cstmg8 Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 I had a gas line run this past fall and switched over to a gas furnace and range. The rest of the house is still electric. House was built in 97 so, decently insulated, basement and two levels above ground, 4,300ish sqft. Gas bill has averaged about $205. Highest was $234, lowest was $195 during the heating season. About .05¢ per sqft, does that seem on par with what you're seeing in the Columbus area, or do I need to start doing some insulating? Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstmg8 Posted February 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 FYI, part of my motivation for this question is that I'm trying to decide whether to run a gas line all the way out to my new building, or just use the mini splits for heat. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furloaf Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 Normal, maybe a little less. Haven't seen the bill that includes this cold snap however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizin01 Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 My house is about half that size and my gas bill is usually about half that. I add rolled R13 to my ranch attic over the fall and its helped immensely. Comparing rough average temperatures its saving around 10%, but the overall warmth feeling in the house is much better. I think Im saving a similar amount on electric bill as well for whatever reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinwebb Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 I cut ours in 1/4( possibly more, i will have a better number by the end of the billing cycle) by air sealing the attic and blowing in more cellulose as well as sealing all the rim joists in the basement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dharris89 Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 A few years ago we did the whole house insulation thing where they drilled big holes and blew in insulation throughout the house. Our house was built in 1959 so it was drafty to say the least. It cut our bills a ton and even though it’s cold, our furnace doesn’t run that much. Our gas bill was $50 last month and our electric is about $120. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spankis Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 If your usage is primarily heating, run the gas line and save on gas heating efficiency versus electric heating efficiency. Unless we're talking huge distances or complex trenching, the payback should be pretty quick. On the other hand, a split offers the option to both cool AND heat, so if you expect significant cooling needs that might push you in that direction. Either way, if you're conditioning the space spend some money on insulation as has been said already, otherwise it doesn't matter anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 I’ve been meaning to add insulation, this winter just solidified that decision and moved it up the priority list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POS VETT Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 Natural gas consumption for my 1996-built, 2116-sqft, 2-story (with basement) home is surprising to me. It has a gas-powered furnace, a gas-powered 50-gal water heater, and a gas-powered dryer, yet last month usage was only 89 ccf. Keep in mind that this is a house with original windows, mostly with blown seals. According to Columbia Gas, a comparable efficient home (top 30% of similar homes) uses 121 ccf on average and the similar-home average is 138 ccf for last month. There is an explanation, I just don't know what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buck531 Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 Well as most of you know our house was "remodeled" in 2020. Down to the studs remodel. Fully wrapped, insulated, new windows, etc. All new appliances. Still have gas. Gas furnace, water heater (35 gallon?) stove, etc. Don't have the gas line out to the garage (that's a retarded long story). House is 1550ish sq ft. In December we used 94 ccf and in January 122. Bill for January was $118. Bi-level house. full finished basement. Last year in February the house wasn't finished yet. I think drywall went up in January and we used 179 CCF. Now if you wanna talk Electric . In 2019 before the fire, I remember looking at my bill in July. We used roughly 1000 kwh. This past year in 2020 we used around 400. Yeah big difference when you go all "new" shit and all LED bulbs and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbs3000 Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 2700sqft house plus 1600sqft basement built in 97. House of 6ppl kept at 72 all winter our last 2 bills were $100 and $120. Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otis Nice Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 Natural gas consumption for my 1996-built, 2116-sqft, 2-story (with basement) home is surprising to me. It has a gas-powered furnace, a gas-powered 50-gal water heater, and a gas-powered dryer, yet last month usage was only 89 ccf. Keep in mind that this is a house with original windows, mostly with blown seals. According to Columbia Gas, a comparable efficient home (top 30% of similar homes) uses 121 ccf on average and the similar-home average is 138 ccf for last month. There is an explanation, I just don't know what it is. Don't lie. You know exactly what it is. Voodoo magic. House is 1550ish sq ft. Really? Your house seems larger. As for ours, no clue. We rent. Dunno the sq footage but it's 2 floors, 3 bed, 2 bath, plus a half finished basement. Gas furnace and stove, elec everything else. I make the money, wife handles the bills. I'll have to ask her tomorrow or something. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furloaf Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 Checked my usage and last 4 months I've used 39ccf less than last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wease Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 I just converted to gas heat back in October, I've had three bills so far: 47 ccf in November for $58 104 ccf in December for $87 109 ccf in January for $85 My house is 2300 square feet, built in 1990, I keep it at 70 during the day (wife is home with kids) and turn it down to 64 between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM. I also got brand new windows about 2 years ago and use a Nest thermostat which will turn down the temps when it senses we're not home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwashmycar Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 Not bad at all guys. I’m in 1850sf. New build (2019). Nov was $48 (billing date) Dec 72 Jan 85 Feb 102 Electric is another story using a 220v in the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotCarl Posted February 22, 2021 Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 Our house is electric heat and the bills this season have been outrageous, so much so that i'm going to be looking into the cost of running a gas line from the street (previously we thought there was no line) and replacing the furnace (that's barely 5 years old anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotCarl Posted February 22, 2021 Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 I just converted to gas heat back in October, I've had three bills so far: 47 ccf in November for $58 104 ccf in December for $87 109 ccf in January for $85 My house is 2300 square feet, built in 1990, I keep it at 70 during the day (wife is home with kids) and turn it down to 64 between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM. I also got brand new windows about 2 years ago and use a Nest thermostat which will turn down the temps when it senses we're not home. We moved into this house about 4 years ago, first purchase was new windows as the previous owneres (a flipping company) replaced the furnace with a brand new electric one. Our house is similar in size and our bills are insane. Also doesn't help that since bringing the baby home in january my wife wants to keep the house at 74degrees at all times for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWill Posted February 22, 2021 Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 Our house is electric heat and the bills this season have been outrageous, so much so that i'm going to be looking into the cost of running a gas line from the street (previously we thought there was no line) and replacing the furnace (that's barely 5 years old anyway). We had an electric heat pump. Our bill hit over $500/month in a 1500sqft ranch. Columbia ran the meter for free and hooked up to the existing gas lines in house. It dropped to ~$120 gas over similar months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spankis Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 My house is 2300 square feet, built in 1990, I keep it at 70 during the day (wife is home with kids) and turn it down to 64 between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM. 64 from 70 is a pretty aggressive turndown. There is a point at which the usage required to recover the full air volume of the house X degrees will offset the savings of turning it down that far. You've got to climb back up the hill, so to speak. Just food for thought, but you could experiment with it to find out whether it matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spankis Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 We had an electric heat pump. Our bill hit over $500/month in a 1500sqft ranch. Columbia ran the meter for free and hooked up to the existing gas lines in house. It dropped to ~$120 gas over similar months. Gas heat is far and away the best option right now and for the foreseeable future, but that much span makes me question whether your electric system was configured/setup correctly. I've encountered electric furnaces with 2-stage electric heating coils that are wired to run together (not low and then high when required, but BOTH high AND low running anytime the heat is on). That will absolutely give you a crazy high electric bill when temps drop below the range a heat pump alone can support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRocket1647545505 Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 64 from 70 is a pretty aggressive turndown. There is a point at which the usage required to recover the full air volume of the house X degrees will offset the savings of turning it down that far. You've got to climb back up the hill, so to speak. Just food for thought, but you could experiment with it to find out whether it matters. I've never done the math, but I turn my HVAC off at 6a when I leave, and turn it back on via my app at 6pm before heading home. House is 2000sf, built in 2003. Heat pump primary with propane auxiliary. Even with the single digit temps last week, the house never dropped below 55*. By the time I get home at 730, the house is back up to 64-65*, which is where I keep it. Again, never done the math, but I figure even 1.5hr at full burn still has to be better than leaving it on all day. Even when the heat function isn't on, the blower still kicks on occasionally to circulate the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 64 from 70 is a pretty aggressive turndown. There is a point at which the usage required to recover the full air volume of the house X degrees will offset the savings of turning it down that far. You've got to climb back up the hill, so to speak. Just food for thought, but you could experiment with it to find out whether it matters. For me it’s less to do with savings and recovery, many like to sleep cooler. I’d drop it at night regardless if there was a savings or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furloaf Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwashmycar Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 For me it’s less to do with savings and recovery, many like to sleep cooler. I’d drop it at night regardless if there was a savings or not. Same. I do 63 at night and 68-69 during the day. Then in contrast, summer its 68-69 at night and like 74 during the day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Same. I do 63 at night and 68-69 during the day. Then in contrast, summer its 68-69 at night and like 74 during the day Mine is similar. 70 morning 71 day (since kids and wife are out of school for now) 69 evening 68 at night In the summer i'll switch it up, but it's similar. Normally i'd let it get a little cooler in the day but COVID and people home all day now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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