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jnissa t1_j3ih7ho wrote

$530.

I know people are going to tell me to use the budget plan, but we're fine people. We know what our gas bill will be in the winter. It's nice to reallocate that money to other things in the summer.

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jirenlagen t1_j3iwdhg wrote

If you have the money to pay a 500$ gas bill then that’s fine and dandy. Budget helps people who don’t.

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jnissa t1_j3jf09f wrote

I mean, arguably if you have the money to pay $120 on a month when your gas bill would be $10, you're also rolling. I just prefer budgeting for the peaks and valleys.

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n4kmu4y t1_j3iwlfj wrote

Same. $361 but I know it will be high 3 months of the year and really low 9 months of the year.

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BeefyHoagie t1_j3iy95i wrote

Ours was $508. Highest gas bill I've ever paid.

We have two furnaces though and I'm assuming that cold snap was on this bill. Been seasonally warm since then so hoping for a $300 or so next month.

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jnissa t1_j3jf5ht wrote

We also have two - one for the first two floors and a 2nd for the 3rd. Pre-covid that kept our bills pretty low because we rarely used the third floor. But now it's highly trafficked home office and runs almost as much as the main furnace.

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Junior_Willow740 t1_j3mils6 wrote

I considered the budget plan myself...but my bill in August is like $30. If I build up a balance in the late winter I just pay it off during july/aug on my own

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No-Assistance2199 t1_j3nsa7x wrote

Any time I’ve been on a budget plan there’s been a huge bill at the end of it when I close the account. It’s pretty much just kicking the can down the road.

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skfoto t1_j3id5b1 wrote

$181, same as it is every month.

Get yourself on the budget plan, it evens out the spikes in the bill. We also do it for electric to balance out the surge in the summer from running the air conditioner.

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ammiemarie t1_j3ife1d wrote

Wow, that's wild. Ours is usually about $20-$50/mo between April-November, then $80-$150 in the winter. We have People's Natural Gas.

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skfoto t1_j3im1cj wrote

Poorly insulated 100 year old house FTW.

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eeekennn t1_j3iyxfj wrote

I feel your pain! Called an insulation company to come out about a month ago and 5 minutes in, he said “We can’t insulate this… there’s no inside of the wall to insulate. It’s plaster over brick. You’d have to build bump-outs for every exterior wall.” 😭

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jetsetninjacat t1_j3jr92y wrote

Your only way forward would basically be to put framing up. You'd lose some space but it would help with the insulation and heating.

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AnewENTity t1_j3r2dzk wrote

This is exactly the situation I’m in with a 100 year old double brick house in Carnegie.

I will say…. Things should not be this expensive

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eeekennn t1_j3r41sh wrote

It feels like a cruel joke. Currently sitting in a room on our second floor that’s reading 60 degrees. Meanwhile, our electric bill in the winter averages $600-800 (because of a poorly installed electric heat pump system which we’re in the process of completely replacing 😭). Old house, mannn…

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Tasty_Bend t1_j3ii3km wrote

$80. It was $55 a month last year on the budget plan and then it went up to $80 because the rates went up. I have People’s Gas.

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Junior_Willow740 t1_j3mi6t1 wrote

😮😮😮 that sounds great but how? I barely keep the house above 65 and its only that low in April or September. What's your secret?

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pAul2437 t1_j3mj60o wrote

Budget plan spreads the real cost over the lower use months

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LeashUpTheHounds t1_j3ijp7c wrote

I have Peoples Natural Gas and use the budget plan, so $107. Actual usage, $163. The thermostat is set at 70.

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Caseywalt39 t1_j3m43z7 wrote

Why aren't more people using the budget option? I don't like big swings in my budget. Like you I'd much rather have my $101 bill all year than a $300 one month and $500 the next.

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Excelius t1_j3mh7yz wrote

Probably because it requires an extra step to enroll, beyond just paying the bill that shows up every month. Most people regardless of the process just stick with the defaults.

I know you can enroll in it through your eAccount but I wonder how many people ever actually setup an online login versus just paying the paper bill that shows up.

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GubbyPac t1_j3pjla4 wrote

I don’t to offset the electricity increase during the summer (AC).

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Gnarlsaurus_Sketch t1_j3qxu8p wrote

You're effectively loaning the utility company money for free by using budget billing. No thanks.

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hollowedoutsoul2 t1_j3ilavd wrote

$340 because I was still paying off people's gas outrageous new customer deposit fees. Otherwise it would have been $268

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TrentWolfred t1_j3j09r9 wrote

I’m the sole occupant of an inefficient 1370 square foot townhouse, built in 1910, with one shared wall and three exposed sides. My thermostat is programmed to alternate between 62 and 68 degrees (though it rarely gets above 60 on my second floor). My last bill, generated on 12/26, was $219, but I don’t think that covers the extra-cold snap just before Christmas. I expect a few $300-400 bills in the months ahead.

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WellTimedPoop t1_j3j0odt wrote

$130, non budget plan, 1800sqft house

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Junior_Willow740 t1_j3miv40 wrote

How! that is great! I must be doing something wrong. 2100 sf 3 story brick house. $305 🤷‍♀️

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WellTimedPoop t1_j3mkawl wrote

I have no idea honestly. I live in a pandemic-built Ryan Homes house so i assumed it would be awful. Our electric bill is typically around $250 per month though if that helps (although I drive an EV which causes about $70 of that)

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DarthNihilus2 t1_j3n4980 wrote

Know someone with a Ryan home (Sarver) that literally had a crumbling foundation less than two years after purchasing lmao. Surprised the insulation is on point tho (at least for your place)

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WellTimedPoop t1_j3n5i5u wrote

Haha yeah, there's plenty of horror stories all around. Thankfully at least so far all of our issues have been suuuuuuper minor.

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toolatetobeoriginal t1_j3imsw3 wrote

$140. 2,000sq Ft (4 bedroom - 3 floors). Keep it at 70°. 100 year old home. We are on the budget plant so it’s that cost all year around. Our dryer & stove are also gas.

We do the budget plan for our electric, too and that’s $160.

Hope that helps for anyone else considering

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Junior_Willow740 t1_j3mj7ng wrote

I'm seriously considering 🤔 budget with Columbia gas. Thanks for the input

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toolatetobeoriginal t1_j3mkweu wrote

I personally just like stable bills. Some people prefer to budget for more in the winter and less in the summer. Really up to preference.

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28carslater t1_j3n7w8q wrote

Go for the budget, essentially interest free credit line.

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CinderLotus t1_j3j8xfu wrote

$80, Columbia Gas, 1br apartment, not insulated properly at all

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1MagnificentMagnolia t1_j3io5yn wrote

Peoples Gas... Actual amount is $211.74 (budget is $100.30). We had a newborn so for much of the month the thermostat has been pushed to 70° almost non-stop. Before this we had the thermostat set to 65 at night, and mostly off during the day.

Our electric usage was up nearly 90% from last month because we were supplementing with space heaters in the bedrooms at night during the cold snap.

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jirenlagen t1_j3iw17i wrote

600$ budget billing saved my life truly

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kniki217 t1_j3kle0m wrote

Jesus christ. That's on a budget? Do you own a Victorian mansion?

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jirenlagen t1_j3lz93p wrote

Well I actually ended up paying 150$ but if I wasn’t budgeted that would be it. It’s a 100 year old house with four floors

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iwifia t1_j3oays1 wrote

It's time to take it one room at a time, rip the walls off and insulate.

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sparrowmint t1_j3ip8k5 wrote

Bill doesn't finalize until the 12th or 13th, but I am interested to see if raises the average enough to boost the budget plan. They've done that before. Currently the budget plan is $64.

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BorisTheMansplainer t1_j3j2cgk wrote

Just under $400. Old house with no insulation in the walls, just the attic. There are drafts I could still seal up but it will never be cheap till there's something in the walls.

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ocdcdo t1_j3j8xlr wrote

$423 for a 1200 sq ft house on hot water heat. It’s 100 years old though.

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Warm_Big4271 t1_j3ilynn wrote

What’s a budget plan??

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woodcuttersDaughter t1_j3iq2i4 wrote

You pay the same amount 12 months a year. The extra you pay in the summer offsets the higher prices you would otherwise incur in the winter. You might be paying $120 in July when it would otherwise be $20, but you’re still paying $120 in January when it would otherwise be $400.

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skfoto t1_j3ipmqx wrote

They take your estimated usage based on the previous year history for the property and divide it by 12, and that’s what you pay every month. At the end of the year billing cycle you pay the difference if the usage was more than expected, and they give you a credit if it was less.

Example: your most expensive month of the year is $250 and your cheapest is $20, but the total for the whole year altogether is $1200. You just pay them $100 a month regardless of how much you actually used that month.

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uglybushes t1_j3imolt wrote

$211 - 12 months a year

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mandyyy-rose t1_j3inxet wrote

$150, triple what it usually is. One adult in a drafty old house 😅

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SDMF8766 t1_j3j0ozv wrote

$137 but the meter was read the day before the 0 degree temps. That's $30 higher than last year with about 1/4 less gas used this year. Super happy about the warm January so far.

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Cautious-One-7770 t1_j3j3cw5 wrote

$186 for 1,088 sq feet older house. It's usually no higher than $120. I use Columbia gas. It varies.

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PrincessBella1 t1_j3j8e49 wrote

I am not on a budget plan and mine was $220 for a house.

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ocdcdo t1_j3jajfr wrote

Curious what anyone is paying on a 3k sq ft house or so.

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Friggin t1_j3kummm wrote

100% electric, 3200 sq ft home, $270/mo

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mabellerose t1_j3jc19e wrote

People’s billed $87 this month—newer 2200sf rowhouse. We keep it at 68 during the day, 66 overnight, but bump it up to 74 for an hour or two each morning and evening. I keep being surprised it isn’t higher.

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Junior_Willow740 t1_j3mjh5b wrote

It sounds like your place is well insulated. I have similar sf and im paying 3x that

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mabellerose t1_j3mrj1b wrote

I think it must be—when it was below zero outside I stood right next to the windows and felt no draft or chill. This is our first winter here after living in Southern California so it’s quite a relief.

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Junior_Willow740 t1_j3n9gn9 wrote

Welcome! My 3rd winter here from...well NYC lol so I've been dealing with the cold most my life, but this Pittsburgh cold is something different. During that hard chill we got around Christmas my windows had frost on it so thick it froze on the inside and outside. Ive never seen anything like that until that night. The furnace was on blast all day/night nonstop and the house never got above 64/65

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ziggyjoe212 t1_j3jfxak wrote

$200. Set to 69 when we're home, and 66 at night.

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g3th0 t1_j3jr6l5 wrote

$69.75

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Sunglassesatnight81 t1_j3k14dh wrote

$80 in a new build which I know Reddit hates. My in laws are in the city in a much smaller home paying $250 Budget

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ladypaw t1_j3k6c9m wrote

Columbia Gas $160. 2400 sq ft 2 story home. Keep our temp at 68.

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JustMtnB44 t1_j3k7d3d wrote

$514 actual, but we're on the budget plan so only had to pay $218.

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susinpgh t1_j3k8kk8 wrote

Around $350. We live in a small townhouse, with homes on each side.

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kniki217 t1_j3kl5s2 wrote

  1. Non budget. Set to 70. 1000sq ft house. Shitty insulation.
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Jupichan t1_j3ksgpz wrote

$166, which is kinda hilarious to me, considering my house is getting heated to about 55 degrees because nobody's living in it yet.

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Dry-Yak-3405 t1_j3l8cjk wrote

$268 Natrona Heights, peoples. Last month was $216. Insane.

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markwo t1_j3llka2 wrote

$200. 5br house built in 1904.

New windows, upgraded insulation, and high efficiency furnace go a long way!

Smaller houses I've lived in before without those upgrades have cost $500-700 in winter.

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Chipmunks95 t1_j3ly9i1 wrote

$258.70. For comparison, my bills in the summer range from 30-45

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CurGeorge8 t1_j3lyzjn wrote

$142; 3800sq ft home; thermostat kept steady at 70

All my appliances are electric except for the furnace

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pAul2437 t1_j3mj373 wrote

Budget rates aren’t really comparable here

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janie3041 t1_j3ird7u wrote

A "nice" $500 and some change. Much better than last month which was double that

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theduqoffrat t1_j3j8kb4 wrote

$73 on the budget plan. 1000 sq ft home built sometime in the 1950’s. Dryer, furnace, hot water also run on gas.

If rather be $73 now when the bill will be $200+ compared to the summer when the bill will be around $30-40.

Electric is also on budget plan. I like it because I know what I’m paying every month. Still cautious and don’t set the heat to like 75 degrees or leave every light on because I know it will re-estimate every year but for now it works.

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8KUHDITIS t1_j3jaqg1 wrote

85 and my budget plan is 32 a month. It's been warm so my place is between 65 and 70. And it's set to 64.

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omarlittlebig t1_j3judtz wrote

People’s budget billing - $121. Actual usage - $186. Thermostat set at 66-67 (950 sq ft)

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aeboi80 t1_j3k4nq9 wrote

$353 for 1672 sq ft 1940 brick house. Only about 15% insulated though

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hypotenoos t1_j3k92cg wrote

$480 3400sf ranch that was at 73-74. Probably going to crank it back a bit and make good use of this warm January.

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amarie5332 t1_j3kcslb wrote

Actual 201.59, but doesn’t include the cold snap. Budget is 119. Last cold snap in 2014 before I insulated the house was 340. 1500 sqft. Built 1910. 2 furnaces kept at 62 at night, 68 during the day.

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hiperson134 t1_j3lgqj8 wrote

$88. Live in a small apartment and I'm pretty sure the neighbors on either side of us blast their heat constantly. Our heat stays at 69 and even then we're often too hot. Could push it lower but we have a tiny dog who's unable to tell us if he's too cold. The only exception was that cold snap when we pushed it to 72.

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Cryptic_Skies t1_j3m1bjo wrote

$45 no budget plan, live alone, small space.

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28carslater t1_j3n7rlg wrote

Through Dec 15 (Peoples):

Budget: $81

Nov-15-Dec-15: $158

Commodity: $8.1350 per MCF ($3.36 last Dec).

Thermostat @ 66F

1970s construction, insulated walls and attic though all original.

Edit: Good news is spot is $3.97 but it seems the companies are billing on October prices despite the 100% commodity price drop.

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stadulevich t1_j3inray wrote

I dont use gas but my electric heating was $170. If I still used gas my guess would be somewhere around $450 or a little more.

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Junior_Willow740 t1_j3mjpiv wrote

I am confused at how electric heating is cheaper than gas out here!

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stadulevich t1_j3ny6iy wrote

Mini splits with a heat pump. Very efficient. Aka ductless hvac.

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Junior_Willow740 t1_j3o03bh wrote

I like that idea. I would do that in my house along with well insulated 3x pane windows. All of this stuff is super expensive, but the good thing is if you solar your whole roof it will heaviky offset the cost of running the mini splits. Add a larger/oversized wood burner and I would keep the house at 78 all winter 😎

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stadulevich t1_j3olk02 wrote

Im not sure about this year but I know last year there was quite a large tax credit for getting them installed, so that took care of most of the upfront expense.

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--jawnday-- t1_j3iq7rf wrote

$146 for a small two bedroom apartment.

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Aemilia_Tertia t1_j3k0sc2 wrote

Deregulation of utilities is the worst. Raises prices, reduces service level, and the only ones who benefit are the corporations all the way along the line who raise prices because now they can.

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UniquePtrBigEndian t1_j3ke5x7 wrote

$114. No budget plan. Summer months it’s around $60. 2700sqft new build. People’s gas. We usually keep it around 65-67.

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maya_star444 t1_j3lhldb wrote

$300 and we are super frugal with our usage. Short showers, laundry with cold water, and we keep the thermostat at about 58 the majority of the time.

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jlhb1976 t1_j3lhwqv wrote

$84 with Peoples budget plan. Since we have autopay, I don’t actually look at the bill that often but I did last week, I was surprised to see that we have a credit so I’m hoping that the budget amount gets readjusted soon.

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LestephV t1_j3lna77 wrote

$600. Old 1910’s 4square with no insulation. We knew it would be high based off they were saying and were ready for it, but still ridiculous. We keep it at 62 at night, 66 during the day, cracks are sealed, windows have the plastic things on and heavy curtains.

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vincent_wigglesworth t1_j3lxl15 wrote

$13.47-- 900sq ft 1920s brick townhouse, shared walls on both sides, thermostat at 64.

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livefast_dieawesome t1_j3m2iuw wrote

$194 which is ridiculous because our (brand new, just installed) boiler was broken all but 10 days of the month.

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Junior_Willow740 t1_j3mifgi wrote

$305! And that is with my wood burner running almost 24/7. Thermostat usually sits at 65. 62 when sleeping 😞 67 on colder/breezy days

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technoSurrealist t1_j3mpe6n wrote

561, columbia gas, small older house with not great insulation, using an alternate clean energy provider. we doubled our usage from november but damn, it was still so high.

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LittleSem t1_j3n41fe wrote

$200. Columbia gas. 3 BR 2Bath house built in the 50s with not the best insulation in moon twp. Not on budget. Not too bad.

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vibes86 t1_j3nh52o wrote

$330. 1700 sq ft. That’s keeping the house at 67.

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iwifia t1_j3oahvf wrote

$160 but I don't believe that reflects the most of it due to when our bill falls.

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scintillaient t1_j3ov2ob wrote

$124, Columbia Gas. I’m on the budget plan.

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Mindless_Host7625 t1_j3oxvff wrote

Almost $600 for 100+ year old poorly insulated house, 1900 sq ft. But, I love those $18 bills about 5 months out of the year!

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ihatecovid2020 t1_j3pst66 wrote

$18.50 (I left in November and Came back a few days before Christmas. My bill got so high last February that I used it as an excuse to just stay away longer this year. Not looking forward to this bill because it was freezing when I got home.)

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sassyburns731 t1_j3qqgxy wrote

My bill was $128. I have a 650sq ft apartment. I keep it set at 58. fuck having no insulation. i am freezing and cant afford to turn it up higher.

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ajs904 t1_j4jnj22 wrote

$350 - 3br home in Dormont

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[deleted] t1_j3kmgzw wrote

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iwifia t1_j3oao5c wrote

Insulation. Old windows. Old doors.

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[deleted] t1_j3ofl4g wrote

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iwifia t1_j3og2iw wrote

If you rent you may not be allowed to do anything. I know some places where they just won't let you.

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