quote:
Originally posted by andybGot mine yesterday. It spanned all of the cold, 12/19-1/22. F($#), it was double. $423, SCE&G. That’s 1760 SF, 60’s ranch, and a 15 year old gas pack. unit.
Andyb - you need an energy audit to find out what is going on, I have no doubt you could easily cut that bill 20-50%
my house is 1990 construction, 2,800 sq ft and the average bill is $135, I haven’t gotten the bill for the cold snap
www.militaryappreciationday.org
Pioneer 197SF
15 yr old gas pac but how old is ductwork? You could be heating/cooling crawlspace. Seen package units changed out two/three times on existing
ductwork.
Everyone’s bill will be about double what you are used to after the snowpocalypse
After being released, a lot of fish die, but a lot of them live also.
got my bill yesterday, it went up $65, from $179 to $244, for a 34 day billing period, $23 was electricity and $42 was gas
the average temp last year was 52 degrees, this year 44 degrees, you may be wondering why my bill didn’t go up that much
interestingly, I normally set my T-stat back in the daytime while we are gone, this year we did not do that so that caused the bill to rise, and then of course it was cold, I did not run my fireplace (that causes the bill to rise), and we have a gas water heater
the reason my “normal” bill is low and why this one isn’t too high is because I’ve done the basic stuff: minimized infiltration, good insulation, proper (controlled) ventilation, and we turn stuff off
the T-stat is set on 68 or 69 and we wear jeans and long sleeve shirts, I laugh when I see high bills and the T-stat is set on 75 so they can wear shorts and t-shirts, that luxury is expensive, put some dang clothes on
same stuff I’ve been encouraging for years, it works
good news is I’m on the Equal Pay Plan so the actual bill is still $136
for those that question the Weather Normalization Adjustment, for my billing period there was a 4.6 cents reduction per therm
Pioneer 197SF
my bill for January was $400. 1972 built, 2300sq ft brick ranch style. ALL lights are LED. Gas water heater. 8 year old gas pack. with 8 year old duct work. duct work was resealed 3 years ago. I’ve tried signing up for the energy audit but have had no success yet.
Proline 201WA
Aloha 24ft pontoon (LooneyToon)
Old Town stern with 7.5 johnson
quote:
Originally posted by TheMechanicmy bill for January was $400. 1972 built, 2300sq ft brick ranch style. ALL lights are LED. Gas water heater. 8 year old gas pack. with 8 year old duct work. duct work was resealed 3 years ago. I’ve tried signing up for the energy audit but have had no success yet.
Proline 201WA
Aloha 24ft pontoon (LooneyToon)
Old Town stern with 7.5 johnson
If no one calls you back I’ll come do it myself.
Pioneer 197SF
Oh yes, I know we have lot of room for improvement to make it more efficient. Original single pane windows. Insulation in the crawlspace looks like it was done by the previous owner, in a half ass way and not done entirely. Duct work is not antique, but needs work also. Does have cellulose in the attic. Winter t-stat is 68-70. Summer t-stat is 75-76, sometime higher when not home during the day, but fiance works nights and is home during the day.
All boils down to how much money we want to spend on it and how long we plan to stay in this house.
edit: Oh yeah, forgot to mention there’s a pool pump to consider in my power bill too. I replaced it last year with a variable speed pump. But I did run it wide open 24/7 through all this.
the crawl space insulation doesn’t make much difference
attic insulation is a big deal, cellulose compacts over time and its highly likely that you may not have sufficient insulation, you can buy bulk fiberglass insulation at Lowe’s or HD and blow it in yourself, it’s a 2-person job and it’s easy if you don’t overload the machine, but, BUT, before you do that, it’s super important that you go in the attic with some canned foam and find every penetration that goes from your air-conditioned house into the attic, look for electric wire, plumbing pipes and light fixtures, uncover each one then seal them with the foam, this stops the air that is leaking between your house and the attic, stopping the leaks and adding insulation (if it is needed) can easily cut the bill 20-40%
windows would help, not so much for the double pane but much more for the insulation level of the frame and especially for the significant reduction in infiltration (air leaks)
infiltration is almost always the biggest problem, some of it is easy to fix on a 1 story house, first step is the attic, then windows, doors and outlets, then the crawl space, this work is a pain but it makes a big difference
there is a wide range of issues with ductwork, if the joints are sealed and there is just some missing insulation that’s an easy fix
bottom line is: seal the joints, insulate where the boots enter the house, make sure the return is properly sized and that it’s not pulling unconditioned air into the system, seal the duct work at the unit so it’s not pulling in unconditioned air and not pushing conditioned air anywhere except into the house
If the unit is oversized and the ductwork was sized for a smaller unit you have a problem that can be difficult to fix
PEOPLE - stop oversizing HVAC systems, terrible idea
shut the dang pool pump off, if you 're worried about it freezing put it on a timer to run a few minutes every hour or so, I don’t know the magic formula on this to prevent freezing, a 1 HP pump run 24/7 for a month costs
My latest bill 12/14-1/17…$120.75 
Thank you for that bluesky
quote:
Originally posted by dparker677My latest bill 12/14-1/17…$120.75
Yeah, but what’s your monthly HOA/Regime bill on that condo/apt?
“Wailord”
1979 17’ Montauk
90 Johnson
Wilderness Ride 115
quote:
Originally posted by Geronimoquote:
Originally posted by dparker677My latest bill 12/14-1/17…$120.75
Yeah, but what’s your monthly HOA/Regime bill on that condo/apt?
Zero…And will never own a place with one.
In my neighborhood, if your bill isn’t $350+ this time of year you aren’t trying hard enough.
“Wailord”
1979 17’ Montauk
90 Johnson
Wilderness Ride 115
did you just square footage bully us small house folks? cause I feel bullied
quote:
Originally posted by PeaPoddid you just square footage bully us small house folks? cause I feel bullied
I thought I heard him mumble something about Ricky’s toy train track having more linear footage than all four sides of your house.
why you son of a
Aww come on P. I liked it better the first time. Made me think of the ex.
I apologizes 7. Today’s stock market action has me all keyed up
Aaand there it is
The State: You’re not going to stop paying nuclear surcharge, even if House bill becomes law. http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIw2qT0sjo
the rating agencies downgraded SCANA today based on the passage of the law in the House, stock value dropped
remember when the experts warned the legislators of this, and they said we don’t believe you, I guess we’ll see who was right
things are inching closer to an unstoppable financial collapse, I don’t know where the edge is or how much more it takes to get there but…
Pioneer 197SF