About to buy a home with electric heat

[kajamo240 3]

Hey guys. I am looking for a little bit of insight.

I know that different electric companies charge different amounts but I am just thinking that what this electric company gave me for this home's average is a little on the EXTREMELY HIGH side.

I am thinking about putting a bid on a house that is 1500 sq ft with electric heat and all of the appliances are electric as well. I called the electric company and they said that the last 12 months has averaged $250-$300 with the highest being $450 and the lowest being $197.

$197 being the lowest? Can that be right?

Or am I just accustomed to having propane and a really small electric bill?

Am I spoiled?

I just want to know is that around the same amount as the average home that is heated with electricity?

Any insight would be appreciated.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,366]

Energy costs depends on several factors, i.e. insulation, what type of electric heat, etc. Also, are there any appliance in the house that will eat up more electric, i.e. multiple electronic devices, etc. Also the previous owner's tendencies, do they fire up the heat to 65 or 70 or 75, turn the air on to 65 or 70 or ? How efficient are the appliances? Many factors - I can say I have an all electric house and I don't see those numbers, highest about $150, lowest $85.

[Ken B 3,116]

I'll bet its right. I have a friend with a similar size house in CT. with electric heat and he told me he pays at least 500.00 a month in the winter and he is still freezing.

[sscotsman 141]

sounds pretty average to me..

thats a normal winter heating price around here..

we use piped-in natural gas, not electric, but $200 - $300 is pretty normal for the coldest months of the year..(Dec-Jan-Feb)

Depends on the size of the house, and your insulation of course..

still, I do not find those numbers shocking at all..

but electric heat is generally considered the most expensive way to heat a home..

so it could easily be more expensive than what you are used to..

I dont think I have ever known anyone who uses electric heat (Western NY)

its simply unheard of around here..because its more expensive than the alternatives.

Scot

[rmaynard 14,984]

I am in MD. My heated area is approximately 1700 sq. ft. I heat with oil for the first floor, and propane in the basement.

I heat my water with electricity, have electric dryer, electric oven. Average electric bill is about $250.00/mo.

With the winters that you get up there, I'd say the numbers that the electric company gave you were pretty accurate.

Before buying, have the attic checked for proper insulation. If the owners will allow you to have a home inspector come in, hire one with a thermal camera. He can then tell you all the areas where the heat is getting out and the cold is coming in in the winter, and where the heat is coming in and the a/c is going out in the summer. Well worth the $$ it costs.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Bob

[wheel horse 1045 2]

my home is all electric and thats what mine is,sorry

[DOC in Kentucky 178]

Hey Matt, I live outside Louisville Kentucky so we don't get as cold as you get, although the last 2 weeks its hasn't gotten above freezing and at nite its gotten down in the single digits, I heat about 2400 sq ft and totally electric with a 14 yr old heat pump system. The thermostat is set at 72 degrees and no one touches it for fear of a broken arm and my electric bill average about $150.00 per month. If you have to use electric, Heat pumps are the way to go. But maybe they don't work so well up north? :thumbs:

[Duff 206]

Before buying, have the attic checked for proper insulation. If the owners will allow you to have a home inspector come in, hire one with a thermal camera. He can then tell you all the areas where the heat is getting out and the cold is coming in in the winter, and where the heat is coming in and the a/c is going out in the summer. Well worth the $$ it costs.

Bob's advice is spot-on. In fact, you may legally have a right to demand an inspection. Around here the banks won't write a mortgage without one, and the bank's inspectors (at least the ones I've dealt with) don't miss or overlook anything!

Duff :banghead:

[rickv1957 70]

My 1800 sq ft house is about 150 with the air on in summer and 275 with the heat in winter,Rick

[HorseFixer 2,012]

That dont sound bad being in MN. As Stated the best money spent is on insulation and tightening up the structure ie: windows, doors, ventilation. Then comes the heating plant. What kind of Electric heat is it? Forced air or baseboard? and if it is forced air where is the furnace location? You may want to ck into ETS or groundwater source HP. And as T MO stated appliances need to be efficient many things you can do depending on your lifestyle like timer on water heater, setback t stats. Good Luck! If ya need any tips just hollar!

[rockbuilt 7]

if you are heating with propane and using electric you have to add your propane bill and your electric bill together to compare your cost and his

my fathers house is all electric and kept @ 70 his bills are around $100-$125 in the winter that is a rancher @ 1600 sq. ft. my house is 2 story 3200 sq. ft. and all electric and I have seen bills almost $900.00 in the winter but the last few years I have been insulating and my kids moved out (less laundry, fewer showers, fewer dishes ect.) and my bills now are less than $400 too

I guess the point is there are too many variables to say what your bill is going to be no matter what type of heat you have

[VinsRJ 721]

Here is the North East electric = $$$$

My family room is the only room in the house which has an electric base board. (The rest of the house runs on natural gas) During Dec-Jan-Feb I see, on average, a $40 - $50 dollar increase in my eletric bill for those three months just for that one room. This is even with us turning that thing off when the room is not in use.

[jla1257 2]

Sounds about right. A coworker of mine (who lives alone) purchased a house with all electric utilities. He said last month when it was abnormally cold down here his electric bill went from around $60 a month to around $300 a month and he is away from home two weeks every month.

[kajamo240 3]

Thanks for all the input. I will be poking my head up in the ceiling and checking out how much insulation there is up in the ceiling...

Sorry, yes I should have specified that it is baseboard heating. Apologies for the confusion.

We are thinking that if we convert the stove, dryer and water heater to natural gas or propane, we would be saving a lot of money on electricity. We are also thinking of adding a natural gas or propane fireplace upstairs since there is an existing chimney. (Which might be part of the culprit of the high heating bill since it doesn't look like it was blocked properly.

My sister in law lives just a few miles away from there and said that her electric and natural gas bill together average about $150-$180/mon in the winter.

I know I cant really compare to that since they have a natural gas furnace but I am thinking that switching to part natural gas will alleviate some of the electric usage and bring that bill down considerably.

My brain just cant wrap around the fact that the SMALLEST bill was $197.....! Meaning, no air, no heat and it was still pulling that much juice...

[Rideawaysenior 25]

Matt,

I have an all electric L shaped ranch. I made a few changes over the years that have helped to reduce the electric bill. First, I used energy saving thermostats. When the room is dark, they drop the temp by 7 degrees unless you turn them off. Second, I installed a tankless electric water heater. I get a continuous stream of hot water that is on demand. We previously had an 80 gallon electric tank water heater. Third, once I got rid of that big water heater, I put a pellet stove in its place. I will burn about two tons of pellets a year. I only use the stove when we are home and on the weekends too so it's not on all the time. I buy pellets from a local guy that makes them. He bought a mill and uses the waste from his logging and milling operation to make pellets. I pay $175 per ton. AN average ton here is $240.00. I did the math and If I were to go with the market price, I'd still be ahead of the game. Also, when our home was built in the 1970's, it was designed as an all electric home. I did replace the windows and when I had the house resided, we had the insulation sort of bolsteres up and the outer layer was also insulated with that foam board stuff. The windows were also replaced with vinyl windows. Big difference now. The tankless water heater brought us down almost $50.00 per month and now the heat hardly comes on with the stove working down stairs. Oh, I also cut floor registers into the floor so that the heat would find its way into the living area. We pay now an average of $100.00 per month and that is in the North East. We used to be in the $500.00 range.

[sscotsman 141]

My brain just cant wrap around the fact that the SMALLEST bill was $197.....!

[kajamo240 3]

We aren't too sure if the previous owner was very smart about their usage or not but you do bring up a lot of good points and great ideas!

I am just a little apprehensive with the last years average bills. I am thinking that I could save some money by getting the natural gas run to the house and run a lot of the appliances from that but not sure how it would all "even out". I am going to do a little more investigation and see what if the house would need anything thermally.

Thanks guys!