I was just curious what the average utility bills are for others. I know there can be a lot of disrepancies depending where you live, size of house, number of people who live there. I live in Mass and my average utility bills for the last year are:
Water $ 64
Electric $ 100
Oil $ 211 (846 gallons)
Monthly Total = $ 375
JC
Utility Bills
That fuel oil bill hurts. Our electric is about the same (even with an electric hot tub), natural gas is about $75 a month (heat and hot water) and I don't know what the water is (my wife pays it). Water/sewer may be about $75 a quarter. Live in Northern Virginia and have a 1700 square foot Cape Cod house.
--Nate
--Nate
Past 12 months:
$58 Natural gas (heat, hot water , dryer)
$99 Electricity (A/C, lights, cooking)
$33 Water
That's $190 per month
South Texas, 4 br 3.5 ba >3000 sq ft reasonably energy efficient home, 3.3 people
$58 Natural gas (heat, hot water , dryer)
$99 Electricity (A/C, lights, cooking)
$33 Water
That's $190 per month
South Texas, 4 br 3.5 ba >3000 sq ft reasonably energy efficient home, 3.3 people
Last edited by livesoft on Fri Apr 01, 2011 3:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Grt2bOutdoors
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$150 - young child in home, so i have it cranked up high 24/7. Much cheaper than a doctors visit. 
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hsv_climber
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The Wizard
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- Location: Reading, MA
I just compiled ALL of my expenses into a spreadsheet back in February, as part of my ongoing retirement scheming process.
Here are my ANNUAL utility bills for a 5BR 2800 sqft house, 1.5 occupants:
Electricity $772
Heating Oil $600
Cable/Internet $1320
Water $200
My heating oil expense is way low since I heat my house mainly with two wood stoves with wood I get for "free". I should toss in a few bucks for fuel for the chainsaw and pickup, of course...
Here are my ANNUAL utility bills for a 5BR 2800 sqft house, 1.5 occupants:
Electricity $772
Heating Oil $600
Cable/Internet $1320
Water $200
My heating oil expense is way low since I heat my house mainly with two wood stoves with wood I get for "free". I should toss in a few bucks for fuel for the chainsaw and pickup, of course...
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WorkToLive
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Jungle Cat
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- Location: Massachusetts
Utility
My mother asked me to do her calculations. She also lives in MA
Water $ 40/mo
Electric $ 119/mo
Gas $ 131/mo (999 Therms)
JC
Water $ 40/mo
Electric $ 119/mo
Gas $ 131/mo (999 Therms)
JC
Last edited by Jungle Cat on Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Grasshopper
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For March
$47 electric
$38 propane, heat ,hot water, stove, dryer aux heater AZ room, best guess
$0 water, replaced some well pipes Jan $400
$47 electric
$38 propane, heat ,hot water, stove, dryer aux heater AZ room, best guess
$0 water, replaced some well pipes Jan $400
Last edited by Grasshopper on Fri Apr 01, 2011 6:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Jungle Cat
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- Location: Massachusetts
Surprised
Between my parents' bill and my bill I was surprised that natural gas is significantly cheaper. I did not think there was that much of a difference.
JC
JC
I'll play.
Average for last 12 months (2 people, 2450 sq ft townhouse built in 1998):
Electricity: $113
Natural gas (heat, dryer, hot h2o): $27
Water: $23
Average for last 12 months (2 people, 2450 sq ft townhouse built in 1998):
Electricity: $113
Natural gas (heat, dryer, hot h2o): $27
Water: $23
I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed. --Booker T. Washington
Electricity: $80
Water/Sewer/Garbage: $50
Family of 3 in 1700 sq ft.
Water/Sewer/Garbage: $50
Family of 3 in 1700 sq ft.
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"Simplicity is the master key to financial success." John C. Bogle
980 SQ apartment
Gas,electric and water 100 almost on the nose. This is for the place we live in the majority of time in California.
We own a vacation home and that usually runs around 150 a month to maintain. Gas,electric,water/garbage. This is in California. If we were to live in it during the winter. Wood would cost us around 1200 a season. So slap on another 100..
I guess 250 a month on average to live in this home.
Forgot to add. Monthly bills.
Gas,electric and water 100 almost on the nose. This is for the place we live in the majority of time in California.
We own a vacation home and that usually runs around 150 a month to maintain. Gas,electric,water/garbage. This is in California. If we were to live in it during the winter. Wood would cost us around 1200 a season. So slap on another 100..
I guess 250 a month on average to live in this home.
Forgot to add. Monthly bills.
Last edited by MWCA on Fri Apr 01, 2011 6:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Triple digit golfer
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interplanetjanet
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Ok, here goes.
House is low 2000's of sq ft, built in the late '60s. Central California valley (hot summers, cool but not frigid winters). Insulation was typical for the time, not terribly poor, not great. Two adults, three children, and a full-time home office. We keep the house around 67F in the winter and 84F in the summer.
Electricity and natural gas are around $330/$80 per month. My electricity consumption averages around 1100kw-h/month, you can decide for yourself if that's outrageous. In the summer the gas bill is low ($25) and pretty much just runs the water heater and the dryer, but the electric bill spikes up.
Water/sewer is around $180/mo. This is mostly not usage based but includes a surcharge to the sewer bill that is used to fund local schools.
Seeing what some of you pay for utilities makes me...well not cry, but close.
Being able to add insulation and install PV solar is a large incentive for me to buy if the right house comes along.
Edit: ten years ago, all of these numbers were less than half as large as they are now.
-Janet
House is low 2000's of sq ft, built in the late '60s. Central California valley (hot summers, cool but not frigid winters). Insulation was typical for the time, not terribly poor, not great. Two adults, three children, and a full-time home office. We keep the house around 67F in the winter and 84F in the summer.
Electricity and natural gas are around $330/$80 per month. My electricity consumption averages around 1100kw-h/month, you can decide for yourself if that's outrageous. In the summer the gas bill is low ($25) and pretty much just runs the water heater and the dryer, but the electric bill spikes up.
Water/sewer is around $180/mo. This is mostly not usage based but includes a surcharge to the sewer bill that is used to fund local schools.
Seeing what some of you pay for utilities makes me...well not cry, but close.
Being able to add insulation and install PV solar is a large incentive for me to buy if the right house comes along.
Edit: ten years ago, all of these numbers were less than half as large as they are now.
-Janet
Last edited by interplanetjanet on Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Triple digit golfer
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Triple digit golfer
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I kind of skimmed over that San Francisco part...pretty important!livesoft wrote:Have you been to San Francisco Bay Area? Open or close the windows is how you pull it off.Triple digit golfer wrote:Electric and gas combined only $22 a month? How are you pulling that off?
Still, seems really low. I'm guessing he doesn't turn lights on or do laundry very often.
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Downeastah
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3 bedroom house, 3 people, built in 1973, 1650 sq ft.
Electricity: $116 to $137/month
Propane: works out to about $100/month (primarily for heat and hot water)
Water: 0
Phone/Internet: $84.00/month
Electricity: $116 to $137/month
Propane: works out to about $100/month (primarily for heat and hot water)
Water: 0
Phone/Internet: $84.00/month
"If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking." George S. Patton, Jr. |
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fundtalker123
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Re: Utility
[quote="Jungle Cat"]My mother asked me to do her calculations. She also lives in MA
Water $ 40/mo
Electric $ 119/mo
Gas $ 131/mo (999 Therms)
Jerry[/quote]
Hmmm, . . .my bill says we used 121 Therms of gas, costing $151 last month. Am I really paying that much more than you, or is yours really 99.9 Therms?
Water $ 40/mo
Electric $ 119/mo
Gas $ 131/mo (999 Therms)
Jerry[/quote]
Hmmm, . . .my bill says we used 121 Therms of gas, costing $151 last month. Am I really paying that much more than you, or is yours really 99.9 Therms?
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Triple digit golfer
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Re: Utility
48 therms, $45.32 for me.fundtalker123 wrote:Hmmm, . . .my bill says we used 121 Therms of gas, costing $151 last month. Am I really paying that much more than you, or is yours really 99.9 Therms?Jungle Cat wrote:My mother asked me to do her calculations. She also lives in MA
Water $ 40/mo
Electric $ 119/mo
Gas $ 131/mo (999 Therms)
Jerry
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slick_dealer_05
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2 bedroom house, 2 people, 1100 sq ft in Texas. Single family home in 6000 sq ft lot.
Total of Gas+Water+Sewer+Trash+Electricity averages less than $100 per month
We live in an old house but I have made significant upgrades in making it more energy efficient - CFL/LED lights, R-38 insulation in attic, insulating pipes, Low-E windows, and trees shading our entire house. We don't use solar panels or solar heating and we don't waste water on St. Augustine.
Below is our monthly Kwh electricity usage after we got our smart meter last October. Current electricity bill will be less than $12
Start Date End Date Actual kWh
10/25/2010 11/23/2010 110
11/23/2010 12/28/2010 102
12/28/2010 01/27/2011 123
01/27/2011 02/25/2011 160
02/25/2011 03/28/2011 97
Total of Gas+Water+Sewer+Trash+Electricity averages less than $100 per month
We live in an old house but I have made significant upgrades in making it more energy efficient - CFL/LED lights, R-38 insulation in attic, insulating pipes, Low-E windows, and trees shading our entire house. We don't use solar panels or solar heating and we don't waste water on St. Augustine.
Below is our monthly Kwh electricity usage after we got our smart meter last October. Current electricity bill will be less than $12
Start Date End Date Actual kWh
10/25/2010 11/23/2010 110
11/23/2010 12/28/2010 102
12/28/2010 01/27/2011 123
01/27/2011 02/25/2011 160
02/25/2011 03/28/2011 97
Last edited by slick_dealer_05 on Fri Apr 01, 2011 8:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It's mostly "turn it off when it's not in use." There is little need for more than 1 light to be on at once, unless it's for a very short period of time. I don't have AC, but everything else is electric (TV, computer, stereo, stove, oven, microwave, dyer, ceiling fans, etc). There will be a couple of 100+ heat waves in the summer (inland valley of the SF Bay Area), but as livesoft suggests, opening the windows at night and shutting them in the morning works very well. In the winter, I open all the curtains/shades so the sun can heat the house. And I wear a sweater, sweatshirt, or jacket. Electric blankets work great on winter nights and are extremely efficient.Triple digit golfer wrote:Electric and gas combined only $22 a month? How are you pulling that off?Shawn wrote:1200 sf house in San Francisco Bay Area (1 person, 1 cat)
Electric: $12
Water: $18
Trash: $14
Gas: $10
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Christine_NM
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- Location: New Mexico
Electric runs about $40 in winter, $120 in summer.
Gas runs $120 in winter, $15 in summer.
In May and October I can usually turn off all HVAC.
Water is a steady $40/month. $42 in summer for the drip irrigation.
Altogether, total utility cost stays well under $200/month including all the account fees and taxes.
That's 1581 sq ft R-38 house, 1 person, 4 seasons. Weak point is an 80% efficiency furnace. Otherwise, I use CFL bulbs. Windows and doors are tight. Windows stay closed. I used to turn down the thermostat at night, sure I was saving $$, but this year I didn't touch it and gas usage is lower than last winter in spite of cold spells.
For March, I used 86 therms gas for $74. Electric was 413 kWh for $44.
Gas runs $120 in winter, $15 in summer.
In May and October I can usually turn off all HVAC.
Water is a steady $40/month. $42 in summer for the drip irrigation.
Altogether, total utility cost stays well under $200/month including all the account fees and taxes.
That's 1581 sq ft R-38 house, 1 person, 4 seasons. Weak point is an 80% efficiency furnace. Otherwise, I use CFL bulbs. Windows and doors are tight. Windows stay closed. I used to turn down the thermostat at night, sure I was saving $$, but this year I didn't touch it and gas usage is lower than last winter in spite of cold spells.
For March, I used 86 therms gas for $74. Electric was 413 kWh for $44.
Last edited by Christine_NM on Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
18% cash 44% stock 38% bond. Retired, w/d rate 2.5%
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Jungle Cat
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- Location: Massachusetts
Therms
Fundtalker:
The 999 is the number of therms they used during a 12 month period; which came to an average monthly bill of $ 131.
JC
The 999 is the number of therms they used during a 12 month period; which came to an average monthly bill of $ 131.
JC
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JW-Retired
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Valuethinker
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Re: Utility Bills
London, England, United KingdomJungle Cat wrote:I was just curious what the average utility bills are for others. I know there can be a lot of disrepancies depending where you live, size of house, number of people who live there. I live in Mass and my average utility bills for the last year are:
Water $ 64
Electric $ 100
Oil $ 211 (846 gallons)
Monthly Total = $ 375
JC
Water - about USD 500 USD 40pcm
Electricity - about USD 720 USD 60 pcm
Gas - about USD 1500 (old house, no insulation to speak of) USD 125pcm
About USD 250pcm
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scubadiver
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teacher_in_tx
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No, mine is pretty similar. Not having heating/cooling costs is a huge factor. The general regional attitude towards conservation is another.Triple digit golfer wrote:I kind of skimmed over that San Francisco part...pretty important!livesoft wrote:Have you been to San Francisco Bay Area? Open or close the windows is how you pull it off.Triple digit golfer wrote:Electric and gas combined only $22 a month? How are you pulling that off?
Still, seems really low. I'm guessing he doesn't turn lights on or do laundry very often.
$1,150/month. No kids so makes it worthwhile. Even if we had a kid I think we can nak eit at least a few years before we upgrade to something bigger. 4 minute commute to work for me which saves me a ton in gas over my last location which I was spending $70/week on gas.magicmom wrote:jpark1982 wrote:1 BR apartment in NJ, 800 sq for me and my wife.
Electric = $45-50/month.
Everything else (water, gas, cooking gas, etc) are included in the rent.
how much is rent? May make it cheaper than owning....
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retired recently
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4400 sq ft home in NC. 3 people. Electric bill averaged $140/month for the last twelve months.
We bought the house in March 2010. In September I installed an attic vent and at end of December I added insulation in the attic so I hope heating and cooling will be a bit less this year. Right now the house uses two hot water heaters but I plan to get it switched over to one sometime this spring.
Internet is about $60/month.
Only other utility bill is phone which runs about $50-$55/month.
We bought the house in March 2010. In September I installed an attic vent and at end of December I added insulation in the attic so I hope heating and cooling will be a bit less this year. Right now the house uses two hot water heaters but I plan to get it switched over to one sometime this spring.
Internet is about $60/month.
Only other utility bill is phone which runs about $50-$55/month.
3,600 SF 3 Level Condo (Ranch).
Electric: $67 a month (level payment) small catchup credit at end of cycle.
Natural Gas: $57 a month (level payment) catchup credit at end of cycle.
Water: Don't know as it is included in condo fee.
Cell Phone $10 a month (no land line) and on F&F plan.
TV/CABLE/Internet $71 a month with Time Warner.
Central Ohio - where winter was early in 2010 and spring is late in 2011
Electric: $67 a month (level payment) small catchup credit at end of cycle.
Natural Gas: $57 a month (level payment) catchup credit at end of cycle.
Water: Don't know as it is included in condo fee.
Cell Phone $10 a month (no land line) and on F&F plan.
TV/CABLE/Internet $71 a month with Time Warner.
Central Ohio - where winter was early in 2010 and spring is late in 2011
OAG=Old Army Guy. Retired CW4 USA (US Army) in 1979 21 years of service @ 38.
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scrabbler1
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Studio apartment in a large co-op complex, 1 person:
Electric is in two parts, my own individual use within my apartment and my share of the co-op's overall electric usage in its common areas.
Mine per month for 2010 is $59, a record high because of the very hot 2010 summer. My share of the co-op's electric (and gas, but not for heating, only for kitchen use) is $17 per month (based on 2009 figures; 2010 not yet released).
Fuel for heating is also my share of the co-op's overall fuel bill. It is $49 per month (again based on 2009 figures; 2010 not yet released).
Water is also my share of the co-op's overall water bill. It is $9 per month (again based on 2009 figures; 2010 not yet released).
Electric is in two parts, my own individual use within my apartment and my share of the co-op's overall electric usage in its common areas.
Mine per month for 2010 is $59, a record high because of the very hot 2010 summer. My share of the co-op's electric (and gas, but not for heating, only for kitchen use) is $17 per month (based on 2009 figures; 2010 not yet released).
Fuel for heating is also my share of the co-op's overall fuel bill. It is $49 per month (again based on 2009 figures; 2010 not yet released).
Water is also my share of the co-op's overall water bill. It is $9 per month (again based on 2009 figures; 2010 not yet released).
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interplanetjanet
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- Location: the wilds of central California
From an earlier post (I'm in PG&E land, central California valley, this is from a recent bill):aurora wrote:I am baffled by how little the responders pay in electric bills. I am curious as to how much you pay per kWh?
I think my average rate sits somewhere near $0.31/kw-h. This gets worse in the summer.interplanetjanet wrote:$0.118/kw-h for the first 368kw-h
$0.135/kw-h for the next 110kw-h
$0.290/kw-h for the next 258kw-h
$0.400/kw-h after that
The top rate used to be about $0.50/kw-hr but after a particularly hot summer in 2009, counties in the interior were in open revolt against PG&E. They dropped the top tier down to $0.40 and raised the bottom two by about a cent each to keep their customer base from doing something drastic.
-Janet