❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Jan 14, 2019 0:21:54 GMT -5
I see that several of you keep your thermostats set in the 60's. Brrrrrrrr We can drop to the mid-50s inside our house in the winter. And tile floors!
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MN-Investor
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Post by MN-Investor on Jan 14, 2019 0:35:20 GMT -5
I can't sleep if it's colder than about 66 degrees in our house. I have plenty of blankets and throws, but those do nothing to keep my nose warm. I cannot sleep with a cold nose!
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NastyWoman
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Post by NastyWoman on Jan 14, 2019 2:18:30 GMT -5
I can't sleep if it's colder than about 66 degrees in our house. I have plenty of blankets and throws, but those do nothing to keep my nose warm. I cannot sleep with a cold nose! Wow! It is not cold here very often but the few times that the temperatures got down to the 20s (high 20s, nothing extreme) I have occasionally contemplated closing my windows. I have not always done so. I love cool bedrooms and, as you can imagine I don't rest all that well in the summer.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2019 8:41:14 GMT -5
I have a gas furnace and my bills run $100-$125 for a house in the Kansas City area, 1800 sf upstairs, about half that in living space downstairs although I close off the vents down there when DS and DDIL aren't visiting. I have a Nest thermostat and keep the house at 65 during the day, 55 at night and use a space heater in the bedroom. I also turn it back to 55 when I'll be out of the house for a long time. Yes, I'm cold most of the time. I can be cheap on small things. Before you shed any tears for me, I just bought a Business Class flight to Hawaii in November.
The difference between this house and our previous one is about $100/month in the cold months. This house is a bit smaller, we replaced many of the windows and the furnace, and I think it's better-insulated.
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nidena
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Post by nidena on Jan 14, 2019 9:52:52 GMT -5
I see that several of you keep your thermostats set in the 60's. Brrrrrrrr We can drop to the mid-50s inside our house in the winter. And tile floors! My new thermostat does a warning kind of thing if the temp gets to 55*. The next few nights are going to be "feels like" nearly 0* so I see my heater running almost non-stop, even set at 63*.
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nidena
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Post by nidena on Jan 14, 2019 9:53:58 GMT -5
I can't sleep if it's colder than about 66 degrees in our house. I have plenty of blankets and throws, but those do nothing to keep my nose warm. I cannot sleep with a cold nose! I create a little pocket under the blanket so that I don't feel smothered but am not dealing with a frozen nose.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jan 14, 2019 10:45:00 GMT -5
My gas bill for December was $70. I'm on budget billing so I pay $50 per month. It evens out in the summer when I don't heat the house.
I do keep it at 64 24/7 since I'm mostly here. I will turn it up if the temperature is going to be below zero for a sustained period of time. That is cheaper than paying for a plumber to deal with frozen pipes.
I can't sleep if the temperature is over 68 or so.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2019 10:55:37 GMT -5
I live at altitude. This time of year, it's typically 10-40 during the day and colder at night. (Right now it's unseasonably warm and we are all enjoying it!)
I keep my house at 65-66 during the day and 50 at night to prevent the pipes under the house from freezing.
My house is all electric. Last month's bill was $365. On average, I pay $200 or so a month over the year.
AC in the summer is a lot cheaper, however, I also pay a lot to move water up out of the ground and into to the house, so my power bill is never under $100.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2019 11:09:56 GMT -5
I just paid my latest utility bill-gas & electric and it was $170 rounded. I have an 1,170 SF ranch in upstate NY. I have it set at 70 degrees 24/7 since I'm retired and don't work. I hate being cold at night & don't lower it ever. 10 years ago I used to turn it down at nights & when I went to work. Then I got sick one February and kept it on 24/7. When I got the bill I was expecting a big one since I had been running it at 70 for 3 straight weeks all day & night. When I saw the bill was only about $10 higher, I stopped turning it down at night & when I retired 2 years later, I stopped turning it down at all. Last year I was sick most of the winter & kept it at 72. I finally started going back to 70 last March. As much as I hate cold air, I cannot sleep well in a warm room. So even if I'm not watching the clock, I know it's time to go to bed when my house starts getting cool. When it starts to warm back up before time for me to get up, it's almost like an alarm clock because it often wakes me up. But if I dont have it warm again by the time I have to get up, I won't want to get out of bed because it's too cold. Im odd, I know. I'm sending you good vibes in hopes that you don't get sick at all this winter!
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jan 14, 2019 12:36:37 GMT -5
My parents each had their own body temperature. Mom was always hot. Right up until the end, she had a fan blowing on her at all times. In the same room, dad was freezing and had a flannel shirt over his regular sheet and a throw.
We didn't turn the fan off for mom until she was in her final coma and the hospice nurse assured us she would not know if the fan was not on.
I take after mom. My sister is more like dad. She is always cold.
Now dad keeps his place at 83 and both of us use mom's fan when we are there for any length of time. We figure in these last years of his life, he should get to live at his temperature. It's included in his rent.
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imanangel
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Post by imanangel on Jan 14, 2019 18:57:11 GMT -5
Not a home, but I do pay heat in my apartment. This is my first year, so I am still getting a gauge on the costs. Outside temps - 20s-40s Last bill - $150 (it runs around $40 in the summer since it also fuels my hot water). Thermostat - 60 (turned down to 55 at night for sleeping). Type - Natural gas December was much colder, so I am anticipating that my next bill may top $200. The apartment isn't large (maybe 800 sqft), but it does have crappy, old windows, and I'm sure they are a massive energy drain. I would freeze to death in your apartment! I keep mine set at 72 all day and night. Our bill is about $122 a month.
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hurley1980
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Post by hurley1980 on Jan 14, 2019 19:22:15 GMT -5
I keep my furnace set at 70 in the winter and my AC at 80 during the summer. My furnace finally just died last night (its 22 years old, been waiting for it to happen so my home warranty will hopefully fix it), and it was 61 in my house this morning. It was so cold I almost couldn't get dressed for work! I don't know how you guys do it. But I am also the woman in the office that has a blanket over her even when its August. I just HATE being cold!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2019 20:06:35 GMT -5
But I am also the woman in the office that has a blanket over her even when it's August. I just HATE being cold! I'm with you- people go nuts with A/C in the summer and I freeze. I try to keep the house in a wide range of temps- cooler than most people would want in the winter, warmer than most could tolerate in the summer- because I don't want to become incapable of tolerating temperatures outside of a very narrow range. DH used to be incredulous when I'd go out on the screened-in back porch when it was 100 degrees out, curl up and take a nap.
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grumpyhermit
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Post by grumpyhermit on Jan 14, 2019 20:26:46 GMT -5
Not a home, but I do pay heat in my apartment. This is my first year, so I am still getting a gauge on the costs. Outside temps - 20s-40s Last bill - $150 (it runs around $40 in the summer since it also fuels my hot water). Thermostat - 60 (turned down to 55 at night for sleeping). Type - Natural gas December was much colder, so I am anticipating that my next bill may top $200. The apartment isn't large (maybe 800 sqft), but it does have crappy, old windows, and I'm sure they are a massive energy drain. Have you considered putting plastic over the windows? The kits they have these days can be almost invisible and it sounds like it would save you a good chunk of money. I have. After getting that first gas bill of winter. I can't do all of my windows, but I have put it on all the ones in my living room and dining room. We'll see if it improves anything.
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chapeau
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Post by chapeau on Jan 14, 2019 20:29:45 GMT -5
But I am also the woman in the office that has a blanket over her even when it's August. I just HATE being cold! I'm with you- people go nuts with A/C in the summer and I freeze. I try to keep the house in a wide range of temps- cooler than most people would want in the winter, warmer than most could tolerate in the summer- because I don't want to become incapable of tolerating temperatures outside of a very narrow range. DH used to be incredulous when I'd go out on the screened-in back porch when it was 100 degrees out, curl up and take a nap. I keep a wool cardigan in the office during the summer since the office AC is set so low. I hate it! We pay about 180/ month in the winter months for natural gas heat and water heater. Summer it’s $25-30. We just have a couple of window air conditioners for summer. The electric bill is $50-60 in the winter and around $100 in the AC months. We keep the heat at 58 at night or when we’re not at home and 63-65 when we’re home. DH is always complaining he’s too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. Of course he’s sitting on the couch in a t-shirt and boxers. Wonder why he’s cold? If we ever get central air, I’m also buying a locking box for the thermostat. I’ll wear the key around my neck so he can’t crank the temp down.
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grumpyhermit
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Post by grumpyhermit on Jan 14, 2019 20:31:17 GMT -5
Not a home, but I do pay heat in my apartment. This is my first year, so I am still getting a gauge on the costs. Outside temps - 20s-40s Last bill - $150 (it runs around $40 in the summer since it also fuels my hot water). Thermostat - 60 (turned down to 55 at night for sleeping). Type - Natural gas December was much colder, so I am anticipating that my next bill may top $200. The apartment isn't large (maybe 800 sqft), but it does have crappy, old windows, and I'm sure they are a massive energy drain. I would freeze to death in your apartment! I keep mine set at 72 all day and night. Our bill is about $122 a month. A comment I have gotten more than a few times. I grew up in Maine (in CT for the last five years), so I am still adjusting to this tropical "southern" climate. If it's not below zero is it even really winter? I do have a nice down comforter I keep on my couch, which keeps my plenty warm. I originally bought it for my bed, but after waking up sweating a few too many times I had to retire it since it was TOO warm. If not for my cats, I may keep it under 60, but I have pity for them during the day. Luckily my apartment has big old cast iron radiators, so they spend most of the day sleeping on those.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Sarcasm is my Superpower
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Today's Mood: Gen X ... so I'm sarcastic and annoyed
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Jan 14, 2019 21:29:31 GMT -5
I can't sleep if it's colder than about 66 degrees in our house. I have plenty of blankets and throws, but those do nothing to keep my nose warm. I cannot sleep with a cold nose! I create a little pocket under the blanket so that I don't feel smothered but am not dealing with a frozen nose. I have a CPAP mask .... I like to think of it as a "blanket snorkle"
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jan 14, 2019 22:47:04 GMT -5
I have wrapped christmas presents in shorts at my grandma's house more than once. I've also opened the window. I am normally a cold person. I'm generally the cold one and I hate late season football games for this reason.
She keeps it at like 75 during the day. It goes down to 70 while she's sleeping. I usually have to turn a fan on.
It's all electric and the bill runs $200+ in the winter. She turned 88 today. We've said for several years that she's too old to be cold in her own home.
I will say I think gas heat feels warmer than electric. And I think her house is lacking in insulation. Plus the furnace is in a crawl space which is just weird to me. The windows could definitely be replaced as well. There was a huge difference this weekend standing by the one in my bedroom there versus the brand new one my dad installed during the kitchen remodel.
Now that we have a zoned system, I fall back to life's too short to be cold in my house. It's bad enough to freeze to death all day at work.
I like it cool for sleeping. I dropped the upstairs to 68 at bedtime in the summer. My DH griped until he got the bill. It was a steady $100 all summer so he wisely decided it was not a hill to die on.
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countrygirl2
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Post by countrygirl2 on Jan 14, 2019 23:37:53 GMT -5
I don't know what the comparison was for the last years. When they put in the new smart meters, they dropped all the historical information. I should have printed it out but thought it would be there.
I know last January I used something like 3200 kwh's, don't remember the bill being to high, but found out that our geothermal had been on the heat strip likely most of the month. It was some little component that needed fixed. I have had the system serviced 2 times in the 6 years we have lived here. Lately have written about this stuff so some of you may have read it.
Our house is energy efficient, foam insulation, dual pane windows, steel core doors, we have a geothermal HVAC system. I can't separate electric and heat. The WH is new this year and has heat assist from the furnace system. My bill analysis estimates 68% for heating. But the last 2 months our bill increased $30 in Nov and another $30 in Dec. It was $300 and $332 respectively, never seen anything that high before. It says $.1002 per kwh, so 2499 Nov and 2847 used in Dec.
We have 1800+ sq ft up and the basement is heated and cooled also. We keep it at 74-75 in the day and72 at night. My thermostat reflects that as does the thermometer on my table, another on the floor says 68, we are not sure if it is right. The only things different are new smart meter and last year new water heater. Our bill was $175 for a long time but in the last 6 years has gotten to this. I actually kept it warmer before when hubs was gone. We keep it 77 to 78 in the summer. I need to go back to the bank statements and see what I have paid in the prior months. I have no idea why it has raised so much the last 2 months, nothing is new or different.
I called Duke to see about an energy audit, they had no idea what I was talking about. Told me to call for a home report, I had it in my hand and called there. I asked about an audit, nothing, she didn't know either. She started telling me to go to the website on the report! And told me we could try lowering the heat, well duh, yeah. I told her that was fine, guess they didn't do the testing anymore and just hung up.
I will still get the furnace guy to come out, but other then that, not much I can do. I just hope it doesn't go up another $30 bucks and more usage next month. It hasn't even been very cold this month. Lots of people around here are complaining, many with $400, $500, and even $600 bills. wow.
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CCL
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Post by CCL on Jan 15, 2019 8:30:15 GMT -5
I don't know what the comparison was for the last years. When they put in the new smart meters, they dropped all the historical information. I should have printed it out but thought it would be there. I know last January I used something like 3200 kwh's, don't remember the bill being to high, but found out that our geothermal had been on the heat strip likely most of the month. It was some little component that needed fixed. I have had the system serviced 2 times in the 6 years we have lived here. Lately have written about this stuff so some of you may have read it. Our house is energy efficient, foam insulation, dual pane windows, steel core doors, we have a geothermal HVAC system. I can't separate electric and heat. The WH is new this year and has heat assist from the furnace system. My bill analysis estimates 68% for heating. But the last 2 months our bill increased $30 in Nov and another $30 in Dec. It was $300 and $332 respectively, never seen anything that high before. It says $.1002 per kwh, so 2499 Nov and 2847 used in Dec. We have 1800+ sq ft up and the basement is heated and cooled also. We keep it at 74-75 in the day and72 at night. My thermostat reflects that as does the thermometer on my table, another on the floor says 68, we are not sure if it is right. The only things different are new smart meter and last year new water heater. Our bill was $175 for a long time but in the last 6 years has gotten to this. I actually kept it warmer before when hubs was gone. We keep it 77 to 78 in the summer. I need to go back to the bank statements and see what I have paid in the prior months. I have no idea why it has raised so much the last 2 months, nothing is new or different. I called Duke to see about an energy audit, they had no idea what I was talking about. Told me to call for a home report, I had it in my hand and called there. I asked about an audit, nothing, she didn't know either. She started telling me to go to the website on the report! And told me we could try lowering the heat, well duh, yeah. I told her that was fine, guess they didn't do the testing anymore and just hung up. I will still get the furnace guy to come out, but other then that, not much I can do. I just hope it doesn't go up another $30 bucks and more usage next month. It hasn't even been very cold this month. Lots of people around here are complaining, many with $400, $500, and even $600 bills. wow. That seems like a lot of kWh to me, but electric heat is usually more expensive than gas. I don't see why you would blame the new meter when the readings are less than what you used last year. 74-75 during day and 72 at night is kinda warm. If I kept mine that high my bills would be a lot higher, too. I think Duke does still do the energy audits, but you go thru the website or call the number on the insert to sign up for them. I get inserts in my bill with the info and I've seen it on the site when I log in to my account.
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nidena
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Post by nidena on Jan 15, 2019 9:17:59 GMT -5
I had new doors installed last year which was great for a bit but the house has shifted just enough that I need to truly install some weather stripping around the front door. I HATE that I live on a street where big-rigs drive--adds to the listing tendency of old houses.
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countrygirl2
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Post by countrygirl2 on Jan 15, 2019 9:57:20 GMT -5
That seems like a lot of kWh to me, but electric heat is usually more expensive than gas. I don't see why you would blame the new meter when the readings are less than what you used last year.
That was a horrendous amount of usage, it was because the geothermal was not working at all and it was running only on heat strips. Was a minor fix but still wasn't right. That was definitely not normal.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 15, 2019 12:09:03 GMT -5
That seems like a lot of kWh to me, but electric heat is usually more expensive than gas. I don't see why you would blame the new meter when the readings are less than what you used last year.
That was a horrendous amount of usage, it was because the geothermal was not working at all and it was running only on heat strips. Was a minor fix but still wasn't right. That was definitely not normal. I thought it was a huge amount too. My 2 BR apartment in KY was fully electric and I only ever used 500-700 kWh. This house we generally use less than 900. I think the month we lost our furnace, it was in the 20s and we were doing a lot of supplementing the fireplace with electric space heaters and we were still around 1500. I do remember my elderly neighbor keeping her apartment close to 78 deg during the winter and she couldn’t understand her $300+ electric bills vs my $70 bills, same size apartment. I tried to tell her the extra 12 deg could account for that.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2019 14:05:55 GMT -5
I finally looked at the details of my current utility bill. During the time frame it covers, I used 88ccf of gas, which cost me $69, $56 of which was supposedly used for heating, the other $13 was for heating water. As I mentioned earlier, I also have a gas water heater.
I also used 788kWh of electricity, at a cost of $86.76.
The website says that during that period, my house used less electricity and gas than the average of similar homes in the area. I didn't take note of the details of how much less of each.
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countrygirl2
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Post by countrygirl2 on Jan 15, 2019 15:39:36 GMT -5
What aggravates me is I would look at historical data and compare kwh usage and dollars. It would have been nice to know they were going to delete all that information. I should have printed it out, but who ever thought they would delete it. Also they don't want to show you anything unless you pay autopay. They had that screwed up 2 years ago. It might be ok now I stopped it and started over again, but I'm not sure. I went to paperless billing but may not work unless I check my email all the time. I'm not very happy with them right now. They are doing everything to push autopay, I'm betting lots of people are getting behind on their bills the way the price is increasing. Here at the house its a commercial rate of .1002, at hubs garage, the residential rate is .23 plus!! Wow! We are wondering if this house didn't change, the owner was CFO of the local power plant and we wonder if he got a lower rate somehow, at .23, holy smokes we couldn't afford anything. A lot of people around here are complaining.
So furnace guy is coming in the morning to check it out for us.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jan 15, 2019 16:28:21 GMT -5
The first home I owned was all electric. I never felt warm there. It didn't have a thermostat. I had to get a thermometer to try to figure out where to set each of the heating units. What a pain. It was expensive.
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countrygirl2
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Post by countrygirl2 on Jan 15, 2019 17:15:24 GMT -5
I do think gas heat is warmer. The lady that sold it to us said her husband felt like it was always cold. I didn't till this winter. Right now the thermometer on the table says 75, the thermometer on the floor says 68 and the one on the thermostat says 75. My nose is cold, even DD has complained about being cold today, that's a first.
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grumpyhermit
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Post by grumpyhermit on Jan 15, 2019 19:41:13 GMT -5
I was talking to my hair dresser today. She has central air/heat in her apartment. She was saying her summer bill was around $100-150 (they ran the AC all the time, at around 70 I think).
They got their first "heat" electric bill - $400. Thermostat was at 65. They rolled it back to 60, bill was still like $350. Her apartment is in an old, converted mill with huge vaulted ceilings, and 20 ft windows.
Suddenly I don't feel so bad.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2019 17:29:18 GMT -5
I do think gas heat is warmer. The lady that sold it to us said her husband felt like it was always cold. I didn't till this winter. Right now the thermometer on the table says 75, the thermometer on the floor says 68 and the one on the thermostat says 75. My nose is cold, even DD has complained about being cold today, that's a first. If that is true, it explains why the same thermostat setting feels warmer and more comfortable at my house than my BF's. He has electric heat. I've always figured it must just be my imagination that the same temperature feels colder to me over there. He went to HVAC school, I'll have to ask him about this, because I'm curious now.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2019 18:07:37 GMT -5
I was talking to my hair dresser today. She has central air/heat in her apartment. She was saying her summer bill was around $100-150 (they ran the AC all the time, at around 70 I think). They got their first "heat" electric bill - $400. Thermostat was at 65. They rolled it back to 60, bill was still like $350. Her apartment is in an old, converted mill with huge vaulted ceilings, and 20 ft windows. Suddenly I don't feel so bad. And it's probably like 85 degrees near the ceiling. Do they have ceiling fans? My mom has a vaulted ceiling cabin with a loft and it's always uncomfortably warm in the loft when it's 70 in the main living area.
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