Gas bill doubled

Submitted by ListofReddit t3_zy6rpa in pittsburgh

My gas bill is roughly $60-70 and I keep the heat on 68-70. I just received my new bill and it’s $180. I live in a 600sqft apartment. This is outrageous. Anyone else also having this issue?

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The001Keymaster t1_j241fcb wrote

How it works is when it's colder outside, you use more gas. There's a huge difference in the gas it takes to heat your apartment from 35 outside to 68 inside as opposed to 5 to 68.

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Wide-Concert-7820 t1_j247um6 wrote

Please explain again. So....if it gets colder, expect a winter gas bill to rise. Wait....can you use different words this is still tripping me up.

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No-Assistance2199 t1_j25xcxl wrote

Doubt they’ve even seen the bill for last weeks cold snap yet. Wonder if they’d just been estimating usage and did a meter read this month.

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ergane t1_j26nhkg wrote

My bill doubled from the same month last year, even though I used almost the same MCF of gas. Prices are just up.

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ListofReddit OP t1_j241jqj wrote

Right and everyone would accept almost $200 is a fair price for an apartment of 600sq feet. That’s an entire house gas price.

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chefmarksamson t1_j242umu wrote

I mean, check your bill. Did the price per CCF increase from previous months? Did your transmission/storage/dozen-or-so-other-random-fees increase dramatically? If not, then yes, $180 IS what it costs to heat your particular 600sqft apartment to 68-70 degrees in this cold, regardless of what it seems like it should cost.

Did your usage more than double, according to your bill? If so, you’ve definitely tracked down the problem. Maybe your apartment, small as it is, is cheaply built, poorly insulated, and has shitty windows? Maybe the furnace is old and inefficient? You could always try weatherproofing and/or running an efficient space heater like an electric oil-filled radiator to see if that helps.

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pghgreatest t1_j272poj wrote

What are the chances the meter thingy duquesne used to measure is wrong ? Can we ask for it to be inspected to ensure it’s functioning appropriately?

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TangyWonderBread t1_j24eax6 wrote

>That’s an entire house gas price.

Not really. In a really cold month, I once got a $550 gas bill for a 3 bed house in Pittsburgh.

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Spag-N-Ballz t1_j24nlqf wrote

About 14 years ago I lived in a really old, poorly insulated 2 bedroom duplex. Single pane windows, basement, etc. The last winter I lived there I had a gas bill that was more than my rent (over $600).

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myhouseisabanana t1_j273w3o wrote

Oof really? Was it unusually big? Biggest I ever got was 320 or so

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TangyWonderBread t1_j27axpe wrote

Yeah, it was an extremely poorly insulated house though. Original 1901 windows. After that we bullied the landlord into replacing the windows and it dropped to about $200 in regular cold winter months and $300 in frigid months.

Important to note this was 9 years ago- between regular inflation, extra inflation, and gas prices, I'm sure the same house's bill could be even higher today

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The001Keymaster t1_j242l8a wrote

Get on the budget amounts. It won't go up or down as much. I don't know what to tell you as far as fair goes. You pay for the amount of gas you use not some price the gas company randomly decided to charge you.

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zunit110 t1_j24fr04 wrote

I was $450 this month. $200 sounds like a bargain.

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Gallitzen t1_j24yg9p wrote

Budget plans are an answer here. Sure, it may feel annoying to pay a little more in the summer months, but this is the time of year that it really pays to be on a budget plan.

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dock035 t1_j251rw0 wrote

Scrolled way too far to find this. Will gladly pay a little more in the summer months than $100s more in the winter months.

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Gnarlsaurus_Sketch t1_j286p85 wrote

That doesn’t solve OP’s problem of a high gas bill though, it just shifts it around a bit. If prices go way up like they have recently, the user is still on the hook for way more $$. Added fees may also apply.

Better off focusing on things that will bring energy costs down long term, such as replacing old drafty windows, adding/replacing insulation, and upgrading the heating system.

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Gallitzen t1_j2a9vfw wrote

Those are all great things you can do...if you own a home AND have the income or credit to fund them, especially given how expensive they currently are. None of those suggestions solve OP's problems either, as they're in a rented space, and there's little to no incentive for a landlord to modernize when they have artificially inflated market price profits to offset utility costs when they don't have tenants.

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SpaFixr t1_j28m50a wrote

You forgot voting democrats out of office.

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Gnarlsaurus_Sketch t1_j29ap6f wrote

political policies friendly to oil and gas companies don’t necessarily guarantee low oil and gas prices. The market dictates the price.

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_melsky t1_j26zz51 wrote

I do the budget plan because we have more cold months as opposed to warm and it just made sense. No regrets.

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rgratz93 t1_j27x2er wrote

I've been on budget since buying my home 4 years ago and it still feels like my bill has doubled in the last year and a half. I just got a bill for over 400

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bmh1990WT t1_j26ds8t wrote

Definitely agree. Way easier to budget for month to month consistantly, than get walloped after it was like -27. Especially in the area with all the old drafty homes

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CrowSucker t1_j26kf7a wrote

Plus if you have the extra money you can always pay more than the budget minimum to average that bill down over the year.

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eonerv t1_j28t983 wrote

This. Best part is (at least for me when I lived in NJ) was that at the end of the calendar year, the electric company usually will reach out and offer two choices:

  • Get money you overpaid back as a check
  • Roll what you overpaid into next year

I usually just rolled it into the next calendar year so I didn't have to pay as much.

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cmiovino t1_j246ajr wrote

Seems about right. My buddy said his is normally $200 and it was $400 recently - for a house, not apartment mind you.

I expect ours to at least double.

Welcome to higher energy costs, inflation, and winter.

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Seejay784 t1_j243bac wrote

I have a 130 year old 4 story house and mine was $350. It's a huge punch in the gut right after Christmas, but I'm not surprised

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rgratz93 t1_j27wws0 wrote

That seems pretty low for such a large house.

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Western-Tie6318 t1_j241s31 wrote

My house is 4 times the size of your apartment and based on current rates I’m calculating that I’ll pay about 4 times as much as you did to heat your apartment, so this checks out. The main question I have is why do you keep your heat at 70 when it’s 0 degrees outside?

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ListofReddit OP t1_j241xd6 wrote

Do you want me to keep it at 60? I’m not understanding your question. The other tenants in my building are paying $60-70 this bill. I’m paying double.

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Western-Tie6318 t1_j2427fv wrote

Yes. I keep my thermostat at 65 during the day and 60 at night.

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typingfrombed t1_j269ca2 wrote

I love sleeping in the winter with temp at 60 (I go as low as 58). Better sleep when it’s cold and nice under my cozy layers of blankets! Then temp is up to turn on the heat when it’s time to get up. :)

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CL-MotoTech t1_j242jbz wrote

Is it an actual reading or an estimate? I tend to pay way ahead on my gas bills over the summer so when we get a cold snap I don't have to worry about a gigantic bill. That said, gas prices are off the charts due to many reasons and it was also pretty damn cold.

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susinpgh t1_j249y54 wrote

I had an issue with a rental once where I was paying the water bill for both apartments. Someone else suggested that you look at your other bills to see if there is a reasonable explanations. But if other tenants are paying that much less, maybe do a comparison with their bills. Is it possible that some of the common spaces are tied to your gas bill?

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jcaino t1_j25b2kt wrote

Are they on the budget plan? That's the way to go and have pretty much the same bill month-to-month.

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jeff0 t1_j26h8kr wrote

Are you on the bottom floor? Or have more of your walls being outside walls than the neighbors?

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HotWalk152 t1_j26gw5b wrote

Wont accept anymore downvotes. Hmmmm...your felliw tenants probably did not have theyre heat cranked up is why theyres is less

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hllewis128 t1_j2450z6 wrote

Yes. Energy prices are up, and you are using a lot more. I had to turn my thermostat down to 67 during the cold snap because it was just running non-stop to keep the house at 68.

Call the gas company. They may be able to help you set up a budget plan. Natural gas is just more expensive than it was earlier this year, and that plus the cold weather has those bills way up.

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dobsco t1_j25pemo wrote

Last month mine was $103, this month $300. It blows. I have a small house and keep it on 66 day/60 night... so I'm not even warm, and my bill is still $300.

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pghhotfire t1_j246cbu wrote

Whenever you use more of something, the price goes up.

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OnceBug t1_j24fj1n wrote

Or if they wanna increase prices for the same useage whatta ya gonna do?

Atleast peoples gas ceos don't have to worry about a jelly of the month club membership this year

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pghdadbod73 t1_j2441j7 wrote

Outrageous , sure , out of the question , No. Winter bills are always higher, is your apartment insulated well? Do the windows frost over?

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ListofReddit OP t1_j244chq wrote

They do not frost over. Bout to put some plastic over them though just in case. Shitty thing is the place was renovated.

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pghdadbod73 t1_j244n3x wrote

Renovated doesn’t mean well insulated , I’ve seen the way some landlords “renovate” and the phrases “Lipstick on a pig” and dumpster fire come to mind.

Remember they minimize their expenses to maximize their return, since they dont pay utilities those areas are usually up to code, but not maximized for the tenant

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CARLEtheCamry t1_j2d4uh4 wrote

But I have grey laminate floors, why wouldn't I expect everything to be ship-shape?!

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hllewis128 t1_j245b7d wrote

Yes, use those plastic sheets. I have decent windows but I was still surprised to see how much of a difference it made to cover the windows.

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Cuttlefisher1890 t1_j243vqr wrote

It's that time of year. My October usage per my bill was 4.2 MCF ($74.26) and my November usage was 11.6 MCF ($181.33). It got colder, so my furnace burned more fuel to keep the house at 63 degrees.

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friskimykitty t1_j24m0hf wrote

If you’re below a certain income you may qualify for LIHEAP.

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IClight69 t1_j24sl1v wrote

Unfortunately if you qualify for liheap, you probably dont have your own place or are in subsidized house of. The income restrictions are. Very low.

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friskimykitty t1_j251prs wrote

I’m disabled and receive SS. I own my home and I still qualify.

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rgratz93 t1_j27x5qs wrote

Still worth applying for if you're on the edge of it.

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Competitive_Age_5468 t1_j24mbmg wrote

We are in the same situation. Heat is set on 65-66 all day. We use a wood burner to supplement. Nov $78. Dec $168. I’m not shocked, I’ve lived here my whole life and it very difficult to heat an entire house for less than $200 per month during the coldest parts of winter. This is just my opinion, I live in a 1970’s colonial with some upgrades. Aka your friends parents house. I don’t do budget billing as it has never worked out In my favor lol. Best of luck to all yinz

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___Dan___ t1_j25kskg wrote

Budget billing doesn’t work in your favor or against. It’s just to smooth out the payments. You’re not going to get ahead or fall behind because I’d budget billing.

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Competitive_Age_5468 t1_j25ma0x wrote

I guess for me paying $100 per month as a set rate never gives me that chance to figure out if I’m keeping the heat too high. Before you know it I have like a $500 balance at the end of yr because I was always over using. So I just pay my actual bill each month no surprises.

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GottaWanna t1_j25w0cc wrote

On Peoples’ website, you can toggle your usage graphs to show what the dollar amount would be if you weren’t on budget billing. I watch this stuff like a hawk and graph the fuck out of it myself 🤓

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No-Shoulder-8959 t1_j24pmh7 wrote

68-70? You mfers living in luxury over there. It stays at 60 in my house.

I agree. That’s outrageous and you should bundle up more often.

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mashbaugh67 t1_j25dici wrote

I was looking closely at my bill this afternoon (Columbia Gas of PA) and while it was indeed a colder December this year than last year which upped our usage a bit (keep the house at the same temps), the Supply charges doubled from last year to this year and the Delivery charges went up a decent amount as well. Those three factors are ultimately why folks are seeing significantly higher bills this December compared to last year. Mine personally jumped almost $150 from what it was at the same point in late 2021.

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defaultclouds t1_j28w8nj wrote

Thought it was the coldest December since 1960? Or maybe it was just a few days or a week that broke the record,….

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mashbaugh67 t1_j29qhdq wrote

I don't think that I heard it as the coldest December since '60, but that is possible. I do know that our Christmas time cold broke some records though.

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terracottalady t1_j260ity wrote

Well this is scaring me I have a three bedroom apartment in my bill on the payment plan, is already $300 a month. If it's $600 a month I'm going to have to start burning furniture or something.

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AmyTea t1_j249yyi wrote

My place is about 700sf and it went from $88 to $172. It's going to be even worse next month. Get budget billing if you can. When I lived in a 1200 sf house it topped off at about 350.00 and that was a few years ago pricing.

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lalube t1_j24zeli wrote

Yep. We run propane. Decided to top the tank off. Got the least amount of propane with the most expensive bill we’ve ever had.

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[deleted] t1_j24u697 wrote

The price for Mcf has drastically increased due to the commodity price. Even if you’ve used the same amount of Mcf as the year prior you can expect the bill to be drastically more as the spot price of natural gas is substantially higher.

Hope this helps

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rgratz93 t1_j27x9mp wrote

Doesn't help that we continuously block our own energy system

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jbaker620 t1_j24ythe wrote

Seems to be happening to everybody with every single utility

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J_Business_ t1_j255c2r wrote

Just want to suggest the Budget Plan for gas bills.

I don't know if all the service providers offer it, but People's does for sure.

Gives you one flat fee that you pay year round (mine is $107) and then at the end of the year they will either reimburse you or charge you more based on usage.

I don't believe I ever had to pay more and usually get reimbursed a nice chunk of coin every year. Helps to plan finances throughout the year.

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lutzcody t1_j25arkr wrote

Hmm interesting although if they’re always reimbursing you, one could agree that’s not a good financial decision to be on the budget since you’re generally over paying each month.

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J_Business_ t1_j25cp6b wrote

Yup. Kind of depends on your situation. I like the flat fee to plan my finances more accurately per month and then treat the reimbursement as a little bonus to buy something nice.

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hypotenoos t1_j24n7ry wrote

Did your usage increase?

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vibes86 t1_j274rjs wrote

Yep. Normal. Gas was predicted to go up and it’s been really cold. We keep our house at 66 and supplement rooms with small electric heaters to keep the gas bill down.

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Jazzlike_Breadfruit9 t1_j245ukh wrote

Make sure you paid your last bill on time and that it isn’t part of your new bill. This happened to me once and I thought my bill had doubled. Oops.

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rogerfeinstein t1_j24nj1j wrote

People have said it but it was cold AF so everyone's heat had to work harder so the bill will be higher depending on your home.

My house was built in 1930 and is double bricked with layers of asbestos between the bricks and my walls which themselves are stupid thick as they are lath and plaster.

Heating for me wasn't all that much higher but I feel bad for people with trash Ryan homes or people living in apartments where the landlords don't care how much you pay for utilities

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jirenlagen t1_j2605xw wrote

Mine is 600$ this month thankfully I’m on budget billing 😂

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janie3041 t1_j26a9nd wrote

Understandable. My heating bill last month was over $1k. I live in a small apartment that's poorly insulated. After the winter storm and a threat from the health department, they're finally doing something to fix it

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Badams6480 t1_j24bww1 wrote

It has in Eastern Ohio. A lot of people on fixed income as well struggling pretty bad. The church I do food drives for has tripled in people served because of this. Hear it all the time.

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TangyWonderBread t1_j24qg8x wrote

OP, people have set you straight at this point, so I won't pile on. The summary here is that your bill is most likely accurate, so taking it up with the gas company would be a waste of your time.

Is it unfair? That's more of a political question. If you choose, you can certainly take it up with lawmakers, in terms of supporting expansion of LIHEAP-type benefits, gas price capping, or improving rental laws regarding insulation requirements. But that's the level this is currently at.

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GubbyPac t1_j2584z7 wrote

Yes. Compare this years cost to last years. The rates increased.

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Golden5StarMan t1_j25va6e wrote

I do marketing for a solar company and they said all the local electric companies jumped 22-28% this year and already determined a similar hike next year. Basically the state isn’t going to subsidize the infrastructure so they need to raise prices substantially.

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EmuSea t1_j26vllb wrote

It do be cold outside

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didgeridont_pls t1_j270hq7 wrote

Yep, mine have doubled. I live in Irwin in a 2k square foot house with a steam boiler. Went from 175 to 327 on a budgeted plan. It’s a bit unreal to be honest.

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pghgreatest t1_j2725cq wrote

Duquesne said I used 106percent more energy and my bill is estimated to be 400

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its-saute t1_j25gmwq wrote

I agree, that does seem really high. If you log into your gas company account it should show your usage history - take a look and see if the usage doubled or if this is just a price issue. Do you have a gas fireplace in there that you’ve been running, etc

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montani t1_j266l35 wrote

WhATever YoUDO DonT bUy a nEwLy bUiLt hOmE

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pAul2437 t1_j26fuuv wrote

Gotta revisit that climate income map

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213737isPrime t1_j26x9ez wrote

My house was about 52-55F through the cold snap. At one point the thermometer said it was 48F inside. I could have turned the heat up but I figured that I could put up with a couple of days of discomfort in order to save on the gas bill. Back to normal now. I was curious what the daily usage was but it was too cold to go out and read the meter every day.

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SpaFixr t1_j28lzsa wrote

Complaining when the gas bill is < $200 😂

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IClight69 t1_j24rspi wrote

Same. And I kept it at a balmy 64. Super ball bag move People.

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axhst17 t1_j262kp4 wrote

OP, I agree. I live in a SMALL apartment, in the summer it’s $70ish right now is it $200 + which is what my parents pay for their 4 bedroom house in the winter. I have individual room baseboard heating, I only ever have the living room one on, literally can’t afford to keep the whole place on. Obviously, my house is still freezing in the winter 🙃 sorry you’re dealing with this!

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bertrola t1_j26yfdv wrote

Have you looked into a cheaper suppliert?

I never paid attention to doing that but this year I did and it saves me about 30% on at least the gas supplier side.

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kniki217 t1_j28fp6k wrote

I mean, mine is $130 for a well insulated 1000sq ft house that I keep at 68. Sounds about right to me if yours isn't as well insulated as mine and you keep at a higher temp.

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thedfrichtel t1_j28hq7o wrote

Yes, our usage has apparently been up 243%. We’ve been doing the budget option to try and save a little but it’s fucked.

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Penguins275 t1_j273hfe wrote

It’s crazy how much gas everyone seems to use. I live in a 1400 sq ft house and I used 0.7 mcf for Oct and 2.5 mcf for Nov.

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chippersonofYork t1_j264qf0 wrote

Have no fear ex-Mayor of Braddock can fix it.

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iwifia t1_j26mmq6 wrote

Not everything is political

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chippersonofYork t1_j299jjo wrote

Especially not oil

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iwifia t1_j299s2p wrote

Not all power is from oil.

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chippersonofYork t1_j2a2t3t wrote

O’Rly please explain

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[deleted] t1_j2468cj wrote

[deleted]

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jnissa t1_j249y7l wrote

Actually - you are the exception. Either your home is seriously well insulated or perhaps your heat runs partial electric? No average house in pittsburgh is going to run sub 200 dollars on gas in a super cold month here unless it’s got some other factor contributing to keeping the cost low.

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throwawayorthrowing t1_j24dwj1 wrote

Yeah this doesn't makes sense at all unless you spent $5-10k on whole house insulation.

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Wooden_Albatross_832 t1_j24e3sb wrote

Nope house built in the 60s nothings been done since.

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throwawayorthrowing t1_j24f941 wrote

Depending when your billing cycle hits it may have not captured this freeze and you'll see it reflected on the next bill.

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Confident_End_3848 t1_j24x8ix wrote

I keep a 3 bedroom townhouse at 74 degrees and my budget for people’s gas is about $70 a month.

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jnissa t1_j24z1kt wrote

Is that what your actual bill is this month? But also, if you are an interior town house you have the advantage of only two of four walls being exterior facing. Even if you are an end unit you only have 3 of 4 walls exterior facing. It makes a difference

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Confident_End_3848 t1_j2514om wrote

It’s an end unit built in the 90’s, so pretty good insulation and windows replaced about 7 years ago. I haven’t seen the latest bill yet, but I think the cutoff date is usually before the polar temps got here.

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jsdjsdjsd t1_j24excy wrote

Remember when fracking was pitched to the region as a way to keep energy costs down?

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Burghflex t1_j24pn62 wrote

As if Fracking doesn’t come with its own problems.

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jsdjsdjsd t1_j24uckm wrote

Well…yeah. And the fringe benefit of cheaper energy costs haven’t even manifested so V cool!

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CivilMyNuts t1_j25f97p wrote

Sounds like more bullshit. Any proof fracking in the region will lower MY winter heating bill? No? Didn't think so.

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[deleted] t1_j24hrew wrote

[deleted]

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No-Shoulder-8959 t1_j24w77b wrote

Why do you pay for grubhub to deliver the food and for the food order itself?

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[deleted] t1_j24wxur wrote

[deleted]

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No-Shoulder-8959 t1_j24xeet wrote

You do. Same with gas. You pay for the fluctuating fuel cost, transportation, and whatever overhead. It’s worked into the price.

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[deleted] t1_j2530z9 wrote

[deleted]

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No-Shoulder-8959 t1_j2554fs wrote

Why is milk in Hawaii more expensive? Yes, location is just one of the many factors in determining gas. Competition, rural/urban property, etc

You pay for the delivery. And you pay for the fuel price. It’s documented on your bill. If you think you’re being ripped off, seek legal counsel.

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Cute_Platypus_5989 t1_j25optm wrote

You really do not understand. Anyhow have fun

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No-Shoulder-8959 t1_j281tsv wrote

You’re asking rudimentary questions and reacting in disbelief after receiving answers from someone who works in the industry, but Im the one who doesn’t understand? Makes sense. Bye, now.

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Cute_Platypus_5989 t1_j28z4zo wrote

So you think milk is more in Hawaii because they have less or no dairy farmers than say Iowa. But Pennsylvania pays higher natural gas fees because they produce the 2nd most gas producing states in the USA. This is a simple question that you simply do not understand.

1