Submitted by Seekay2022 t3_10m2lvc in WorcesterMA
Just got my latest gas bill. $538.50. I keep my older, 1500 square foot house at 64 to 67 on the thermostat and also used the wood stove 8-10 times last month, which means the boiler hardly ever kicks on. The Eversource delivery charge was $286. More than the actual gas.
I know my house could use more insulation but this is pretty stunning. Thankfully I can afford it. I think more of the people who can't, it's just ridiculous.
Unbelievable. WTF! You must have better insulation and windows than me for sure if you're paying net $200 less. That is still a huge bill.
Usually February will be a higher bill, but it’s already the highest I’ve had in six years. I do 68 F from 6 am to 10 pm, over night I leave it on 62 F
And this winter has been pretty mild so far. Mine is oil heat but I have paid at least double compared to previous years to fill the oil tank.
Same
Any chance you would qualify for LIHEAP? They can help out a bit.
https://www.mass.gov/service-details/learn-about-home-energy-assistance-liheap
So any energy experts wanna chime in on how long these ridiculous rates and etc will keep going on? I know global shit like the war in Ukraine has to do with it and it's hella complicated but if anyone could talk about how we get rates lower - if there's anything people can do from here - that would be great.
No, I can't qualify for LIHEAP and that's fine. I'm just shocked at the size of my bill.
Aside from investing in newer and diversified infrastructure (hydro, solar, etc) and making utilities public, there are only... less savory... options.
If you need insulation mass saves gives some pretty good discounts.
Have you signed up with a cheaper supplier? Eversource will still bill you but you can be purchasing the gas from someone else.
I've looked a bit but it's difficult to find anything very concrete for MA.
me crying in Fitchburg with Until
Yep I’m with ya, I keep my house in the low 60s yet the bill is more expensive than ever. It’s very cool of them to make the delivery charge more than the actual usage amount. They should provide us an itemized breakdown of how it actually costs that much to deliver the gas.
It would be nice if our leaders would address all the energy problems we have in this country instead of just telling us to go buy an electric car.
Mine doubled too; Who's your supplier?
Eversource for both delivery and supply.
I mean they had been warning people for months, now people are surprised they weren't bullshitting?
After getting my ~$500 bill this month, I'm keeping my temperature at 60 degree at all time. Let's see how much of a difference it makes
Wouldn't get your hopes up. A month ago I got a ~$350 bill, so lowered my thermostat to 61. My most recent bill was ~$425.
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It’s almost like we saw this coming
Yeah my bill last month was 50% more than the same period last year, and it's been a mild winter.
My house is a bit smaller, also very old (but recently insulated), and my last bill was $350....60 at night and during the day when no one is here. 68 when someone is home. Knocked the at-home temp to 66 when home for this month to see how much of a difference it makes. It's tough! I signed up for the municipal electric rate, but I don't think something similar exists for gas.
When you say gas are you talking about piped in natural gas or bottled propane?
Natural gas.
I don't understand the delivery charge, it sounds like they're charging you for the gas traveling through a pipe to your home. How is this an expense to them and an added cost to you? It sounds like BS to me. Propane is physically delivered and there's never a delivery fee. Years ago we lived in Worcester and Worcester had ComGas and no middle men. You got a monthly bill that was one price with no fees. We get all sorts of junk mail from Energy companies who claim to lower your bills. I haven't heard of one yet that actually has. I deal directly with National Grid for electricity and my propane supplier with no added fees. Everything else sounds like a scam.
It's for the upkeep of all their infrastructure, they own and maintain and are responsible for the so to speak roads bridges and tunnels that move the gas to people's homes.
The last couple years they've been doing a lot of replacement work, you may have seen all the job sites and digging going on around town.
Now they are sticking ratepayers with the bill and most likely adding a nice fat tip for themselves on top.
Geez, I thought our tax dollars were supposed to pay for infrastructure. I was unaware that private enterprises were also tax collectors. Sounds like the same kind of scam as finally resurfacing a pothole cratered road only to dig it up again to replace pipes. A friend in Charlton lives on a quiet back road that's been torn up for a long time and little at a time the road work has been completed. It's going to be repaved from end to end when its done. My friend said he thought it was odd to see so many different companies involved besides the road people. There have been all sorts of energy and communication companies and surveyors up and down the road. He told me he saw a couple of guys doing something with a large drone. Someone he knows works for the town old him it's all at the behest of Amazon. Something tells me his road isn't going to be quiet for long. I just wonder who's going to pay for all of this.
Curiositydelay1sec t1_j60v992 wrote
$877.48, double the sqf