Idaho Power - normal bill? (homes, landscaping, neighborhood)

[pnwguy2]

My winter bill in Tri Cities WA averages about 175. Spring and Fall are less than 100. I think these are similar to when I lived in Idaho Falls. I tend to wear heavy clothing during winter to reduce costs. Obviously you can also save by keeping your shades closed on cold days. Simple steps that can save you 10-15 percent.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by dogsmusicpizza

Wondering if IP has increased rates, or i'm simply not accustomed to house living.

I've lived in my Twin Falls 1200 sq feet house for about 4 months, and my recent bill was 175.00.
Is this kind of high ? It's central heating.
I'm single, live alone, and I kept my thermostat at 61 for overnight, and 64 otherwise rest of time.

( it's now set at 60 all the time though Lol after this bill - this should be high enough to prevent pipes freezing )

Do you have air conditioning? or just central heating?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I'm not in the same area so probably not the same power company, but I've received about three notices of rate increases, so I wouldn't be surprised if you have had rate increases. Usually the notice will be in the little newsletter that arrives with the power bill. I suspect that they hope no one actually reads it so everyone has legally been notified, but didn't notice so they don't protest..

A big chunk of your power bill is not for power. It is fees and taxes. I have an empty house that has one LED light bulb burning and the fan for the gas heat. The electric bill was $44. Probably no more than a couple of dollars of actual electricity was used and the res of it is fees and taxes.

[banjomike]

The bitter cold came early and stayed on long this year.
The forecast for January, always the coldest month of winter, shows the temps will be more normal and seasonal, meaning 28º days and 11º nights.

Heating and power bills will stay high until February, but the worst may be over now.

[Ret.InAmmon]

Just for a year-over-year comparison of Natural Gas costs for heating my home, here are my numbers for last Dec 2021 vs. Dec 2022 for the same period Through Jan 4th:

InterMountain Gas Co.
Ammon, Idaho

2021 - Avg temp for month of Dec: 27 degrees
2022 - Avg temp for month of Dec: 20 degrees (-7 degrees, a 35% decrease in average temp)

2021 - therms used: 281
2022 - therms used: 311 (+30 therms, a 10.6% increase in usage)

2021 Cost/Therm: $0.4127
2022 Cost/Therm: $0.55523 (+ $0.14253 per therm, a 34.5% increase in price)

2021 Gas cost: $115.97
2022 Gas cost: $172.68 (+ $56.71 for gas)


Sooooo, colder average temps means using more gas, and using more gas that costs more = a 49% higher gas bill.
Oh, and the fees and surcharges that accompany the gas usage are $2 higher too (someone at Intermountain Gas probably got a well-deserved $0.015 per hour raise.)


All this means is:

Weather is fickle.
Natural Gas is a global commodity.
Global commodity prices are subject to global price fluctuations based on global supply/demand.
Local costs are driven by the global prices.

[banjomike]

The price of gas has gone up from last year.
But Intermountain Gas had mistakenly overcharged all its Idaho accounts for years, so the gas prices were cut drastically several years ago as a way to rebate the past overpayments. I think the price is still a little lower than it was in the 2000s. the price cut came around 2009 or 2010, as I recall.

My November payment this year was $204, which was about $60 more than last year, but November was unusually cold. I thought the December bill would be high, but it was only $206, and I anticipated it would be higher than that, as December was even colder. I did lower the thermostat to 69, and I'm burning my gas fireplace more often to keep the living room around 70-71º.
I bought the fireplace as a backup after a Feb. power outage lasted for 10 hours. It was a bust as a backup, as it needs electricity to run the thermostat that starts the fire, but it's quick to warm the room when the power is on.

I found changing the furnace filter more frequently helps cut my bill down. I have an aging high-efficiency furnace, and apparently it needs a strong air flow to stay efficient. I used to change the filter every 60 days or more, but I'm changing every 45 days or less now. The clean filter cuts the burn time down quite a bit.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by banjomike

......... It was a bust as a backup, as it needs electricity to run the thermostat that starts the fire, ..........

Check with your furnace people. With most gas fireplaces you can have a battery back-up installed that will light the fireplace when the electricity is out.

Not particularly convenient because it isn't good to leave the battery in it for along period of time, but when electricity is out, you pop the battery into the fireplace igniter and you are good to go.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Check with your furnace people. With most gas fireplaces you can have a battery back-up installed that will light the fireplace when the electricity is out.

Not particularly convenient because it isn't good to leave the battery in it for along period of time, but when electricity is out, you pop the battery into the fireplace igniter and you are good to go.

Thanks for the info!

[nowhereman427]

The prices are reflective of the size of the home. I am in 1200 sq ft and it usually is under $100. per month for gas and electric. If I was in a bigger home it would cost alot more to heat it up. I don't have air conditioning so that cost is eliminated.

[dogsmusicpizza]

Originally Posted by nowhereman427

Do you have air conditioning? or just central heating?

Central heat