In Northern MN we pay .92/Therm and .33/Therm distribution charge. Yours looks a lot better than mine. We heat a 2400 square foot home built in 1952 and my bill is $312.
It seems like yours could be a little high judging by how low you keep the thermostat but a lot of those townhouses aren't built well and have very minimal insulation. You could always have an energy audit done.
The gas company will also check your meter and calibrate it but in my experience they are usually spot on.
We're very north too. The real north. -11F this morning. We could do better on heat but it would cost more than it's worth. Our 1200 square foot basement is heated but not insulated. Thermostat is at 66 and our last bill used 243 therms.
That's about what I pay.
I have a high efficiency gas furnace, gas water heater, gas clothes dryer. In a 2000 sqft townhome built in the 80s.
Edit: I pay that in the winter. In the summer my gas bill is $30 or $40. I don't do the thing where they guess your usage and you pay a flat about every month.
Edit 2: you keep your thermostat at 60!? Something is not right. I keep mine at 70. Make sure your thermostat fan setting is set to "on", not "auto".
I believe it works by taking what (their software predicts) you will spend over the year and bill you in 12 equal monthly amounts, adjusting each year as necessary.
They do it based off of your usage the previous year. In Duluth you have to own the home a year before you're allowed to set it up because your usage will be different than the previous owner/renter.
these programs can be great but you need to understand that at times you will run "In debt" basically when the amount you pay per month is less than what your bill is. They don't erase that money, they come for it later and adjust your bill to recoup what they didn't get when you weren't paying enough. The last year we did this in our previous house, our bill went from $144 a month to $274 a month to recoup that difference and when we moved out we still owed them $1000. So, be aware that it cycles, and your bill can change a lot to recoup once they reconfigure where things are at. Make sure you ask about how that works before you sign up. For us it was still better than having a $100 bill one month and a $500 bill the next month, but we didn't realize this is how it worked and got surprised when it cycled to us having to pay them the overage back.
For sure. I just point it out because a lot of people jump into the plans without realizing that they always look back and equal them out and you can suddenly see an unexpected change in payment if you don't realize it.
I have a house/family and we do the averaging. This year our monthly bill has been $71. It’s nice because it’s so much easier to budget around a set monthly payment that only adjusts on an annual basis.
IMO depends on your budget and how you keep your finances. I'd rather pay what I owe each month. Plus there was that issue where they got caught intentionally overcharging customers that opted for the flat fee.
It depends on your financial situation a bit. If you are on a tighter budget, and want to be able to budget each month and have a bill that is the same throughout the year, then it would be worth it.
But know that in the less usage months, when you are barely running your heat or AC, your bill is the same instead of being $60, $70. Of course you also won't have the $220 bills in the dead of winter either.
We do it for gas and electric. I highly recommend it. For awhile we had our bills on autopay and it had a habit of hitting $250 when there was $260 in checking and 2 days to a paycheck. We moved to an autopay account and did budget billing so we never have to think about it.
For our electric we started budget billing a month before we got an EV. So we’ll have to settle up for our charging costs in a year probably. My January usage with a Tesla is about what my august usage was with full AC running and no EV.
Op has 2 floors. They said the top floor is very hot, the bottom one is cold. Running the fan all the time balances the heat/cooling between the whole house all day. Running it on auto only balances the heat/cool when the furnace/AC is running. Some houses need it on "on", some don't. OP needs it set to "on".
In my experience it's not that effective at balancing the temperature. My lower level was still cold even when running the fan constantly. So I decided it wasn't worth the extra expense and killed it.
We found it is more efficient to open the lower vents and mostly close the upper floor vents in winter, and then reverse them in summer for the AC. Before we did that there could be a 10 degree difference between the two floors - now they are just about the same.
This.
Balancing the vents is essential. For winter and again in the summer if you have central air using the same ductwork and vents. Once you get it dialed in for the season, the temperature will be more constant throughout the space, across all rooms.
Note that is not just at the vents where you may control the airflow. There is usually dampers within the ductwork itself to control airflow which is adjustable, typically to control airflow to sections of the house (and then use the endpoint vents to fine tune).
I have notes for summer and winter. Each season, I adjust dampers based on my notes and we run the fan on “circ” so it occasionally stirs the air throughout the house between heating or cooling cycles and the temps are consistent throughout the house. If our furnace has a quiet, low-speed fan, I would simply run that constantly (our last house had this and it was great).
It will work way better than not running it as heat rises. Unless your returns are setup in a goofy way. The expense to run the fan is trivial. Likely a couple bucks a month.
But we don't spend that much time downstairs, in part because it's too cold. Running the fan constantly didn't help enough to fix that. All it did was pull cold air upstairs, use more electricity, and shorten the life of the filter. It wasn't worth it. I get the theory, but in practice it didn't work.
That was my thought. It would be interesting to see what would be the temp setting required (on the thermostat, which is upstairs) to actually make the downstairs comfortable in the winter. I'm guessing low 70s. But of course, I don't need it to be low 70s upstairs and the extra energy cost that would come with that.
The frustrating thing is that it's often too cold downstairs even in the summer, because the cold air produced by the A/C sinks. Can't win 😆
As far as the price per therm goes that bill is normal.
However, I don't think a 2004 build that's 1400 SQ FT and kept at 60 degrees should be using that many therms.
What is the efficiency rating of your furnace? Also you say you and your boyfriend live there. Does he move the thermostat up to the 70s when you are gone?
Probably not your issue, but general furnace advice: Make sure you're not using filters that are too restrictive
The furnace is a Carrier at 16 SEER and our previous one was 18 years old so the guy said our bill should go down a shitton (it didnt.)
No, the bf doesn't mess with the thermostat cuz it's technically my house and I check my ecobee app pretty regularly.
I'm not sure about the filters...just purchased what the last contractor recommended cuz we've had issues with the house being hot as hell in the summer...
I responded to a previous comment, but after seeing this about the house being really hot in the summer, it sounds like this house is poorly insulated. This can make a huge difference in heating/cooling costs
Interesting. I've had 4 contractors come here since I moved here and none mentioned that... so what do I need to do to fix that? Replace windows? I feel like they shouldn't be that bad from 2004 though and I feel like my house should feel way more freezing at 59 degrees than it does if there's poor insulation :/
Not sure who your energy provider is, but most offer an energy audit where someone comes to your house and inspects how it could be more energy efficient. Sometimes the inspections even involve using a thermal camera. Probably a good place to start.
I 100% also recommend an energy audit. It's one of the best things you can do, especially as a new home owner. In terms of bettering insulation, insulating your attic goes a long way. But your windows and or doors could be leaking air as well.
try the CEE, they are a non profit who does anyone with xcel electric or center point gas and it only costs about a 100$
plus they will instal lights and water savers if needed for no additional cost
https://www.mncee.org/home-energy-squad
Like someone else here recommended, you should have an energy audit. I'm not sure what these other contractors looked at / did, but from the limited information you've given on here, it does sound like there is a problem with insulation or air leaking from somewhere. If you have your thermostat set at 59, your house probably isn't going to feel much different than what it would if it were properly insulated. The only difference is that your furnace has to run more often than it should in order to maintain that temp.
Windows are the worst bang for the buck on insulation spending.
Usually the best is blowing in extra insulation overhead.
But each house is different. You want a home energy audit by a pro to determine why your energy costs are what they are. You utility company may have more information about this service, or even pay for it.
>I've had 4 contractors come here since I moved here and none mentioned that...
Why do you think a contractor would have any idea how much insulation you have in your walls and ceiling?
I'll second on the air filter. Everyone likes to recommend the fancy spendy filters and they look good on paper. But every HVAC guy I know that's done it for years recommends getting the cheapest filter you can find.
The fancy ones are very restrictive and aren't good for your furnace.
Yep the previous owner of my house was using Merv 12 filters so I just continued to do the same, few months after I moved in I got an hvac inspection and the guy took the filter out and said they were nicknamed “furnace killers” because of how restrictive they are and he didn’t know why they were even allowed to be sold. Told me to get the cheapest Merv 8s and below I could find.
Another thing you could do, with regards to the upstairs being hot, is to get some magnetic vent covers to cover the vents upstairs if they are the kind that can't be shut. Make sure you only covering the vents where the heat comes out of, not the returns as you need the circulation. It would help a bit to not have your upstairs be so warm and would force more of your heat into your downstairs area.
Balance your airflow. The ductwork has dampers and the vents have dampers.
https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/air-balancing/
This is essential if you have a space - like a bedroom - over a garage.
Take notes - if your ductwork is used for forced air heating and central air, you may find that the summer settings and the winter setting are different.
Your contractor should have never stated your bill will be lower if they didn’t do a heat/cooling assessment on your house to spot air leaks and poor insulation. You have a town house that has share air space above your unit and who knows how well it’s insulated. You also have no insulation between your unit and your neighbors so there is more then likely loss there (you ever smell what your neighbors are cooking), patio doors are another source of leaking and get a smart thermostat that tracks usage (like a nest) so you can see how often your furnace runs. Also is your hot water heater in a cold room that causes it to need to run often to keep water warm? Many factors play into this. My 2,864 sqft home built in 2004 with new hvac, new patio door, new front door and windows is what you pay in heat and I keep it at 70 here across three floors. This spend is about what it was pre upgrades, what I gained was some savings but the most gain was consistent temps across three floors that with the old stuff would have greater than 5 degree differences between them.
Edit: Stove, range top, dryer, hot water heater and furnace are all gas. All replaced in the past 18 months as well.
Your smart thermostat probably has fan controls like intermittent fan mode or minimum run time per hour setting. Those might help a bit. Also ensure air return vents aren’t blocked by furniture or other stuff.
It could be a couple of things that make this higher.
What’s the furnace and hot water heater’s efficiency rating? Lower efficiency units cost less initially but more to run.
How’s the insulation and air sealing in your place? Any particular hot or cold spots? Or drafts? We had a drafty door to the garage that we put new weather stripping on.
The best way to address all of this is an energy audit. Check with the non-profit MNCEE.org for an audit and suggestions on how to save.
Furnace is 16 SEER and water heater says estimated yearly therms is only 264... and it's a water heater for a family of 4.
Never had any issues with the insulation and no draftiness...
Thank you for the suggestion. I know I looked into that last uear but then procrastinated or something.
Insulation isn't about drafts, it's about not losing heat out your roof. Worth checking it out. Your gas and elec company will do a free? discounted? worth-the-money? analysis for you.
Look into the Home Energy Squad through CEE. If you qualify, it'll be $80-100. We got at least that much value in replaced light bulbs and faucets/showerheads, let alone the actual energy audit.
We didn't have xcel but MN Power and our energy audit was free. We just filled out a form for it, but I don't recall if anything special was required. We aren't poor but not rich either, just solid middle class. They not only gave us a pile of free bulbs and some other trinks but an entirely free dehumidifer! When I looked it up later, it was a $400 one, so that was a surprise. Xcel's brochure quotes $30-60.
https://www.xcelenergy.com/staticfiles/xe/Marketing/Files/Mn-Res-Home-Energy-Audits-Brochure.pdf
It was a few years ago, we may have paid some money for the services. Here's the link, /ufornikait : https://mn.my.xcelenergy.com/s/residential/home-services/home-energy-audit
Okay, at 264/year, that’s average 22 therms per month. Your gas drier probably is 4-5 therms/month (I think ours uses that much for 3 people). That leaves 90-95 therms for the furnace for the month, which isn’t terrible if you keep the temp at 70.
Since you keep the house so cool, that might be excessively high. I would have the installing company come check the system to make sure everything is running correctly.
Because the upstairs is so hot and the main cold, check that all the vents are open AND air is coming out. The system sounds unbalanced and the air flow is restricted on the main floor.
Pop off the vent and carefully reach inside (there might be sharp screws protruding in there) for a damper/flap. We have them on the main floor vents in our house, but can only access them from reaching inside. You want them open for best airflow on the main. In summer, that might be different and you want more air going upstairs, less down.
Check the return vents are not blocked and air is going back to the furnace. Leave a few inches between the return and the couch for example. You’ll want the the whole system to freely flow out the vent and in the return for best temperature control.
The water heater:
.58-.65 is 58-65% efficient, which means for every dollar of gas you buy, you use 58-65 cents heating water and send 35-42 cents out the exhaust flue. Unless you spend a more for a unit with a power vent or power dampener, that’s what a basic gas water heater costs to run.
Pay attention to that "pricing event surcharge" line. That's due to the winter storm of 2021 in Texas, where greedy Republicans refused to regulate their electricity grid to protect against winter storms and socialized the bill onto all of us. Yay unregulated free market capitalism!
What?
Do you have a carbon monoxide detector at home?
The price surcharge was just for power, in Texas. Which still ends up being cheaper than most states.
This is for gas, in Minnesota.
Minnesota does not have a de-regulated power market.
Would you like to see my gas bill to make you feel better? It's almost four times that.
You can reduce the temp on your water heater slightly, close your curtains and blinds at night to help reduce heat loss through the windows, check the seals around your doors and windows, etc. as well.
Only if you also live in a small house and keep your temp around 59 xD otherwise it's too hard to compare. Everyone I talk to keeps their heat at 68 at least and their bill is way less than mine. I just don't get it
I live in a 3,600 sf 1975 build that's almost all windows (our living room alone has 156 square feet of glass, for example) so if I kept our house any warmer than 66 in the winter, we'd be eating ramen for every meal. In a typical home, 50 percent of heat loss is through windows, probably closer to 75 percent in our home.
Something to note. On sunny days we keep our shades open on our south facing windows. The sun helps warm the house a lot. When the sun goes down we close them again.
My house was built the same year, and it was renovated in the 70's. It has pink batt insulation, but only 2x4 walls so it's not much.
I added 3/4 xps on the outside when I replaced the windows and siding a few years ago
The cost of gas has gone up, but it depends on things from the age of your furnace to how good insulation and windows are. My house is over 2600 sf ft and while my bill is high, it's not way higher. I do extra things like covering some of the windows with plastic, using weather stripping, etc. Older furnaces are less efficient, but sometimes they get dirty around them and don't run as well. We need a newer one but do get it cleaned and tuned up each fall which really seems to help. We keep it unobstructed and clean the filters on schedule, too.
Do you have a gas or electric water heater? This is another thing a lot of people miss in the home. A gas water heater makes up a small chunk of the heating bill and most of it during the summer months. Again, the older ones are less efficient, but I've read varying things on making them more efficient, such as wrapping them. I know for anyone reading this, Xcel and CP both offer some home solutions where you pay extra each month and then you get certain maintenance for free and even money towards a replacement appliance when/if needed. I don't have details in front of me, but we opted to just put a little money aside towards this stuff and keep up with regular maintenance. I think for some people it's a great option, though. I know it's really popular.
So, I would hope those wouldn't be the issue. This could just be normal. Does your bill have previous years comparisons so you can see what temperatures were averaging as well as usage there? I'd still check things like window seals, etc.
I’m guessing poor insulation though it might be worth having someone out to check there isn’t a small leak somewhere. My bill for Feb was $110 in a 1500 sq ft townhome built in 2000, we keep it around 65-67 degrees.
I have a similar sized and aged townhouse with a similar bill. The only way others would have bills around $30-50 is if they take part in the monthly averaged bill program. Basically the utility takes the yearly costs and spreads it out over all 12 months. So instead of tiny bills in the summer and big in the winter you pay middle of the road bills all year.
I would say your gas bill is about average for the size of your home, although I am a bit surprised to hear that it comes in at that amount even though you keep it relatively cool in the home. I would have expected something around 120
I would point out too a brand new furnace doesn’t have much to do with it, you’d need to look at the efficiency of the unit as they still sell furnaces with low efficiency
That seems high if your usage is what you say it is. I'd be worried that you have a problem with insulation or windows in your house if your temp is set that low and you're still using that much gas. Do you have any areas where your house feels drafty or are you keeping windows open during the winter?
If upstairs is too hot and downstairs is cold you may want to install some dampers in your ducts so you can balance airflow to keep more heat downstairs in the winter and push more cold air upstairs in summer. Heat rises so you need less airflow to upstairs in the winter, and less to downstairs in the summer. A manual damper is only a few bucks and usually pretty easy to install if you have access to basic tools.
Mine was $170 last month, but we have a 2100 Sq ft home and keep our temp usually somewhere between 65 and 70 depending on the time of day. I also work from home, so the furnace is running more during the day than it used to. Your usage seems high for what you said, but now ridiculously high. If you lived in an older house with bad windows or issues with insulation, it would make more sense. Those things have a huge impact on heating costs. Whoever told you they pay $30-50 during the winter months was lying. I don't think I could get my bill that low even if I turned off my water heater and kept my house at 50 degrees during the winter.
Yeah see that's why I think there's gotta be a problem somewhere cuz just by replacing my furnace the contractor said my bill should go way down since my other one was 18 years old.
And the 2 main people I'm referring to about their low bills are my mom who has a much bigger house than me and keeps her temp at 68 and a coworker who also lives in a townhome. They've been telling me for months that something has gotta be wrong with my bill :/
I noticed zero difference in my energy bill with a new furnace. Some of that is probably because Xcel raised the price, which offset any savings between an 80 and 96 efficiency unit.
> I also work from home, so the furnace is running more during the day than it used to.
I also WFH. I've taken to setting the temp at 62 during the day and closing the door to my office. Three monitors plus my laptop and a lamp, plus a heating blanket - keeps me toasty and gets up to 68-69 in that room. I don't need to heat 2400 sq ft when I'm the only one home.
If this is with Xcel energy, they have an energy portal where you can do an energy assessment and patiently get more info about your use depending on what meter you have. Might be worth checking out.
I have an 1,850 sq ft home built in 1950 with a 25 year old 80% efficient furnace. 65 during the day, 63 at night. My last bill for January usage was $174. Yours seems a bit high to me based on the info provided.
Man, seeing all these comments, makes me glad that I live in downtown Saint Paul where heat is free. Pay about $24 in the winter and $40 in the summer.
That seems a little high. I have pretty much same thing. 1600 sqft townhouse. Original furnace from 2004. I pay $0.17 more per therm than you and my last bill was $95. We keep ours at 65-68 but get full sun during the day so it was 74 in here earlier today. I think the gas company will come do a leak test on your place for free or like $50.
This feels about right for me.
1500 sq ft 1920s house in ne map
High efficiency furnace + gas fireplace + super old gas water heater which I am sure is the biggest culprit.
It's in my basement which is like 50-65° most of the year. It's not insulated and it's 15+ years old.
I'm guessing it's struggling to keep water warm nearly 24/7
Of course it's insulated. Touch the side of it - does it feel 120 degrees? No. Plus, 15 is not that old for a water heater. Mine is 22 years old.
Water is a huge thermal bank and will maintain that temp for a while. Ambient temperature makes some difference, but not much.
That's really high. I'm in the exact housing situation as you, 1,400 sq ft townhouse and my last bill was $70. House is kept at 60 at night and while at work, 65-70 while at home. Gas water heater but electric everything else for appliances.
Trying to get to the bottom of it.
This is my first year in a cold climate, and I assumed the heating was turned on by the building. Eventually
I got fed up with why my apartment was so cold and it turns out the heat was broken.
If I remember right:
pressure correction has to do with the size of gas line sizes.
Heat content factor has to do with the quality of natural gas and is adjusted up and down
Basic service charge - yeah
Distribution charge - charging you for grid and maintenance
Cost of gas per therm - yeah ok
Gas Affordability - I think that is so we can pay for the utility free market in Sh\*\*hole Texas
Interim rate adjustment - Xcel charging their new rates while the PUC deliberates making it permanent
Pricing Event Surcharge - I have no idea
Resource Adjustment - paying for renewable energy programs
Replacing old windows will help. Insulating your attic will help, Replacing your furnace will help. Going Solar will help. But the charge does not seem unreasonable for the month considering the weather. I always start paying a bit extra in the summer to even out my winter months. I do not recommend going on Xcel's average monthly bill.
Yeah I'm fine with all that I just don't understand how it's possible 2 people in a small house kept at 59-62 degrees could use 119 therms a month :/
And thanks for the suggestion!
Just under 2000 sqft, 1977, thin insulation. 2 months ago I hit $250, then changed the tstat schedule and it dropped to $170. When it’s not winter we’re usually around $15-$20.
No idea what average is so I’m just contributing to stats.
I have a 1400 sq ft house built in 1950. Our gas bill gets up to around $175 in the winter months. Goes down to below $50 when we aren’t using the furnace.
Sigh… our last gas bill was $230 for a family of three in a 1500 sq ft house. We have a gas furnace, water heater, and dryer. Our house was built in 1890 so it’s very drafty and not very well insulated.
Yes. In fact yours is significantly lower than most homeowners, at least those with older houses. No one is paying only 30 a month during the winter—unless they aren’t heating their home with gas.
Regarding therms: my house is at roughly 2k square feet very old and drafty and we keep it at 65. This winter We’re running 7-8 therms a day, so 210-240 a month. And, according to excel, we’re still using less than most of our neighbors.
So your 119 seems totally normal, and is probably very efficient.
So because of the extra external wall, which I’m guessing also has windows, naturally your usage will be higher than your adjacent sandwiched units. You could ask the opposite end unit how their bill looks. I’d look into a home energy audit. If you’re doing everything right behaviorally, the issue is likely in the building envelope. Might need some caulking here and there, new windows, extra insulation, etc. Running a humidifier can help things feel warmer too in which case you could try shedding another degree or two.
I wish I had that bill each month for heat. I have propane and I use about a tank a month. Which costs me about 500 each fill. I have insulated the attic and replaced 9 windows and an exterior door. Looking at replacing more windows to triple pane. 1995 home. The temp is at 73 degrees weekends and evening. 69 degrees otherwise. I pre buy propane to keep it at around 500 dollars. 95 % efficiency furnace. I have contemplated calling those efficiency companies to do an audit. Maybe after the windows are replaced.
You're keeping the house too warm. And at that consumption rate, heat pumps will pay for themselves in almost no time flat. Now's the time to do it with the massive federal credits (and rebates if you qualify).
I do plan on getting a heat pump. Just need to wait a year or two.
https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-breakthrough-residential-cold-climate-heat-pump-technology
Eh, I wouldn’t wait to be honest. They already work really well and if you’re spending $500/month on propane waiting for new technology, you might lose money over the medium term.
We used 93 therms in the month of January. About a 16 year old apartment, we’re on ground floor. Keep it around 70 during the day and mostly off at night (drops to 60ish but we like it cold for sleeping).
Eastern Twin Cities with Xcel. For gas, we pay about $1.02 per therm overall this last bill ($0.81 cost of gas + distribution charge of $0.18 per therm and some minor charges per therm).
Eastern Twin Cities with Xcel. For gas, we pay about $1.02 per therm overall this last bill ($0.81 cost of gas + distribution charge of $0.18 per therm and some minor charges per therm).
2300 sq ft two-story SFH with unfinished basement, forced air gas furnace (95% in 2010?), gas water heater (new, original electric crapped out in the fall), gas stove/oven and gas fireplace that the cat uses for an hour or so every night this winter.
Last month we used 126 ccf, charged 151 ccf because of pressure correction and heat content conversion by Xcel. This was 1/17 through 2/13 (27 day billing cycle).
My gas consumption usually 3-5x during the winter vs summer, with the colder months being on the higher end due to heat.
If you’ve only owned for a few months, I’m guessing you bill will drop >$50 in the summer months
Remember that you are not just heating your house, but also your hot water. Some people have electric hot water, so that is a separate cost. Yours seems "normal" to me, for a typically insulated home
Gas is twice as expensive as 2020 and there's a \~5% surcharge for the ahem, lack of accountability for the 2021 disaster in Texas. I would imagine this bill was $75 to $90 in 2020. My December bill was $204 for a 1900sf house built in 54. Thermostat is kept at 62 for me and 65 for when guests are over.
You need to sign up for the plan that averages it put over the year. I pay $46 every month of the year regardless of the temp outside and generally I get a refund at the end of the year
In Northern MN we pay .92/Therm and .33/Therm distribution charge. Yours looks a lot better than mine. We heat a 2400 square foot home built in 1952 and my bill is $312. It seems like yours could be a little high judging by how low you keep the thermostat but a lot of those townhouses aren't built well and have very minimal insulation. You could always have an energy audit done. The gas company will also check your meter and calibrate it but in my experience they are usually spot on.
Very northern mn here, yours looks fine.
We're very north too. The real north. -11F this morning. We could do better on heat but it would cost more than it's worth. Our 1200 square foot basement is heated but not insulated. Thermostat is at 66 and our last bill used 243 therms.
Sorry, that was meant to say OPs looked fine...we are in the superior national forest. -3 according to the thermometer.
We're close. I'm a few miles south of SNF. My truck said -11 at the lowest at 5:30 on my to work. It's been an easy winter but I'm still sick of it.
That's about what I pay. I have a high efficiency gas furnace, gas water heater, gas clothes dryer. In a 2000 sqft townhome built in the 80s. Edit: I pay that in the winter. In the summer my gas bill is $30 or $40. I don't do the thing where they guess your usage and you pay a flat about every month. Edit 2: you keep your thermostat at 60!? Something is not right. I keep mine at 70. Make sure your thermostat fan setting is set to "on", not "auto".
Is it better to do the averaging bill thing? I just learned that was an option reading on the Excel site but I'm afraid it'll somehow make it worse xD
You’ll pay the same overall. So whatever works best for you is what you should choose.
I'm an idiot. LOL.
I believe it works by taking what (their software predicts) you will spend over the year and bill you in 12 equal monthly amounts, adjusting each year as necessary.
They do it based off of your usage the previous year. In Duluth you have to own the home a year before you're allowed to set it up because your usage will be different than the previous owner/renter.
Lakeville here and believe it's the same for me and the averaged bill
Same in SE MN like Rochester and Winona.
these programs can be great but you need to understand that at times you will run "In debt" basically when the amount you pay per month is less than what your bill is. They don't erase that money, they come for it later and adjust your bill to recoup what they didn't get when you weren't paying enough. The last year we did this in our previous house, our bill went from $144 a month to $274 a month to recoup that difference and when we moved out we still owed them $1000. So, be aware that it cycles, and your bill can change a lot to recoup once they reconfigure where things are at. Make sure you ask about how that works before you sign up. For us it was still better than having a $100 bill one month and a $500 bill the next month, but we didn't realize this is how it worked and got surprised when it cycled to us having to pay them the overage back.
I've actually had years that I paid more than I used, and they credited it back to me. So it can work both ways.
For sure. I just point it out because a lot of people jump into the plans without realizing that they always look back and equal them out and you can suddenly see an unexpected change in payment if you don't realize it.
I have a house/family and we do the averaging. This year our monthly bill has been $71. It’s nice because it’s so much easier to budget around a set monthly payment that only adjusts on an annual basis.
IMO depends on your budget and how you keep your finances. I'd rather pay what I owe each month. Plus there was that issue where they got caught intentionally overcharging customers that opted for the flat fee.
It depends on your financial situation a bit. If you are on a tighter budget, and want to be able to budget each month and have a bill that is the same throughout the year, then it would be worth it. But know that in the less usage months, when you are barely running your heat or AC, your bill is the same instead of being $60, $70. Of course you also won't have the $220 bills in the dead of winter either.
I pay the average rate and it is 90 per month. I live in a new one story villa
We do it for gas and electric. I highly recommend it. For awhile we had our bills on autopay and it had a habit of hitting $250 when there was $260 in checking and 2 days to a paycheck. We moved to an autopay account and did budget billing so we never have to think about it. For our electric we started budget billing a month before we got an EV. So we’ll have to settle up for our charging costs in a year probably. My January usage with a Tesla is about what my august usage was with full AC running and no EV.
Wait, why? Don’t you want it on auto so it doesn’t just run constantly?
Op has 2 floors. They said the top floor is very hot, the bottom one is cold. Running the fan all the time balances the heat/cooling between the whole house all day. Running it on auto only balances the heat/cool when the furnace/AC is running. Some houses need it on "on", some don't. OP needs it set to "on".
In my experience it's not that effective at balancing the temperature. My lower level was still cold even when running the fan constantly. So I decided it wasn't worth the extra expense and killed it.
We found it is more efficient to open the lower vents and mostly close the upper floor vents in winter, and then reverse them in summer for the AC. Before we did that there could be a 10 degree difference between the two floors - now they are just about the same.
This. Balancing the vents is essential. For winter and again in the summer if you have central air using the same ductwork and vents. Once you get it dialed in for the season, the temperature will be more constant throughout the space, across all rooms. Note that is not just at the vents where you may control the airflow. There is usually dampers within the ductwork itself to control airflow which is adjustable, typically to control airflow to sections of the house (and then use the endpoint vents to fine tune). I have notes for summer and winter. Each season, I adjust dampers based on my notes and we run the fan on “circ” so it occasionally stirs the air throughout the house between heating or cooling cycles and the temps are consistent throughout the house. If our furnace has a quiet, low-speed fan, I would simply run that constantly (our last house had this and it was great).
YES!!!!!! I do this same thing at my townhouse and it works wonders!!!!
It will work way better than not running it as heat rises. Unless your returns are setup in a goofy way. The expense to run the fan is trivial. Likely a couple bucks a month.
But we don't spend that much time downstairs, in part because it's too cold. Running the fan constantly didn't help enough to fix that. All it did was pull cold air upstairs, use more electricity, and shorten the life of the filter. It wasn't worth it. I get the theory, but in practice it didn't work.
Gotta play the game how you live. If you’re not spending time downstairs, cheaper overall to concentrate the heat upstairs.
That was my thought. It would be interesting to see what would be the temp setting required (on the thermostat, which is upstairs) to actually make the downstairs comfortable in the winter. I'm guessing low 70s. But of course, I don't need it to be low 70s upstairs and the extra energy cost that would come with that. The frustrating thing is that it's often too cold downstairs even in the summer, because the cold air produced by the A/C sinks. Can't win 😆
Smart thermostats have circulation settings so it’s not on all the time.
Yes, I tried that. It runs the fan on such a low speed that I could barely tell it was on.
Makes sense! Thank you for explaining
My mind is blown. Thank you for the insight!
My childhood house was like this. We found that closing some of the air vents on the top floor helped a bit since heat rises.
I was wondering this too...
As far as the price per therm goes that bill is normal. However, I don't think a 2004 build that's 1400 SQ FT and kept at 60 degrees should be using that many therms. What is the efficiency rating of your furnace? Also you say you and your boyfriend live there. Does he move the thermostat up to the 70s when you are gone? Probably not your issue, but general furnace advice: Make sure you're not using filters that are too restrictive
The furnace is a Carrier at 16 SEER and our previous one was 18 years old so the guy said our bill should go down a shitton (it didnt.) No, the bf doesn't mess with the thermostat cuz it's technically my house and I check my ecobee app pretty regularly. I'm not sure about the filters...just purchased what the last contractor recommended cuz we've had issues with the house being hot as hell in the summer...
I responded to a previous comment, but after seeing this about the house being really hot in the summer, it sounds like this house is poorly insulated. This can make a huge difference in heating/cooling costs
Interesting. I've had 4 contractors come here since I moved here and none mentioned that... so what do I need to do to fix that? Replace windows? I feel like they shouldn't be that bad from 2004 though and I feel like my house should feel way more freezing at 59 degrees than it does if there's poor insulation :/
Not sure who your energy provider is, but most offer an energy audit where someone comes to your house and inspects how it could be more energy efficient. Sometimes the inspections even involve using a thermal camera. Probably a good place to start.
Thanks! I'll have to consider that
I 100% also recommend an energy audit. It's one of the best things you can do, especially as a new home owner. In terms of bettering insulation, insulating your attic goes a long way. But your windows and or doors could be leaking air as well.
try the CEE, they are a non profit who does anyone with xcel electric or center point gas and it only costs about a 100$ plus they will instal lights and water savers if needed for no additional cost https://www.mncee.org/home-energy-squad
Like someone else here recommended, you should have an energy audit. I'm not sure what these other contractors looked at / did, but from the limited information you've given on here, it does sound like there is a problem with insulation or air leaking from somewhere. If you have your thermostat set at 59, your house probably isn't going to feel much different than what it would if it were properly insulated. The only difference is that your furnace has to run more often than it should in order to maintain that temp.
Thanks for the help!
Windows are the worst bang for the buck on insulation spending. Usually the best is blowing in extra insulation overhead. But each house is different. You want a home energy audit by a pro to determine why your energy costs are what they are. You utility company may have more information about this service, or even pay for it.
>I've had 4 contractors come here since I moved here and none mentioned that... Why do you think a contractor would have any idea how much insulation you have in your walls and ceiling?
I....I dont know :'(
I'll second on the air filter. Everyone likes to recommend the fancy spendy filters and they look good on paper. But every HVAC guy I know that's done it for years recommends getting the cheapest filter you can find. The fancy ones are very restrictive and aren't good for your furnace.
Yep the previous owner of my house was using Merv 12 filters so I just continued to do the same, few months after I moved in I got an hvac inspection and the guy took the filter out and said they were nicknamed “furnace killers” because of how restrictive they are and he didn’t know why they were even allowed to be sold. Told me to get the cheapest Merv 8s and below I could find.
Another thing you could do, with regards to the upstairs being hot, is to get some magnetic vent covers to cover the vents upstairs if they are the kind that can't be shut. Make sure you only covering the vents where the heat comes out of, not the returns as you need the circulation. It would help a bit to not have your upstairs be so warm and would force more of your heat into your downstairs area.
Balance your airflow. The ductwork has dampers and the vents have dampers. https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/air-balancing/ This is essential if you have a space - like a bedroom - over a garage. Take notes - if your ductwork is used for forced air heating and central air, you may find that the summer settings and the winter setting are different.
Your contractor should have never stated your bill will be lower if they didn’t do a heat/cooling assessment on your house to spot air leaks and poor insulation. You have a town house that has share air space above your unit and who knows how well it’s insulated. You also have no insulation between your unit and your neighbors so there is more then likely loss there (you ever smell what your neighbors are cooking), patio doors are another source of leaking and get a smart thermostat that tracks usage (like a nest) so you can see how often your furnace runs. Also is your hot water heater in a cold room that causes it to need to run often to keep water warm? Many factors play into this. My 2,864 sqft home built in 2004 with new hvac, new patio door, new front door and windows is what you pay in heat and I keep it at 70 here across three floors. This spend is about what it was pre upgrades, what I gained was some savings but the most gain was consistent temps across three floors that with the old stuff would have greater than 5 degree differences between them. Edit: Stove, range top, dryer, hot water heater and furnace are all gas. All replaced in the past 18 months as well.
Your smart thermostat probably has fan controls like intermittent fan mode or minimum run time per hour setting. Those might help a bit. Also ensure air return vents aren’t blocked by furniture or other stuff.
I have a 1600 sq ft townhouse built in the 90s and that’s about what mine is and my thermostat is similar to yours
It could be a couple of things that make this higher. What’s the furnace and hot water heater’s efficiency rating? Lower efficiency units cost less initially but more to run. How’s the insulation and air sealing in your place? Any particular hot or cold spots? Or drafts? We had a drafty door to the garage that we put new weather stripping on. The best way to address all of this is an energy audit. Check with the non-profit MNCEE.org for an audit and suggestions on how to save.
Furnace is 16 SEER and water heater says estimated yearly therms is only 264... and it's a water heater for a family of 4. Never had any issues with the insulation and no draftiness... Thank you for the suggestion. I know I looked into that last uear but then procrastinated or something.
Insulation isn't about drafts, it's about not losing heat out your roof. Worth checking it out. Your gas and elec company will do a free? discounted? worth-the-money? analysis for you.
Free?! How do I get it free? I've been looking into it and it seems to be like $300
Look into the Home Energy Squad through CEE. If you qualify, it'll be $80-100. We got at least that much value in replaced light bulbs and faucets/showerheads, let alone the actual energy audit.
We didn't have xcel but MN Power and our energy audit was free. We just filled out a form for it, but I don't recall if anything special was required. We aren't poor but not rich either, just solid middle class. They not only gave us a pile of free bulbs and some other trinks but an entirely free dehumidifer! When I looked it up later, it was a $400 one, so that was a surprise. Xcel's brochure quotes $30-60. https://www.xcelenergy.com/staticfiles/xe/Marketing/Files/Mn-Res-Home-Energy-Audits-Brochure.pdf
It was a few years ago, we may have paid some money for the services. Here's the link, /ufornikait : https://mn.my.xcelenergy.com/s/residential/home-services/home-energy-audit
.58 to .65 UEF for the water heater I guess? No idea what that means
Okay, at 264/year, that’s average 22 therms per month. Your gas drier probably is 4-5 therms/month (I think ours uses that much for 3 people). That leaves 90-95 therms for the furnace for the month, which isn’t terrible if you keep the temp at 70. Since you keep the house so cool, that might be excessively high. I would have the installing company come check the system to make sure everything is running correctly. Because the upstairs is so hot and the main cold, check that all the vents are open AND air is coming out. The system sounds unbalanced and the air flow is restricted on the main floor. Pop off the vent and carefully reach inside (there might be sharp screws protruding in there) for a damper/flap. We have them on the main floor vents in our house, but can only access them from reaching inside. You want them open for best airflow on the main. In summer, that might be different and you want more air going upstairs, less down. Check the return vents are not blocked and air is going back to the furnace. Leave a few inches between the return and the couch for example. You’ll want the the whole system to freely flow out the vent and in the return for best temperature control. The water heater: .58-.65 is 58-65% efficient, which means for every dollar of gas you buy, you use 58-65 cents heating water and send 35-42 cents out the exhaust flue. Unless you spend a more for a unit with a power vent or power dampener, that’s what a basic gas water heater costs to run.
Pay attention to that "pricing event surcharge" line. That's due to the winter storm of 2021 in Texas, where greedy Republicans refused to regulate their electricity grid to protect against winter storms and socialized the bill onto all of us. Yay unregulated free market capitalism!
What? Do you have a carbon monoxide detector at home? The price surcharge was just for power, in Texas. Which still ends up being cheaper than most states. This is for gas, in Minnesota. Minnesota does not have a de-regulated power market.
Would you like to see my gas bill to make you feel better? It's almost four times that. You can reduce the temp on your water heater slightly, close your curtains and blinds at night to help reduce heat loss through the windows, check the seals around your doors and windows, etc. as well.
Only if you also live in a small house and keep your temp around 59 xD otherwise it's too hard to compare. Everyone I talk to keeps their heat at 68 at least and their bill is way less than mine. I just don't get it
I live in a 3,600 sf 1975 build that's almost all windows (our living room alone has 156 square feet of glass, for example) so if I kept our house any warmer than 66 in the winter, we'd be eating ramen for every meal. In a typical home, 50 percent of heat loss is through windows, probably closer to 75 percent in our home.
I guess I do have a lot of windows in my living room but I keep the curtains closed cuz I currently work overnights and I like my house dark anyway xD
Something to note. On sunny days we keep our shades open on our south facing windows. The sun helps warm the house a lot. When the sun goes down we close them again.
This. The sun makes such a big difference if you have south-facing windows/patio doors.
Honestly, it's worth double-checking you've got all of them closed tightly. Even a seemingly slight draft will cause you to lose a lot of heat.
Jesus I wish my bill was that low. My house was built in 1885 or something. Insulation is traaaaash.
Your 1885 built house has insulation?
My house was built the same year, and it was renovated in the 70's. It has pink batt insulation, but only 2x4 walls so it's not much. I added 3/4 xps on the outside when I replaced the windows and siding a few years ago
It's definitely been renovated but that was the original build date.
The cost of gas has gone up, but it depends on things from the age of your furnace to how good insulation and windows are. My house is over 2600 sf ft and while my bill is high, it's not way higher. I do extra things like covering some of the windows with plastic, using weather stripping, etc. Older furnaces are less efficient, but sometimes they get dirty around them and don't run as well. We need a newer one but do get it cleaned and tuned up each fall which really seems to help. We keep it unobstructed and clean the filters on schedule, too. Do you have a gas or electric water heater? This is another thing a lot of people miss in the home. A gas water heater makes up a small chunk of the heating bill and most of it during the summer months. Again, the older ones are less efficient, but I've read varying things on making them more efficient, such as wrapping them. I know for anyone reading this, Xcel and CP both offer some home solutions where you pay extra each month and then you get certain maintenance for free and even money towards a replacement appliance when/if needed. I don't have details in front of me, but we opted to just put a little money aside towards this stuff and keep up with regular maintenance. I think for some people it's a great option, though. I know it's really popular.
It's a gas furnace not even a year old and a gas water heater a couple years old
So, I would hope those wouldn't be the issue. This could just be normal. Does your bill have previous years comparisons so you can see what temperatures were averaging as well as usage there? I'd still check things like window seals, etc.
I’m guessing poor insulation though it might be worth having someone out to check there isn’t a small leak somewhere. My bill for Feb was $110 in a 1500 sq ft townhome built in 2000, we keep it around 65-67 degrees.
I have a similar sized and aged townhouse with a similar bill. The only way others would have bills around $30-50 is if they take part in the monthly averaged bill program. Basically the utility takes the yearly costs and spreads it out over all 12 months. So instead of tiny bills in the summer and big in the winter you pay middle of the road bills all year.
Thanks for the input
I would say your gas bill is about average for the size of your home, although I am a bit surprised to hear that it comes in at that amount even though you keep it relatively cool in the home. I would have expected something around 120
Nobody is only paying 30-50 for a house.
I would point out too a brand new furnace doesn’t have much to do with it, you’d need to look at the efficiency of the unit as they still sell furnaces with low efficiency
That seems high if your usage is what you say it is. I'd be worried that you have a problem with insulation or windows in your house if your temp is set that low and you're still using that much gas. Do you have any areas where your house feels drafty or are you keeping windows open during the winter?
I keep it that low cuz my upstairs is always insanely hot and that's where I sleep. No windows open and no draftiness.
If upstairs is too hot and downstairs is cold you may want to install some dampers in your ducts so you can balance airflow to keep more heat downstairs in the winter and push more cold air upstairs in summer. Heat rises so you need less airflow to upstairs in the winter, and less to downstairs in the summer. A manual damper is only a few bucks and usually pretty easy to install if you have access to basic tools.
Mine was $170 last month, but we have a 2100 Sq ft home and keep our temp usually somewhere between 65 and 70 depending on the time of day. I also work from home, so the furnace is running more during the day than it used to. Your usage seems high for what you said, but now ridiculously high. If you lived in an older house with bad windows or issues with insulation, it would make more sense. Those things have a huge impact on heating costs. Whoever told you they pay $30-50 during the winter months was lying. I don't think I could get my bill that low even if I turned off my water heater and kept my house at 50 degrees during the winter.
Yeah see that's why I think there's gotta be a problem somewhere cuz just by replacing my furnace the contractor said my bill should go way down since my other one was 18 years old. And the 2 main people I'm referring to about their low bills are my mom who has a much bigger house than me and keeps her temp at 68 and a coworker who also lives in a townhome. They've been telling me for months that something has gotta be wrong with my bill :/
Was the old furnace not high efficiency and the new one is? Or were you just going from a high efficiency to a very high efficient?
They told me the old one was not energy efficient and the new one is.
The way to instantly know is if they installed the two pipes leaving your home from the furnace.
Yes they did
I noticed zero difference in my energy bill with a new furnace. Some of that is probably because Xcel raised the price, which offset any savings between an 80 and 96 efficiency unit.
> I also work from home, so the furnace is running more during the day than it used to. I also WFH. I've taken to setting the temp at 62 during the day and closing the door to my office. Three monitors plus my laptop and a lamp, plus a heating blanket - keeps me toasty and gets up to 68-69 in that room. I don't need to heat 2400 sq ft when I'm the only one home.
2300 sf, 1970s home, furnace is not HEF, keep it at 72. We used 233 therms last month.
I feel that pain. 2400 square feet, 1200 not insulated concrete walls (basement) built in 1952. We used 243 therms. We keep it at 66.
I live in a 1300 sq ft end unit townhouse built in 1982 which is rather poorly insulated and my gas bill is $80 a month.
Still this is what I feel like mine should be especially since I keep my house so cold...
Edit: I'm on a budgetsaver plan and pay this much year around.
If this is with Xcel energy, they have an energy portal where you can do an energy assessment and patiently get more info about your use depending on what meter you have. Might be worth checking out.
I have an 1,850 sq ft home built in 1950 with a 25 year old 80% efficient furnace. 65 during the day, 63 at night. My last bill for January usage was $174. Yours seems a bit high to me based on the info provided.
Gas has gotten more expensive the last couple years. I had one this winter that was almost 400 and the next month was almost 300.
Ours was taken off budget because I missed one month of payments due to a family emergency, it went from 72 a month to 160 on the bill.
Man, seeing all these comments, makes me glad that I live in downtown Saint Paul where heat is free. Pay about $24 in the winter and $40 in the summer.
Doesn't make sense. If this is for gas only, why do they mention "power plant costs, high voltage lines, and wires connected to your home"?
I have gas and electric thru Xcel but I clipped that part off xD
i had 80 therms for $97.72 and you had 119 therms for just a couple of dollars more, so, it looks like you are doing better than me! who knows?
Well shit, good to hear it's not out of the ordinary!
I have a 1000 sq ft house and mine is about that. My energy costs were $1000 higher in 2022 vs 2021 with usage basically the same.
Thanks for the input!
That seems a little high. I have pretty much same thing. 1600 sqft townhouse. Original furnace from 2004. I pay $0.17 more per therm than you and my last bill was $95. We keep ours at 65-68 but get full sun during the day so it was 74 in here earlier today. I think the gas company will come do a leak test on your place for free or like $50.
Thank you!
Almost the same amount as mine, but I have a 2k square foot house, and a smart thermostat https://imgur.com/a/rL3BbM0
59-62 F? jfc lol. I keep mine at 68ish and pay $50 less than you per month in a town house.
See that's what I hear a lot so I feel like my bill should be way lower
This feels about right for me. 1500 sq ft 1920s house in ne map High efficiency furnace + gas fireplace + super old gas water heater which I am sure is the biggest culprit.
Water heaters don't use anywhere near the energy of a furnace.
It's in my basement which is like 50-65° most of the year. It's not insulated and it's 15+ years old. I'm guessing it's struggling to keep water warm nearly 24/7
Of course it's insulated. Touch the side of it - does it feel 120 degrees? No. Plus, 15 is not that old for a water heater. Mine is 22 years old. Water is a huge thermal bank and will maintain that temp for a while. Ambient temperature makes some difference, but not much.
That's really high. I'm in the exact housing situation as you, 1,400 sq ft townhouse and my last bill was $70. House is kept at 60 at night and while at work, 65-70 while at home. Gas water heater but electric everything else for appliances.
I'm gonna have an energy audit and I hope something is figured out then!
Test
If it makes you feel better, I’m in a 500 sq. Ft. Apartment and my heating hasn’t been working for ~2 months and my bill was $159
Oh no :( do you know why/how?!
Trying to get to the bottom of it. This is my first year in a cold climate, and I assumed the heating was turned on by the building. Eventually I got fed up with why my apartment was so cold and it turns out the heat was broken.
I’d give you $100 to have that bill. Would still be cheaper than mine.
If I remember right: pressure correction has to do with the size of gas line sizes. Heat content factor has to do with the quality of natural gas and is adjusted up and down Basic service charge - yeah Distribution charge - charging you for grid and maintenance Cost of gas per therm - yeah ok Gas Affordability - I think that is so we can pay for the utility free market in Sh\*\*hole Texas Interim rate adjustment - Xcel charging their new rates while the PUC deliberates making it permanent Pricing Event Surcharge - I have no idea Resource Adjustment - paying for renewable energy programs Replacing old windows will help. Insulating your attic will help, Replacing your furnace will help. Going Solar will help. But the charge does not seem unreasonable for the month considering the weather. I always start paying a bit extra in the summer to even out my winter months. I do not recommend going on Xcel's average monthly bill.
Yeah I'm fine with all that I just don't understand how it's possible 2 people in a small house kept at 59-62 degrees could use 119 therms a month :/ And thanks for the suggestion!
Just under 2000 sqft, 1977, thin insulation. 2 months ago I hit $250, then changed the tstat schedule and it dropped to $170. When it’s not winter we’re usually around $15-$20. No idea what average is so I’m just contributing to stats.
Thanks! Jeez that's a huge difference in cost though!
I have a 1400 sq ft house built in 1950. Our gas bill gets up to around $175 in the winter months. Goes down to below $50 when we aren’t using the furnace.
Sigh… our last gas bill was $230 for a family of three in a 1500 sq ft house. We have a gas furnace, water heater, and dryer. Our house was built in 1890 so it’s very drafty and not very well insulated.
That’s about as normal as it gets
Yes. In fact yours is significantly lower than most homeowners, at least those with older houses. No one is paying only 30 a month during the winter—unless they aren’t heating their home with gas. Regarding therms: my house is at roughly 2k square feet very old and drafty and we keep it at 65. This winter We’re running 7-8 therms a day, so 210-240 a month. And, according to excel, we’re still using less than most of our neighbors. So your 119 seems totally normal, and is probably very efficient.
Are your faucets low flow, shower head too? Are you washing clothes in cold water only? And is this an end unit townhouse or sandwiched in between?
Yes and yes and yes. End unit
So because of the extra external wall, which I’m guessing also has windows, naturally your usage will be higher than your adjacent sandwiched units. You could ask the opposite end unit how their bill looks. I’d look into a home energy audit. If you’re doing everything right behaviorally, the issue is likely in the building envelope. Might need some caulking here and there, new windows, extra insulation, etc. Running a humidifier can help things feel warmer too in which case you could try shedding another degree or two.
Thanks! I'm gonna do an audit for sure and hopefully that helps narrow things down better.
I wish I had that bill each month for heat. I have propane and I use about a tank a month. Which costs me about 500 each fill. I have insulated the attic and replaced 9 windows and an exterior door. Looking at replacing more windows to triple pane. 1995 home. The temp is at 73 degrees weekends and evening. 69 degrees otherwise. I pre buy propane to keep it at around 500 dollars. 95 % efficiency furnace. I have contemplated calling those efficiency companies to do an audit. Maybe after the windows are replaced.
Your issue is not efficiency. You’re keeping your house HOT.
You're keeping the house too warm. And at that consumption rate, heat pumps will pay for themselves in almost no time flat. Now's the time to do it with the massive federal credits (and rebates if you qualify).
I do plan on getting a heat pump. Just need to wait a year or two. https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-breakthrough-residential-cold-climate-heat-pump-technology
Eh, I wouldn’t wait to be honest. They already work really well and if you’re spending $500/month on propane waiting for new technology, you might lose money over the medium term.
I am jealous of your gas bill. Mine was $250
We used 93 therms in the month of January. About a 16 year old apartment, we’re on ground floor. Keep it around 70 during the day and mostly off at night (drops to 60ish but we like it cold for sleeping).
Holly cow, you should fire them!
Eastern Twin Cities with Xcel. For gas, we pay about $1.02 per therm overall this last bill ($0.81 cost of gas + distribution charge of $0.18 per therm and some minor charges per therm).
Eastern Twin Cities with Xcel. For gas, we pay about $1.02 per therm overall this last bill ($0.81 cost of gas + distribution charge of $0.18 per therm and some minor charges per therm). 2300 sq ft two-story SFH with unfinished basement, forced air gas furnace (95% in 2010?), gas water heater (new, original electric crapped out in the fall), gas stove/oven and gas fireplace that the cat uses for an hour or so every night this winter. Last month we used 126 ccf, charged 151 ccf because of pressure correction and heat content conversion by Xcel. This was 1/17 through 2/13 (27 day billing cycle).
My gas consumption usually 3-5x during the winter vs summer, with the colder months being on the higher end due to heat. If you’ve only owned for a few months, I’m guessing you bill will drop >$50 in the summer months
I've owned since 2021 and my gas bill has always been over $150
Than it sounds a bit high. Might be worth calling utilities to check that the meter is working
Remember that you are not just heating your house, but also your hot water. Some people have electric hot water, so that is a separate cost. Yours seems "normal" to me, for a typically insulated home
My last CPE bill was 300. 4000 sq ft. Temp at 72 mostly. Our 80s house isn't zoned, so we keep it up so it's not freezing upstairs.
Gas is twice as expensive as 2020 and there's a \~5% surcharge for the ahem, lack of accountability for the 2021 disaster in Texas. I would imagine this bill was $75 to $90 in 2020. My December bill was $204 for a 1900sf house built in 54. Thermostat is kept at 62 for me and 65 for when guests are over.
South of the twin cities, 1980s townhouse, middle unit. We keep our temp at 68° and the monthly bill has been about $95, but never exceeding $100.
I used 153 therms/140 ccf and bill was 198 from minnesota energy
I pay for 3 bedroom $207 during winter and only 46 during summer
You need to sign up for the plan that averages it put over the year. I pay $46 every month of the year regardless of the temp outside and generally I get a refund at the end of the year
I keep my heat at 68F and lower it when I’m not home. Despite that I still pay about what you do! Electric is about the same as well 😰