The one thing that bothers me the most as a transplant myself is the account fees. $16.75 per bill for gas, and $17.50 for water. $400+/yr all just for the pleasure of doing business with these companies. My last gas company in CA, the account fee was $0.16/day.

That said, the water and gas don't look too out of line from what I've heard other people say and my own experience so far. I'm a single person in a slightly smaller space than yours, but mine were $28/mo with PAW (so just the account fee is over half the bill), and $200/mo gas with Columbia, but my electric with DLC was just $80/mo. I've replaced all my bulbs with LEDs, but otherwise I'm not particularly electric conscious. I have a computer that I'm on ~14hrs a day and pulls a lot, and I have a chest freezer in the basement.

Thank you. The account isn’t in my name so I cant login to view what you see, but I will mention this.

I tried researching this but I can’t find anything clear

That's definitely what we're thinking too. We know it's at least gotten water down into it a bit since you can see the paint has little bubbles right under the window, but we can't tell just how bad it's gotten. She just really doesn't have the money to fix it but at this point there's no choice

I like Dr. Lapid in Squirrel Hill!

She said she doesn't think it would be covered, but you know I'm actually going to look into it again myself. She's been paying that for decades now, you'd think basic wear and tear on an old house would be covered

Thanks so much, I really appreciate the recommendation!

Yeah, it's from above the window itself. You can see when it rains that water drips down from the top of the window frame, but there's no clear indication of where it's actually leaking from. It doesn't just leak from one hole or anything though, water drips down across the entire width of the window.

At the very least, the window itself definitely needs replaced, as well as the frame around it. They're old wooden windows so it's obvious that they're too damaged to be fixed at this point. We're not sure about the wall, we're just able to tell that it's gotten wet because the paint has little cracks and tiny bubbles on it so it's more than likely damaged some too. It's a brick house so we can't tell anything from the outside.

Luckily there aren't any outlets on that wall though, it's just our sink sitting under 2 windows with a cabinet on the wall in the corner

Sunscreen in the winter (most days) in Pittsburgh is ridiculous.

There are days I need a flashlight outside during 'day' hours.

It's been closed for many years. The one that you're thinking of is likely the one behind McDonald's.

Brilliant!!!! 😹. Thanx for the laughs!

Okay, I'm going off the thread here. Tako had excellent delicious tacos, maybe a little pricy but worth it

But their margaritas are out of a machine no actually mixed. So gross. I would expect that out of a $4 margarita well spot for undergrads, not a spot with a full bar and elevated street food

Apparently they ARE downtown though

We're all getting screwed.

My house is your same size, in the east end, I also rarely shower at home and only me and husband living at home. We rarely even have guests over. Our bills are very similar to yours. It’s astronomical!

Our stats for a similar size house built in the 70s (outside the city), Peoples and First Energy (and on payment plans that average out the costs so each month is roughly the same): Gas, $189/month and electric, $87/month. According to Peoples, our actual usage for Dec was around $218. Electric was around $135 in Dec. 🤷🏻 Our house is also not well insulated.

One thing That wanted to mention, just in case… our old house (1960) was built by my grandfather and he and a buddy did the wiring when he built it. Nothing was ever renovated, just repaired, and only updated when something broke and replacement parts were needed. Our electric bill was frequently over $500 a month and according to grandma, had “always been unusually high.”

Someone went through with some kind of tester once and found “hot spots” (his words) where things were registering in a way they shouldn’t have. The main one in the kitchen was behind what used to be a very modern (for the 50s/60s) electric panel with plugs and retractable cords, timer dials, etc. It was broken, but still getting power. Once the guy detached that panel from the live feed and got it all properly shut off/capped, and did the same with at least one other concerning spot, the electric bill dropped by $100/month.

I’m not an electrician (clearly), but it seems to me that all the jury-rigged electrics in that old house were causing some major issues and jacking up the electric bill. It could maybe be worthwhile to call an electrician and have them check your house for wiring faults. Especially if it’s a “mid-century,” or older, house.

Metro Community Health. Dr. Homrok (PCP) is kind and down-to-earth. For new patients, the first appointment is 30 minutes. Lots of conversation. No judgment. (Metro also has dental and mental health providers.) https://metrocommunityhealthcenter.org

8 is gonna be me I just know it

Dr Lamb or his PA, Erica Bonk (I think Erica is her first name). I don't really like male doctors bc in my past experiences can be dismissive, but wow, he's great!

They listen, neither judge and just all around feel listened too and cared for. I have a stupid amount of health issues (epilepsy/EDS/mental health stuff/fibro), and they take the time to listen when their are concerns regarding treatment plans and what not. I realllllyyyyyy struggled to find doctors like them and am very happy with my care.

i call it ‘fake spring’

Do u have Duquesne for electric cus they tried saying I used more electricity

It's probably abandoned because I just wash my cans in the sink. So much easier than taking them there.

The threshold for appeal is dependent on the locality. By improvements, I don’t mean additions or major modifications, I just mean the sale price was a lot higher than buying a fixer upper so more likely to get flagged.

OP's electric is insanely high. i have a similar sized house with gas heat and my bill last month for 2 adults was $125. Highest bill I have gotten in 2 years at my current place is $225 with central air running constantly. Also have Duquesne Light.

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