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Hi,
Are there any other utility companies in Fairfield County besides UI and SCG. These two seems to be charging us an arm and a leg when we only heat our home at the night. We don't have any dishwasher or any other appliance that consumes a lot of eletricity. For the past 3 months our combined bill from both is close to $500 and our home is only 1368 sq ft. I have called them and they kept saying that in winter the charges are usually very high. My neighbor told me that his home is insulated so his bills are not that high. Is anyone's bill high like this? How do you insulate a home? We don't have a basement nor an attic. Please advise as this is our first winter in CT.Thanks.
I live in a 5-room apartment near Hartford and last month our combined gas & electric bill was almost $300. The apartment is also not insulated. As far as I know there is no alternative gas company than what is provided by Energy East (which owns CNG, SNG, & Yankee Gas). It is true that both bills rise significantly in the winter, so you may just have to stick it out as the worst is hopefully over. If your bills remain high in the spring/summer (without A/C), then you might want to be more concerned and consider having UI do an energy audit.
Hi,
Are there any other utility companies in Fairfield County besides UI and SCG. These two seems to be charging us an arm and a leg when we only heat our home at the night. We don't have any dishwasher or any other appliance that consumes a lot of eletricity. For the past 3 months our combined bill from both is close to $500 and our home is only 1368 sq ft. I have called them and they kept saying that in winter the charges are usually very high. My neighbor told me that his home is insulated so his bills are not that high. Is anyone's bill high like this? How do you insulate a home? We don't have a basement nor an attic. Please advise as this is our first winter in CT.Thanks.
That is insane...something is definitely wrong there. Our home is about 2300 sq ft, with a basement and an attic, and we only have a little insulation in the attic. Found out the hard way after we bought the house 2 years ago that there is no insulation in the walls. Heating is oil-fired baseboard heat. The boiler is electric. We have a 4 month old, and keep the house at 68 during the day and 62 at night. And, we have a powerful computer that runs at least 12 hrs / day. Our electric bill averages $90 - 100. If you're paying that much, I would 1) have them do an audit and 2) you go buy one of those kill-a-watt devices and check out whats going on. If you have electric heat - that could be a big part of it. Electric heat is VERY expensive, and what you save in oil you more than pay for with your electric bill.
Wow! When we were living in an apartment in NYC, our Con Edison bill was only $75 in winter and about $100 in summer. What a sticker shock in CT.
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Those old NYC buildings are a really good deal: they include the heat and sometimes, the gas for cooking too. That is why the bill there was cheaper but in fact, ConEd is really expensive for what you get.
Your CT bill does look high for what you say you have. Try calling UI and see if there is a supplier that charges less. UI will still bill you but you can save a few dollars by having another supplier. I did that and switched to Dominion.
My place runs mostly on natural gas (heat, cooking, dryer and hot water heater). Right now my bill is OK, about $250 for both electric and gas (1000 sf place) but when I moved I had a sticker shock with UI: about $78 for only 15 days of use. When I called to complain, the woman just laughed at me and told me that "was the cheapest bill I was going to ever get". Around the same time, I bought an energy efficient refrigerator and my next bill (30 days) came down to $49...who is laughing now?
You may not have an attic but you should have some type of crawl space below the roof where to put some insulation. You might have to hire someone for this though. Home Depot/Lowes may be able to help you with information.
My husband is from this area and says that there are not any other utility companies. I would ask your utility company to come into your home and perform an audit meaning look over your home and see where you are losing energy. I use to work for NU and they provide this service to their homeowners. Go online to your utility's website and see what types of energy saving services they do have. Good luck!
How much is your electric bill by itself? I see you gave a combined figure for gas and electric.
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Oct-May between $47-70
Jun-Sept bet $80-105 using central air at night as needed.
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