Imagine my jaw dropping when I saw my energy bill for this month!

[Hawkeye-X]

$480!!!!!

FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DOLLARS!!!

FUCK YOU XCEL! (Denver, CO)

I hope PUC will reject Xcel's fucking natural gas increase request. They are robbing us blind.

FUCK YOU CHIMP:

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[oldtime dfl_er]

1. omigod

for one month???

[Hawkeye-X]

2. Yes.

And my wife and I can't even afford it. I told her to pay $100 and let Xcel whine.

[Ravenseye]

25. Question

How big is your house, what's your normal bill, what temperature do you keep your house at etc?

[Hawkeye-X]

81. 1400 sqft

Our normal bill last year was about 180 (managable), we keep the house at 67 degrees in the evenings, during the days 65 when we're not home.

[texpatriot2004]

3. In Texas they are robbing us too. n.t

[Reciprocity]

24. No sh#t. My electric bill averaged $250.00 this summer.

[elehhhhna]

56. 450 in sugar land, baby! It's doubled in 5 years.

[Reciprocity]

78. When Rita hit

we spent a week sleeping in the yard on lawn furniture. Most days it was hovering around 100°. The hottest day it was 110° without the heat index. My bill for that month without power for seven days was $266.00. My November bill was $160.00 it was a hot for most of the month. I bet these energy bills will be a boon for the credit card companies.

[apollo56]

58. I feel for everyone - we are lucky in the NW

I have an all electric house and in Washington State most of our power comes from dams and natural gas comes from Canada and the increases are minor. My heating bill was up five dollars a month. We also did not vote for Bush last year!

[Cats Against Frist]

72. I got FLEECED in Seattle in the Winter of 2001

After that "energy crisis" bullshit. My all-electric house heating bill ended up averaging about $400/mo, in a 700 sq. ft. house. Glad to see things have gotten better.

[roguevalley]

79. here in alaska, we are pretty good at keeping heat from escaping

houses. try these simple things;

buy clear visquine. cut it into shapes of your windows and double it. put them over the windows. it will keep heat escape down, a MAJOR cause of energy consumption. Get sealer strips from Home depot or some place, they come in about 17' strips and you can cut them to length. put them on the inside of your door frame so that when the door closes, it seals. your doors may look tight but often they leak.

If you don't use your chimneys, shut them off. heat goes away through them.

We have double and triple pane glass windows. They cut heat loss greatly. Set a minimum high temp and use it in the rooms you don't go to. turn the heat down when you leave a room and turn it up when you come back. until it gets warmer, layer your clothes.

sorry this happened to you. its frightening what people are facing. Space heaters that you can turn off and turn on might be a trade off in electricity compared to your heating bill, hawkeye

[yowzayowzayowza]

63. Yea. Houston is getting nailed.

Shock: Who benefits from electricity deregulation
http://www.khou.com/news/local/spotlight/stories/khou051212_cd_deregulation.39ade47.html
...
When asked what has happened to the price of electricity in Houston, "The price has gone up over 80 percent since January 2002," said Carol Biedrzycki of Texas Ratepayers' Organization.

What happened in 2002? Texas deregulated electricity, so that instead of just power company, Reliant, there are now over a dozen competing in Houston.

Biedrzycki is an advocate for consumers.

"We were promised that lower electric prices would result from deregulation but that has not happened," she said.

What has happened?

Houston now has some of the highest prices for electricity in the nation at about a $150 a month for 1000 kilowatt hours.

The national average is only about $90 a month

In San Antonio, they're only paying about $94 a month and about $90 in Austin.

How can they charge so much less than all those companies supposedly competing in Houston?

The city governments in Austin and San Antonio own their electric companies. There is no competition.

Yet, Austin Energy brags in its newsletter it hasn't raised rates in over a decade.

What's going on in Houston?

"Somebody's making a bunch of money," said Biedrzycki.

Who? Critics say deregulation is transferring billions from ratepayers to rich investors and big business.

As one example, they point to a recent deal that made headlines in New York.

It involved a group of very savvy investors, some from the east coast, who saw Houston as a potential electricity goldmine.

They bought a several power plants around Houston.

"The deal astounded some people in the Houston energy business. The investors were able to sell the power plants they bought just last year for about six times what they paid for them, at a profit of about $5 billion.

"That kind of profit would be unacceptable in a regulated market," Biedrzycki said.

... More with video. Really surprised to see this on TV!!!

[Kolesar]

68. That's about what we have been paying since 1988 for electricity

Our rate has been 13.5 cents/kWh since the two nuclear plants came online. They were expensive due to redesign and delays while there were high interest rates. Your rate is 15 cents/kWh.

[KakistocracyHater]

91. yeah, deregulation is slang for

lawlessness. Out in California, when they deregulated electricity the prices shot up. I heard post offices & libraries refused to pay their overpriced bill.

[northzax]

94. The experience in DC with degredulation is interesting

in 2000, they degregulated electricity in the District and froze prices for the current monopoly (Pepco) for five years to allow others to enter the market. 5 years on, you know who I can buy my electricty from? surprise! Pepco.

[texpatriot2004]

98. Thanks for the link re: Houston nm

[Maestro]

61. Exactly

Texas politicians promised that deregulation of the industry would bring cheaper prices but in fact prices have risen faster than the national rate here in Texas. The rich getting richer here...

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. Bush's numbers are going to be bottoming out

with all of the bills going out at the end of the month. People are going to feel like they've been hit in the stomach when they open them up and see the damage.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. I fear it will be the same all over

I don't heat with natural gas, but a coworker who does had the bill go from $68 to $218 in one month. And think of the poor who will have to choose between freezing to death or eating.....

[asjr]

6. How much longer will the WH blame Katrina

for the "shortage." There is no shortage unless it is the brains of the cabal in the WH. We are literally being robbed!

[JohnyCanuck]

18. Sorry to be a pessimist, but it looks like Natural Gas production

in North America has peaked, and it's unlikely that any amount of drilling or exploration will reverse in any significant way the trend of declining production (a situation we will face soon enough with world oil production as well).

The only alternative for increasing natural gas supplies in the near term would be to import increasing quantities of liquified natural gas from areas of the world where natural gas is still relatively plentiful. However it is much more difficult and expensive to transport natural gas compared to oil as you need special tankers and off loading facilities which are expensive to build and neither of which exist or are likely to exist in the time frames and quantities that would be useful in alleviating expected North American production shortfalls.

February 1, 2003

NORTH AMERICAN NATURAL GAS SUPPLY CRITICAL

Natural gas supply in North America is in decline, and no early simple solution is anticipated. These are the conclusions expressed in a study "North American Natural Gas: Data Show Supply Problems" just published in the journal Natural Resources Research, by petroleum geologist Walter Youngquist, and electrical engineer Richard Duncan.

Natural gas production in the United States peaked in 1971. Since then, Canada has increasing supplied the United States to 15 percent of its needs in 2002. However, in 2002 Canadian gas production declined. That trend continued in 2003. Currently 80 percent of all wells are drilled for gas, not oil, but in spite of this increased effort the production decline has not been reversed. The amount of gas found per foot drilled has also declined nearly 50 percent in the past decade indicating that the easy-to-find large fields have already been discovered. New gas wells are showing decline rates as high as 80 percent the first year.

At the same time, demand for natural gas in Canada, the United States, and Mexico is increasing. In the United States, 60 percent of all homes are heated with gas, and 70 percent of new homes are designed for natural gas. Because of its clean burning qualities, natural gas is the fuel of choice for electric power production. In 2002, 90 percent of all new power plants were gas-fired.

Known supplies of gas in northern Alaska and northwestern Canada have no pipeline access. A pipeline to Alaska's gas is 12 to 15 years away, and five to six years to Canada's gas.

http://healthandenergy.com/natural_gas_shortages.htm

THE NORTH AMERICAN NATURAL GAS "CLIFF"

More than 275 North American gas-fired electrical generation plants are planned to begin operations through 2006, up from 158 a year ago, which would increase gas consumption by more than 8.5 tcf!

Unlike oil, natural gas cannot easily be shipped by sea. It must be liquefied prior to shipment, and then shipped in specially designed refrigerated ships destined for specially equipped ports, and then re-gasified for distribution -- at an estimated 15 to 30 percent energy loss. Moreover, natural gas cannot be easily stored like oil or coal.

Campbell says that gas production is better described as a "plateau" followed by a "cliff" due to the high mobility and recovery of gas. Under declining pressure, oil declines slowly as it moves through the porespace of the rocks, but the decline of gas is a cliff -- not a slope. The gas market gives no warning of the cliff because it is no more expensive to produce the last cubic foot than the first. North American production is at or near (< 10 years) its "cliff" now:

"North American natural gas has no excess capacity. It disappeared several years ago. What we do have is extremely aggressive decline rates in almost every key production basin making it harder each season to keep current production flat.

The electricity business has also run out of almost all existing generating capacity, whether this capacity is a coal-fired plant, a nuclear plant or a dam. The electricity business has already responded to this shortage. Orders for a massive number of natural gas-fired plants have already been placed. But these new gas plants require an unbelievable amount of natural gas. (The) supply is simply not there." ENERGY IN THE NEW ECONOMY: The Limits to Growth, Matt Simmons; http://www.simmonsco-intl.com/research/default.asp?viewnews=true&newstype=1]

When Canada signed NAFTA, it ceded total control of its oil and gas reserves. Canada currently makes up about 13% of the USA gas supply. Canada is running out of gas too:

"Outwardly the production projections of the NEB, EUB and GESI are confusing and even contradictory. But they really carry the same message: the limits of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) are being recognized. We could gradually increase consumption of the basin's reserves over the next decade and accept sharply falling supply thereafter (the NEB result). We can rapidly increase consumption through drilling quick, short lived deliverability wells and live with an early rapid supply decline (the EUB result). Or, we could redirect more activity to larger reserve plays that require greater lead times and thereby accept an earlier, but gradual supply decline (the GESI result)." http://tabla.geo.ucalgary.ca/NatGasCan/opipaper.pdf

http://dieoff.org/synopsis.htm

[Kolesar]

69. Can't change the laws of physics...eom

[LSK]

7. its happening everywhere

My bill has doubled since a year ago here in Chicagoland.

[walldude]

8. Yup, mine was well over $500

I'm in Wheat Ridge.. and that was for November, December has been much colder, it's gonna be worse.

[Blue Poppy]

54. Xcel blows!!

I'm in Broomfield and in an apartment. For Nov and Dec I got a $277 bill.

I'll second the "FUCK YOU XCEL" sentiment!!!!!!!!!

:nuke:

:scared: <----us freezing this winter

[hlthe2b]

9. I am temporarily renting a condo in a Denver High Rise

(7 floor type)--not one of the gargantuan ones. Because heat is a shared expense, I swear I have only had heat twice this season. My bedroom has been right at 58 to 60 degrees much of the time and as low as 42 degrees once (and I'm on an upper floor!). It wasn't like this last year, so I guess the Homeowner Association got their bill, too....:mad:


Thank God, I have a big bed, lots of Euro type down comforters (and a warm dog!) But having to wear a ski mask,to bed to avoid a frozen noze and multiple layers of socks and gloves, is pretty horrendous! Even my thick haired Aussie/Lab mix has been willing to get UNDER the covers!

I have so much fear for the elderly.... May God help them, because their government surely will not.

[SpiralHawk]

10. The NeoCon Oil Republicans are RESPONSIBLE for this

Everyone needs to know.

This what the BushCo Oil Cartel Crony Cabal hath wrought.

[Warpy]

11. Jaysis, I'm glad I put that woodstove in

when I moved into this little shack in the ghetto.

I expect my gas bill to be astronomical. The furnace kicks in to keep the place about 52, plus I've had to heat with it for about 4 days due to thermal inversions. I expect the bill to be over $100, and it's never been more than $30.

Oh, well. My dad has gotten his first bill in Florida, and he's not laughing at my woodstove as a silly extravagance now.

Heating with wood pretty much sucks, what with the splinters, the splitting, the lugging, and all the extra cleaning, but I'd live in a 52 degree house without it.

[seabeyond]

12. oh f* i am afraid to see mine. it has been really really cold here in

panhandle of texas. i am with excel. i am afraid............lol lol

happy holidays

[MadHound]

13. If you own your house, you might want to look into getting a woodstove

We had our sticker shock when we had to do the yearly pre-buy of propane, knocked my ass on the floor. Next summer we're going to put an external woodstove in, cheaper to buy wood, even cheaper to cut it yourself.

[ohio_liberal]

26. Northerntool.com has some inexpensive ones for those $$ strapped

They have a pretty basic smallish woodstove for $129 if I remember correctly. The flue and vent parts cost extra. If they're still in stock, that is. It's better than freezing to death.

[tridim]

14. I haven't opened my bill yet. Too scared.

I also just received a letter from a collection agency for legal work that was never performed. I want to fight it, but the debtor is a fucking law firm so I have absolutely no chance of winning. All this nickel and dime crap is killing us average consumers.. At least I don't have a family to support.

[Warpy]

15. You very much do have a right to fight it

I caught a local hospital pulling every trick in the book to pad an emergency room bill of mine (I'm uninsured). I fought. They sent it to a collection agency. I called the collection agency and sent them a letter the same day saying the bill was in dispute. They backed off. I then contacted the state attorney general with what I had (which was considerable). The hospital responded that it was only fraud if they were doing it to Medicare. The AG responded with a letter that must've singed their eyebrows. They settled a $1200 bill (half of which was legit) for $120.

Fight them. It pays. You don't have to hire a lawyer. Just put in a consumer complaint with the state AG, most of them have consumer complaint departments. The paperwork for mine was online.

You pay through the nose for your government. Make them do their jobs.

[Maru Kitteh]

90. Start by sending it back with this reply:

I dispute each and every aspect of this bill for alleged services.
I dispute the dates named in this bill.
I dispute that these services were ever rendered, or agreed upon.
I dispute owing this person/firm the amount stated or any other amount.

Don't let them screw with you just because they're a law firm. Thay are COUNTING on the intimidation factor.

Visit www.artofcredit.com and poke around for a while. I got hit with identity theft and that website saved my sanity and it's saving my credit rating too.

[Dhalgren]

16. In North Alabama the price fro NG is $2.35/gal and rising!

[snooper2]

17. My Electric Bill was $100.83

For November in North Texas 1400 square foot, all electric....keeping it around 72-73...

I don't understand these 3-500 dollar bills to be honest...

[sandnsea]

22. I have co-op power

Maybe you do too. Or maybe you get power from a subsidized rural windfarm. These folks have natural gas or oil or propane, which they spent considerable money convincing people to switch to several years ago because it "burns clean" and we won't have to build nuclear plants or more dams. My rural co-op negotiates rates 5 from Bonneville 5 years out so we don't have these fluctuations. My bill would be around $100 a month, but I have morons in my house who get hot and open the door instead of shutting off the heat. :grr:

[snooper2]

27. I use Reliant..

And they have several sources of their energy, but I forgot the breakout...have it somewhere...

Regardless, I thought propane and natural gas where supposed to be so great because they are "cleaner" and "cheaper" than having an all electric home.

I guess that's not the case...

[RB TexLa]

42. Reliant here too

about 1100 sq. feet all electric

November was around $54

[RebelOne]

40. I have co-op power here in Georgia.

My electric bill rearly ever goes above $95. But I also have this plan where I pay one set price throughout the year and if I go above the average estimated rate, I pay more at the end of the year. So far, I have not had to pay anything extra. It may be different this year because instead of running my gas furnace, I have been running space heaters. It doesn't take much to heat my house because I live in a 2-bedroom mobile home.

[The Flaming Red Head]

87. Me too. on the moron part.

I come home from work and every light, tv, computer, stereo, etc is on including air or heat depending the season and my 18 y/o is nowhere to be found. My latest bill is 290. He moved out for one month and my bill went down to 130, now he's back and damn I hope it doesn't get cold this year or I'll use the fireplace if I'm here to watch it, but I work whenever I can, I have to.

[tjdee]

76. You have electric heat, the weird prices are for gas users.

We are lucky that we have electric.

[madeline_con]

19. We got an email WARNING about our January bill...

It was all yadda yadda "the high cost of fuel", blah blah blah. I'll be afraid to open it when it comes, and I'm in FL!!!

[the_real_38]

20. I made a decision to rough it...

... and not turn on the heat this winter unless it gets below 20 degrees outside (I'm layered). Obviously, this is easier for me than the gentleman who posted from Colorado (I'm in South Carolina, we have mild winters). But because I have an antiquated floor heater which burns natural gas, the pilot light still uses therms - I ended up paying the base ($10) cost plus 12 more dollars. Looking at the gas rate, I think I would have really been screwed if I'd run the heat.

My sympathies to all of you. But this is a call to action as well - our Democratic 'leaders' need to take this ball and run with it. We need a new energy plan for this country. You can't just sit around and bitch about problems to George Stephanopolous, you have to lead before others will follow.

[sandnsea]

23. Democrats have an energy plan

Maybe you didn't hear it because it came from one of those metrosexual new england librul elite Democrats.

[the_real_38]

31. Um, which one is that ...

.... I can't think of any real metrosexual New England democrats, though I'm a big fan of Sanders from Vermont. A unified energy plan as part of a contract for the new election, clearly articulated, with targets, costs, and such. Specifics.

By the way, we've got some metrosexuals down here, too. Even some gays - so 'squeal like a pig, boy'.

[sandnsea]

37. Oh right

Because the voting public is all into targets, costs and specifics. Last I heard, when candidates talk about in-depth policy, they're being long winded and boring and need to get some sound bytes. Face it, you won't hear anything from the Democratic Party until your beloved, whoever your own beloved might be, tells you you've heard it.

[LSK]

34. deregulation

It is a Republican ideology. Thats why this is happening.

[ohio_liberal]

35. We've certainly made some significant changes this year

I haven't turned on my furnace once this year. We have a woodburner that keeps it pretty toasty, hot even in the living room. With the input of some DUers I wrapped my water pipes so they don't freeze and stopped heating the basement. It's damned cold down there, and we can't walk around without shoes on the main floor of the house because the carpet is really cold. The air temp though is around 72-78 degrees depending on how cold it is outside. Upstairs is extremely comfortable and my kids spend most of their time there. The living room is chilly because the warm air just doesn't move that far so I light a kerosene heater during the day if necessary. There's a small electric heater in one of the bathrooms.

Columbia Gas sent a release to the local news that said the average cost of heating a home would be $316 starting next month. That means my house would cost $450 or so a month. There's no way in hell I can afford that.

The worst part of all of this is that people around me think I'm absolutely insane for doing all this. Just turn on the furnace, they say. I can't freaking afford a $400 gas bill. That's all there is to it.

My last gas bill was $30 with a gas hot water heater and kitchen range. My electric bill is $58. We're doing ok, I think. It's not exactly the way I want things to be but I can live with it.

[bigtree]

21. i've got an energy saving idea

I took plastic sheeting and doubled it up, stapled it to a strip of wood and screwed it to the top of my windows on the inside. The sides are tacked down with velcro stripping (the most expensive element)so that I can roll it up during the day when I please. Indoor storm windows. My bills would have been much higher without the change.

[FearofFutility]

30. I like the velcro idea

We put the plastic sheeting on every year, and it always makes me feel claustrophobic.

[bigtree]

44. for the big windows I tacked it all the way down the length w/the velcro

but for the smaller ones, I just used spot tacking and it worked fine despite the gaps. Might help save money. Velcro is so damn expensive, and I don't want that to scare you off. This was an amazingly easy project with, I think, great returns. I had a $300mo. bill last year. This year with the increase, the bill came in at $270. Still high, but I feel smart.

[Clara T]

39. That's a good idea

And that sounds reusable. Right now I've just got the usual 3M plastic on the windows and while helpful are quite thin.

I don't like the idea of buying more plastic each year so your idea seems a better solution. Think I'll try it as I have the sheeting and wood already.

Thanks.

[bigtree]

41. your welcome

It's real easy to put together. I found the plastic in the painting section of the hardware store (Home Depot). The velcro was expensive there, maybe cheaper at a fabric store cause it doesn't have to be heavy duty, just sticky on the back. I put the open end of the doubled up plastic at the top, and at the bottom I have a rod in the cradle for rolling it up, and a wire at the top at either end to secure it. I did seven windows, two big ones, and it cost me a little over $60. I still had plastic left to do the basement windows and still have some left.

The amazing thing that I found was that the doubling actually traps the cold air between the sheets so that the side facing the room isn't cold at all. It really works!

[Clara T]

45. Okay I'm convinced

They're going up this weekend.

I keep the Thermostat at 60 in the day and drop it down to 56 at night. Even being frugal isn't enough this year. Next year the wood stove goes in.

[elehhhhna]

59. big you need to patent that idea and start selling those, asap.

[bigtree]

62. you know . . .

I'm poor, but I'm more of a humanist than I am a capitalist. I hope it helps some folks save money. I'll leave the rest to the more ambitious and the enterprising ones among us.

[elehhhhna]

67. Cool. Very.

[bluedonkey]

83. That's a great idea

never thought to use viscreen in the house.I use it in my greenhouse.
Thanks for the tip.You might want to post this on the 'frugal' board.

BTW I'm in Louisiana and Entergy told us our electric will go up due to NOLA entergy went bankrupt and someone has to pay for this.Of course it's us!
Thank God our winters are not that long!
I just bought an Eco heater,suppose to use 3cents per hour.It keeps my bedroom comfortable enough.Haven't seen my new bill yet.

[politicat]

93. cheap velcro at sciplus.com

American science and surplus....

http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm?terms=9000&cartLogFrom=Search%20%2D%20Category%20Filter&CFID=8087533&CFTOKEN=55787976

http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm?terms=11246&cartLogFrom=Search

http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm?terms=5884&cartLogFrom=Search

Love this place- the only downside is you have to spend $15 whole dollars on any single order... (Which, at their prices, can be difficult...)

[Cats Against Frist]

73. Great Idea!

My two save-on-heating ideas include taking a shower once a week -- not only does it cut down on the hot water I'd use, each day, the scum on my body makes a nice greasy protective covering. I'm truly being serious -- but, I don't have a job, and can pretty much stay away from everyone. I've also been taking shot of Bailey's a couple of times a day -- if you're not in danger of real hypothermia, you can drink to make yourself feel warmer. Cough medicine will also do it, if you have a cold.

Drastic tips, I know -- but my heater is NOT going over 65.

[banana republican]

28. I just put in a heatpump.

I saw this comming. We used about 600 gallons of oil each year and the price now is at $2.79 for diesel and about the same for heating oil. I anticipate that this years bill will to be $700 to $800 for the year.

[earth mom]

29. Whoa-they want us swimming in debt don't they?!

I guess I should be glad that our vented/central air heater system went out a week or so ago and the replacement cost is between 5K and 7K which we haven't got so we've been using the wood stove that was here when we bought the house. Previously we've used the stove only when we had power outages. Looks like we will be using it all winter. It's not convenient and a bit messy, but it will be SO nice to NOT give the power company much money this winter! :)

[bullwinkle428]

32. I thought I had it bad with a $169 gas bill (electric is separate)!

That was from mid-November to mid-December. We had several very cold days (with nights at -10' F in some cases). Not looking forward to seeing the electric bill...

[FearofFutility]

33. That's a little less than I pay for my mortgage!

Are you on a budget plan? I did that a couple of years ago, and it has made it a little more manageable. I do pay a higher amount year round though. I'm paying about $50 more than I did last year at this time.

[yodermon]

36. Recommended,

as I feel your pain :(
:scared: <-- and this emoticon always looks like "shivering" even though it's "scared"

[deadmessengers]

38. We've got our thermostats set to 55

55 at night, going up to 62 during the day. It's helped us - last month we got a $132 gas bill for a pretty big house. Of course, we're benefiting from the relatively mild climate here in Georgia, but it's still WAY lower than what we were seeing this time last year.

[insane_cratic_gal]

43. I'm in PA

Ours was 130 last month, but my house doesn't go above 65, usually sitting at 60.. I'm a heat nazi this year because I have to be.

I went out and bought extra throws, sweaters, slippers, to get the bite from being too bad. It's been cold but I can't complain much in regards to people sleeping in tents.

[Greybnk48]

46. Ours was $457.00

In Wisconsin. fuckers

[lebkuchen]

50. Are you raising holy hell?

Imagine those on a fixed income who have no choice.

This is outrageous. Call your reps, ASAP.

[Greybnk48]

77. Gov. Doyle is

He's asked the heads of big oil to come to WI and explain these prices.

[Xenotime]

47. That's *'s plan for this winter.

[Jim__]

48. How much was it last month?

I use Xcel in Denver too. In November my bill was $87 - I live in 1000 sq ft condo. But, I'm worried about December's bill with all the cold weather. I'm hoping it's nowhere near $400.

[Hawkeye-X]

82. I think it's about $185

But this one, it's a shocker.

[lebkuchen]

49. Do you live in Antarctica?

Your utility bill is about half of what most Germans are paying for a monthly rent.

[azmouse]

51. Ouch!

I live in AZ and my bills for A/C in the summer aren't that high! :wow:

[SupplyConcerns]

52. Not the Republicans' fault! Let's learn some geology...

Natural gas production has peaked in North America. Importing it is extremely costly and difficult, as it involves liquifying it at below freezing tempereatures, and it has to be unloaded at specially-configured ports. This is due to an irreversible physical shortage.

[Ksec]

55. a shortage they caused.

Read about how theyre holding it up in Alaska?

[apollo56]

60. It is the Repub fault!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jerk!!!!!!!!!1

[fooj]

65. Sure. Just like our rolling blackouts in California...

:eyes:

[Bridget Burke]

71. Then why are energy companies making record profits?

Energy prices skyrocket, partly because Hurricanes Katrina and Rita knock Gulf Coast production offline, fueling higher costs for gasoline, natural gas, home heating oil and a range of petroleum-based products, and fanning inflation. Resulting record oil-company profits of $34 billion so far this year have regulators investigating and lawmakers threatening windfall profits taxes.

www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=YEAR-BIZ-12-21-05

Since Natural Gas Production peaked in 1972, why the sudden rise in cost?

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-0113-01/fs-0113-01.pdf

[JohnyCanuck]

75. My take on it

US natural gas peaked in 71/72 but then you guys turned to Canada and Mexico to to fill in for the missing US production. Now Mexico has peaked and Canada is hitting the wall as well with tightening supply and increasing Canadian/US demand, and to cap it off this winter you've also got to contend with missing supply from the Gulf of Mexico after Katrina.

When Canada signed NAFTA, it ceded total control of its oil and gas reserves. Canada currently makes up about 13% of the USA gas supply. Canada is running out of gas too:

"Outwardly the production projections of the NEB, EUB and GESI are confusing and even contradictory. But they really carry the same message: the limits of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) are being recognized. We could gradually increase consumption of the basin's reserves over the next decade and accept sharply falling supply thereafter (the NEB result). We can rapidly increase consumption through drilling quick, short lived deliverability wells and live with an early rapid supply decline (the EUB result). Or, we could redirect more activity to larger reserve plays that require greater lead times and thereby accept an earlier, but gradual supply decline (the GESI result)." http://tabla.geo.ucalgary.ca/NatGasCan/opipaper.pdf

Mexican gas production reached a plateau in 1998 and has had a downward slope of around 2% ever since. http://dieoff.com/mexgas.gi? (Insert an "f" in place of the "?" after the "gi" to pull up the chart of Mexican production. The graphic screws up the window size if activated inside the thread /jc)

<snip>

If, like the vast majority of Canadians, you are dependent on natural gas to heat your home, ponder this thermostat-shattering truth for a moment. The largest natural gas find in Western Canada in the past 25 years is now playing out in a marshy area of northeastern BC near the Alberta border.

Some analysts expect the Ladyfern field to gush about a trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas, which to a layman's ear might sound like a lot of burning power. But Ladyfern probably contains just enough fuel to heat all the gas-fired homes in Canada for a year or two at most. And it's a clear freak of nature. A typical new gas well, in fact, produces barely enough gas to heat 90,000 homes for a year.

Now add some more disturbing math to this natural gas picture. Canada now produces 6.2 tcf of gas a year, which just barely meets domestic and export demand. That represents about one-fifth of North America's gas consumption, which is still growing by 2% a year thanks to gas-fired electrical generation. "We need 6.2 Ladyferns a year to just keep up with gas consumption and stand still," explains Rob Woronuk, 60, a veteran Calgary gas analyst and one of the nation's independent natural gas watchdogs. "The really scary part is that we are finding a Ladyfern only every 25 years."

http://www.dieoff.org/synopsis.htm

[Ksec]

80. I read somewhere

that they got nailed hoarding natural gas somewhere. I believe it was in Alaska so the market would look like a shortage was happening. I was half asleep when I heard that report and I cant find it now . It was clearly purposely done to raise the prices artificially so the big corps could screw us blind. Maybe someone can pop this report up.

[Ksec]

53. HOLY SHIT !

Are you kidding me? I havent got mine yet but now Im really dreading it. It ran about 150 to 180 last winter so...

[nini]

57. Thankfully I'm in So. Cal

it's 76 degrees today and when it does get cold I can forego the heater and just bundle up.

I'd have a stroke if I got a bill that high.


I'm so sorry for all of you. :(

[ananda]

64. Does XCEL really expect..

.. people to be able to pay those kinds of bills?

Outrageous!

[mike_c]

66. whoa-- that's insane!

I'm expecting mine to be over $100 this month, but only because I've gotten lazy and used the furnace a little more than usual (which isn't much). Wow! You have my sympathies!

[Cats Against Frist]

70. I hear ya, baby

I got a $268, up from about $30 - $50, normally. The other bad news is, somehow, my October bill went unpaid -- I either spaced it or misplaced the bill, so my Christmas total is $394. Fun stuff.

[Blue_In_AK]

74. Is that for gas AND electricity or just gas?

My gas bill jumped to $160 this month, which I think is the highest it's ever been, and we paid around $140 for electric, but both of those are always much higher here in the winter because of the cold and dark. I won't be able to tell how much things have really changed until around April or so.

[Hawkeye-X]

84. We use both here in CO.

Xcel takes care of gas & electric.

[gulfcoastliberal]

85. I live on the 8th floor of a condo; but it still gets pretty damned cold.

2 bedroom, ~1150 sq ft. Gulf Power hasn't increased our rates since the loacal power plant is an old nasty coal fired turbine. Pollutes out the wazoo but makes cheap electricity. However, I only have an air conditioner. There's "emergency heat" which means "uses waaay more juice than a/c". It's cheaper to layer and bought two oil-filled radiator-type space heaters for the bedroom and TV room - the main rooms we live in.

[eleny]

86. Greetings from Lakewood

Our bill was a knockout punch, too.

[PassingFair]

88. $300.00

This will spell DISASTER for SO MANY!

I live in a ranch house in Michigan.
My last month's bill was $72.00.

[womanofthehills]

89. Passive solar is the way to go

I live in NM mountains and the south side of my house has 7 windows side by side. In front of these windows I have 7 50 gallon drums filled with water. My house is toasty warm some days getting up to 80 degrees when it's 30 degrees outside. The drums hold the temp so it doesn't drop fast at night. I painted the drums the color of the room and put plants on top. Actually it looks cool and it's a cheap way to heat your house if you live where there is lots of sun.

Bubble wrap is great insulation for windows. Spray some water on the window and just push the bubble wrap on it - it's like magic - it sticks!

[renate]

96. I love that bubble wrap idea!

It sure makes sense. And families with kids could really have fun with it. (What is it with kids and bubble wrap? Even the ones jaded by years of video games and movies on demand go crazy when they get hold of a scrap of bubble wrap.)

That's me trying to be positive. In the real world, these $500 heating bills are insane and are bricks on the pathway to bankrupcy for so many working families. Oh, whoops, bankrupcy isn't cool any more unless you're a multi-billion-dollar corporation. Never mind.

[politicat]

92. $180 for gas and electric on a 1400 sq ft house in Lafayette.

Single level, lots of insulation, compact design. Excel, too.

We sealed the windows in October with plastic, and added thermal window coverings to all but a couple (currently inaccessible due to moving boxes in the way). All of the vents in the west end of the house are closed, and we're using space heaters in those rooms when we're in there. There are 3 eheaters in the house that use 425 watts each when they're on - the bedroom one is on most of the time, and the office ones are on when we're in the offices (though I need to get a timer for DH's office - he complains about his cold office and I forget to turn it on for him.) The eheaters are the key, I think....

We have a dryer heat diverter on the electric dryer.

The thermostat is set at 58 for most of the day, but goes up to 65 during the morning when DH is getting ready for work and for a couple hours after sunset while we're awake. I'm baking with the gas oven usually once a day. The furnace isn't running all that much....

All of the lightbulbs are CF, all of the computers are low usage - laptops or Energy star machines (no 350 watt power supplies in this house). The fridge, washer and dishwasher are all energy star rated.

And we're wearing sweaters, using lap robes, and doing a lot of passive solar - the windows on the south and west face of the house are letting a lot of light in to help warm up.

The house was built in the 20s, but the previous owners had done a lot of work to make it efficient - replaced the windows, added insulation, replaced the furnace for efficiency, re-wired, etc. And we've done a lot, too.

[SammyWinstonJack]

95. Can we say ENRON? Yes we can!

:grr: Well at least gays can't marry! :grr:

[CreekDog]

97. I worry about that Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)

If one of those ships explodes, we will all be eating a lot of frozen fishsticks!!!

[Clara T]

99. kick for the helpful ideas here

[A Brand New World]

100. I wish mine was $480. I got mine yesterday and it was $536.

It's been colder than practically ever here in Ohio this December. But the worse is yet to come. We keep our thermostat at 70 and I refuse to set it lower. I'm not going to freeze. I guess I need to turn it lower when we're at work. But I'm not sure if that helps on cost. I've heard different theories on whether is costs more to get the temperature back up or if it's cheaper to keep in constant. Any input?