I had a really good deal with comcast last year, problem is that Comcast is run by monkeys. Util's were included in my apt, wooo. Before that I got raped by them at the last apt I was in.
It did go down into the 20s and 30s last December, and was in the 50s until March. I'd still take it over my $400 electric bills during the summer, though.
You should live in the UK. My friend's parent's had a quaterly Gas bill for £480 ($950) Crazy and all this crap with Russia can only make it increase.
Dread to think. My friend just mentioned it because his mum was properly pissed at him because she'll whack the heating up, He doesn't like it so he'll open his windows, so not really his fault but you know what parents are like. Just asked my mum and she says she and my dad pay £103 a month for both Electricity and Gas so not as bad i guess lol
The only appliance we haven't focused on is the pool pump. I have no idea how much electricity that consumes, but it operates ten hours a day. One of our neighbors just told us that their monthly electric bill is about half of ours. It seems like either the pool pump is the culprit (this neighbor doesn't have a pool), or we have a leak; the meter is malfunctioning; or there is something wrong with the air conditioner units. We already keep our house constantly at about 80 degrees; have unplugged the extra freezer; have stopped using the clothes dryer; and taken the dishwasher off the heat-dry cycle. Those appliances will use the most electricity, much more than just leaving lights or the CD player on. I even unplug the treadmill when I am not using it. I don't know how much electricity my TV uses when it is off, but I don't want to unplug it. I also have a lot of electronics plugged into UPS battery backups/surge protectors (which is absolutely necessary in Tampa Bay--the hockey team is called the Lightning for a reason). Maybe they use a lot of electricity, I don't know. I am at wit's end. Paying $400 a month for electricity is insane, especially because we don't keep our house at 70 degrees. It just HAS to be the pool pump, right?
Probably. Our pool pump costs alot, don't know exactly how much, but my parents bitch about it all the time, well just the stepmom, my dad doesn't care
Water is very high in Florida, also. I don't know this for sure, but I think it is because the water company is regulated by rate-of-return rate caps. That means that they are entitled to earn a certain profit but no more. The phone companies used to be regulated that way. The big problem with rate-of-return is that it encourages gold-plating of networks. Utility companies have monetary incentive to continually upgrade their plants and delivery systems, since they are ensured a 10% profit (for example) on every dollar they spend. Anyway, there are water use restrictions in place in Florida, so I suspect that the water utility companies were able to raise their rates sky-high as a result, to ensure the same profit margin. [I could be wrong about this, it is just a hunch I have] I have a large lawn, and a lot of plants, and it needs to be watered once a week. My water bills are about $200/month, but it fluctuates depending on how much rain we get. Note to all the young-uns: There's a downside to having a big house. The upkeep is very expensive.
Tell me about it. I live in a community full of rich business people, doctors, lawyers, athletes (I live 4 houses to the left of Garret Andersen of the Angels), and whatnot. Most of the houses are huge, but I see some of the bulls we get and they are HUGE. Not to mention the gay association fees and shit. We got fined for not going to a community meeting. Rawr.
Water in the Suth west of England is the most expesive in the country, not sure of the rates for a water metre but it has vey high quality drinking water. Whereas water up north is very hard and not as nice lol. My nan had a pool in her old house. Not a gargantuan thing or anything. Only 10m by 7m but she said here pump was quite costly so instead of running it all year long she let it off in the winter and just spent 1-2 days cleaning it. She said it saved her about £200 which for a pensioner is a lot of money saved.
