We were just notified that because of the hurricanes our natural gas will go up 71% starting today. For us it effects our hot water, but not really much of the heating costs..... so it got me thinking.....

Of course, they raise it EVERY October 1st. They raise electricity EVERY May.

We use wood products for most of the house (pellet burning fireplace), but our room has a gas fireplace. Both are thermostatically controlled. We NEVER use the heater!

If they do this in my area too it is really going to hurt. I have the following natural gas appliances in my house: furnace, stove, fireplace, hot water heater, dryer. :eek:

Of course, they raise it EVERY October 1st. They raise electricity EVERY May.

In South San Francisco, they base your water bill on your usage in January and Feb. That's the period when all my friends stop washing their cars :lmao:

I like gas.
The heat is warmer than a heat pump.
Hot water heat recovers quicker and operates at half-cost vs electric.
Clothes dryer is also faster.
Cooking heat is instant and cools quicker after shut-off.
Gas logs provide emergency heat if the power goes out.
I even have a gas lamp post off the front corner of the garage.

My gas furnace was replaced last year and I learned that 80% vs 90% AFUE is not that significant for operating cost in the south, but because 90% AFUE can exhaust thru PVC, the lower installation cost often makes it the better choice.

Best energy item for our 40yr old house was new vinyl windows with e-glass. The sun can BEAT on those windows and you feel zilch on the inside. In the south, cooling cost can exceed heating cost.

Our dryer is gas too....but I only need to wash/dry 2-3 loads per week. So it's not really much of a factor in our bill. The water heater being gas is our main usage. My tub holds lots!! It gets filled at least once, sometimes more everyday. I'm not a shower person! I'll take a second or third bath to cool down or warm up depending on the weather. :)

I like wood heat the best. It's warmer to me, but not as clean as the pellets. Some places here are outlawing fireplaces unless they're gas or pellet. We just beat them to it. Storing the pellets is easier & we never need to worry about bringing home termites! It happened once. Luckily we caught it before they moved elsewhere. Whew! That was about the time we decided to go pellet! No more sifting through the spiders to bring in wood! :thmsup:

Our water bill is city. It's got the usage for every cycle, plus additional for sewer & street lights & park maintaince. Ours has been in the 20's for ages.....fees for the other stuff went up & now it's in the 30's. When we first moved to Antioch it was about 6 bucks every 60 days. Now it's monthly!

Electric heat here. Pretty common in East Tenn.

i had gas heat everywhere i lived except one place where it was electric. gas is so much warmer.

but i typically set the thermostat at 58 during the winter... so blankets are the norm! :) i prefer to be cold, not hot. even with the thermostat set that low i had a $100 heating bill for my apartment last winter!!! a place that was only about 8 years old and a 1 bedroom place!!!! it cost less to heat the 50 year old house i had lived in before that! argh!!! (and the house had a gas stove! the apartment had electric.)

not sure i want to know what this winter will bring! :eek: :screwy:

Landlord provides it. I think it's gas.

Previous places were mostly gas except for two places I lived at on Roosevelt Island where it was electric (and it was combo with the A/C unit).

A heater cat is a Big Warm cat, suitable for cold winters. Buy a big coat with four pockets sewn into the inside of the front, then pop a heater cat into each pocket... At night, they keep you warm in bed. Heater cats are bed warmers, lap warmers and life warmers.

They come in 10, 20 and 30 lb. versions with your color choice as an option.