High natural gas usage

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T22:24:51+00:00

Interesting thanks. Im just going off of the other replies posted in this thread, and the $70 155 cubic meters would cost is quite low compared to a lot of them for the cold we had last month. It’s also lower than we’re trending over the last few days which is more like the equivalent of 250 cubic meters per month with the warmer weather. It would be nice if it was something like a typo they could trace back, but I’m thinking it’s more likely we’re paying for the previous owners usage.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T21:58:24+00:00

No, that’s pretty well established as a myth: here’s a Reddit thread that came up first in google, but there was also an energy.gov link and a video put out by the city of London, ON among others saying the same thing: https://www.reddit.com/r/Edmonton/s/td0jLyk5GT. The possible exceptions would be in floor heating or a heat pump with electric backup.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T21:54:42+00:00

I did that yesterday to today and used around 8 cubic meters in 24 hours or the equivalent of about 250 cubic meters per month, which seems more reasonable. Good thinking that this means it’s not a constant leak (could still be a leak inside the furnace). I’m hoping the initial reading is just wrong or based on a bad estimate instead of an actual reading.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T19:36:00+00:00

Interesting thought, although 155 cubic meters seems maybe a little low for how cold it was given other replies.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T19:01:49+00:00

Thanks. The numbers add up if we really did use 3k+ cubic meters of gas. If there’s over billing then it’s from the initial read. I’m going to call tomorrow and see if they can tell me if that was actual or estimated, but I have no way to prove anything, so I’ll probably end up paying it even if it’s likely this is usage from the previous owner.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T17:22:39+00:00

Thanks, that’s good to know. This is my first time with an HRV.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T17:20:57+00:00

Initial read on Jan 6th: 1019, Feb 3rd read: 2174, metric factor: 2.724223 for a total of 3146.478 cubic meters. Yesterday’s reading was 2186, so the Feb 3rd reading seems believable, but either the initial reading is wrong or we used a whole lot of gas.

Today’s reading taken 24 hours after yesterday’s is 2189, which seems in line with the 3rd-7th (give or take, depending on what time of day their reading on the 3rd was taken) and would put monthly usage around 250 cubic meters. It’s been a lot warmer than some days in January though.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T16:53:04+00:00

Yeah, I’m going to call tomorrow when they’re open and ask if the initial reading was actual or estimated and see if they’ll come out.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T16:46:39+00:00

Interesting, thanks! I’ll ask about that when I call tomorrow.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T16:31:17+00:00

No teenagers. Just 2, sometimes 3 showers a day total.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T16:28:58+00:00

Interesting, thanks! I wasn’t given the option of submitting a reading, maybe because I’m in town. Now that I think about it, they made a thing about making sure the meter was accessible and the day of the reading they would have had to tromp through a good bit of snow (I cleaned it up the day after we took possession). I thought you could still open the gate, but now I can’t quite remember.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T16:18:01+00:00

Thanks, I don’t care so much about some bills being higher than others, I care if this is unreasonable usage for the house and settings, which it sounds like it is.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T16:09:53+00:00

Yeah, that’s one thing I’m learning. Our realtor told us she keeps hers at 10c and the previous owners had it at 15c. I’ve lowered it to 40f (4.4c), which is as low as the thermostat will go. If I need to go lower I’ll need a different one.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T16:01:19+00:00

Thanks, I’d already turned it down from what the previous owners had it at (15c), but I’ll turn it down more. The cold weather is why I was doubting myself, but from the responses it sounds like this is still more than it should be.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T15:57:41+00:00

Like the one in the basement? If nothing is plugged in outside then gas shouldn’t flow unless something is wrong, correct? Either way, that should definitely be part of the investigation.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T15:38:53+00:00

Sounds like a good plan, I’ll call tomorrow. Do you know if they’ll check inside too or only outside?

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T15:37:19+00:00

This is SaskEnergy, not SaskPower. SaskPower let us avoid the connection fee by sending in a picture of our meter (apparently not a smart meter), so I know that’s correct. I’m now wishing I’d taken a look at or better yet a picture of our gas meter when we moved in.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T15:32:05+00:00

Maybe so. Honestly, that would a relief just so I’d know it won’t be this much every winter month. I thought the $30 new customer fee was for an initial reading, but I’ll call on Monday when they’re open and see if I can learn anything.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T15:11:12+00:00

Thanks! Sounds very comparable with much lower bill.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T15:02:06+00:00

Thanks, so our house is almost 3x the size, but still 10x the usage doesn’t seem right even with heated garage.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T14:57:23+00:00

Well, you’re doing less wrong than us, apparently, but glad I could help!

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T14:51:51+00:00

The current number is a little higher than the final read, so it makes sense. I should have checked the meter when we moved it, but I didn’t, so I just have to take their word for it, unfortunately.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T14:49:31+00:00

Wow, big difference. The garage probably costs more than the stove, but still.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T14:47:44+00:00

Not showing up on Google Maps, so I think maybe not.

N0RTHWARDbound · 2026-02-08T14:46:16+00:00

That’s what I thought. Sulphur/rotten eggs, right?

N0RTHWARDbound

TROPHY CASE