Did your national grid bill skyrocket? (Accord: costs, bills, gas)

[chattyneighbor]

We are paying more then double what we paid last year at this time and from last month to this month experienced another $75 increase. Meanwhile, we are barely able to stay warm and so far, have had a really mild winter. New tank too. Anybody else experiencing this?

[Febtober]

I used 249 therms in the last billing cycle, compared to 170 for the same period last year. However I also switched my downstairs heat from baseboard to radiant, and converted my wood fireplace to gas, which I enjoy running, so I'd imagine that accounts for a chunk of it.

According to their website, I'm using 12% more gas than my neighbors, so it's higher, but not drastically so.

[twingles]

Originally Posted by chattyneighbor

We are paying more then double what we paid last year at this time and from last month to this month experienced another $75 increase. Meanwhile, we are barely able to stay warm and so far, have had a really mild winter. New tank too. Anybody else experiencing this?

What does "New tank" mean?

[Jdawg8181]

Originally Posted by twingles

What does "New tank" mean?

New boiler i would think ... water tank

[lubby]

Nope

[ovi8]

No it actually went down $7 compared to last year.

Jan 2020 (121 Therms for Dec 2019): $151
Jan 2021 (101 Therms for Dec 2020): $144

November to December usage does traditionally spike due to temp changes.
44 therms for Nov 2019: $94
39 therms for Nov 2020: $94

What does your usage comparison look like?

[likm]

The Jan 2020 bill indicates that I used six less therms when compared to the Jan 2021 bill. The Jan 2020 bill is $12.07 more than the Jan 2021 bill.



The Jan 2019 bill indicates I used eight less therms when compared to the Jan 2020 bill. The Jan 2019 bill was $46.87 more than the Jan 2020 bill.


For us, the Jan bill is typically reflecting more consumption than the Dec bill, so an increase is not a surprise. According to the National Grid site, the Dec billing period's average temperature was 51, while the Jan billing period's average temperature was 38. This year, our Jan consumption was basically double our Dec consumption.


Shockingly (to me), the May 2020 billing period shows the same average temperature of 51 as the Dec 2020 billing period. Both bills list the exact same consumption of therms. The difference is the Dec bill is $20.83 more than the May bill.



I think our increase in energy use is consistent with what I expect. The Jan 2020 increase is because I reduced the setback at night because my son is like a lawnmower in bed and basically can not keep a blanket over himself. The Jan 2021 increase is because there is no longer a daytime set back because we are working from home.


The energy usage has gone up year-over-year, but the cost has gone down. So, while I'd like to publicly flog National Grid - in this case, I can't. That said, I do wish I had ovi8's bill instead of mine!

[markjames68]

What’s the going rate per therm before fixed costs?

[ovi8]

Just found my Jan usage bill and it's 158 therms compared to last year Jan at 146 therms. Difference in cost is actually $13 less this year @ $173 despite more therms used. Most notable difference is the gas supply rate dropped from $0.44 to $0.37 per therm.

Big picture:
It costs ~$1.09 / therm.
We used 5 therms / day.
Over a year cycling summer & winter, it comes to an avg of $100/mo. for 2700sf. Can't complain.

[peconic117]

Nope mines actually been cheaper this season!