Anyone else have an extremely high xcel bill the last couple months?
Mine has almost tripled Dec/Jan/Feb compared to the last 5 years. It has been a bit colder but and pricing went up a bit but triple seems outrageous.
I dont know for certain but this topic came up in garage beer time with the neighbor last weekend. He said the reason is due to the power grid issue in Houston last year. He said the energy company sent him a letter last year saying to expect higher prices to cover some of those costs. No idea if it’s true or not but of note we were only a few beers in at that point 😉
Just got mine yesterday but it’s about the same as always.
Fluctuates 20 bucks/month either way.
Yours went up 3x? I’d be calling Xcel.
3 times seems outrageous. Mine have been high, but its been pretty cold. I dont think mine have been too outrageous.
Oh it went up A LOT for everyone…and not because it’s a colder year (here) compared to last year. The price per therm and kWh is way up.
Xcel averages your bill (by default) so most people haven’t noticed “yet.”
(The OP’s is likely not, hence the huge increase already noted)
Look at the details on your bill, not just your payment due.
Natural Gas has nearly DOUBLED in price (last month’s bill compared to a year ago), electricity is up about 20% and will keep climbing (it’s already planned to increase)
I would expect even higher increases coming and being blamed on something going on right now, even though NG and Electricity are virtually 100% domestic products.
Our spending power is being taken on so many fronts that it’s not even funny.
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Yes, the cost per unit on both gas and electric is 2-3x more per unit over this time last year.
For those of you who have the same monthly bill payment for 11 months and then one “catch up” month at the end of the cycle, be sitting down when you open that monthly statement for the “catch-up” month!
And I agree with B-man, our power to purchase is shrinking rapidly……..
Energy costs are going up and they’re not going to recede all the way to historical norms. The best we can hope for is a slight decline and plateau.
Between geopolitics, climate change agendas, labor rates for people working in these industries, and world demand going up with each day from rapidly growing developing countries (far East, parts of Africa, India, Thailand, etc.)….this isn’t going to get cheaper.
Our GC together with electrician, HVAC sub, and insulation sub all agreed that efficiency is going to be the way of the near future when we laid out our build from a cost standpoint. The ROI for a spray foamed – efficiently heated house used to be an industry average of 5-6 years. That has been cut in half by today’s energy prices. Even with inflated prices for install and labor of today’s market…the ROI is down to 2-3 years on average.
Well it sure as hell isn’t going to go lower!
Yes, the cost per unit on both gas and electric is 2-3x more per unit over this time last year.
My Feb ’21 bill came out to 13.9 cents/Kw, Feb ’22 is 16.2 cents/Kw, a 17% increase.
Is electricity really that expensive in MN, that the cost per Kw has doubled or tripled over 1 year ago?
HRG
Well it sure as hell isn’t going to go lower!
Ain’t that the truth.
Been seeing more and more people in town get the solar panels on the roof. Not entirely sold on this idea yet, but am intrigued by the idea of home-sourced power – even if it’s supplemental.
Last month mine almost doubled. That’s the price we pay for shutting down energy resources and having supply issues.
Definitely getting gouged. I know it was cold, but still; we lowered t-stat another degree, cut way down on gas fireplace usage, barely ran garage heater.
Kicker is comment on bill says our use was significantly higher than neighbors. All neighbors had the same comment. That’s the kind of stuff that chaps me.
Definitely getting gouged. I know it was cold, but still; we lowered t-stat another degree, cut way down on gas fireplace usage, barely ran garage heater.
Kicker is comment on bill says our use was significantly higher than neighbors. All neighbors had the same comment. That’s the kind of stuff that chaps me.
We have north branch water and light. We got a bill saying our usage was way above normal and above our neighborhood average.
The 4 neighbors I talked to got the same thing. I have multiple calls in and no official answers besides I must be doing something different. I found it a little suspicious that my neighbors had the same thing and no one has changed a thing.
These things are called a highway robbery
My Xcel bill shows the kilo watt hours used every month . Does North Branch break down your usage ?
My Xcel bill shows the kilo watt hours used every month . Does North Branch break down your usage ?
I’m going to go home and look at the statement. I usually just pay online, I typically don’t ask any questions. But now I’m starting to think I need to keep a closer eye on things.
Blame Texas for the powergrid failures of last years fluke snowstorm that supposedly paralyzed much of the state…..or just blame the old guy running things like everyone likes to do. mine actually went down $50 from the bloated one last month
The cost of natural gas is the cause for most of the increases. We are on LPG which used to be the up and down prices but now it appears natural gas is also volatile. Guess we have to go back to burning wood.
Mine has gone up, but not double or triple as some have stated.
My usage has certainly gone up because I’ve simply been at home more though too. The price has obviously gone up too, but we’re having the coldest winter we’ve had in like 12 years too.
My natural gas comes from Center Point Energy, not Xcel. Yes, that’s gone up, but as I previously stated, its been much colder this winter.
I believe that the state legislature has to approve an increase in electricity cost, don’t they? I don’t think a company like Xcel can just raise the price without legal approval.
My bill has been a record the last two months even though my usage was in line with last year’s usage! They’re just jacking up the facility charges used to be around $35-$45, this year it’s up to $90!! What a lot of people don’t understand is we are paying for all the Solar credits, and all the power suppliers have to sell the “solar” power. Solar is not cheaper for the consumer, maybe just the wholesaler who gets subsidized for it! It’s complete “BS”.
I will toss this out there, we found a huge space in our shop where the addition joins the original building, a gap of six inches by sixteen feet long!! that was allowing heat to go straight out of the ridge cap!!
Last month we used 42 percent less gas than we did for the same time last year with about the same temps.
You guessed it, our gas bill was two times what it was the last two years.
One year ago, January cost me 170 and change, this Jan it cost us over 340!!
I’m sure glad we didnt use the amount like the last two years!
Let me put it this way,,, while on vacation I use to be able to catch enough fish for several meals once back home.
This year, I will have to catch a limit of every species to break even.
Or, the fish will have to be two and a half times the normal size to get the same amount of energy out of them.
I bet the fish gods……..oh never mind!!
I believe that the state legislature has to approve an increase in electricity cost, don’t they? I don’t think a company like Xcel can just raise the price without legal approval.
You’re on the right track gimruis but from what I know it’s not the legislature, it’s the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC). If Xcel thinks the costs of operating, for example, nuclear energy are greatly increasing, they’ll go to that board and request a rate increase, which I believe are held in a setting that the public can attend or at least submit comments.
Many people get frustrated and claim these energy companies have a monopoly…and they’re right, and it’s allowed. You don’t “shop around” for an electric provider, but you don’t for things like your water bill or garbage collection (in most cases) either. Governments allow monopolies for infrastructure because if it was truly a free market, other companies could possibly enter the market. You’d then have other companies running their own powerlines, their own sewer or water systems, etc. The amount of customers would stay the same, but there would be more options…and all that extra infrastructure added by other companies would make the costs skyrocket. Instead of a town of 10,000 (that’s a huge town where I’m from) paying just one utility company like Xcel, you could have 5,000 with Xcel and another 5,000 with a different company. But since you just went from 10,000 customers paying for Xcel to operate, it dropped to 5,000, and then you have another 5,000 paying for the new company. It’s easier this way in some ways, but you need those oversight boards like the PUC to keep them honest.
You’re on the right track gimruis but from what I know it’s not the legislature, it’s the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
Thanks, I knew there was some government entity that helped control that.
Love the auto pay, don’t have to look anymore on things I’m not gonna do anything about.
Love the auto pay, don’t have to look anymore on things I’m not gonna do anything about.
Agreed, but look at the bigger picture.
I like putting my head in the sand as much as the next guy, but if you think the skyrocketing energy costs and current 40 year record high inflation is done, you better dig us a bigger hole 
Rising energy costs effect everything consumers consume, even if it may seem unrelated.
3 times seems outrageous. Mine have been high, but its been pretty cold. I dont think mine have been too outrageous.
Would be better if they took credit cards for autopay vs the checking account.
My electric bill has gone down since an outrageous december but gas bill has been 300 the last two months only 1 other time i remember it hitting 200. That 16 dollar a month charge for feb 2021 weather event in texas is BS. That charge is gonna be like 60 dollars a month this summer. They said average customer will pay like 600 dollars before that charge goes away. I use more gas my bill goes up. They loose 500 million dollars cause their poop was screwed up in texas should not affect me.
I’m more worried about my electric bill this upcoming summer to be honest. Especially if we have another record breaking heat wave like we did last year.
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