Posted by Drooldog Im using the neighbors wireless Internet right now!

Well that just makes you a piece of junk! Pay yo billzzzz!

Okay... So I'm looking at a place tomorrow, but utilities are not included. I called the local utility company for cost estimates, but that just made things even more confusing.

From Shael's comment, I'd hope to be paying no more than $100/mo except maybe in the middle of Winter for the worst 2 months. Keyword: Hope

RG&E's 12 month average did not seem to make sense and the rep was questioning if the place was empty during that period. Average monthly cost: $62 ($9 Elec/$53 Gas). Since that seemed really low, he only averaged out the past 3 months: $159/mo !

Now that seems pretty high. Though it's very hard to say w/o knowing who lived there.

This place is a lower apartment in a 3-apt apartment house. It's just me. I work during the day. Laundry would be done off-site. Computers shutdown when not in use. Typical refrigerator, microwave usage. Not too much oven usage except for a weekly pizza.


SO... Any north-east people. How much do you pay in utilities(gas&elec) per month?

Thanks.

you're forgetting A/C in the summer. spring & fall are cheap, winter & summer not as much. my electric bill is about $60 in the off months, $100-$120 when heating or cooling.

my 2BR, 2B apartment costs $900/month, but that's pretty cheap for where i live. the other places i was looking at were 1BR, 1B for about $1000-1200. i got pretty lucky.

My bills are pretty similar to Corley's- also take into account things that you can't control/shut off that will always be running- have a gas oven? Pilot lights. How's your water heater heated? Gas? More money. The main thing I pay for is heat- in an old apartment it was included (free- YAY) but now I can pay upwards of $150+ in the winter to heat my fairly insulated 3-BR place. With only 2 people in it.

Also- dishwasher? Pumps up the hot water tank/increases costs. When a rep quotes you things, they like to pretend no one lives there. And some companies these days are also doing "estimates" based on last-year's tenants, and only come to check meters once every 2-3 months. Fuck you, ConEd. So just be warned if you're getting a bill that's $70 one month, then they actually come to read your meter, and you're using a lot more electric or gas. They'll balance your bill out minus what you'd paid on the 'estimated' value and suddenly you have a $270 bill on your hands.

Just check into how often they do meter readings. It'll prevent unwanted surprises.

Most likely no AC and no dishwasher.

The place isn't air conditioned and I don't think I'll be buying a wall unit either. I grew up my whole life without air conditioning so I don't think I'll be using it. Probably only a box fan or two. I'm kinda weird that way.

I'm not sure if there's a dishwasher. Probably not. And even if there is, I probably won't use it much. Again, I'm weird like that.

I still need to go visit this place tomorrow, so I'm not totally sure what the heat , HW, and oven situation is like. It'd be great if its all electric.

So I'm expecting spring, summer, and fall all fairly the same in utility costs. It's the winter I'm worried about. Heating an old house city house in the winter makes me nervous...

Heating old places sucks. Do the ghettron city thing and put up those insulated clear sheets with ductape around your windows all winter. It really does help.

Posted by hydrotherapy Heating old places sucks. Do the ghettron city thing and put up those insulated clear sheets with ductape around your windows all winter. It really does help.

Yah definitely.

This is probably my one and only shot of renting from an actual person as opposed to a managed complex. The only thing is (of course) the util's are not included. Hopefully lower util costs from non-winter seasons can result in some savings that I can apply toward winter when they sky rocket.

If the landlord is weird or everything runs on gas (HW, heat, oven) I'll probably just suck it up and lived in a managed place with heat/HW included.

I do the budget plan for the whole year and pay the same every month. I have lived here for about 12 years so I did not get screwed with a high payment at the start. They will base it probably on the previous tenant's usage. Not for noting you will know what the bill will be each month and prolly get a credit at the end of the year. IDK worth looking into.

My house is terrible to heat. I think the highest gas bill we received this year was $350, and that was keeping it at SIXTY. We were still running space heaters and staying wrapped up in blankets.

The year round plan is a good idea, but I know in Nashville you have to have an account with them gas/electric company for a year before they start, they won't base it on the previous tenants.

Thanks.

I have another question. What is cheaper, Gas or Electric gor heat, HW, and oven/stove?

The internet keeps saying Gas is cheaper which I think is odd. Though I know gas heats quicker, is more efficient, in my mind it's also more expensive. While I see electricity as cheaper, less efficient, and more needed to generate heat.

People talk about their gas price going up in the winter up. Electric usage goes up in the winter too.

Also, the other concern is not a straightup efficiency/cost comparison, but also how prices fluctuate. Doesn't gas(and elec)'s price raise in the winter usually? (not the usage, the actual prices?)

So which is it?

Step 1 - Buy pig
Step 2 - Raise pig
Step 3 - Use pig for warmth


Seriously! With an average body temperature 2-5 degrees higher then humans, they're like fat little space heaters!

Posted by trent Thanks. I have another question. What is cheaper, Gas or Electric gor heat, HW, and oven/stove? The internet keeps saying Gas is cheaper which I think is odd. Though I know gas heats quicker, is more efficient, in my mind it's also more expensive. While I see electricity as cheaper, less efficient, and more needed to generate heat. People talk about their gas price going up in the winter up. Electric usage goes up in the winter too. Also, the other concern is not a straightup efficiency/cost comparison, but also how prices fluctuate. Doesn't gas(and elec)'s price raise in the winter usually? (not the usage, the actual prices?) So which is it?

trent, what's the issue, dude? didn't you say you make decent money in your very first post? everybody needs to pay for a place to live. have you looked into renting a basement, where you could be paying a third or quarter of the utilities and maybe even get free cable & internet?

Posted by SaraBellum My house is terrible to heat. I think the highest gas bill we received this year was $350, and that was keeping it at SIXTY. We were still running space heaters and staying wrapped up in blankets. The year round plan is a good idea, but I know in Nashville you have to have an account with them gas/electric company for a year before they start, they won't base it on the previous tenants.

my house is the same way... i know where the heat was going and steps are being taken this summer to rectify that shit.

Posted by don_corleyone trent, what's the issue, dude? didn't you say you make decent money in your very first post? everybody needs to pay for a place to live. have you looked into renting a basement, where you could be paying a third or quarter of the utilities and maybe even get free cable & internet?

The root cause of my troubles is that I like to spend money on copious amounts of weed and alcohol each month...not heating bills. I'm just trying to get a place that won't cramp my style or force me to cut back. Currently my weed bill is higher than the utility bill. If that flip-flops...that'll suck!

I think I might have found a place, but am trying to figure out how much my heating bills will blow up in the winter since I've never really had to pay my own utilities. Utils have alway included in my last 5 places. I make okay money, but I'm not ballin' either.

Let us sort something about before you keep spazzing over bills.

First- figure out if the place you are looking at is heated via gas, or electric heat.

Got that part sorted out? Yay.

Gas is cheaper right now. Expensive, but cheaper overall from when I last looked at my bills.
Electric is expensive.

Thus- most places with gas stoves and gas radiators, especially here in the city, the landlord often picks up the heat for free. See? Easy. You just get raped like a naughty whore when summer comes around.

If you also pay for electric heat in the winter, holy motherfuck it's expensive.

So DO SOME MORE RESEARCH INTO THE PLACE you are looking at before flailing about for answers on the internet to questions you can't even properly pose yet.

Water heaters are usually electric. These are rarely covered by landlords. And you will pay for this. Especially in winter.

Do some damn research, Trent, and start drinking Georgi if you're not willing to dish out what it costs to live alone. Jaysus.

Posted by hydrotherapy So DO SOME MORE RESEARCH INTO THE PLACE you are looking at before flailing about for answers on the internet to questions you can't even properly pose yet.

Sorry, I thought that's how the internet worked? The reason I say that is because you just answered lots of my questions Thanks!

Gas is usually cheaper than electric, since you get more out of natural gas or propane than electricity for some reason, hence why I have a gas stove. Oil hot water saves money because as it heats your house, it heats hot water for use by the occupants. Gas furnace+Gas hot water=the way to go. If you can get it. If not...oil falls in second, electricity falls in third. If I had the choice, I'd get a gas boiler with hot water running through the heating system and a hot water system attached so the gas boiler heats it, not a separate hot water tank. My house came with oil heat and oil hot water off the furnace.

I'm in upstate NY, electric runs anywhere from 80 to 120 a month, 120 a month during Christmastime with all the lights we put up. National Grid aka National Squid, because they have their tentacles in everything, especially your wallet. Niagara Mohawk wasn't much better, but they were better in billing, just not in service.

Shael

I hate electric heating. Just hate it. I remember back in the days of oil. Now that was some heat.

I'm seriously thinking about instead using Ton-Ton carcasses...or bare minimum, pigs.

You won't regret it!