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Vienna_Hokie Vienna_Hokie OP
Jan 21, 2025 at 09:47 AM ET
I received an email from the Gas company "High bill explanation"
their explanation.... it was cold last month, colder than the previous months, so you used more gas. HOLY F%*K, seriously...is that how that works? The fact that the gas company feels it needs to send a message to people letting them know their gas bill went up because it's cold out is a sign of just how whiny and stupid we have become as a society.

26 Replies

HokieNLot11 HokieNLot11
Got one of those from my electric company
ColoVT82 ColoVT82
And gas is way cheaper than heat pumps @ temps below 35 degrees.
** Edited by ColoVT82 at 1/21/2025, 1:47:33 PM
reestuart reestuart
we have radiators in our house. We also have mini-splits, but the
radiators can run you out of the place they heat so well.
B
BobG
...wait till you hear about your smart meter...
Stork Stork
You must not read NextDoor site. Smart move.
reestuart reestuart
those posts are typically great. I saw one where a person was complaining
that her bill had basically doubled. She eventually posted a copy of her bill. It was two months worth of usage.
coshokie coshokie
with a late fee too?
reestuart reestuart
I don’t remember that part.
Vienna_Hokie Vienna_Hokie OP
I don't-, and that is one of the many reasons why
But that proves my point...society has not only become ignorant to basic concepts, but also has lost the ability to follow one of the oldest rules... better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, then to open it and remove all doubt.
vthokieq vthokieq
Meh...don't think society "lost" that.
There are just more tools for them to demonstrate what has always been there. ;-)
MP4VT2004 MP4VT2004
I'm not so sure.
There was a time when people who couldn't fend for themselves would often be left behind, either figuratively or literally. That forced people to figure things out for themselves, or they faced dire consequences such as homelessness and starvation. Those types of struggles still certainly affect many people now, and there are plenty of folks that face hardship through no fault of their own. But I contend that the modern combination of the internet and technology allows a percentage of otherwise seemingly clueless people to be dragged along by society to just barely maintain "functioning adult" status when they would otherwise completely flounder on their own. As noted, some of the questions posted on NextDoor make me genuinely wonder how some people have survived well into adulthood. I'm not arguing that this is a good or a bad thing, and the internet certainly makes the rest of us more aware of the presence of that kind of person. But I really do think it has become more common than it used to be.
vthokieq vthokieq
So you're advocating we should leave those people behind?
I'm not necessarily opposed to that. Your post doesn't necessarily disagree with my statement though...we are just more compassionate to stupidity nowadays. ;-)
MP4VT2004 MP4VT2004
No, I clearly stated that I'm not arguing whether it's good or bad that...
...those folks aren't left behind nowadays. I'm just stating that I do believe many of them wouldn't have survived independently in yesteryear.
vthokieq vthokieq
Well sure...as I said though, that doesn't necessarily refute my point.
They always existed, we're just more aware of them now. And see...you're more compassionate. ;-)
MP4VT2004 MP4VT2004
Nah, I also clearly stated that...
...while I acknowledge that these people have always existed and to a degree we are more aware of them now, I believe they are also more common now. So yes, I refuted your post to the extent that you believe the only thing that has changed is that the internet has made us more aware of these people. I believe that in addition to that, technology allows people to have to do less on their own to survive, which has created more of these "barely hangers on" over time.
vthokieq vthokieq
I don't even know what you're point is at this point.
You're a big softy though. So tolerant.
MP4VT2004 MP4VT2004
I think that must be a reading comprehension issue on your end. 🤷
But I will agree with you that I am compassionate and tolerant. I enjoy helping people who want to be helped. But I don't have any patience for entitlement or people who aren't willing to receive help and add their own efforts to multiply that help into a life change.
vthokieq vthokieq
Ok
FTR, I never said people weren't living longer...for any particular reason. Nor did I state any percentages. ;-)
vthokieq vthokieq
That's what I was going to say...read any community forum.
NextDoor, Facebook, etc. Filled with "why is my electricity bill higher this month" posts. And wait till next month. ;-)
ElbertoHokie ElbertoHokie
My furnace is gas and my water heater is electric.
My electricity bill was double what it would normally be this time of year and I can only figure it's the water heater in the garage and how cold it has been. Makes me want to get an on demand water heater(gas) and stop paying to heat water I'm not using.
MAHokie69 MAHokie69
Higher duty cycle on the furnace drives the electric bill up too
In NH, this is our winter electric bill spike. Lights on longer and furnace blowing more
ElbertoHokie ElbertoHokie
The fan from the furnace should be minimal electricity I would think.
Tafkam Hokie Tafkam Hokie
Yea, fans/blowers use almost nothing
at least compared to anything with a heating element or a compressor.
MP4VT2004 MP4VT2004
...unless your air filter looks like this:
AbsolutVT03 AbsolutVT03
Not sure who your electric company is but Appalachian Power
got approved for a rate increase. Don’t worry though, it only comes out to “just $1.39 per 1,000 kilowatts per customer” and doesn’t take effect until February per a spokesman. And why not… its top 7 executives only made a combined $30 million last year.
Vienna_Hokie Vienna_Hokie OP
Try an insulating blanket
I'd never put one on a gas heater but for electric it would help reduce heat loss. my electric bill has been high this winter too, but that's because I installed a thermostat timer on my pool pump that kicks on when temps get below freezing (rather than having the lines blown out in the fall). We've had more sub freezing nights this year than since I moved here 5 years ago, but again, I understand the concept so I don't need to be told by the electric company why my bill is up.