Submitted by Proper-Cheesecake602 t3_10lizr9 in baltimore
i live in a 2bd apt with three people and my bill is $173 but mind you, the last place i lived in before my bill was no more than $40 a month for winter. i don’t think we have been using much power and i want to know if this is a city/county wide thing or should i be making a BGE call asap lol
see i want to buy a space heater but i already know my apartment has faulty wiring which i told them about. i will be moving out of here bc the upkeep of this complex is awful
a space heater will not be cheaper at all.
Might be if you use it to heat one room vs an entire home.
But yeah they draw a ton of electricity so be aware of that.
yes if you heat one room and turn down the central heat. I doubt anybody actually does that, and I doubt OP plans to do that, since he's stated he has to keep the heat on higher for their dog.
I do that because running my central heat costs $25 a day to maybe maintain 60F…
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I’m assuming you’re talking about using a space heater to preferentially heat one room and leave the rest of the unit cooler. If this is the case, consider getting an oil-filled electric heater, and if needed, circulating the air around it with a small fan (to blow heat to the rest of the room). These heaters work quite well, generally use less energy, and are usually less of a power draw when they start up (less likely to blow a breaker).
Oil-filled electric heaters are still electric heaters. They will use the same amount of energy to generate a BTU of heat.
I totally understand where you’re coming from (after all, to a certain extent, heat transfer is heat transfer, right?). Oil-filled heaters find their cost savings through the use of the oil as a heat sink and generally having better thermostat performance in part because of that heat sink. Overall, it’s a more controlled and consistent power draw, and they do apparently seem to use less electricity overall. they also turn on and off less, so the wear on breakers (especially the old fashioned ones) is less.
As anecdote, I’ve run about 30 oil heaters at once in a very large building successfully for months on pretty old wiring. Every coil-based heater I tried to introduce into the mix blew out a breaker within a day. I don’t have direct personal data on the relative long-term power consumption during that period.
I’m not really sure what to say otherwise. Could I be wrong? Absolutely.
Yeah, the turn off more quickly because the thermostat is basing it's cycles based on the oil temperature...but the oil temperature isn't what keeps humans warm. The warmer air is what warms people. The oil heaters warm the surrounding air more slowly...making comparisons by measuring consumption over a set period of time flawed. If you measure the actual input into the air by measuring consumption from a temperature to another temperature (68 to 70, for example)...the consumption will be basically the same. They're both ~100% efficient. That's what the physics dictate.
>The more heat the oil can store, the longer the heating element can stay off.
That was an excerpt from that "article" the other person posted. Even if it stays off longer, it will still need to stay on longer for the oil to reabsorb the heat it lost. Energy in = energy out still. The ONLY case where that doesn't apply is with a heat pump.
Personally, I use infrared quartz heaters and just point them at me.
Yep, heat pumps are amazing technology. It's a shame that so many people don't understand their benefits and overemphasize their weaknesses. That's part of the reason why people end up over-relying on space heaters and actually do more harm than good.
i have gas heat. a family member has a heat pump. During the cold snap it really struggled, and in one bedroom the bed sheets froze. I've never heard of this happening before, but it made me feel happy to pay a bit more for gas heat.
Heat pumps aren't designed or intended to provide sufficient heat alone on the coldest days. They will have an auxiliary backup...be it electric resistance heat strips, natural gas, oil, propane, etc, that provides assistance during the periods of coldest temperatures. It sounds like your family member's aux heat is not properly configured.
if OP had been running a heat pump his bill would have been even crazier since he's trying to run his T stat at 72F. I agree heat pumps are a great thing and the disadvantages are overblown, however; one thing that I don't think we talk about enough when it comes to heat pumps is lowering expectations. You can have your heat pump set to 72F, when its in the teens outside and expect it to keep up. OP would have ended up using mainly strip heat, resulting in an enormous bill.
Part of adopting heat pumps is going to be to communicate to people that you need to keep your heat set low, and wear warm clothes inside in the winter. Far too people have this expectation to wear shorts and T shirts inside, while their heat is cranked up in the winter.
It depends on what you consider an "enormous bill". A heatpump doesn't need to "keep up" to lower your bill. Every BTU that a heatpump produces is going to be cheaper than a BTU produced by resistance strips. Modern heat pumps have a COP >1 at temperatures well below what is seen here in MD...so they should be left running even after they no longer provide all of your needed heat.
With my thermostat set to 70, I only used 2 hours and 17 minutes of strip heat during last month's cold snap. I used less than 4 hours of heat strip all of last winter. That's not going to blow up my bill.
your heat pump experience does not seem to be anything close to the norm from what I've seen. In fact it seems downright unbelievable.
It's perfectly normal for those who understand the technology and have it installed/configured appropriately. For some additional background, this is not a state-of-the-art unit. It's a 3 ton, 2 stage Trane XL16i that was installed in 2006. This is a mid-tier system by today's standards. 2500 sq/ft home.
My Ecobee thermostat keeps track of the usage in each state. In December 2022, stage 1 usage was 292 hours. Stage 2 saw 66 hours. Aux usage was 2 hours and 17 minutes.
I also have an electric car...and my usage on my last bill was 1850kwh.
okay given the extra details I absolutely do not believe your claims. Heat pumps are the future, but there is no way you're running a heat pump at 70F in teens weather and only using strips for 2 hours over the course of several days. And definitely not from a unit from 2006.
I mean...believe what you want, but all your doing is demonstrating that you don't understand how to most efficiently utilize the technology. I track all of this pretty closely.
its frustrating cause these kind of unrealistic claims probably do more damage in the long run. This kind of similar to Tesla not being honest with winter range.
Also way to leave out that you have a second source of heat before you have to rely on strips. A VERY atypical heat pump installation.
They're not unrealistic claims...it's simply my experience with a very run-of-the-mill heat pump that I have optimized. This isn't some corporation being dishonest or using best-case scenario laboratory results. My heatpump results are real-world results.
Come on, man...as I already said, it's a two-stage heatpump. Heat 1 is the first stage of the heatpump. Heat 2 is the second stage of the heatpump. It's not an atypical heat pump installation in any way, shape, or form.
Yeah you know what, the oil-filled heater efficiency arguments don’t seem to hold water. I relent ;-)
From the perspective of breakers tripping, I suspect the biggest difference is that many oil-filled heaters have variable wattage, while most coil electric heaters more often than not just run 1500W only.
If you don’t mind, but what’s your square footage? We just moved into our first home and it’s a little over 2000 square feet. I haven’t got our first bill yet and just trying to get an idea of what to expect. I usually keep it around 70-73. The insulation is pretty good, so I’ve even managed to turn off the heating some days.
1800-2000ish sf single family home, BGE bill last month was $425 thanks to the Christmas cold snap. Usually in the $300-350 range. Natural gas air furnace, dryer and water heater and electric everything else (2 adults 2 preteens)
Thermostat 71F
Download the bge app. It tracks your daily energy usage and gives you an estimate of your bill every day based on your average usage.
Thank you!!! :)
1400
Ditto, ~350
My question is tho. Why was last month so high for everyone? Natural gas is down 30% ish from September and barely up from December and November prices
It’s the gas delivery charge!! They are thieves
Guys did you not remember of the exceedingly cold temps we experiences around Christmas? That is this bill. Of course your bill is super high. Especially if you were running in the 70s.
Ahhh, lucky for me I had no electricity during that time. Savings!!
you're not gas heating?
Not everywhere in Baltimore is hooked up for it. My house in Cherry Hill had a kerosene tank in the basement before we ripped it out and had a heat pump installed.
My bill was only through 12/20 before the cold hit and was still $116 for a single person in a 2 bedroom (with new windows) keeping the thermostat at 67/65°. It’s wild.
That doesn't seem "wild" at all. Windows make very little difference compared to insulation.
My bill was about 40% higher this month. 1br apartment. I did have the heat on most of the month to keep a set temperature.
this is ridiculous. i have the temperature around 72 right now which may seem high but at my last apartment, my bill still was extremely low. i have a dog that isn’t double-coated so she does shiver lol. that’s really the lowest and highest i can go without making her uncomfortable.
i hate that this is going on and we have been extra careful about leaving lights off, appliance unplugged, etc. we are also usually not home except for evening/early morning. maybe one person is there most of the day but not usually
72?????
Put on a sweater, jesus
not all dogs like sweaters, have a heart!!!!
I don't think you need a thermostat set to 72F just because you have dogs.
72F is way too high. 68F is the American average.
If you have LEDs ensuring lights are off isn't going to make a dent. Neither is leaving appliances unplugged (you'll maybe save $50/yr). If you want to save money turn down your damn heat. That is by far the largest constituent of your bill.
Yeah. Mine was 72. I was shocked at the increase as well. It was much higher than AC in the summer. Just this most recent bill
Dover Saddlery sells dog coats that are actually really nice. My cat and dog wear them outside when it's cold out, and while my corgi mostly wears one because she's cute in it, the cat REALLY appreciates the warmth of her fleece lined coat.
They let you bring animals in the store in Hunt Valley, too- even the cat came in to try on her coat.
ooh thank u! let me find her a new coat. i got her one before but she’s outgrown it.
You’re complaining that you have to be careful about conserving energy? Talk about your first-world-problems.
I just went to log into my BGE account online and this notice was at the top of the page: "Customer bills will increase effective with usage starting on Jan. 1, 2023 and as authorized by the Maryland Public Service Commission. The average residential electric bill will increase by $2.97 per month and the average residential natural gas bill will increase by $3.08 per month. See bge.com/myp (link) for details".
So a rate hike is one contributing factor at least.
Edit to add: My bill is $68 higher for the last billing cycle (Nov-Dec). My online account lists the likely reasons why- "Weather" and "Increased usage".
Yea, everybody’s went up. Gas is 0.97 cents per unit, last year it was roughly 0.31 cents. Electrics gone up too. You’d want to look at the back of your bill and the graph online of your usage. The online one can show hour by hour. If your usage goes up when the temp starts to dip, then you can assume it’s your heat working to keep the place warm. Especially if you’re all electric. In general, heat pumps are great until about 30 degrees or so, after that it turns into a massive space heater that sucks electric. So the couple cold days and nights at Christmas would’ve really impacted the bill. Emergency heat in your furnace can use 14 kWh each hour.
We haven't even turned our heat on and our most recent bill was $175
That’s about where I’m at, too. Part of it is definitely poor insulation in a very old row home, part of it is just how cold it got last month, but yeah rates have gone way up!
This bill cycle was also 4 or 5 days longer than average for whatever reason, so that added to it
I live in a mobile home and last month was $524. I was shook. We’ve never breeched the 500’s
how big? does it have good insulation?
$116, 2 bedroom above-ground basement, one person. I keep the heat at 67 during the day and 65 at night 😑
Yes. Constellation is in the business of gouging. For decades customers have been gouged as too many, in the past, were passive and drank the cool-aid, pushed on them by our local governments, who dismantled long standing utility controls. Back in those days, private utilities were regulated and not allowed to increase rates without public hearings and government OK. Hospitals are nearly deregulated, as the government regulation seems to allow uncontrolled consumer rate hikes.
BGE isn’t owned by constellation anymore. They’ve split into two separate companies. BGE still has to apply for rate hikes through the PSC. There are still public hearings on each one of them.
Gas went up triple since last January. This is mainly because of the global shortage on natural gas. Good luck finding a better price for natural gas right now. Cold snap at Christmas is the coldest nights we’ve had in a few years. It’s written in plain English on your bill every month
When people don't understand economics, they frequently turn into conspiracy theorists.
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I only moved here recently. So far my bill went from $55 to $83.
I have my heat up to 78F in one room (I own reptiles). But I feel like it wouldn’t equate to that much of a jump especially since I’ve kept it on constantly since October 2022.
Yes!! 2 people in a row home that we keep at 62°. Normally $80 a month and was $143. Using the my usage calculator I can see that we used the same amount of electricity this bill ($41) but way more gas. Interestingly, that few day cold snap we had in early December cost $35. Guessing between the cold snap and the few extra days on billing cycle and price increasing that’s why. Really sucks. Turning my thermostat to 60° I guess.
Ours will be 250 next month, small townhome. Our bill says we used $25 more in gas and also electric than the month before. So much for only seeing a $5 increase a month!
Yoooooooo, like 1200 dollars I the past 2 months. Luckily bge has that whole data usage thing but I'm waiting for them to come to my house and look at/if there's thermal leaks and if it's my furnace being trash. Literally like 200 there's more usage than my neighbors. Damn near had a heart attack when I saw the bill. How the hell am I gonna pay that? I turned off the damn heat for like a week
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January 2022 mine was $338, in January 2023 mine is $476. The price of the therms looks to have basically doubled. This fucking sucks. Typically keep the house at 65 at night and 66-68 during the day, depending on how much complaining occurs.
I used almost the same amount of gas I did last January (74 therms) and my bill was about $30 dollars higher. These bill increases are driven by commodity prices, which BGE does not profit from (trust me, I work for a utility regulatory agency). Gas is nearly twice as much per therm as it was last year. So, even if you use exactly the same amount of gas you used last year, your bill will be about 40-50% higher, including changes in the delivery price for gas.
If you want to save money, use less gas. Wear a sweater and get a space heater or electric blanket.
Mine somehow came out to nearly $50 last month and I was only home for 4 days! The rest of the month I set my temperature to 62 degrees!
Yes! I came here to ask this exact question! Usually my bill is $50 but my most recent bill is $130! I have my place at 64 degrees and my electric use stays around $25 but the electric supplier charge has jumped from $21 to $81 on my most recent bill.
Who is your supplier? Also have to look at the numbers on the back, not just the price. If your kilowatt hours didn’t change much, then your supplier is charging you more. If your kilowatt hours went up, then you want to look at when. There’s a graph online that can show hour by hour, day by day. If it went up when it got colder outside, that’s most likely due to your heat trying to keep up.
My supplier is bge. My kilowatts have increased a bit but I could get a detailed view of the increase. On bge website it just shows a bar graph by month. Where is the graph that you were talking about where it breaks it down by hour?
I’ve only done it on mobile. Should be a couple drop down menus at the top. One usually is bill view and another for price or energy used. If you click the bill view you should see year and day. The day shows hour by hour.
Did you sign up for the Clean Choice Energy Option with BGE? Because I have download the app but it says since I have a different supplier they don’t have the information to give me daily use measurements.
It sounds like you've signed up with a retail supplier. BGE delivers your electricity. Clean Choice Energy is a different company and, based on your comment, it sounds like you signed up with them?
If that's the case, please take a look at your contract and the rate per kilowatt they are charging you. They may have increased your rate, as per the contract you signed. If there's no cancellation fee, cancel that contract immediately.
To add to u/Kooky_Deal9566 … look at your bill. If you cannot find your contract, take the energy supplier price (usually just a one line when it’s a different supplier) and divide by your total kilowatt hours for that month. That will give you your price per kilowatt.
My girlfriends bill was $350 and she lives in a top floor of a row home. My bill was higher than normal but not by much. Usually ~$150 in the winter and j think it jumped to like 170
We don't turn on the heat every day, maybe a couple times during the week and not the entire day either and it was still $110+ for the last few month, 900sq feet. In summer it doesn't even get past $100 with AC all day.
2500 sq/ft home, all electric (with heatpump) and an electric car. Thermostat set to 69-70. $275 bill this month.
I've put a lot of $$ and effort into airsealing, insulation, thermal optimization...so the total isn't too high compared to some others, but this is still the highest bill I've had in ~5 years.
OP, you can ask BGE to check your gas meter. BGE also partners with a third-party company that comes to your house and does an energy savings assessment free of charge.
thank you! i will look into that
It’s the gas delivery charge. They are thieves!!Meanwhile a rate hike approved two years ago is just kicking in now for my area in Baltimore.
They had a warning that rates were going up slightly :/
i understand slightly but even in the new place, this time last year i was paying $83 (still too high but ok) and now i’m paying over twice as much and we are in the house less time (we don’t WFH anymore). our heat temp was up higher last year bc we didn’t have a dog to worry abt and our bill was still much lower than this so i need these companies to be absolutely serious this is ridiculous honestly
You could still call them and check. Our bill is usually 170 at the lowest and 260ish when the heat or AC need to be run a lot for an electric-only rowhome...
so you're complaining that your bill is higher cause you keep the heat on all the time now?
“The average residential electric bill will increase by $2.97 per month and the average residential natural gas bill will increase by $3.08 per month.” Doesn’t seem accurately represented here 😂
Dayumn. I always thought our oil heat was pricey but all these bills you guys are getting are through the roof!
350 or so last bill. Keep in mind that was technically during that cold snap.
its all falling apart :3
My bills been $400 a month since it got cold. Its a 3 story rowhouse but both neighbors are vacant (but pay taxes... argh). I keep it at 67 which is chilly with drafts but nobody is dying.
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I had about 225 for December for about 1600 sq ft. It was that deep freeze before and during Christmas that did it. I haven't paid a gas and electric bill like that in 11 years. It sucked... But I paid it.😔
Thermostat at 66 and 67.
Editing to say, the electricity portion was like 40 dollars, which I was extremely proud of. It's my gas furnace and appliances killing my budget.
Bills have definitely gone up, the Xmas cold snap exacerbated that. But, are you comparing a previous apartment to a new one? Apples to oranges comparison. Was the old apartment in a newer building? did the building supply the heat? Were you previously on the top floor? Lots of variables to consider.
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Good luck getting them to do anything about it. I recently had a burst pipe that sprayed out water into my kitchen for 3 days while I was out of town for Christmas. It happened to be a hot water line, so the water heater ran continuously for three days and my BGE bill is 2x what it normally is. The city will adjust water bills due to a leak, so I figured I would try BGE. To paraphrase, their response was basically, "lol sucks for you."
AreWeCowabunga t1_j5x7qb9 wrote
Yup, it’s everywhere. Natural gas is more than double what it was two years ago. Electricity more expensive too. I have a detached house and the bill last month was $320, the highest I’ve ever seen. Other people in my neighborhood are paying 450-500. I’ve started keeping the house at 60 and using a space heater for whatever room I’m in.