PGW bill suddenly increase this month

Submitted by IdlePerfectionist t3_yqke6f in philadelphia

Hi all,

I just received the PGW bill for last month and the bill was $185. I'm renting a 2 bedroom apartment with my girlfriend, we don't even use heater that much, and previous months bills were ~$70-$80. The bill details said I got chraged for 80 Ccf, and last month was 26. I feel like I didn't really use that much more gas this month compared to before. I will try calling them but anyone has this same issue or there might be something wrong with my heat system?

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Bill break down

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Comments

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Bisexual_Republican t1_ivorg0u wrote

This happened to me last month. Apparently, some places had their meters offline and the excuse from utilities is that they "underestimated" the amount used and charged too little. So with mine (and I guess on yours) they put all the extra from the past 3 or so months onto this bill.

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missdeweydell t1_ivpc77r wrote

they do this shit every winter. PECO does it in the summer

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Erythronne t1_ivp9tfz wrote

This is normal. Your water heater may be gas and if in a poorly insulated area it takes more gas to keep it hot. Sucks. In summer my bill is less than 20. In winter, 70+

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RJ5R t1_ivquv9t wrote

unless your water heater is old AF, as in 30+ yrs old, it has plenty of adequate insulation, even enough if it's in one of those utility closets that's off a balcony like you see in older apartment buildings.

you don't get a skyhigh gas bill due to a water heater, trust me

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FUN_LOCK t1_ivour6j wrote

Is your water usage up too?

This happened to me one month last winter and the following month my hot water heater went kaput and dumped the full 60 gallons on the floor.

Apparently the month before it had developed a slow leak. Small enough that a nearby basement drain kept it hidden but large enough to have it running 24/7 heating the cold water that was coming in to replace the hot water leaking out.

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Proper-Code7794 t1_ivovpp1 wrote

Have you used your heat because it's probably that. Maybe somebody is turning the heat up when you're not there

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IdlePerfectionist OP t1_ivoy66w wrote

I do use heat but maybe twice a week or so, and usually turn off after ~8 hours

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Probability-Bot t1_ivs0m1x wrote

A bit ago i went to my parents. It was chilly and i asked why you didnt turn the heat on. My mom said yea right turn the heat on twice and the bill next month will triple...Pretty much what happened to you here..

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IdlePerfectionist OP t1_ivoxo7a wrote

Just called them and they said this is normal, last year average for my apartment (2bdr, 900sqft) is $175 a month. Is this really normal?

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LakeSun t1_ivp65ov wrote

How well insulated is your apartment? Does it have double pane windows? Or, better triple pane?

The temperature drops, and if you've got it set to a temperature the heater is going to turn on, as the walls get cold.

But, your biggest bills will be Jan-Feb.

If your paying for the heat, than the manager has no incentive to add insulation. Find an apartment where the heat is included, then you'll know the landlord will put in a high efficiency heater, better windows, and better insulation.

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tempmike t1_ivpad2j wrote

We have a gas stove, gas furnace, gas water heater, and gas dryer in our questionably insulated south philly row house and going back to 2018 we use about 8 CCF each month during the summer (last month was 9 CCF) is and a high of around 60-70 CCF during the coldest months of the year (granted we're accustomed to keeping our heat turned lower and havent turned it on yet for the winter and have our water heater set to the recommended "safe" temperature so our showers tend to be a bit tepid)

If it were me, I'd definitely be looking into this. But without knowing more about your apartment its hard to say what could be going on. I'd ask your neighbors to compare their monthly usage to see if its just normal for your building.

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ScottishCalvin t1_ivr3cxo wrote

This is why it's well worth spending hundreds of dollars on things that insulate your home like thick curtains, loft insulation or the shrink-film kits for your windows. Even just a collection of really nice woolen sweaters so you can actually enjoy wearing some extra layers. A $500 outlay is 5 months if your bill jumps something crazy, that's one winter and the following years it's money you're saving.

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selfpromoting t1_ivraakw wrote

I'm dealing with this right now, it makes no sense. My gas usage is astronomically higher than last year and my neighbors.

Only thing using gas is the stove; no heat has been turned on.

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BureaucraticHotboi t1_ivrr5zy wrote

I’d love our publicly owned utility to start aggressively transitioning to renewables. Natural gas is going to be more and more price varying as global warming and geopolitics have shown

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itsaKoons t1_iwhu2zm wrote

Same thing happened to me- I went from 12ccf to 54ccf somehow without turning the heat on. I called and they said they would put in a dispute but I doubt that will get anywhere. I will update when I hear back from them

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pina_koala t1_ivow11i wrote

Worldwide gas prices have spiked due to the Ukraine situation. I'm not in PA, but I did change my gas provider to a fixed-rate plan instead of a variable one, to avoid bill shocks like this.

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IdlePerfectionist OP t1_ivoxj4b wrote

I checked and the price rate is the same with previous months, only the Ccf amount increase

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pina_koala t1_ivp0ou0 wrote

80-26 = 54, seems reasonable now that it's November. Guessing your apartment's insulation isn't too good. If the snow melts off your roof in winter that's a giveaway.

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[deleted] t1_ivt6293 wrote

Many in this city and country support prolonging the negotiations and extending the profit war in the Ukraine. Gas prices are up 100% over last month rates and will skyrocket this winter. Buckle in

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