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My Cleveland heating bill hit $412 in January and I want to know if I'm the problem or the furnace is
So I live in a 1920s colonial over in West Park, about 1,800 square feet, and my gas bill for January came in at $412. I just stood in my kitchen staring at it. Last January it was $238, so that's a $174 jump and nothing about my habits really changed. I keep the thermostat at 68 during the day and 62 at night, I put the plastic on the windows in November, and I still have the original radiators that clank like a drum line at 6am. I called a guy out to look at the furnace and he said it's running fine, just old and maybe 80% efficient, and quoted me $6,800 for a new one, which feels insane for something I can't even see. My neighbor Dana says her bill barely moved and she keeps her house at 71 all winter, which makes me think I'm doing something dumb without knowing it. But my brother in law swears the rates went up for everybody in Cuyahoga County and I just haven't been paying attention. So which is it, are we all getting hammered by the gas company or am I bleeding money out of old windows? If your January bill was way up too, what did it come in at and what part of town are you in?
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nancycooper17h ago
The part about your neighbor Dana is what I'd look at first, because "her bill barely moved" doesn't mean the rates didn't go up. Rates in Cuyahoga County did jump this winter, that part your brother in law has right, so everybody's bill went up some. But a $174 jump on a house your size isn't just rates, that's rates plus a house that leaks heat like a sieve. Dana's house might be newer or better sealed, or she might have a high efficiency furnace, so she feels the rate hike way less than you do. The guy who said your furnace is 80% efficient basically told you that for every dollar you spend, 20 cents floats out the chimney, and on a $412 bill that's over $80 a month just gone. You don't have to drop $6,800 on a new furnace to fix this though, air sealing the attic and basement rim joists is cheap and it's where most old colonials lose their heat. What was your bill last January compared to this one, and did the usage on the bill actually go up or just the rate?
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