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Old 12-06-2008, 02:19 PM
 
24 posts, read 120,388 times
Reputation: 36

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Quote:
Originally Posted by dinalkulp View Post
Our PSNC gas bill jumped from $54 in Oct to a shocking $185 in Nov! Something has to be wrong We didn't do anything different other than run our gas fireplace a few times in the evening. We keep the thermostat set to 68-70

I had the same type of jump. October was $58, November $201. Interesting that you mention the gas fireplace. We used ours several times (this is the first time we have had one), and I am now wondering if that is the main culprit.
I am going to cut that off and see what gives, as well as call PSNC.

I am sure my heating system needs could be more efficient, though, as it is from 1992.
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Old 12-06-2008, 02:25 PM
 
Location: Raleigh-Durham/Triangle
376 posts, read 1,060,205 times
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I was paying bills yesterday and also noticed a huge jump. I guess gas is a lot more expensive than our electric here (nuclear), because we kept the house frosty in summer with the a/c and it was cheapish. We do the same in winter, i.e., keep the house toasty, and the gas is expensive. Our last bill was $48. This month's bill was $116. We have 3000 sf. And that was just for the November bill. I expect it will even go higher as winter weather continues on.
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Old 12-06-2008, 07:58 PM
 
835 posts, read 2,873,567 times
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It would be interesting to know what they say and to see what December's bill is after cutting back on the gas fireplace. Our home is a brand new 3400 sq ft house so shouldn't be a problem with the heat system, as it passed inspection. We have had to jimmy around the temp settings at night though because the thermostat upstairs is right at the top of the stairs where the heat from below in the foyer would rise to it and cause it to not come on much during the night. We'd wake up freezing! We've since been setting the downstairs to 68 at night and the second floor to 69. I always thought you did just the opposite and set temp on the top floor a degree or two lower since heart rises. But we can't do that here if we want to be warm during the night.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmike View Post
I had the same type of jump. October was $58, November $201. Interesting that you mention the gas fireplace. We used ours several times (this is the first time we have had one), and I am now wondering if that is the main culprit.
I am going to cut that off and see what gives, as well as call PSNC.

I am sure my heating system needs could be more efficient, though, as it is from 1992.
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Old 01-03-2009, 07:01 AM
 
835 posts, read 2,873,567 times
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As if last month's heating bill wasn't a shocker enough, December's bill floored us!! When we call PSNC last month they told us the colder weather and the gas fireplace use could have made the huge difference in our heating bill jump. Well with December's mild temperatures and having not used the fireplace even once, our Dec. bill jumped to $250!! What is going on?
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Old 01-03-2009, 07:05 AM
 
Location: Holy Springs, NC
40 posts, read 86,442 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dinalkulp View Post
As if last month's heating bill wasn't a shocker enough, December's bill floored us!! When we call PSNC last month they told us the colder weather and the gas fireplace use could have made the huge difference in our heating bill jump. Well with December's mild temperatures and having not used the fireplace even once, our Dec. bill jumped to $250!! What is going on?

Sounds like you have a leak at or after the meter.
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Old 01-03-2009, 07:29 AM
 
1,231 posts, read 3,143,985 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 24-Jack View Post
Sounds like you have a leak at or after the meter.
I doubt that. Wouldnt they smell something?
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Old 01-03-2009, 07:32 AM
 
Location: Raleigh
542 posts, read 1,522,607 times
Reputation: 760
I quickly read through this entire thread and nobody mentioned duct leakage as a one of the primary causes of high gas bills. A study by a local non-profit concluded that the typical home has duct leakage numbers from 15-20% with some homes approaching 50% or higher due to disconnected ducts. If you have 20% duct leakage that means that for every $100 you spend to heat or cool your house, $20 of that goes to heating or cooling your crawl or attic. Once you have your ducts tested (by a certified HERS rater) and sealed and then insulated, your ceiling plane becomes the next critical area to tackle. Prior to having a ton of insulation blow into your attic, all thermal bypasses, aka chases, holes, and penetrations in the thermal envelope need to be capped with rigid material and then air-sealed. Once you tackle those two projects your bills should drop dramatically.

Mike
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Old 01-03-2009, 07:32 AM
 
Location: Holy Springs, NC
40 posts, read 86,442 times
Reputation: 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by stantheman78 View Post
I doubt that. Wouldnt they smell something?

Depends on where it is. It could be in the attic or another place that gets vented. The amount they paid for one month is about half what I pay all year. Something is off.
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Old 01-03-2009, 09:16 AM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
12,475 posts, read 32,189,719 times
Reputation: 9450
Hubby was complaining that our December gas bill jumped, even over last year. Our house is about 3,000 sq. feet, was built in 1990 and we keep both the upstairs and the downstairs thermostat set at 68 degrees. Downstairs unit was replaced a couple of years ago but upstairs unit is original.

I DID run the gas logs alot on the very cold days. I love the look and feel! Hubby says it cost $$$ to run the logs more than just turning up the thermostat.

Oh well...gotta live.

Vicki
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Old 01-03-2009, 06:17 PM
 
9,680 posts, read 27,124,746 times
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I hear from our techs that fireplaces many times suck heat up the chimney.

Best use them only when the main system is unavailable.
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