How much is your gas bill? (apartment, house, water heater)

[Rogarven]

There has been quite a discussion on electricity bills. I am wondering, with weather turning colder, how much is your natural gas bills? Or, do a lot of people use wood in stoves and fireplaces? Electric heat? Thanks!

[wretched wrench]

We use propane for central heat and portable room heaters. We also use a lot of wood in a fireplace that has two fans and ducts that feed two other rooms.

Earlier this year we ugraded to a humungous (1000 gal) propane tank and are still using the initial fill at $1.95/gal.

[keninaz]

We have no other heating methods and keep it warm in our home during the winter at around 74°.
We heat water and cook with it too and the highest winter bill we have ever had was just over $100 but the normal winter bill is in the $70-80 range.
We don't travel much anymore so we are home all of the time in retirement.

[BriansPerspective]

Our gas bill seems pretty reasonable. We have a recirculating hot water heater, a gas dryer, and gas heat. Our summer bills are in the $20 range and our winter bills are in the $120 range. We have a gas insert in the fireplace which we will remove this year. We never use it, because it feels like burning money every time we turn it on. The fireplace was built for wood, not for gas, so gas doesn't put out a lot of heat. We're going to try wood this year and see how it goes. There's nothing like a nice wood fire on a cold winter evening.

[wretched wrench]

Originally Posted by BriansPerspective

There's nothing like a nice wood fire on a cold winter evening.

That's for sure. Wood is about the cheapest fuel as far as BTUs go, but a lot of it goes u the chimney of a fireplace, and that means more cold air is sucked in from outside.

If you take the gas insert out, consider a gas lighter in the fireplace. Very convenient.

[Low Roller]

I'm in a fairly large apartment with gas heating, dryer and water heater.

In summer my bill is about $20-$25, but in fall goes up to $35-$40, and in winter is around $80-$90.

I like a hot bath in the morning and evening, so that contributes significantly to the bill.

Am thinking of getting an electric heater for the living room, which should cut gas usage significantly.

[BriansPerspective]

Originally Posted by Low Roller

Am thinking of getting an electric heater for the living room, which should cut gas usage significantly.

I think electricity is far more expensive than gas. It's probably cheaper than propane though.

[wretched wrench]

Originally Posted by BriansPerspective

I think electricity is far more expensive than gas.

Yup. Around three times.

It's probably cheaper than propane though.

Nope. Propane is approx twice nat gas.


However, electricity all heats the room. With natural gas, propane, or wood, aa certain amount of the energy goes up the chimney or smokestack. In the case of propane space heaters, all the propane makes heat, but they require (cold) fresh air to enter the room to avoid oxygen depletion. This makes electricity not quite as expensive as the charts show, but still is the most expensive heat.

If you Google "Heating Fuel Comparison Calculator", a number of good sites will come up. They will all require adjusting to each person's prices and rate plan, but will give a general idea.

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by wretched wrench

That's for sure. Wood is about the cheapest fuel as far as BTUs go, but a lot of it goes u the chimney of a fireplace, and that means more cold air is sucked in from outside.

If you take the gas insert out, consider a gas lighter in the fireplace. Very convenient.

Wood is nice but very inefficient in a home. Wood chimney fireplaces suck out more of the homes warm air and it is one of the biggest loses in a home. Conventional wood fireplaces are extremely inefficient, averaging between -10% and +10% energy efficiency.

[wretched wrench]

Originally Posted by DellNec

Wood is nice but very inefficient in a home. Wood chimney fireplaces suck out more of the homes warm air and it is one of the biggest loses in a home. Conventional wood fireplaces are extremely inefficient, averaging between -10% and +10% energy efficiency.

That is true for old ones. I don't think conventional wood fireplaces are legal in new construction. Not sure when the laws changed, though.

The latest ones are pretty efficient. Ours is approved by the county, the EPA, Canada, Hillary, Joe Arpaio, everybody. I have also installed a passage for outside air to enter the house for combustion almost directly, without cooling off the house. Same for furnaces and water heater. All combustion air comes from the outside.