Just had a house built in Vermont last year. Just trying to see if everyone else in the NE has such huge gas bills every month?
We keep the heat around 60-65. The house is a raised ranch, 1200 sq feet...so basically only heating the upstairs and propane for the hot water. Our bills are between $220 and $300 a month. Is this normal? One reason for building a house was that our apartment heat was out of sight. Anyone else have this type of bill?
My parents have a ranch style house...1500 sq. ft with full basement, in Northern Illinois. They pay between $400-500 every 2.5 months to have the propane tank refilled. All propane appliances. They keep their house at 72 f. Gets alot colder in Northern Illinois than Vermont and the winters are longer also. Hope you dont have a propane leak between the Tank and the house :( .
How do you know they put in 300 worth of propane and not 150.
WTF!! Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that you moved out of an apartment and built a house because your heat bills were too high in the apartment? Now whadda you going do? Move outta the house? Where will you go? A tent? A bus? The sewers? A cardboard box? Dig a tunnel? Bubba
Florida?
Where can one live inexpensively in Florida?
BTW, I would like to water ski year 'round, preferrably out my back door.
Heh - you weren't alone with this thought!
There's lots of Florida that is less expensive. Not many people live there. Do you wonder why?
Not near a big city, not near the coast, not near a lake, not near an amusement park or other tourist oriented location.
At least it hardly ever snows, but they do get freezes.
Charlie
Buy a Vermont Casting wood heater and a chainsaw! And put more insulation in the attic.
I was freezing in Key West last week! It got down to 62 degrees one night!!!!
;-]
Hmm, Has lot to do how your house is built. All the right things done for energy conservation? Beefy insulation, good quality windows, doors, etc. Up here where I am living in a ~3000 sq. ft.
2 storey, I pay 151.00CAD(123.00USD) a month on average for natural gas furnace and water heater. If gas price goes over trigger point, provincial government kicks in rebate to cushion us hoem owners. Our indoor temp is always at 23C. Winter propane is blended to prevent freezing. Has less heat than summer blend. Tony
A lot of it depends on how many local propane suppliers are in a competitive position in your area. Generally, they will do everything to minimize the advantage of their competitors and maximize their own position. (i.e. Owning the tank you rent, requiring you purchase from only one supplier if you fill the tank, charging much more during winter periods of peak demand, etc.) If you have a lot of choices, you can generally negotiate a better deal.
Propane is a commodity product, you can check the unit price in any big city newspaper with a business section to get a rough idea if the price your paying is in line with the costs. Remember, if you are quite a distance from a wholesale propane hub, you will generally pay more. Your state or localty may also have taxes that are applied.
Beachcomber
Are you using too much or paying too much? To judge whether you have a heating problem or a cost of propane problem, we will need to know the cost/gallon of the propane, not the monthly cost.
Steve
41NI am also wondering how well insulated this house is. I am guessing it needs some improvement. Have you checked it?
Jason -
Porpane is much more expensive then propane, as not only is it very rare, but harder to process and deliver as well.
Ask you plumber or carpet cleaner if he can switch your furnace from porpane to either natural gas or propane.
That will take care of it.
Poor baby! I am south of Sarasota and we had a freeze warning. It missed by about 2 degrees.
Charlie (I moved north to get here)
Have YOU ever tried to stuff a hose up a porpoises backside and force feed it beans? No wonder porpane prices are so ridiculous!
Ok smart ass.....
The apartment we lived in had forced hot air...the house was old...built in the early 1900s....we found out later there was NO insulation in the house...just some wood type slats inside. We would turn the heat up to 70 and the house would be freezing. We were paying around $300-400 a month in heat alone to be frozen. We got sick of the money pit...moved into a built house thats supposed to be efficient which it isn't.
Considering this house was built last year I would hope that it was insulated well enough. We are basically only heating the upstairs of the house.
...
Well, it's undoubtedly more efficient than the apartment, but in the apartment all your neighbors were chipping in, which they no longer are, are they? Plus, how many square feet are you now heating as compared to the apartment?
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