DaytonDailyNews.com

By Mist

February 10, 2009 11:59 AM | Link to this

Can somebody advise me how to help my sister? Her gas bill is on average $650 monthly which is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. She lives in an old house that severely needs weatherizing but she makes to much to qualify for low-income assistance, even though she’s married, it’s pretty much a one income household, she has 4 children, including putting one through college - she works so hard, she needs help..

By Mist

February 10, 2009 11:52 AM | Link to this

Can somebody advise me how to help my sister? Her gas bill is on average $650 monthly which is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. She lives in an old house that severely needs weatherizing but she makes to much to qualify for low-income assistance, even though she’s married, it’s pretty much a one income household, she has 4 children, including putting one through college - she works so hard, she needs help..

By Larry L

January 29, 2009 10:36 PM | Link to this

I have had it! the gas price distribution charge is 49. per month I just bought a corn stove and just contacted my local propane company to bring out a tank and will put a LP kit in my natural gas furnace, Burn corn, and tell vectren to get there damn meter off my property!

By Katwoman

January 8, 2009 4:30 PM | Link to this

This is crap!!! DPL just raised their rates 6.5%!!!! Consumers try to conserve as they ask us to and what do we get? Increases because consumption is down and the utility companies then raise rates to keep their profits high! Who is going to bail out the taxpayers???? I am tired of footing the bill for everyone and getting nowhere myself…oh yeah and when we are all unemployed and the state runs out of money where are we gonna be then??? Time for a major revolution………

By Julie

January 8, 2009 4:14 PM | Link to this

Cut back on groceries and use more coupons..check. Use less gas and drive only when neccessary..check. Get basic cable due to going digital..check. Turn off lights and electrical items when not in use..check. Cut back on dining out…check. Lower the deductible on the car insurance..check. Only get medical attention if it’s life threatening..check. Pay off credit cards..check. Continue to drive 9 year old car..check. Only thing left to cut back on is water!

By Derwood

January 8, 2009 4:06 PM | Link to this

My rates won’t go up a bit.. I have a contract with Vectren that keeps the rates at the same level for a whole year. Bee doing this for about the last 7 years now.
Those of you paying $200+ a month need to do something about your weatherstripping, windows, insulation, etc. I’ve got a gas furnace and water heater in my 2300 sq foot home with a full finished basement and I’ve never ever had a gas bill that high. Go to the Vectren site and go through the energy audit on the site.. It will help

By Oldtimer

January 8, 2009 4:03 PM | Link to this

At the start of January Vectren reduced my level billing payments by $20 a month. Now, they are getting a rate increase which will raise my billing. No wonder our economy is so screwed up!!!!

By HeavyHitter

January 8, 2009 3:42 PM | Link to this

What’s next….everything is already costing….

By jkj

January 8, 2009 3:02 PM | Link to this

I guess the CEO of Vectren needs a new Mercedes or something…so we all have to chip in now. Did you know that the President of DP&L has his own personal helicopter??? Oh yes, and I’m sure we all pay for that as well.
What we need is a really warm winter, and a mild summer to truly screw over both of them!!!!

By Master Shake

January 8, 2009 2:23 PM | Link to this

LOL

By Greg P.

January 8, 2009 2:07 PM | Link to this

I am a 50 plus year old lifelong Dayton area resident. For decades I have watched DP&L (Dayton Pillage and Loot) and now Vectren constantly tell us how they need new operating revenue for this or that to stay competitive or some other nonsense excuse to raise rates. And yet days later I always find hidden in the paper that these same Companies report record profits. I wonder how this magically happens.

By Om

January 8, 2009 1:41 PM | Link to this

The path to being a superior human is to make those who have less than you feel equally important. I am blessed that I work with such people and try to follow their example. I am curious as to was Vectren thinks is “normal” and it has been very cold even before Winter actually arrived. I feel this is not taken into account. $4 a month will not break if that is genuinely what it will be. I am taking extra weather proffing steps to ensure no waste of resources. Peace to all.

By TEACHER

January 8, 2009 1:15 PM | Link to this

Painfultruth: are you saying a teacher isn’t a real career? I was just wondering, because if so, then I feel sorry for you. You yelling at people and making other feel bad about their situation is so transparent. You are clearly unhappy about your life, and are putting others down because you obviously have no friends, your family doesn’t care about you and all you have is your money with nobody to share it with. At least the “lower class” has people around them that care about them.

By Master Shake

January 8, 2009 1:03 PM | Link to this

That should be the last we see or read from Painfultruth.

By Rachel - Troy

January 8, 2009 12:59 PM | Link to this

Well I think that it sucks!!Ohio is so high on unemployment right now it’s sad! And now we have to worry about companies that MOST of us use on a daily basis hicking up cost…and I don’t care if it’s only $4 or if it was $40-it’s awful to take advantage of people that are losing everything due to no jobs!And for ‘painfultruth’ I think it’s great that you are so well off-however I’m having a hard time picturing a man of your education and money/class having time or even caring to comment on DDN!

By CommonSense

January 8, 2009 12:30 PM | Link to this

I have come to realize there is nothing I can do to stop the ever rising cost on EVERYTHING we buy. Budget yourselves, lower your thermostat and sign-up for budget billing. That way you know how much your bill will be during the winter months and you can spread out the bills into the warmer months. Common sense goes along way.

By Wordell

January 8, 2009 12:17 PM | Link to this

No…painfultruth doesn’t need an anger management course. He needs a “laughter management course”. Well…now we have death threats from Englewood. Gettin’ serious out there with your loser rage, posters? The “collective” is enraged!!!! Bring out the Soviet flag and rage against the machine!!!!! Hey, it worked there (not), so why not here? If you can’t play the game (success), don’t criticize those who can…just ask them for a job.

By Mark

January 8, 2009 12:15 PM | Link to this

It’s too high already. That’s why I only use wood burning stoves. It works at my ski cabin. I’m slowly buying solar cells, so I can get off of DP&L, also. By next summer, I’ll be 50% off the grid. By 2010, totally off the grid. Hurray!!!

By Chris

January 8, 2009 11:48 AM | Link to this

lol, painfultruth’s life is so fantastic he is always one of the first people to share his vast knowledge anonymously on a Dayton newspaper website. Then he actually takes the time to come back and respond to people who are sick of his fake internet personality. What a sad, pathetic troll….

By daniel

January 8, 2009 11:39 AM | Link to this

they should reduce the amount we pay for meter reading,paperwork and so on and use that for the difference. and also they sould quit all the ads on tv im sure that cost alot of money!!

By jimmy

January 8, 2009 11:14 AM | Link to this

regardless of the back and forth re plaintruth this is really rediculous. If you check your vect bill you pay almost $30 in nothing but fees. The last time I checked puco was supposed to work for us not the big coporations. I would advise a letter/email campaign to change the members of puco we need change at the national and state level. unless we all wake up and work together we’ll never have any real change that works in the favor of the people by the way, plaintruth you are an idiot.

By Gary

January 8, 2009 11:12 AM | Link to this

BRAVO, Master Shake. Well said.

By Kevin

January 8, 2009 11:05 AM | Link to this

If Vectren raises prices any higer I will have to get rid of our gas and only use electric. I set thermostat for 66 degrees and still pay 150.00 plus a month in the winter. My home has new windows and is insulated. I can’t lower the heat much more because we already freeze water pipes. I can’t cut back any more than I already have. These rate increases are why people are going to start moving out of Ohio. No jobs and tax and energy increases.

By manbearpig

January 8, 2009 10:55 AM | Link to this

I quit using natural gas long ago when DP&L controlled the show. Work on heavily insulating your homes, update windows if possible, I know it’s expensive. A good site to consult for coping with the downturn in the economy is survivalblog dot com. Lots of great articles in the archives section about how to prepare for any disaster situation. Any solution is going to cost money, just a fact of life.

By Master Shake

January 8, 2009 10:54 AM | Link to this

Don’t buy into Painfultruth’s story telling. He doesn’t live in a giant house, there is no patent attorney, he’s not going to Hawaii, the Super bowl or his summer home in France like he’s posted in the past. This guy is fake and he hates being exposed. I watched him post on the DDN many times and he’s always putting people down for giving their opinion. Educated well-off business people just don’t behave in the manor he does. Painfultruth- go ahead and keep talking about all you’re big business deals and rich lifestyles. You’re a FAKE and have been exposed.

By Gary

January 8, 2009 10:42 AM | Link to this

“painfultruth,” you don’t need to squash everyone inferior to you in order to elevate yourself in your own mind. Perhaps you didn’t notice, but there are plenty of people out there smarter and richer than you. Look around. You aren’t quite as “high class” as you think you are. Again, regardless of what you think of yourself, you didn’t get where you are all by yourself.

By Gary

January 8, 2009 10:26 AM | Link to this

“painfultruth,” you’re smart enough to know that without the “lower class” your wonderful patents could not possibly be implemented leaving you with no royalty check and no glorious Hawaii vacation. You didn’t get where you are all by yourself. Just wondering, is the “lower-class” spending money on anything related to your patents? Perhaps you should be a little more appreciative of those with less than you.

By Barry

January 8, 2009 10:16 AM | Link to this

just that much less I will have to spend after big brother takes his cut. I am so looking forwards to the big government change that is coming. It is no wonder people are spending less at the stores, they have less to spend after the government gets done with them.

By HKettlehake

January 8, 2009 10:13 AM | Link to this

Well Rhonda here is something else for you and others. natural Gas has been selling at less than $6.00 per 1000 cubic feet (MCF)on the CBOT for over a year. You and I are paying nearly $12.00 per 100 (ccf) cubic feet delivered. Sinply put the value on the Chicago board of Trade (CBOT) is $6,000 while the value placed at the end user, domestic or industrial is $72,000 for the same. Quite a handsome profit. The same works for gasoline, although less onerous.

By Gary

January 8, 2009 10:07 AM | Link to this

Dear mr. painfultruth,

We may be jealous of many things in life, but, contrary to what you may like to think, we are certainly not jealous of the likes of you. If you are any indication of what it’s like to be “upper-crust” then you can have it. Your self-righteousness continues to paint a picture of the miserable person you really are. Remember, without the “lower-class” you would be nobody.

By painfultruth

January 8, 2009 9:54 AM | Link to this

Master Shake, my “work” today will consist of finalizing my vacation plans for my February trip to Hawaii for 4 weeks, reviewing the totals of my patent royalty checks from December, and a meeting with my patent attorney this afternoon to sign off on three more patent applications. What will you do today? Greet more people at Wal-Mart, or are you the fine fellow they call when the need a clean-up in Aisle 3?

By Master Shake

January 8, 2009 9:41 AM | Link to this

I hope you don’t take all this anger into work today at Waffle House. The last thing we want from you is to lose focus and start burning hash browns.

By painfultruth

January 8, 2009 9:35 AM | Link to this

YES! I’ve once again irritated the underclass! Typical know-nothings that have no concept of free market business. You’re all too worried about where your next penny will come from because you faile to prepare yourselves for life. You didn’t get a proper education, didn’t recognize opportunities when they fell in your laps, and have to have something to hate more than you hate yourselves! AND, you’re jealous of ANYONE that has more than YOU! Saps…

By Master Shake

January 8, 2009 9:30 AM | Link to this

You’re right about not driving past the Waffle house because that’s not your decision. It depends on if the RTA bus you take to work goes past it or drops you off down the street. Four furnaces, yea right. Ha ha. Nobody believes your BS

By JerichoJenny

January 8, 2009 9:21 AM | Link to this

Vectren started out with a $3.00 “fee” which PUCO agreed to raise to $7.00 a couple years ago. Now they are raising it again by $4.00, that makes the “fee” now $11.00 (almost a FOUR hundred percent increase). I wish I could get that kind of raise. And, Vectren is already reporting higher profits.

Part of that fee is to cover Vectren’s cost to advise us on SAVING ENERGY. Am I the only one who sees a conflict of interest here???????

By Gary

January 8, 2009 8:52 AM | Link to this

The writings of “painfultruth” offer us a window into what kind of person he really is. Loser!

By Revolt

January 8, 2009 8:49 AM | Link to this

It is becoming clear the rich have taken over our government. We need to clean house. It is sad that the only people on a ballot are rich and basically we pick the least of two evils. The American people are not going to take much more. We need to clean house and protest these results. Deregulation amounted to rich getting richer.

By tom from Englewood

January 8, 2009 8:44 AM | Link to this

Painful truth is obviously full of shhhhhhhhh. If he isn’t then please tell us what the proper career field is and where you live. As a knowitall, he should know that an uprise in the lower class may mean his death.

By Gary

January 8, 2009 8:43 AM | Link to this

Just want to take this opportunity to thank the Ohio Legislature for deregulating the electric/gas utilities a few years ago. It was sold to us as being a great thing and would allow for competition between companies and ultimately be good for the consumer. There is now NO competition to speak of, and my bills have done nothing but increase! At the time, I don’t recall anyone screaming that what we had was a bad thing. Was it a monopoly? Maybe. But it was regulated and kept under control.

By bigbalz

January 8, 2009 8:41 AM | Link to this

JUST ANOTHER GOOD REASON THAT OBAMA WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOSER MCCAIN SUCKAS AND EAT IT

By April

January 8, 2009 8:40 AM | Link to this

$4 isn’t going to kill me. My gas bill was around $130 for a 2200 sq ft house. You people don’t need to set your temps up to 78 degrees! Invest in a thermostat you can schedule. We have ours to be a 68 when we aren’t home and 72 when we are.

While I don’t like increases any more than everyone else does, there are small things you can do to ease the burden.

By JKirkwood

January 8, 2009 8:32 AM | Link to this

hey painfultruth, do you get off by yelling at people anonymously on the internet? you seem to spend a lot of time trolling through all the stories that can be commented on and telling people to get an education. sorry we cant be as “smart” as you seem to think you are.

By Greg

January 8, 2009 8:31 AM | Link to this

I’m on a fix income and and cannot afford the continuing inflation. Vectren need to find ways within the business structure to cut cost. Who in Ohio granted the increase? Do they live in Ohio? Hey, Ohio is one of the worst state with unemploymnet and Vectren want more money! Ohio better get on the band wagon for wind mills, so we all can have electric homes and don’t need the natural gas.

By Philip

January 8, 2009 8:25 AM | Link to this

Why not now we have to pay the welfare people bills….

By painfultruth

January 8, 2009 8:13 AM | Link to this

Jan needs an elementary school course in spelling. I’m not angry; I’m laughing at all the witless posts on this board! I wouldn’t even drive PAST Waffle House. I wouldn’t want to catch anything from their low-class clientele! I have 4 gas furnaces in my home (house, garage, heated enclosed deck, greenhouse), and I’m not whining about gas prices. Look at the jealous low-lifes spitting out their caustic spume! It must be SOOOO hard for you living at the bottom of society! Losers!

By old bus

January 8, 2009 8:09 AM | Link to this

Let me get this right. They going to charge us 4 dollars extra a month to pay for people who don’t pay what we pay.

By Mr.DadSir

January 8, 2009 7:54 AM | Link to this

Way to go Rhonda!!!!We should be proud to reward companys for mismanagement and the top officials get their bonuses.Soon we will get another request for a raise in rates because of all the hidden expenditures for the windstorm.

By Master Shake

January 8, 2009 7:44 AM | Link to this

RE: Painfultruth actually works at the Waffle House. He would like everyone to think he’s a BIG business man but unfortunately for Painful that’s not the case. He is so successful he can spend all his time picking on folks posing their opinion here.

By jan

January 8, 2009 7:32 AM | Link to this

RE: painfultruth: If you are educated, you should relaize you need a anger management course.

By painfultruth

January 8, 2009 7:25 AM | Link to this

Natural gas is a commodity, just like crude oil. Market demand controls the price. Quit whining about “big business”, and get an education you bunch of crybaby morons. If you had a real career, you wouldn’t worry about a petty thing like heating your home. You’re just worried the natural gas increase will cut into your beer and lottery ticket fund. Losers!

By jan

January 8, 2009 7:06 AM | Link to this

Turn the lights out when you leave Dayton.

By CJ

January 8, 2009 6:48 AM | Link to this

Just have to agree with everything said from other posters. I haven’t seen a raise or even a cost of living raise for over 3 years and don’t see one in the near future either. Frankly with the economy I understand but it makes it quite difficult to stay ahead of the game when co. keep raising their rates….. Between big business and government they pretty much try to take it all.

By Arnie

January 8, 2009 6:36 AM | Link to this

That’s our great state, always looking out for our best interests. What a bunch of idiots. They would approve a daily birthday balloon launch if it was set in front of them to sign.

By OMG

January 8, 2009 6:18 AM | Link to this

My gas bill was $233 for a small two bedroom, one bathroom house for last month. Why not raise it another $4? Just keep raising it all you want. Everyone will keep switching to electric heaters and burning their homes down because they can’t afford gas and pretty soon when all the homes are burned down, you’ll have no customers! No ones paychecks are going up, just the bills. I hope all you CEO’s sleep well at night, warmly, since you probably get FREE gas, or can afford it anyway.

By Ronda

January 8, 2009 6:00 AM | Link to this

3.3% doesn’t sound like much but it’s just another example of how we are being nickled and dimed to death by expenses. Just like gasoline prices, the price for a barrel of oil fell 12% yesterday. Have gas prices gone down by 12% today? No. Energy companies raise prices immediately on any fluctuation in price and only slowly drop them, reaping Big Profits. Natural gas companies are no different, I wonder what bonuses and trips they have planned for their Board of Directors and top executives.