r/bayarea • u/Prestigious-Hour6707 • 5d ago

YOOO PG&E WTF Work & Housing

800sq foot apartment. 2 people. Are. You. Kidding. Me.

Called PG&E to tell them they made a mistake. They said “hmm no it looks like the meter is working fine. Nothing we can do, that’s the price.”

No appliance change. No lifestyle changes. And even if we had, how the F*CKK could a 1bd apartment create a $630 bill?? Also yes, the previous bill. On me for not checking our auto payments. Just assumed they wouldn’t be more than $120….!? Dumb assumption on my part

I hate PG&E.

^I know it’s a hostile statement. But I think we can all agree an exception can be made for PG&E…

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u/AgitatedDoughnut23 5d ago

This month ours came in at 589…. And that was after turning all the heat down to 62, from the previous month which was around 350….. how can you turn shit off and things get more expensive????

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u/Ok-Juice-6857 5d ago

Idk if you realize but even if you turned the heat down, if it was colder that month the bill would be higher right? Like if its colder out your heater is going to run more to keep it at the temperature you choose even if it’s set lower than the Month before

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u/portmanteaudition 5d ago

No one is actually listing the amount of electricity or gas they're using and comparing it. I'm guessing its both a major consumption increase and pricing. However if these people were paying $400 let's say, a jump to $600 is within reason given the variability of weather this year and rate hikes due to fire prevention and weather variability as well.

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u/DirtierGibson 5d ago

These posts are super annoying because no one seems to be trying to figure out why it went up (or down), when sometimes you have the answer right there: rate change, time of day use, new appliances, changes in use, etc.

I am in no way defending PG&E. They can suck a dick. But in most cases the answer is right there on PG&E's website, where you can see your energy consumption down to the hour.

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u/jungleryder 5d ago

Most people whining here are dumb. Flat out stupid. They can't even read their PG&E bill past the "Amount due".

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u/AgitatedDoughnut23 5d ago

If you have mini splits in each room they can independently control temps in each room. Durring the day they are off, and at night they are set to a MAX of 64. And these last 2 weeks they have barely kicked on at all.

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u/tacobytes 5d ago edited 5d ago

Is this true for the Boiler? If the boiler is in the garage and it gets cold there, I am assuming it will run more to maintain the warm temperature, right?

Edit: I am adding the response ChatGPT gave me.

Yes, if your boiler is in a cold garage, it could increase your PG&E bill because the boiler will need to work harder to maintain the water at the set temperature. When the surrounding temperature is colder, heat loss from the boiler and the water it heats will occur faster, causing the boiler to cycle on more frequently to compensate.

Ways to Mitigate This: 1. Insulate the Boiler and Pipes: • Use insulation blankets for the boiler and pipe wraps for the hot water pipes to reduce heat loss. 2. Insulate the Garage: • Add insulation to the garage walls and ceiling to keep the space warmer. • Seal any gaps or drafts in the garage door and windows. 3. Install a Space Heater: • A small, efficient space heater can help maintain a moderate temperature in the garage, reducing the workload on the boiler. 4. Lower the Boiler Temperature (if possible): • Slightly lowering the water temperature (within safe limits) can reduce energy usage without drastically affecting performance.

Taking these steps could help manage your energy costs during colder months.

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u/Prestigious-Hour6707 5d ago

DUDE THIS!!! We have electric wall heaters. Turned that shit OFF as soon as we saw last month’s bill and haven’t turned them on since. Been freezing our asses off for over a month for more money? I.am.so.con.fused.and.pissed.off

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u/Clit_C0mmander San Jose 5d ago

I'm single guy living in a 1 bedroom apartment, I work 3-4 days per week and I'm gone 14hrs during those days and my bill came out to $240

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u/nut_hoarder 4d ago

How much time you're gone is literally irrelevant unless you have smart thermostats which turn off while you're not home

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u/thxmeatcat 4d ago

What do you mean it’s easy to turn off before you leave for work. I turn it off for bed time and turn back on once the morning has warmed up a bit

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u/tejota 5d ago

You said you didn’t see last month’s bill because it was on autopay

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u/rabbitwonker 5d ago

You’re confused that resistive electric heating costs a lot more than the free heating you had last year? Ok…

If you want productive advice: look into heat pumps; those effectively raise the efficiency from 100% to like 400%+.

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u/smiling_corvidae 5d ago

how does that even work?

on another note, it is true that everything is 100% efficient in winter when you want heat. gotta find some crypto to mine or something? :p

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u/rabbitwonker 5d ago

Because it uses the electricity to move heat energy from the air outside to inside, rather than just being directly used as heat itself.

Air conditioners do the same thing, of course, in reverse; we just don’t usually make that kind of comparison, because, well, there’s no cooling equivalent to the direct heating methods. 😁

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u/smiling_corvidae 5d ago

ooooh cool that makes sense. i'm just imagining a simple system that turns on & off opportunistically?

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u/rabbitwonker 5d ago

Yeah, a, uh, thermostat would be what you’re thinking of 😁

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u/eng2016a 5d ago

You can't install heat pumps as a renter

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u/rabbitwonker 5d ago

Yeah, that’s a good point, unfortunately, since it would require a hole in the outer wall somewhere. Landlord probably picked resistive heating over heat pumps out of cheapness in the first place.

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u/rabbitwonker 5d ago

Oh, actually there do seem to be window-mount units that might actually be allowed, since it shouldn’t require touching the walls at all. With the apartment being relatively small, it could work for OP. I’m seeing units for ~$500 (searched “window mount heat pump”), so the payback could be just a couple months.

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u/eng2016a 5d ago

Those units aren't very efficient compared to proper heat pumps, so they probably won't see much advantage.

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u/rabbitwonker 4d ago

Supposedly there are ones that can up to a COP of 4 these days. Though those would probably be the expensive ones (like $5k).

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u/GenuinelyBeingNice 5d ago

Have you insulated your place, even if a little?

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u/blankenstaff 5d ago

I'm sorry you're confused, but you don't have to stay confused. You could use your brain and make effort and figure out what's happening. Or you could not and stay confused. Whatever.

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u/H8des707 4d ago

Electric heaters use a lot of electricity….

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u/Big-Profit-1612 4d ago

resistive elective heating is very expensive.

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u/JeanLucTheCat 5d ago edited 4d ago

These electric wall heaters are incredibly cost inefficient. We switched to Infrared heaters (Heat Storm) and noticed a massive difference in cost. Also, being 'smart' we have the heat changed based on occupancy and schedule. A ceiling fan in the rotating the proper direction will help circulate and dissipate the heated air.

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u/jungleryder 5d ago

Actually electric wall heaters are 100% efficient, the most of any type of heater. They convert 100% of the energy into heat. Maybe the word you're looking for is "cost effective", not efficiency.

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u/petiepablo888 5d ago

My bill was 50% more last month for no apparent reason

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u/ChadTheDJ Petaluma 5d ago edited 5d ago

My furnace is off freezing my butt off and the only gas I use is from the stove, water heater and washer/dryer. I still managed to rake in $130 in gas charges on top of stomaching my true up which over doubled from last year. My anniversary date was October and still shell shocked finally seeing all of the rate hikes this year at once. F*ck this company and the CPUC/Newsom giving them a blank check for their incompetence.

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u/acidburn3006 5d ago

We should switch to electric car only. LOL. Can you imagine upcharges during peak hours??

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u/H8des707 4d ago

Gas still runs when waiting for the hot water to warm up for showers, dishwashers , faucets, washing machine settings… it takes longer to heat but the gas is in use still.

Running the heat at any setting is going to use gas still… don’t touch the heat and less hot water you will notice the price difference.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

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u/jungleryder 5d ago

You're promoting fraud?