THE Home Gas/Electric Bill Thread (merged)

BaBaBlackSheep · Coal Joined: May 27, 2008 Posts: 10 Location: Wisconsin

September 1--88 degrees F outside. Inside 77 degrees F at 4PM. This is with no AC. Well insulated 1500 sq ft house. We open windows at night and close them, as well as draperies, in daytime. Keeps the heat out. Never have less than 10 degrees cooler in house than outside.

The last 3 months our electric bills were $27 each month give or take a few cents. $16 of that is actual electric usage, 150 KWH and the rest taxes and customer charges. Looks like this month is shaping up to be the same. Winter will be higher with fans, igniter (pellet stove) and circulating pump for boiler. I expect an additional $10 - $12.

Propane: Already prepaid in one lump sum, but works out to be $95 a month. This will cover winter heat and year around hot water and kitchen cooking stove.

Additional $200 total for winter in pellets for stove.

Vehicle gas: $120 to $150 per month. That's too much, but DH is a "goer" not a "stay-at-homer". That is even with our 2 main vehicles each getting over 30 mpg. We are quite a ways out in the country.

Average $20 per month additional for gas for either lawn mower or tractor to push snow off driveway.

Our food expenditures for a month are less than the above mentioned vehicle gas. I garden and have freezer and am a frugal shopper. There is something wrong with that ratio. Vehicle gas should NOT be more than food!! We are retired and the gas is not spent getting to jobs.

Gotta work on that.