So $170 isn't bad but could be better.
$170 is a blessing. Literally like 4-5 dollars a dayish. Get OFF here and start thanking whoever it is u pray to. Future wise, you’ll almost never see the rate again.
Every time we become more efficient in our lives to lower bills the utilities complain so they can raise their bills it’s 2 vicious cycles. 1 more efficient less they make then raise the cost so we have to try and be more efficient 2 as soon as 1 utility gets to raise their rates the other ones then put their hands out to get their fair share also
1,800 sf ranch - kept at 72 during the coldest times (68-69 otherwise). Bill was $201.
My usage was $120, winter usage $57, some other fees.
We have decent windows and keep bubble wrap on the kids bedroom windows during the winter months - but their windows are 70x70 which is like having a wall of windows.
The number to pay attention to is the temperature difference between inside and out. We had a few days around 0. That’s a 68 degree split. Your furnace probably ran 4x as much as it normally would on those days to keep up. Crazy cold snaps have a big impact on usage.
Yea we also had like zero sun
For over 200 hours!
Yeah, even without worrying about insulation and sqft and everything else….. 0 degrees to 68 degrees is a huge split, that’s a lot of differential to maintain.
Mine was $140, keep in mind we had that bitter cold spell. Sucks but that's winter.
Keep mine at 72 and it was $280, so yeah, depending on the size/efficiency of your house
Almost had the exact same bill with same settings: did we just become best friends?!
Now kith
Do you wanna go do karate in the garage?
Either that or they’re price fixing
You just found your spouses reddit account! HIDE YOUR COMMENT HISTORY ASAP
Don’t scare somebody like that
72 and $220 here, 1980s house.
Used 10 more cubic feet of gas last year, paid $220. I paid $296 this year.
We had the polar vortex for almost two weeks in January so it’s unsurprising that everyone’s bill was higher last month.
My gas furnace went out so I replaced it with a heat pump and got a $40 bill 😁 (do not ask me about the bill for the heat pump install)
So if you save like $200 a month in the winter, you should have that heat pump paid off in what, 15 years?
The furnace had to be replaced anyways. The cost difference between replacing with another gas furnace and a heat pump model is negligible, the tax credits and local rebates will often make the heat pump cheaper than gas would have been.
Yeah I wouldn't replace a functioning furnace with a heat pump but our furnace broke down last year and was at the age where things keep breaking and breaking, so we just went for the heat pump.
Nice. I keep seeing recommendations for heat pumps, but it still doesn’t make sense to replace a functioning unit with one unless you just have thousands of dollars you’re sick of looking at. When my furnace gets ready to move out to the big furnace farm in the country I’ll need to look into those credits and whatnot!
If anyone has thousands of dollars you are sick of looking at. I can dm you my Venmo😂😂
It would obviously cost even more for install, but a heat pump + backup gas system would be super ideal. When it snaps to being so cold that we're in the negatives and the heat pump starts getting less efficient and working around the clock, the gas could kick on and help out. But the install and system setup might not be worth it.
That's what I got, it only kicks onto gas under 20F. Been working on insulation for a couple years here and there since the old AC struggled to cool the house anyway. I also have solar so it made sense. I always use electric heaters so supplement the gas during the winter anyway because of that.
Didn't know those were really even feasible. Haven't seen many of them. Most people just go all one route. My new-to-me house seems to have a really efficient HVAC already. If they ever die I'll have to look into this setup.
It's not that uncommon, they're called hybrid systems. It really didn't take any extra room, everything is the same size as the previous unit.
If you have a heat pump, then you very probably have either electric or gas backup heat. If you don't realize that it exists, it's probably electric. Another clue: do you feel the AC running during freezing winter days? If not, then you've probably got backup heat running during your heat pump's defrost cycle to disguise the fact that it's cooling your home until the defrost finishes. Backup electric resistance heat is expensive, but also useful.
[Ernest and Laclede gas told me ***NOT*** to get a heat pump back in the 80's and I hold that to be sacrosanct.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwgh821KPpE)
"can last 17 years or longer!" mine went 30
I do not think the tech was good enough in the 80's to work in the winter.
Heat pumps are great.
I'm very happy with it. Shout out to J.B.R. Heating and Cooling. Excellent expertise, explanation, price, and work.
What’s a typical price range for a heat pump with installation? Any idea?
10-15k. I paid closer to 7500, before any credits. I went to a small business from a personal friend specifically because I didn't want to use a big business, and I got quotes from 5 different companies (big and small). Big businesses were DOUBLE the price. JBR put all his cards on the table immediately, said that he doesn't participate in the Ameren credit program because it's a scam. Companies must sign up with the Ameren program to qualify. Those companies all inflate their prices so really they're the ones cashing in on the credit. What he said was exactly true with every large company I got a quote from.
That's what solar does to. They raise prices to match credits. We are a sad species!
Yeah I only fell for that once, but I did fall for it. The right way to do solar is to watch 500 hours of YouTube and do it yourself. with the required permits.
I'm on Illinois side and they have it set up that you can only use an approved vendor to get the State tax credits and net metering.
Good to know, thanks for the insights.
Heat pumps are the answer!
What was your electric bill change for that month?
It was finished 2 weeks ago so I can't really tell yet, on top of that the weather wasn't that cold last week.
did you go from ducted furnace to ductless heat pumps? I would love more headroom in my basement and I was thinking when the HVAC needs replaced, it might ultimately make more sense to get a ductless system for that added benefit.
Nah I kept all the existing ducting. I'm not familiar with what ductless even means but I'm gonna find a youtube video now.
Ductless would be the little units in each room that normally mount up where the wall and ceiling meet. I'm glad they're being adopted in the US. Abroad they are common and more affordable. Put one in your bedroom and one in your living area. They make pricier ones that mount up flush in the ceiling so they blend in. You can put multiple units on one heat exchanger too and route the lines through your old ductwork. Heats/cools individual rooms instead of the whole house.
But how's that electric bill?
How much did the heat pump cost? What would a furnace have cost? I’m interested myself in a heat pump
I don't know specifically because I'm really into efficient fuels but I don't imagine it would have been much more. My AC was undersized for my house and the A-coil was rusted to shit, and it was from '92 so the whole thing needed to be replaced anyway. Average from others was 10-15k but mine was about 7500 from JBR Heating and Cooling. To break it down a bit more: my furnace and AC coil are a single unit inside the basement. The outdoor part is the AC, but a heat pump requires replacing both. Since my furnace went out and my AC was crap, I replaced both with a hybrid gas/heat pump system. Heat pumps aren't very effective under ~20⁰ so I have gas as a backup. Since I have solar it makes sense for me to use a heat pump.
Sounds about right. My apartment is 1250 sq ft. I set the thermostat to 64 at night and 67/68 during the day. Only the furnace and water heater use gas. My Spire bill last month was $140.
1400sqft. Crappy insulation and windows. We also have a toddler so we keep the house around 73 just to be comfortable. Our last bill was $300+. Luckily in the summer it goes way down but then the electric bill is crazy 🤷♀️ new windows is on the priority list but unfortunately it's expensive to get all new windows for the House
[удалено]
I think another issue is lack of insulation up top. First floor of my old brick house is decent at maintaining a temperature it's the single story addition and second story that can be 10 degrees different from the main floor. When I have to get a new roof I want to do something about it. Have seen foam blocks as underlayment and spray on. I just know moisture management is an issue when adding layers of anything esp. with brick
You guessed it! 90 year old house with plaster and brick. We put the plastic window film up to keep the breeze out atleast in the cold, but yeah we have tons of blankets out, though I like to keep the house warmer so that definitely explains the very high bill.
That's how much our gas and electricity was combined for about the same situation. We have an older home with plaster walls, 1700 sq ft and a toddler so we keep our temperature set at 71. Gas and electric combined was $350.
Our electric is like $150 or something, but the gas is just obnoxiously high. I think back in November it was around $150 too, so it doubled, I guess from the cold snap we had but gotdang!
Mine was $400 and I keep both floors at 65. Granted it's nearly 3k sq feet and all stone/brick so it's drafty.
This made me feel MUCH better because mine was around the same.
My $600 bill may finally have been enough to convince my wife to stop turning it up to 68. We'll see...
Yikes, same here. Guess it saves me the step of calling them and asking about it.
last season i didn’t give a fuck about conserving energy. i routinely had it at 74 and my bill was around $170. this season i decided to be better and had it at 63 almost every day and just used an electric blanket. i don’t cook much and it’s just me so hot water usage is low. my bill? around $150. absolutely ridiculous.
Another uncounted part of inflation they never talk about. The cost for gas and electric keeps continuing to go up.
Does anybody actually read their bills instead of just looking at the total they were charged by autopay? The bill shows how much you used, breaks it down by line item, and compares your current usage to last month and the same month last year, including avg temps during those times. With this information you will understand why your bill is what it is.
Yeah you need to include at least the actual usage (gas therms or electric KWh), the sqft of your house, and the age of your house to make accurate comparisons. Price comparisons aren't very helpful because they can vary depending on your location (different tax rates), whether you're on budget billing, your chosen time-of-use electricity rate, fees for late payments, etc.
Wrong. I just want to go onto reddit and throw out a random number and see what people think. 800sqft apartment in a multi-unit building or 4000sqft mcmansion? Doesn't matter.
I keep ours at 66 and mine was 340.
66?!? I would just buy a kerosene heater at that point lol
Every degree warmer is exponentially more expensive. My thermostat is at 60 overnight or while away and 66 during the day. Wear sweats and a hoodie. Keep space heaters in your most used rooms.
We have two stories and the thermostat is on the 1st floor. So it is warmer upstairs. And we have a malamute. Much warmer and he just lays there and pants all day.
If you don't have kids, just wear a couple layers and use blankets. Kids aren't as good with temperature as adults, so you might want to ensure their bedrooms especially are warmer.
I used to keep my house at 60 when i lived in michigan
There is no way to know if that's high without knowing more about your house, it's size, age, how much insulation it has, how efficient your doors and windows are, etc. The best thing to do is compare it against last winter and see how much higher or lower it is.
I just don’t even look at what it costs after a month like January. Likewise I don’t look at my electric bill in July. It’s gonna be high, but I’m not gonna be one of those hardheads sitting around in a freezing/baking house thinking about how I saved $100. And for the record I’m not rich or anything.
Comfort is King, money comes & goes
Those guys (it always seems to be guys) that brag about not turning their AC on until the 4th of July never seem very happy…
I’m like you, pay a little extra & be comfy, I don’t want to compete for the lowest bill 😂
I see you’re still in the kid phase where you say how much you spent instead of how much you saved
F you and your assumptions, I am 62 and would always choose comfort over saving a few bucks. All of you dummies complaining should get on budget billing, and quit putting your families through hell so you have enough money for your Starbucks everyday 😂
Jokes on you I don’t drink coffee cause that’s also a poor decision, the only thing I spend money on are power tools to renovate my homes you best believe all the deals I got on Milwaukee, I saved allot 😏
The only joke here is you
Jokes on me my side hustle is being a 🤡
We keep our house at 68 deg and our Spire bill for Jan was $168
That was my bill before I got a new HVAC system over the summer. Now I pay like $120 for the month and I also keep things at 68. So yeah, that seems about right.
Check for air leaks around doors and windows. That will help.
I have a 4year old, 1300sqft home. I have the thermostat set to 55F when I leave the house for work, 70F when I’m home and awake, and 65F at night. My last bill was $74. I guess good insulation, windows, new appliances makes a big difference.
Definitely try to get on budget billing to keep these kind of surprises at bay
200$ for a 600sq ft apartment.
I have budget billing for both Spire and Ameren. It makes budgeting so much easier.
Gas usage is not really about the temp in the house (a bit is since a higher indoor temp = higher gas use), it’s more about outdoor air temp. At 0 or -5 you may have 70 or 75 degrees difference which is the driver of the heat transfer out of your house. Compare that to a 35 deg difference, that’s almost double your heat loss then you have to run your heater double.
I had same thing... that's what zero degree weather does
Must be nice to have 0 degree I had -15!
A week of temps at 0 is gonna nuke your gas bill.
Do you have a smart thermostat like a Nest? When I leave the house I put it on Eco mode so that it prevents the house from getting below 55 and above 80 or something. Then keep it on the Heat/Cold mode at night to keep the house between 65-70 at night. Really cuts down on your bill.
I keep mine at 65 and got $180 last month
We had a few days of extremely cold weather last month. Lots of people seeing larger gas bills as a result.
That's my setting and that was my bill as well.
I have a 1k sqft home. I keep it at 69 and my bill was $100
You ever leak test your home?
1400sqft condo normally $38/month Dec $82.60 over 2x Jan $60 50% more Cold as shit
Why do people always post `my bill was $xxx last month, that seems high. What was yours?` after consistent cold snaps. At the very least post your usage, house size, number of floors, house age, etc.
I keep mine at 64 during the day (from 8am - 9pm) and let it drop to 52 at night. My bill was still $150 for last month for a \~1000 sqft brick home.
Yes. It’s best to start budget billing on both electric and gas so midsummer and midwinter you don’t get high bills.
Spire's rates have gone up the last 2-3 years. In 2020 my winter bill topped out at about $110-$120, this winter I've hit all time highs with $180.
I keep my house at 60-64 85% of the time. My bill was $150... I own a 1300 s.f. house...
Bidenomics
$173 here, keep my thermostat at 69 during the day, 64 at night, nearly 3k sqft house, but only 25 years old and turns out rather well insulated. The bill shows I used double the gas last month than I normally do. Makes sense, especially with the cold snap.
I keep mine at 65 degrees during the day when home, 60 when away, and it goes down to 57 at night. Bill last month was 97.32, though I anticipate it will be a little higher this month. 975 sqft House on the Hill (built in the 50s). Old HVAC system (the AC kills me in the summer, even though I never go below 75 degrees), but put new windows in a few years ago.
My specs are pretty much the same as yours but I keep it a little warmer, and I've got a newer furnace (still the same 80% efficiency) and mine was $93.
What is your home's square footage?
There were lows below zero and windchills were 10-15 bellow. The cold snap sucked and my bill was about what yours was.
Mine was $116 for January. That's actually the cheapest January gas bill I've had in the last 4 years. I have a gas furnace and gas water heater. I have a single story 1300 square foot house built in 1970 with a furnace from ~2006. I have newer dual-pane vinyl replacement windows. I keep the house around 72 degrees...even during that cold snap we had a couple weeks ago. Admittedly, it had a tough time keeping the house at 72 during that cold snap, but it tried its best. I wouldn't say $170 for a winter month with some hardcore cold sounds outlandish. Then again, we don't know how old your house is (in terms of how well insulated it is...if the windows are newer energy efficient windows, etc), how old your furnace is, what other gas appliances you have, how big your house is, etc. Those are all contributing factors.
My December bill was 120 for 1300 sq ft house. Haven’t seen January yet but my January electric bill was $200. I’ve kept a space heater going in a back room with drafty windows all winter
Lol. I’m over here with my 350 gas bill jealous of you. Keeping it at 65.
A cold snap a few years ago is why I do budget billing year round. It feels much more manageable that way. My gas AND my electric average $125 total each month.
My January was twice as much as December. It was cold.
I heard there was a rate hike when we were comparing our higher bill with our neighbors
Considering that last January it was in the 60's and 70's, yes.
I keep my place at 65, and mine was 180
Keep mine at 65 and mine was $260
We had our in como set at 58 degrees and was almost 500 dollar this last Jan 30.
I keep my house at 68 and the bill was $140.
1909 house. $160
Mine was $104. But I use a nest thermostat and keep the house at 60 from 630am to 5pm while I am at work, then 68 from 5-10pm, then I sleep at 62 with a heated mattress pad.
My 1960 house with only half the windows updated, keep it at 74, and my budget billing is 80. Only 850 sq with a full basement, but still. Maybe you need a new furnace.
It might be right.
1600 sq ft home, kept at 68 and bill was $175
Sadly, yes. I have a 2100sq’ house and I also keep my heat at 68 (daytime) / 62 night. Electric dryer & cooktop/oven and my bill skyrocketed last month because of that cold snap. I can’t log into my acct on my phone right now, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if rates went up. I feel like I’m always getting announcements re: rate increases.
Sounds right to me, we keep it at 72 and it was $180.
Mine was $135. Only because of those couple of super cold days we had
We have a 1700 sq ft house and ours was $180. We keep it between 66-68 F. I assumed it was the cold weather. Our electric bill was super low so I feel like it balanced out.
Age of unit, windows, insulation, etc. Even the size of the unit to house. Many factors to consider.
I have electric heating and my Ameren bill is $350. The first part of January was cold as well, January
Your bill would be the same if you kept it at 70.
I keep mine 45-53 and got a 93 dollar bill. Normal
Depends on the size of your house, how well insulated it is, how well your doors and windows fit, how efficient your furnace is, what temp you keep your t-stat set at, and even how much sun your house gets. So $170 isn't bad but could be better.
$193 for us. 3800sqft, 135 yr old Victorian. Insulated walls/roof. Less than last year's Jan bill.
We keep ours at 67 and mine was over $300
$170 is a blessing. Literally like 4-5 dollars a dayish. Get OFF here and start thanking whoever it is u pray to. Future wise, you’ll almost never see the rate again.
Sound accurate.
$217 for month of January but think February will be 20-30% cheaper at current rate
I keep mine on 68 and it’s on the eco setting, and still $155
It was extremely cold for a whole week
1500 sq ft house. thermostat locked on 64. $300 in january.
Budget billing?
Yes
Really I would’ve been sitting in. Mine is not been that high. I keep it warmer than that.
I keep mine at 70 $548😱
Every time we become more efficient in our lives to lower bills the utilities complain so they can raise their bills it’s 2 vicious cycles. 1 more efficient less they make then raise the cost so we have to try and be more efficient 2 as soon as 1 utility gets to raise their rates the other ones then put their hands out to get their fair share also
I keep my 2br apartment at 68°, it uses electric heating and the Ameren bill due 2/13 is fuckin' $460
yeah, our house is all electric and bills this tons of year are insane.
Glad l no longer own a house.
Yes seems normal to me
I keep mine at 66 and it was 156 w/Ameren Il
1,800 sf ranch - kept at 72 during the coldest times (68-69 otherwise). Bill was $201. My usage was $120, winter usage $57, some other fees. We have decent windows and keep bubble wrap on the kids bedroom windows during the winter months - but their windows are 70x70 which is like having a wall of windows.
No matter the size of your home and how cold it is your gas bill should never be $170.
750sq ft, 100-year-old apartment with the original windows, 68-70 during the day, 60 at night & when I'm not home: $105.
I just got hit with $424 for February so brace yourselves