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Rob-Atlanta · Feb 2, 2006, 09:19 AM

I just got my gas bill for last month and it was $500.00, much more than the $300.00 I would accept. I live alone in a 4,300 sq ' house plus 1400 sq ' basement that I work out of. Will it help to seal off vents at the furnace to a few of my bedrooms? I have 5 bedrooms but only sleep in one and my daughter sleeps in one of the other bedrooms a few days a month. I have tried setting the thermostat to 68 which makes the house chilly (drafty) but livable. I'm trying to cut down before the summer when my A/C electric bill will probably be huge at this rate. Any suggestions? Let me know if you need more info. I live north of Atlanta, and it hasn't even been very cold!

caibuadday · Feb 2, 2006, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by Rob-Atlanta

I just got my gas bill for last month and it was $500.00, much more than the $300.00 I would accept. I live alone in a 4,300 sq ' house plus 1400 sq ' basement that I work out of. Will it help to seal off vents at the furnace to a few of my bedrooms? I have 5 bedrooms but only sleep in one and my daughter sleeps in one of the other bedrooms a few days a month. I have tried setting the thermostat to 68 which makes the house chilly (drafty) but livable. I'm trying to cut down before the summer when my A/C electric bill will probably be huge at this rate. Any suggestions? Let me know if you need more info. I live north of Atlanta, and it hasnt even been very cold!

lower the thermostat down to 65... and buy the portable heater (electric-45- 60$) for the rooms you use

wheatnbarley24 · Feb 2, 2006, 09:11 PM

The best thing you could do is buy a heated matress cover. Trust me... I've been thetre before and you won't need an once of heat with one of these

About 50 to 70 bucks

Missouri Bound · Feb 3, 2006, 07:49 PM

Is this a new problem, or have you lived there for a while? Gas bills are high this year, but if you have draft issues, you need to look at insulation, windowy, doors... etc.

Fr_Chuck · Feb 3, 2006, 08:05 PM

Several things first perhaps you have a "over sized" house and should consider down sizing, For a house your size and the current cost of gas in your area your payment is actually fairly reasonalbe.

If you have a fire place consider using it. Also some have been looking at adding a heat pump to their system and only letting the gas heat kick in if it gets below a certain degree.

My wife's good friend has a similar size house, but they have a built in fireplace on each floor and add wood heat to eliminate a lot of the heating cost. Also some of our friends have added the new wood heat system where the fire system is outside in a separate building.

Next depending on what electric and/or gas company you have, some will come out to your home and do an energy check.

But in general according to where you live, gas heat costs have went up 25 to 50 percent, so your bill will be up a lot just because of the gas cost.

What you need to do is check the volume usage and see how it compares to last year.

Move office to upstairs bedroom and close off the entire down stairs is a thought also.

extreme42583 · Feb 3, 2006, 09:49 PM

Try using a programmable thermostat... works wonders and saves cash!!

fredg · Feb 4, 2006, 06:53 AM

Hi,
Unfortunately, in the United States, natural gas and propane gas prices have gone up tremendously this year; and according to TV News programs, will never be the same as they use to.
I have a heat pump, supplies both heat and AC, and my bill for Dec through Jan was a bit higher, but nothing compared to gas bills!
Your AC Bill when it gets hot, should be a little higher than normal, but nothing like your gas bill.
Many local TV stations in my area in VA are now interviewing many people with this problem, high gas bills. Some have even decided to do away with natural gas, and go with electric.
I do wish you the best, and you have already received some good answers concerning stopping cold air from coming in, maybe caulking around windows, checking doors for good weather stripping, or even using alternative electric space heaters. If you don't have "double thermal" windows in your home, you might consider putting a double layer (about 1/2 inch between) of plastic over larger "picture windows", if any.
It really stops the "cold" from coming through. I do wish you the best.