At least buy me dinner first...
I got our hydro bill the other day.
Apparently, during the winter, I will be paying more on electricity than on my mortgage. That's right folks. It's substantially cheaper to buy a house than to own one.
I now feel a little bit bad about being pissed off at my neighbours, and very glad I didn't say anything. Apparently, it wasn't my neighbours being rude that resulted in trash cans and barbeques and cars strewn about my lawn. It was the fact that I'm using so much electricity that my house is producing a fucking magnetic field. Anything metallic is being sucked towards my house like it's some kind of vortex. Thank god I don't have a metal plate in my head.
Let me put this in perspective for you. Our house is heated by electric baseboards. This is normally the cheapest way to go -- provided your house is properly insulated. In Prince Rupert, as a general rule... they're not. Most of these houses were built close to a century ago. At that time, shredded newspaper was a common form of insulation -- but it doesn't exactly withstand the test of time. But it's not a huge concern, most of the time. Prince Rupert is so mild -- and at the time, oil or electricity was so darn cheap -- that it just wasn't worth the expense to rip the walls apart and upgrade. Times have changed. I can't even imagine seeing a house like this in a town that got below freezing for more than a couple hours during the winter.
I am now looking into the possibility of installing a pellet-stove. These frickin' things aren't cheap. At several thousand bucks a pop, plus installation, it's an expensive undertaking. And yet, when I took a good long look at my hydro bill, I quickly realized that I would pay this thing off in less than one winter. And upon realizing that, I am now considering installing TWO of them. One for the main floor, one for the basement. That's how much I'm paying in hydro. I'm afraid to look at the electricity meter on the outside wall. I have a feeling that thing will be spinning at speeds that rival a helicopter's blades. Maybe that's the source of the loud whirring noise that I've been hearing.
The one positive thing about all this is that BCHydro sure treats me nice. I'm not surprised, I'm putting some of their kids through college. When I call, I get VIP treatment. "Oh, Mr. Bell! It's YOU! Hang on, let me connect you to our regional Vice President. He's informed me he'll be handling your account personally as a token of our gratitude. Why, you use more power than a small factory!"
I told him it was my home theatre that was drawing all that power. Now he's planning on flying up for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Fine with me... so long as he brings the booze. God knows, I sure can't afford it.
Apparently, during the winter, I will be paying more on electricity than on my mortgage. That's right folks. It's substantially cheaper to buy a house than to own one.
I now feel a little bit bad about being pissed off at my neighbours, and very glad I didn't say anything. Apparently, it wasn't my neighbours being rude that resulted in trash cans and barbeques and cars strewn about my lawn. It was the fact that I'm using so much electricity that my house is producing a fucking magnetic field. Anything metallic is being sucked towards my house like it's some kind of vortex. Thank god I don't have a metal plate in my head.
Let me put this in perspective for you. Our house is heated by electric baseboards. This is normally the cheapest way to go -- provided your house is properly insulated. In Prince Rupert, as a general rule... they're not. Most of these houses were built close to a century ago. At that time, shredded newspaper was a common form of insulation -- but it doesn't exactly withstand the test of time. But it's not a huge concern, most of the time. Prince Rupert is so mild -- and at the time, oil or electricity was so darn cheap -- that it just wasn't worth the expense to rip the walls apart and upgrade. Times have changed. I can't even imagine seeing a house like this in a town that got below freezing for more than a couple hours during the winter.
I am now looking into the possibility of installing a pellet-stove. These frickin' things aren't cheap. At several thousand bucks a pop, plus installation, it's an expensive undertaking. And yet, when I took a good long look at my hydro bill, I quickly realized that I would pay this thing off in less than one winter. And upon realizing that, I am now considering installing TWO of them. One for the main floor, one for the basement. That's how much I'm paying in hydro. I'm afraid to look at the electricity meter on the outside wall. I have a feeling that thing will be spinning at speeds that rival a helicopter's blades. Maybe that's the source of the loud whirring noise that I've been hearing.
The one positive thing about all this is that BCHydro sure treats me nice. I'm not surprised, I'm putting some of their kids through college. When I call, I get VIP treatment. "Oh, Mr. Bell! It's YOU! Hang on, let me connect you to our regional Vice President. He's informed me he'll be handling your account personally as a token of our gratitude. Why, you use more power than a small factory!"
I told him it was my home theatre that was drawing all that power. Now he's planning on flying up for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Fine with me... so long as he brings the booze. God knows, I sure can't afford it.