<p>Just got our monthly energy bill for services ending Dec 22nd. It is over $500. Ther got to be a leak somehwre in the house. The typical bill should be in the low $300. </p>
<p>I guess I will have to call the energy company for an audit.</p>
<p>electric or gas? Is your billing graduated? ie, you pay a higher rate for higher useage, like our progressive tax system. So using 50% more can double your bill. Was that time period colder than average?</p>
<p>Also, is this bill based on an actual or estimated reading? Is there a malfunctioning meter?</p>
<p>We had a similar experience this summer…ended up, the meter reader misread the meter.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the tips. Made a quick call to the company. It might be that wife forgot to pay last month’s bill. So the $537 bill could be for two months. Waiting for DW to get home to confirm.</p>
<p>If that’s the case, wouldn’t your bill state as such - Unpaid bill ($250), Current Usage ($287)? Our summer gas bill could be around $50, but in the coldest winter month it could be $500+.</p>
<p>Correct. If there is an outstanding balance from a previous bill, it will say so directly on the bill. You’ll probably get hit with a late fee too.</p>
<p>Dad II…just curious…is yours an all electric home? That is a mighty high energy bill. We live in expensive New England where it’s mighty cold. Our electric bill is less than $100 a month and our heating oil is about $300 every 6 weeks or so but only in the dead of winter. $300 a month seems very high to me.</p>
<p>T1, ours is a 1960 period old house. Even with updated windowd, I don’t think it is well insulated. When we have some cash, that would be our next order. </p>
<p>To others, the bill says previous balance $3xx, and the total balance $5xx. the lady on the phone told me our bill for this reading period is only $2xx. That leads me to think we might have missed one payment.</p>
<p>Thats exactly what that means.
FWIW, my dad, who lives on a fixed income, has an old inefficient steamheat/boiler (oil burner) that costs him about $600 or more a month to run. Replacing the system is way out of his budget</p>
<p>When you are on a fixed income- don’t most areas have subsidized rates for new furnaces/energy fix ups?
[EERE:</a> Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program Home Page](<a href=“http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/]EERE:”>http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/)</p>
<p>That makes a tremendous difference-
I don’t know if Dad II qualifies for low income but if you are at all handy, and even if you aren’t , a little effort can go quicker than you think.
[How</a> to Weatherize Your Home | DoItYourself.com](<a href=“http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2weatherize]How”>http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2weatherize)</p>
<p>EK-
Can’t speak for DADII, but even though my dad is on a fixed income, his house was built in the 40’s and the issue is it has an inground oil tank. Costs a fortune to get rid of it and replace it with something in the house. Even the oil company says he is better off leaving it alone.</p>
<p>jym…you’re lucky your dad doesn’t live in THIS state. All underground oil tanks HAD TO BE REMOVED quite a long time ago…maybe 20 or more years ago. STATE LAW…companies were not permitted to fill them any longer.</p>
<p>Dad II is the only one who can comment on his income status but judging from previous info he has posted, he would not qualify for a low income incentive to deal with his home insulation issues. However, Dad II…have you looked at some of the TAX incentives for energy efficiency upgrades? Insulation was included as was more efficient heating systems. Some states were also offering incentives in addition to the federal government incentives to conserve energy.</p>
<p>My dad is only one state away from you, thumper. If they made that a law, that’d be the incentive to convince him to move out of that house, for sure.</p>
<p>The other issue with his ancient, inefficient heating system is that the radiators dont work well, so in order for him to be reasonably comfortable in is bedroom, the heat on the main floor is subterranian. I am surprised it doesn’t cause nosebleeds. We were going to replace the thermostat so he couldnt mess with it, but he put the kibash on that idea. And I’ve already bought him enough blankets, slippers, flannel pjs and bathrobes to furnish a store. Does he use them? No!</p>
<p>oh yeah, we had a house that had a oil tank- it was really expensive to fill it, but at least we didn’t have to pay to have it removed.
The house we have now, had an oil tank,( maybe- there is also a wood stove in the basement ) but it must have been removed before we bought it, we have a gas furnace at any rate.
Our house was built in 1900 when fuel was cheap, & it could use more insulation, but just fixing around the windows and doors makes a big difference.
( having the burner serviced for better efficiency can help too)</p>
<p>We also don’t use the furnace much, instead using a space heater for the room we are in. ( and smartwool socks)</p>
<p>Wow, that is one high electric bill!! Mine is roughly $80 a month. Oil heat is roughly $450 a month in the winter.</p>
<p>
We replaced some toilets-- got a $100 rebate for choosing efficient … uh… systems.</p>
<p>I would like to say something about those efficient toilets…you need to flush at least 3 times vs one with the old toilet.</p>
<p>^^ Haven’t needed a 3-flusher yet, oldfort :o</p>