# Natural gas/therm usage?



## kds (Apr 28, 2017)

What is the "normal" therm usage in my area in the upper midwest for a house that's about 1100 sq ft? My natural gas bills have been extremely high this winter.










I dumped this from my energy company's website. If you look at January 2017 and January 2018, the temperatures are about the same (26 and 27) but the therm usage is way different (17 therms in 2017 vs. 155 in 2018 which is almost a $100 difference).

I haven't had any changes to my system. My furnace I replaced in 2016. Only the furnace and hot water heater are on natural gas -- everything else is on electric. I started living alone in October so I would have thought my costs would actually go down.

I have an ecobee so I'm able to export my blower usage data and load it into a Tableau report. I'm at work now so I can't update it (only has data through the end of January), I'll try to get to that tonight.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

An average residential customer in Arkansas uses about 590 therms annually. I think Missouri customers are closer to 700 therms. So I would say the last 12 months in your table are more indicative of average consumption for your location than the first 12 months.


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## Bunnysarefat (May 4, 2017)

My guess would be maybe a few big cold fronts drove your usage way up without driving the average temp for the month way down. It's my gut feeling that a really really cold period uses quite a bit more gas than your average cold day. However, I live in Texas and we don't insulate our homes like they do up north so IDK.


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## PHXCobra (Mar 20, 2018)

Not the same but similar I suppose. Have you checked all your windows? Any area of the house feel especially colder?

About 6 years ago I noticed my air conditioner basically wasn't shutting off in the middle of the summer. Odd even for Phoenix. After a about a week fearing my AC unit was crapping out I walked by a room and noticed it was warmer than the rest. Turns out someone tried to break into my house but the window stopper didn't allow them to get in. Left the window open on their way out. I was air conditioning the outside air for who knows how long


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## desirous (Dec 15, 2017)

This year's use looks a lot more believable. You got lucky last year and somehow were not charged for the gas you used.


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## kds (Apr 28, 2017)

All the windows are new and sealed up. The energy came and did an energy audit when I moved in and the only rec was that I could use maybe 1" more insulation in the attic but they admitted it wouldn't do much.

I updated my Tableau report and the blower time seems to be pretty consistent as last year considering the average temperatures.

So that makes me think that the hot water heater I have that is old enough to vote is likely the culprit.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

kds said:


> ...So that makes me think that the hot water heater I have that is old enough to vote is likely the culprit.


I don't know... your 2016-17 winter consumption is _really_ low for a customer that uses natural gas for space heating. My first guess would be your meter came up for a periodic and it got swapped for one that works.


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## kds (Apr 28, 2017)

Ware said:


> kds said:
> 
> 
> > ...So that makes me think that the hot water heater I have that is old enough to vote is likely the culprit.
> ...


It's entirely possible. They did replace the meter last year. The old one might have been analog and/or undermeasuring. I'm not really in a place to replace the hot water heater so we'll see how far my therms decrease... if we can ever get out of this 30-degree spring!


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

kds said:


> They did replace the meter last year.


That is definitely it then. Most utilities must periodically pull meters (e.g. every 10 years) and test them to make sure they are operating within an acceptable tolerance. When they do this you get a new/rebuilt meter and they take yours in for testing/rebuild. I would say with a high level of confidence that is what you are experiencing.


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## kds (Apr 28, 2017)

Then I'm at least glad they were undercharging me instead of overcharging me!


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

One suggestion that I could add is to consider adding an Attic Tent. We had an audit done on our house 2 years ago, and when the inspector brought his FLIR into where the entrance for the attic is, there was a huge amount of air that was coming into the living space from the attic. This air is then introduced back into the HVAC system, causing additional heat load during the summer months. I know the pictures look generic, and they're kind of pricey, but go with the Name Brand.

Installation was easy, and I've noticed a large reduction in the heat during the summertime, and cool in the wintertime. Incidentally, the entry to the attic was in the garage, which is partially enclosed into my "Man Cave".

Sealing the air ducts would be another thing to look into. Most HVAC companies that do a proper installation will use mastic to seal the ducting so it's completely airtight, and warm/cool air isn't getting into the attic, and actually going into the living space.

I got free rental on the insulation blower from Home Depot when I purchased the insulation, and was able to add several inches of insulation throughout the whole house, and above the garage, and it has made the house more comfortable, and cut down on the power bill. We're total electric FYI.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Colonel K0rn said:


> One suggestion that I could add is to consider adding an Attic Tent. We had an audit done on our house 2 years ago, and when the inspector brought his FLIR into where the entrance for the attic is, there was a huge amount of air that was coming into the living space from the attic. This air is then introduced back into the HVAC system, causing additional heat load during the summer months. I know the pictures look generic, and they're kind of pricey, but go with the Name Brand.
> 
> Installation was easy, and I've noticed a large reduction in the heat during the summertime, and cool in the wintertime. Incidentally, the entry to the attic was in the garage, which is partially enclosed into my "Man Cave".
> 
> ...


Just curious but what is the total depth of your attic insulation then and now?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Here is a good resource for figuring out the R-valve of your existing attic insulation, and how much is recommended for your region.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

MasterMech said:


> Colonel K0rn said:
> 
> 
> > One suggestion that I could add is to consider adding an Attic Tent. We had an audit done on our house 2 years ago, and when the inspector brought his FLIR into where the entrance for the attic is, there was a huge amount of air that was coming into the living space from the attic. This air is then introduced back into the HVAC system, causing additional heat load during the summer months. I know the pictures look generic, and they're kind of pricey, but go with the Name Brand.
> ...


Then, I was at 12", now I'm at 18", although some settling has occurred. I'm sure it's a lot lower now, since that was a few years ago. I could stand to blow in some more.


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

On a similar subject, my wife and I were in Hong Kong for two months. A few days after returning home, the city left a note saying they wanted to change my water meter due to its failure. Haha! I told them we had been gone and they canceled the service call.


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