One of the things I was most looking forward to when we downsized from Connecticut to New Jersey was the savings I expected to see in our utility bills. Our phone wasn’t going to change (was [Vonage](http://www.vonage.com) before, it’s Vonage now). [Comcast](http://www.comcast.com) is slightly cheaper than [Optimum Online](http://www.optonline.com) by a few dollars (and we’re taking advantage of a new customer special which is saving us about $50 per month for the first 6 months).

I was hoping for the biggest difference in our energy costs. In Connecticut, our [CL&P](http://www.cl-p.com) (electric) bill averaged around $175 per month. It got as low as around $140 in the Fall/Spring, and as high as $300 in the summer. That’s not bad when you consider that we had a 4200 sq. ft. home with two zone heating/air conditioning. On top of that, we paid $242 per month for heating oil.

Our first full month here, our [PSEG](http://www.pseg.com) bill (July) was a little over $400. I was disappointed that it was so high. Our new place is single zone, half the size. My mom reminded me that it was gas & electric, so no additional fuel bill. And it was a brutally hot month. So overall we were still saving money. August bill was $250. Getting better. In September, we had the air conditioning off more than it was on.

I just got the September bill. $53.94. **$53.94!!** I had to look twice at the name and address on the front to make sure it wasn’t a mistake. We went from nearly $400 in energy costs *in a slow month* to $53.94. Wow.

Remind me about this entry if I ever complain about the lack of space here, okay?

Tags: New Jersey, PSEG, Cost of Living