Am I paying too much for gas? (house, water heater)

[davidt1]

My first gas bill, for January of 2012, just came in at $117. It seems very high. Another suspicious thing that happened is right after I applied for gas PG&E came out to replace the gas meter even though there was nothing wrong with the old meter.

Please check the bill below and share your thoughts/advice. Thanks.

[cb73]

My gas bill was $90. How big is your house? How high do you turn up the heat?

[ryuns]

Do you have access to the "My usage" section of the PG&E website? If the meter is new, it may not have any data to compare, but if it's there, that should tell if you're using a lot of NG compared to similar households. It shows the average user, the lowest-using quintile, and then what you're using.

Another thought is that that's not extraordinarily high for a darn cold January, assuming you haven't taken too many steps to reduce your usage. We only rung up about $52 this month, but our house is pretty well-sealed and insulated (the raised foundation is a bit of a heat sink, however), it's only 1100 sf, and we're almost pathologically tight with the heater. We usually leave it at 56 when we're not around and at night (usually only gets down to about 58) and then we only crank it up to around 65 when we're home in the evening. (It does come on when people visit though!)

If your house is inefficient and you're in SMUD territory, I'd see about getting an energy audit done to see if it's worth the investment to increase your efficiency. There are, of course, some lower cost steps that make sense for most people: sealing gaps and cracks, insulating your attics, installing a low flow shower head (surprisingly painless--mine works great), and using a programmable thermostat.

It's also possible that your old meter actually did have something wrong with it. It's apparently pretty common for people to get new meters and have sticker shock with their next bill, and suspect they're being overbilled. Usually, it's that the old meter was actually underbilling and the new one is accurate. That may or may not be the case here.

Hope that helps!

[davidt1]

My house is around 1600 sf. I leave the thermostat on at 70 degree 24/7. Is that too much?

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by davidt1

My house is around 1600 sf. I leave the thermostat on at 70 degree 24/7. Is that too much?

You would see at least a 10% drop if you knock it back to 60 at night and during the day when you're not there. Maybe a bit more.

[Senno]

Start taking a navy shower, hehe.

Seems high indeed. How old is the ol water heater?

[davidt1]

Originally Posted by Senno

Start taking a navy shower, hehe.

Seems high indeed. How old is the ol water heater?

I looked around the water heater but couldn't find any date on it.

I am turning off the house heater and use portable heaters as needed instead.

I actually don't take showers at home.

Other suggestions are welcome/needed. Thanks.

[Senno]

Originally Posted by davidt1

I looked around the water heater but couldn't find any date on it.

I am turning off the house heater and use portable heaters as needed instead.

I actually don't take showers at home.

Other suggestions are welcome/needed. Thanks.

Well, not being able to find a date isn't good. That's pertinent information for a lot of things.

Understanding Water Heater Date Codes - The Inspector's Journal Forums

Is the stove gas?

[davidt1]

Yes, the stove is gas.

[Senno]

Originally Posted by davidt1

Yes, the stove is gas.

Cookin many 7 course meals?