Soaring heat bills leave many shivering (up 40% around Chicago region)

[sabra]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0512230217dec23,1,5399171.story

Soaring heat bills leave many shivering
Cost of natural gas is up 40% from last year

Andrew Rimmer, a 63-year-old retired factory worker, lives alone in Chicago's Austin neighborhood and barely makes ends meet on $1,100 a month. But a week ago, Rimmer tore open his gas bill and looked at the balance, $430--double what he paid this time last year.

"I almost fell down," said Rimmer. "I wondered where the money was going to come from. I couldn't pay it."

Heating bills began arriving in mailboxes around Chicago, and nearly everyone--rich and poor, city and suburban--is shocked to see the balance due.

Nicor Gas says the average gas bill is up 40 percent this month compared with last December. Skyrocketing prices and record-low temperatures have delivered a powerful punch to pocketbooks around the region.

[Doctor_J]

1. Exactly 40% in my place

$200 last winter - $280 this year. Luckily I have lots of money. Many people will be choosing between the gas bill and medicine. THanks, Smirk. Why don't you put on your flight suit and prance on another carrier - that will make me feel better.

[saigon68]

15. The Smirk

[Skittles]

2. OMG

it is terrible - this is just sickening

[MercutioATC]

3. Is aggregation not available in most places?

I participate in my city's natural gas and electric aggregation programs. We've got the price of gas and electricity already locked in, so I haven't seen much of an increase from last year.

The basics of aggregation in Ohio(sorry, it's a PDF):

http://www.pickocc.org/publications/gov_energy_agg.pdf

[mbperrin]

24. Not in Texas. Rates are set by the 3 member PUC in Austin.

ATMOS, our gas company, asked for and got a 71% increase in October, and has asked for another 8% for January. Rates prior to 1972 were set by each city, with uneven results, so the PUC was formed with entirely predictable results - sky high rates uniform statewide in all utilities. We apy 12.4 cents per kw for electric, for example.

[European Socialist]

4. I hope Repuke Congressmen are getting an earful--low income people...

are getting clobbered.

[sarcasmo]

9. Remember the low income Repukes voted on one issue, ABORTION.

Talking sense to people who stab themselves in the back just doesn't work.

[Lorien]

10. They don't care about low income people because they don't bankroll

their campaigns or send them on expensive golfing vacations. And Diebold only answers to the megacorps.

[SpiralHawk]

5. Blame the Republicans for this

Since they and their Oil Cronies have brought this on the people of the USA so the elite NeoCons can enjoy MASSIVE PROFITS.

[Straight Shooter]

6. Bye-bye little extras in life

Like food on the table

:sarcasm:

[BiggJawn]

17. Yeah, and Medicine.....

:(

[gizmo1979]

7. It's going to be

A long cold winter for alot of folks.Nothing will happen until a couple of families of eight die in a fire caused either by space heaters or a kitchen stove.Who will the republicans point their fingers at then?

[sasha031]

8. yes the repukes will blame the victom

It's going to be a terrible winter for so many.

[MADem]

22. They will point fingers at the family in question

...and blame them for their fates. Then, they'll tell poor folk to put their kids in coats, hats and mittens at bedtime.

It is what they do.

[NVMojo]

11. frightening ...

[Nomen Tuum]

12. And where are the Churches?

They got all that faith based money, aren't they helping like Bush says they would?

[wildcat78]

14. It's nothing but Phooey!!

That's so much phooey. The pastor of the church I went to said that no one in the church family would ever go hungry or go cold this winter. But, when the parsonage's furnace needed fixing, he insisted to the point of getting red in the face that his son-in-law replace the furnace rather than calling in few repair companies to get an estimate.

Needless to say, I don't go to that church anymore. In fact, as I look closely at churches, I find that most are like this...

So much for church community. It's just a scam to separate people from their money.

[saigon68]

16. HERE ARE THE CHURCHES

[Miss Chybil]

13. Maybe he could get some of the money they're using to pay fake reporters

to write fake stories in Iraq? Or, maybe, he could get some of the tax money they're giving to big oil companies because they make so much fucking money screwing guys like this?

[moondust]

18. Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine?

Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine? Heat, food, or medicine?

[Wcross]

19. The energy companies reported record profits last qtr........

They are killing people for their profit. Isn't life wonderful?

[Nickster]

20. I'm near the Chicago area and use Nicor. I've been using about

20% less natural gas than I did last year and my bill was about 63% more than this time last year.

[Nomen Tuum]

21. I ask again, where are the TV preachers?

I want to know why Falwell, Robertson, The Crouches, Benny Hinn and all those other Republican apologists are sitting on their asses and doing nothing to help the needy. Maybe we need to jam their 800 numbers and DEMAND that they give up their "faith based" money NOW!

[Delphinus]

23. I keep my house at 67

and turn it down to 65 when I go to sleep.

I have a small house, 852 square feet, newer furnace, keep one room closed up, have the newer energy saving windows.

My gas bill for the past month came in the mail today - $239. I'm on a budget, which I can afford, but not at $239 per month.

[cmdrzog]

25. set at 45F here

turn it up to 50F at night for the children. The living room maintains 51-58f w/ a kerosene heater thats burned 4-6 hours in the evening. Since Oct have used about 100 gallons of heating oil and 10 gallons of kero at a total cost of about $250. Many people here have set the thermostat back to 60 or less and turn it off all together if they are not at home. The joy of a cold winter was compounded with an $800 increase in property taxes.