SoCalGas: High Bills May Come as a Shock in January (apartments, house)

[vincenze]

My previous natural gas bill was high.
The next one will be even 128% higher.

https://newsroom.socalgas.com/storie...-some-tips-and

Customers can expect to see changes in their natural gas bills this winter due to the rise in natural gas prices. If your residential peak winter bill was around $65 last winter, you can expect to see bills closer to $160 this year. Similarly, if it was around $130 last winter, customers can expect to see bills around $315 this year.

SoCalGas recommends to lower temperatures in apartments.

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I remember Mr Trump announced several times that US natural gas prices were extremely low. So, he wanted to sell all US gas to Europe.

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by vincenze

I heard electricity is mostly produced using natural gas in California. I guess electric bills will also "come as a shock".

Yup, as burning bunker C fuel was deemed "too polluting." Our power plant (SDG&E) has converted to natural gas for this reason. Now, it turns out, nat. gas contributes to....to.....well, they say "climate change." I firmly believe that climate change occurs with the seasons, and that humans (specifically, white males) are NOT responsible for the rain, or snow or heat or cold. It just happens, all by itself, due to Earth inclination change. And this, humans are powerless to control, regardless of color or sex.

[CA4Now]

SoCalGas and other utilities have attributed the sudden and dramatic surge in prices to unusually cold winter weather in California and the Pacific Northwest, which boosted demand for heat, as well as supply and distribution constraints.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration pointed to reduced capacity because of pipeline maintenance in West Texas that lowered westbound natural gas flows. The EIA reported that Pacific region natural gas storage inventories in December were 30% below the five-year average.

Although colder winters do cause price hikes, “[natural] gas prices don’t just double overnight because things got a little colder than last year,” said Jamie Court of Consumer Watchdog.

Court said prices are being pushed higher in part because of natural gas supply that has been shipped in the form of liquefied natural gas to Europe, which had been building stockpiles in the face of natural gas cutoffs from Russia since that country invaded Ukraine in February.

“This is about all the LNG we are exporting to Europe,” Court said. “They’re selling our natural gas to Europe because they get a higher price.” The resultant inventory shortages lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers, he said — and the companies can put on the squeeze because “consumers really need it.”

https://www.latimes.com/business/sto...as-prices-soar

[509]

Thursday Wall Street Journal had an article on natural gas prices plunging due to warm weather in Europe and the eastern US.

However, natural gas in California might not be tied into those market areas. I don't know. It would be worth looking to see if California's supply of natural gas can be significantly increased.

"Most of the natural gas used in California comes from out-of-state natural gas basins. In 2017, for example, California utility customers received 38% of their natural gas supply from basins located in the U.S. Southwest, 27% from Canada, 27% from the U.S. Rocky Mountain area, and 8% from production located in California.*"

California is shutting down their own production.

More than you want to know about California natural gas from the state government itself.

https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-a...and-california

[vincenze]

Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ

It just happens, all by itself, due to Earth inclination change. And this, humans are powerless to control, regardless of color or sex.

The California elite doesn't need all these polluting factories.
It prefers to close them and build offices for companies that "design in California, make in China or Vietnam".

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Glad we can still use wood burning stoves in SD.

[joosoon]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Glad we can still use wood burning stoves in SD.

I rented a house once that only had a wood burning stove for heat. I burned through a TON of logs before I got the hang of regulating the airflow so it wouldn't just incinerate them in five minutes. And growing up here surrounded by groves, I recall a dude who used a smudge pot to heat his garage and that was life before CO detectors.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by joosoon

I rented a house once that only had a wood burning stove for heat. I burned through a TON of logs before I got the hang of regulating the airflow so it wouldn't just incinerate them in five minutes. And growing up here surrounded by groves, I recall a dude who used a smudge pot to heat his garage and that was life before CO detectors.

Yikes. Smudge pot is right up there with garage bbq. But, if you have ventilation.

[CA4Now]

Wow...they weren't kidding. I dreaded opening the bill; it's more than double the usual amount. And we turn the heat down to 60 at night!

[mgforshort]

Our last bill from PG&E is $ 481, gas and electric. Last year the highest was $ 332. Two-bedroom house, two people, two dogs, 1776 sq. feet. We knew the coming price hike so this winter we seldom light the NG fireplace insert or the Thelin stove to balance the cold spots, otherwise it would be much higher. Reading the e-mails ( be warned !) from PG&E I estimate next year's January bill could be close to $ 600.