Author Topic: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?  (Read 3999 times)

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Offline CG6468

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How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« on: September 03, 2011, 05:07:30 PM »
I just took a meter reading, and we used a whopping 11 cubic feet from August to September.

The electric bill, however, was $199 in August. Of course, it was really hot and humid, so the A/C was humming most of the time. (I need to replace it, but it's a job; we have hot water heat, so the air handler has to go up in the attic. Our son is HVAC qualified, and he'll buy and install it for us. All I'll have to do is pay for the parts, about $2000.
Illinois, south of the gun controllers in Chi town

Offline franksolich

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2011, 05:13:56 PM »
I'm not sure if I'm reading this correctly.

From July 8 through August 8, 1500 cubic feet, $28.04 total bill.

I don't have the bill for August yet.

Of course this includes not only heat, but the stove and the hot water heater.

One person house, rarely use the stove lest it explode.

Hot water heater jammed up as high as it'll go, because hot water is one of my survival needs, but being only one person and a great big huge hot water heater, I wonder if a lot of that goes to waste.  I dunno.

The electric bill last month was $34.-something.
apres moi, le deluge

Offline Rugnuts

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2011, 05:36:27 PM »
you might have used 15.00 cubic ft, not 1500!

in the summer i just have hot water on natural gas. my bill runs about $15.00. Of that, $8.00 is the monthly service fee of just having the gas company's service. so i pay more for the gas service than the actual gas usage. in the winter though my gas bill peaks around $150.00

electric bill in the summer is around $100. Winter down to $65.

i use electronic bill pay so i never really see my bill anymore to know what my usage is (cubic ft or KW/H) but i looked it up:


and my electric bill



« Last Edit: September 03, 2011, 05:47:05 PM by Rugnuts »

Offline franksolich

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2011, 05:40:43 PM »
Well, that's where I'm confused.

This is exactly the way that line reads on the bill:

"15 Hundred Cubic Feet (CCF)"
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Offline Rugnuts

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2011, 05:50:45 PM »
beats me. mine says  "10 ccf" x therm factor.

im sure academia and the democrat/media complex has something to do with the confusion

Offline CG6468

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2011, 03:32:16 PM »
I'm not sure if I'm reading this correctly.

From July 8 through August 8, 1500 cubic feet, $28.04 total bill.

I don't have the bill for August yet.

Of course this includes not only heat, but the stove and the hot water heater.

One person house, rarely use the stove lest it explode.

Hot water heater jammed up as high as it'll go, because hot water is one of my survival needs, but being only one person and a great big huge hot water heater, I wonder if a lot of that goes to waste.  I dunno.

The electric bill last month was $34.-something.

There's no such thing as a hot water heater. Why would you want to heat hot water? It's a water heater.

That was a favorite question I answered when a plaintiff's lawyer took my deposition. The lawyers I hired just leaned back and smiled.  :-)

Have you tried to insulate the water heater. How old is it? (Post the serial number if you don't know, and I can tell you when it was made.)
Illinois, south of the gun controllers in Chi town

Offline FreeBorn

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2011, 04:23:21 PM »
Reminds me of the Air and Space museum. Not much space in there at all, in fact the whole place is cluttered with airplanes and even a space ship or two.  :whatever:


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Offline thundley4

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2011, 07:07:32 PM »
There's no such thing as a hot water heater. Why would you want to heat hot water? It's a water heater.

That was a favorite question I answered when a plaintiff's lawyer took my deposition. The lawyers I hired just leaned back and smiled.  :-)

Have you tried to insulate the water heater. How old is it? (Post the serial number if you don't know, and I can tell you when it was made.)

Our "hot water heater" kicks on while the water in the tank is still hot and heats it up more, so it is a hot water heater.

Offline CG6468

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2011, 07:34:52 PM »
Our "hot water heater" kicks on while the water in the tank is still hot and heats it up more, so it is a hot water heater.

Not really. It clicks on when the hot water reaches its lower temperature limit on the water heater's temperature control.
Illinois, south of the gun controllers in Chi town

Offline franksolich

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #9 on: September 04, 2011, 07:36:43 PM »
Have you tried to insulate the water heater. How old is it? (Post the serial number if you don't know, and I can tell you when it was made.)

It's got that padded insulation all around it.

It was brand-new, installed in October 2005, when I moved out here (the place had been unoccupied for many years).
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Offline CG6468

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #10 on: September 04, 2011, 07:39:47 PM »
It's got that padded insulation all around it.

It was brand-new, installed in October 2005, when I moved out here (the place had been unoccupied for many years).

Well, for some years now they've all been made with foam insulation between the tank and the outer shell, so what you're getting is what you'll get.

When you have to replace it, you might want to check into a gas-fired tankless model.
Illinois, south of the gun controllers in Chi town

Offline franksolich

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #11 on: September 04, 2011, 07:42:43 PM »
Well, for some years now they've all been made with foam insulation between the tank and the outer shell, so what you're getting is what you'll get.

When you have to replace it, you might want to check into a gas-fired tankless model.

This is some sort of insulation on the outside of it; I have no idea what the inside looks like.

The insulation didn't come with the water heater; the caretaker here put it up a few weeks later.

As for capacity, I'm 6'3" tall, and the thing's as tall as I am (of course, that includes a few inches of "feet" on it).

I'd go down and look at it, but it's a hassle to go down steps where the entryway's only 5' tall--which is why I go down only once a month, to change the filter in the furnace.
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Offline CG6468

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Re: How much natural gas or propane do you use in the summer?
« Reply #12 on: September 04, 2011, 08:08:42 PM »
It's probably a 40 or 50 gallon water heater. They're the most common ones. If ya can, whenever you go down there, let me know the name of the water heater.
Illinois, south of the gun controllers in Chi town