Natural Gas prices are going up, up , up

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-19-2004
Natural Gas prices are going up, up , up
10
Fri, 02-18-2005 - 9:38am

I guess not that big of a surprise though. We met with a home buyer just to get some ideas and started talking about heating. He said he just built a home for a gas company employee of 20 years who refused to have gas heat in his home. He told the builder that the prices are to rise 30% within the next few years!! So even HE didn't want to deal with that!! (I live in PA by the way) So DH and I are seriously considering Oil heat. My uncle has it and fills it up once a year at $600. That covers 2 months of gas in the winter for us! Anyone else have oil?

We still have some debt to pay off and months to save, but I knew going to the builder now would motivate us to get the ball rolling, plus give us good insight on all the costs.
I just can't imagine how anyone can handle paying 30% more for gas a month!!! Outrageous!
~Nicki

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2004
Fri, 02-18-2005 - 10:21am

I really hate how things are so much more expensive now a days and yet our wages are not!

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-10-2003
Fri, 02-18-2005 - 11:42am
We are also considering building, and I am really frustrated by lack of economical choices. I am actually considering a water furnace. They work by keeping you home at a constant temperature, and also keep your house cool in summer. I think we will probably augement this withi a fireplace, eihter wood or natural gas to use as a booster. I have actually looked a radiator systems as well, and that would probably be my second choice. I am not sure about AC with that however.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2004
Fri, 02-18-2005 - 11:55am

Actually, gas rates have already gone up for us. We live in GA, and this month, we used the same amount of therms as last month....but our bill went from $84 to a whopping $137 this month. ACK! I told Dh we're just going to have to lower the temperature down from 68 to 65 and wear extra clothes in the house until it warms up.

My Mom, who lives in D.C., said she received notice that her electric rates are going to go up 27%. I hope ours don't! Not with our summers here in "Hot-Lanta!" LOL! :-D

Pat

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2004
Sat, 02-19-2005 - 9:52pm
I had oil heat in my house (I had before the divorce) and I have oil in the place I rent now. I filled the tank up in November for around $450, but it's been so cold I might have to get it filled again. I'm keeping the heat real low for now. I live in PA too, and there are lots of homes with oil heat. I've never had a problem getting home owners or renters insurance.

Photobucket

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2004
Sun, 02-20-2005 - 12:28am
I run into the oil problem all day long (I'm in Seattle).

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Sun, 02-20-2005 - 8:55am
I have gas heat, hot water, oven and dryer. In live in NJ, close to PA boarder and our equal pay plan is $65 per month. If we were to pay for the gas we actually used last month, it would have been $135. The bill came yesterday with a notice that the rate was going up 3%, but delivery charge was going down 6%. Delivery charge isn't much, so teh company estimates a $12 savings per year.
I have some experience with oil heat. My parents had oil heat. They weren't good planners or spenders, and it always seemed that they needed to fill the tank when they had no money and prices were at their highest. Oil prices fluctuatate, so if you do use oil, its a good idea to track the prices over the course of a year to see when it is the best time to buy . Home heating oil prices are attached to the price of crude oil, much like gasoline prices.
Our old house (bought in 1996, sold in 2001) had an old oil tank on the property. The problems with oil tanks were just becoming an issue in NJ in 1996. In order to close on teh house, both the mortgage company and the insurance comany insisted on havng the soil near the tank tested for leakage. Same thing when we sold my parents house in 2004 (and their tank was still active). If the tank has leaked, it can cost a fortune to clean the mess. All the contaminated soil has to be removed according to EPA standards.
Our new home, a town home, was built in 1971. After the first drafty winter, we decided to use some of the proceeds from the sale of our old house to make improvements. New siding with insulation, insulated windows, new heat system. It reduced our heating cost by 1/2. I remember my parents always used the plastic sheeting on their windows and it made a big difference.
If you are building a home, I hear that radiant floor heat is efficient. And adding zones to the thermostat system is a great way to save. Why heat the upstairs if no one is there.
We use the equal payment plan for both gas and electric. For me this is a great way to budget.
Good Luck,
Sandra
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2004
Sun, 02-20-2005 - 12:04pm
Could it be that there are not a lot of homes with oil heat there? It's very common in a lot of area's here. My oil tanks have always been in the basement, no risk of ground contamination - you could clearly see if there was a leak, it would be all over the basement floor.

Photobucket

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2004
Sun, 02-20-2005 - 5:25pm

I guess I should clarify.

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2004
Mon, 02-21-2005 - 8:17pm

I just think that's weird. I bought my house in mid-2000 and had no problems. I got renters insurance just 7 months ago (not sure if the same rules apply). Neither time did the insurance seem expensive. I think my homeowners was $400-500 per year, and my renters insurance was just over $100 for the year. Are you sure this applies on the east coast too? My neighbors, friends, ex-ILs, nobody I know has a problem with this and all have oil heat.




Edited 2/21/2005 8:19 pm ET ET by firstamendment

Photobucket

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2004
Mon, 02-21-2005 - 10:01pm

Yes, it is a problem for the whole country.