New home owner, National Grid Bill is extreme!

Submitted by Fuey500 t3_105gdpb in massachusetts

I just want to make sure I'm not crazy lol, I'm a new home owner just as national grid raised its rates.

Electric Bill - 864 SQFT Home, Electric Baseboard Heating

I have been a bit too cozy with my thermostats and I run a gaming pc all the time. I know I read some posts about $900 being a lot this season but uh.. does this seem about right?... My meter estimate at a rate of 33.891 was only about $997.75 in my finance spreadsheet.

Thanks.

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Edit:

After the site working here's their breakdown.

https://preview.redd.it/3mibbltgaoaa1.png?width=645&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=aa7f6e1249fd6ed47d14d30e4036db31c43878cc

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https://preview.redd.it/efy045lhaoaa1.png?width=661&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=e22d8814f4138493e15d1fc4d080a1ba87a699b1

https://preview.redd.it/kq1d29qicoaa1.png?width=657&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=28c90e51990eaa49a6e955d7549bcf9319acc517

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Comments

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March_Latter t1_j3bx1n8 wrote

Don't worry about the gaming PC, thats not the culprit. Its the electric heat. Didn't your inspector advise you that electric baseboard heat was extremely expensive?

Either way, call MASS SAVE. Get them out there and discuss some solutions with rebates from the state. Its the absolute best thing you can do at this moment.

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Fuey500 OP t1_j3dbakx wrote

Ok thanks, they did but jeez, its a small house so I don't want to imagine what a bigger home would even have to pay.

2

March_Latter t1_j3dcu00 wrote

We don't allow electric heat, This is the third time in thirty years the story of electric heat will be fine to heat with has come to New England. I changed out an electric to oil 30 years ago and the guy saved the cost of the system in two years. With your cost, much faster.

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morgelfy t1_j3tcuwo wrote

Mass save improvements have been done throughout my house. And New Windows. Less kWh this month and the cost is $1039 for 800 SQ feet. Bullshit. I'm moving to a fucking tent

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March_Latter t1_j3tfp07 wrote

If you are off electric heat and still paying that something is extremely wrong with your house. Call a serious electrician and have him out to see what is drawing in your house.

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movdqa t1_j3c3pds wrote

We have a 1,200 sq ft home and last month's combined electric and natural gas was $250. I can't fathom 864 sq ft paying four digits for electricity. I've seen a couple of these kinds of posts recently and am curious about what the issue is. Maybe call one of the television stations so that they can investigate - it would make a great news piece.

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Fuey500 OP t1_j3ddy49 wrote

Honestly when I got this house there was a few fucky things with the meter and how it was setup. I've also had a delay in them giving me the bill for a bit but the bill itself states its for this month. Well i've had a bad time so far anyway with them trying to correct multiple issues.

I guess I didnt expect the heating to be this bad though!

2

movdqa t1_j3df29s wrote

I just looked at our December bill and it's 712 KWH compared to 530 a year ago and 401 for November for $238.21 in charges. We installed an electric water heater in late November so that may have contributed to higher usage. This is for a 1,200 sq ft townhouse. I think that the highest electric bill we've ever had is around $300 but that was many years ago.

Power costs is $0.22566 per KWH for $160.67 and about $0.09 in delivery charges or about $0.32/KWH.

3

SliceProfessional461 t1_j3ara3a wrote

Your electric bill was nearly $1700!?!? WTF. I was upset mine was $60 this month. Electric heating is a killer though. I have gas. $107 month for 800 sq ft. Thermostat set for 67 during the day. 63 at night.

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Fuey500 OP t1_j3asfje wrote

Yeah, I set my theromostat slightly higher for my small office because I feel a bit colder naturally but other than that most rooms are 65 at night and the main rooms really the only other one I raise to about 70 during the day if its really cold. Only done that a few times.

3

jp_jellyroll t1_j3b2kx6 wrote

Jesus... I've got gas / forced air in a 1000sqft 2BR. We keep the temp locked at 72F night and day. Total for gas & electric last month was ~$300.

If that is an accurate bill, then I am never buying a home with electric heat.

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modernhomeowner t1_j3awy2t wrote

Electric heat, that's about right. I used 1200kwh of heat alone last month, bigger house though, using a heat pump (which would have used about 1/3 of what an electric baseboard used), and my thermostat set to 64° the 11 days I was home and 55° the rest of the time.

Plus the rate is not 33¢, that's just supply, with delivery and MassSave it's almost 48¢.

Most people with baseboard keep their heat in the low 60s or even high 50s.

Get a heat pump for next year. Get Inspire as your electric provider, if you sign today it may start in February for your March bill.

January is looking to be a little colder and less sunny than it was in December, so if you don't change your thermostat, your bill will be about 15%-20% higher.

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chengbinzhang2010 t1_j3c1he3 wrote

So I would check a few things:

  • check with Nat Grid that you are on residential heating rate for electricity. They have heating and non heating rates. While you’re at it, helpful to also check if the meter is defective.
  • it could also be payments from previous months that weren’t paid off by the seller. In Which case, check your closing disclosure to see a credit was issued for the utility.
  • Get electrician to verify no other sources are tapping into your electricity meter. Not sure the age of your building but it’s very common for old wirings to stay in place which affects your usage.
  • check with Mass save about your insulation and windows.
  • lastly. If you meet income requirement, you can get a fuel subsidy from the state.

Good luck! Source: I volunteer at FTHB programs, happy to chat more if you have questions.

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moisheah t1_j3cbmve wrote

(Not the op)Would the “residential heating rate” be specified as such somewhere on the bill or account? Thanks!

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chengbinzhang2010 t1_j3cd9pt wrote

Yes. It should be noted on your bill if it’s residential regular or heating. There’s a bunch of other codes so check with the vendor.

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moisheah t1_j3cfrxm wrote

Thank you - I just looked and ours (Nat Grid) says Residential Regular R-1

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chengbinzhang2010 t1_j3ch5ho wrote

Well if you use electricity for heating... then you should update that with the NatGrid.

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moisheah t1_j3chw0j wrote

I really appreciate this info, thank you so much !

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Fuey500 OP t1_j3de2r5 wrote

That's actually what mine says as well under delivery services. IS that the wrong type?

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Fuey500 OP t1_j3dc1c9 wrote

Thanks for the advice. Looks like from my bill my rates at 0.33891

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toppsseller t1_j3evy3p wrote

That's your problem. My town (Grafton) has a third party supplier and the rate is .108...

1

nattarbox t1_j3cakyz wrote

You gotta get rid of those baseboards asap.

Get some minisplits if natural gas isn’t an option.

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morgelfy t1_j3td4v9 wrote

Mini splits aren't helping me at all. It's still electric

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nattarbox t1_j3tklyj wrote

You'd be using like 10x more electricity with baseboard.

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moisheah t1_j3cb2vz wrote

Baseboard electric heat. (And in our case old baseboards in a very old house) Based on previous years I expect our next bill to be at least that much if not more.

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iwanttobehappy2022 t1_j3arde6 wrote

You are doing something odd lol

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Fuey500 OP t1_j3asaqt wrote

I did have meter issues where the previous owner did some funky stuff but I've been checking the meter since. most rooms are set to 65 and my office is set to 71. I lower them down before bed. I have a dishwasher, washer/dryer but other than that idk.

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lostmindplzhelp t1_j3bu7dk wrote

That's insane. My gas and electricity combined are like 1/5 of that, but I have gas heat and appliances and my house is a bit smaller. You can get a thing called a Kill-a-watt that plugs into the wall and you plug your electronics into it and it will tell you how much power they're using. That might help you figure out why you're using so much power. You can also look into switching your electric provider for a better rate. The state has a website for it. I don't remember the address but you can find it easily if you Google "Massachusetts energy suppliers" or something along those lines.

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UniWheel t1_j3fe3by wrote

>My meter estimate

That's your biggest problem, your previous reading is an estimate, not an actual one. And it's probably a grossly wrong estimate. You need to look at previous bills and seek a correction.

>Electric Baseboard Heating

That's the most expensive possible way to heat, second only perhaps to burning collectible trading cards in a fireplace, though at the moment that almost looks competitive.

>most rooms are set to 65 and my office is set to 71.

That wouldn't be affordable for most people, even with heat pumps. Buy some sweaters and turn the heat down to 60, and that only in the spaces you actually use (for freeze protection as low as it will go without actually being off in the rest).

>I run a gaming pc all the time.

On the plus side, that's no less efficient a heating source than your electric baseboards, though come the end of heating season...

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Fuey500 OP t1_j3g5hyq wrote

Funny enough my pc playing satisfactory recently got my office to around 80 degrees. It's a pretty good heater.

I'll def contact them on monday, my own estimates seems like it would have been off. I'll make sure to lower my thermostats.

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techorules t1_j3bzx02 wrote

For us to weigh in we would need to know two things: number of days on the bill, and the total kWh used.

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daviongray t1_j3ce9sa wrote

Damn, and here i thought my $300 gas and electric bill was bad. That's insane.

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noodle-face t1_j3cnmu9 wrote

This year we decided to run all electric heat.pumps and got a bit too cozy with our thermostats and the bill was $500 nd that was extreme.

What is your thermostats actually set to?

I'd get mass save into your house IMMEDIATELY. It's free, they'll help you figure out what's going on. We pay for mass save with taxes, so call them up

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Fuey500 OP t1_j3ec2y9 wrote

sadly mass save is scheduled like 4-5 months out. i tried to get the home energy assessment as soon as possible lol

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noodle-face t1_j3edvyp wrote

Oh wow! That sucks. For such a small house that's an absurd price.

We're at 1500 sq ft using just heat pumps (no oil this year) and 500 was the highest I've ever seen.

Like others said I wouldn't worry about the PC. Something is sucking crazy juice.

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Live-Breath9799 t1_j3e7r23 wrote

We moved out of a condo that previously had electric heating. Last January we paid $850 for 3500 kWh and we were not living there. We were waiting for the paperwork and inspections to be cleared up. When we first moved in I actually called national grid because I though a $600 bill was a mistake and they informed me that was close to the previous residents bill.

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[deleted] t1_j3b81i2 wrote

Op is new to the house, could that be unpaid prior owners?

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bmorr6836 t1_j3c7q31 wrote

Mine was just over 700.....

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Lilslugga2002 t1_j3d6rv2 wrote

So how many kWh is that?

3,469?

That is insane. I typically use that in an entire winter.

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Fuey500 OP t1_j3dbin0 wrote

https://i.imgur.com/xZbtdMo.png yup. The delivery service charge filled the rest I guess. I wonder if they might be taking it from a month ago since I had some issues with them but I dont think so?

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tannermass t1_j3fqfr2 wrote

See if your town has a rate with a third party supplier or research your own. Make sure your bill indicates you use electric for heating. That bill is awful!

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Traditional-Oven4092 t1_j3az0l9 wrote

Get a wood stove, wood is cheap and free if you know where to look. Get a window ac for the hot summer months. Heat pumps are useless after 20 degrees.

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Lilslugga2002 t1_j3bpzyz wrote

I don’t know why people keep saying this. The Mitsubishi HyperHeat H2i units offers 100% heating capacity at -5 degrees and 70% to 81% heating capacity at -13 degrees. I have three minisplits in my condo and never had a problem with them keeping up during the extreme cold. These replaced my electric resistance baseboards.

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heklakatla t1_j3bt9t6 wrote

Contemporary heat pumps are great, I agree. Perhaps /u/Traditional-Oven4092 was merely covering the 'power is out' scenario.

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Lilslugga2002 t1_j3bv7r5 wrote

True. Heat pumps have come a long way in the last ten years. I am also lucky to live in a town who participates in municipal aggregation. 9 cent per kWh supply rate until the November 2023 meter read. I really hope something changes between now and when the next three year contract is negotiated. Also I am debating on improving the insulation in my unit over the summer. Not much else I could do besides solar and I am not sure I could even do this. 🤔

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heklakatla t1_j3dsvtz wrote

Seal before you insulate... MassSave will come do it for you. They'll get all of those nooks & crannies where pipes and wires penetrate the wall. They even took care of the electrical boxes for the pull-lights in our closets!?!

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nattarbox t1_j3cav54 wrote

Same, ran mine all winter last year and they work fine below zero. Not even the cold weather models. Gets less efficient, but still better than baseboards.

A good HVAC installer will match the capacity to your house size so you’re covered at any temp.

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Traditional-Oven4092 t1_j3c3z53 wrote

What’s your electric bill look like in cold months? I live out in the woods and get 5-6 outages a year ranging from hours to a few days so a heat pump was out of the question.

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Lilslugga2002 t1_j3c7q6r wrote

Last year I used 3,898 kWh from 11/12/21 - 03/14/22, averaging $236 per month.

I only had two minisplits at the time and I was still using my electric resistance baseboards in my master bedroom and full bath. Every other space had coverage from a minisplit. I worked from home on my dining room table upstairs. Kept temperature at 70°F during the day, low 60s at night. Kept second bedroom low 60s unless I was in there for a long time, master bedroom was kept at 58°F all the time because all I did in there was sleep so I had lots of blankets. Full bath was kept at 60°F.

This year I got a third minisplit for my condo and put it in my master bedroom. I moved my work from home setup into my master bedroom, re-arranged room. Contractor said to not change temperature more than plus or minus 3 degrees. He said minisplits like to run all the time, more efficient that way. I basically kept all rooms at 70°F during day and 67°F at night. I haven't had a full winter doing this yet, but my most recent bill was $229. My entire place is way more comfortable.

For comparison, the year before I put in minisplits I used 4,792 kWh during that same timeframe and never set the electric resistance baseboards higher than 64°F.

And going back to when I moved in I used 6,799 kWh over that same period. This was before I did any improvements.

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kelvin_bot t1_j3c7r49 wrote

70°F is equivalent to 21°C, which is 294K.

^(I'm a bot that converts temperature between two units humans can understand, then convert it to Kelvin for bots and physicists to understand)

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_j3bhpxx wrote

We’ve got a Bosch with auxiliary heat coils and it’s doing great with low temps.

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techorules t1_j3c00wd wrote

Heat pumps have come a long way. My Mitsubishi heat pump only starts to struggle below -13F

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