Question on Minnesota average utility bills ( costs ) (Duluth, Rochester: how much, houses)

[Positiveone]

Hi Everyone 😊,

I’m considering relocating from Las Vegas to Rochester Minnesota. Can you give me an average you pay for these utilities. I’m more focused on Rochester. But if you live anywhere in Minnesota please give me an idea of the utility costs.

This is what I pay now. Family of 4. We have a 4 bedroom 2 bath 2000 square foot home here in Las Vegas. I’m trying to figure what the same size house might average us on utilities.

Utility Bills Las Vegas

Water - about $100
House phone & internet - $146
Direct tv - $122
Nevada energy - $181 month
Gas (home) - $33 month
Sewer - $15 month

Thank you very much
Have a fabulous day 🌞😊

[cornsnicker3]

Duluth, MN

3 bed, 1 bath house, 1300 sq ft.
Gas Heat with two rooms with electric heaters. No AC (or as I like to think, Lake Superior AC'd)

Electric Minimum: $28 in August
Electric Maximum: $51 in December

Water, Gas, & Sewage Minimum: $92 in August
Water, Gas, & Sewage Maximum: $168 in December

Trash: $72 every two months for regular trash and recycle bin

Internet: $70 per month

[Positiveone]

Originally Posted by cornsnicker3

Duluth, MN

3 bed, 1 bath house, 1300 sq ft.
Gas Heat with two rooms with electric heaters. No AC (or as I like to think, Lake Superior AC'd)

Electric Minimum: $28 in August
Electric Maximum: $51 in December

Water, Gas, & Sewage Minimum: $92 in August
Water, Gas, & Sewage Maximum: $168 in December

Trash: $72 every two months for regular trash and recycle bin

Internet: $70 per month

Thank you for the reply! Great info. Can anyone else chime in?

Thank you 😊

[nbtmn]

Family of 4, 2100 square foot 3 level split house in the Twin Cities, built in early 1980s. Keep indoor temp around 72 in the winter, 74 summer.

Gas and electric around $100-$130 per month in the summer, about $250 per month in the winter. Has been as low as $80 in a mild transition month.

Water/sewer about $120-130 a quarter, more like $150 in the summer (we have an in ground sprinkler system in our modestly sized back yard).

If you decide to move, I'd recommend asking for utility bills for a particular house before making an offer. We definitely ruled out a house once due to the outrageous utility costs.

Hope that helps!

[cornsnicker3]

There is another thing to consider. Your tolerance for different temperatures will affect your heating and cooling. We operate our house between 58-64 deg F during winter and do nothing to cool the house in summer (rarely needed, but sometimes it gets warm and we have no AC anyway). If you need to have your house be 72 or higher in dead of winter, it will cost a lot more in electricity/gas/wood to keep your house at that temp than something like what we operate at.

As you (or if you) acclimate, your preferences will likely change.

[Positiveone]

Thank you! I repped you all up! Great info
Please keep it coming

Are wood burning fireplaces in the newer homes or gas fireplace? Are the homes central Air?



Thanks again ��

[nbtmn]

Originally Posted by Positiveone

Thank you! I repped you all up! Great info
Please keep it coming

Are wood burning fireplaces in the newer homes or gas fireplace? Are the homes central Air?



Thanks again ��

I don't think you'd find a newer home without A/C in the Cities or Rochester. Any that don't have central air are usually older homes built before A/C was standard. It can and does get hot/humid here in the summer, and A/C is very welcome on those days.

Not all homes have fireplaces. When considering newer homes, I would say it's mainly larger (non-starter) homes that have fireplaces and they are almost all gas. We have one that is wood burning, which was one of my requirements when we were looking for a house. I love the ambiance and "fun" of making a fire in a wood burning fireplace in the colder months. You could add on a fireplace (of either type) to a house that doesn't have one as long as you have the configuration for it.

[jmcahacker]

Definitely ask for previous utility bills when you look at a house. If the homeowner won't provide them sometimes the utility company will or at least prior averages. In a cold weather environment individual factors such as the size of a house and a houses # of windows, quality of windows, age and efficiency of furnace, and even wind blocks such as trees and shrubs around the house will make a difference in heating costs.

We bought an older house that we renovated and adding insulation and replacing the windows with a more efficient style cut our heating costs by almost $100 in the cold months. Next up is replacing the 37 year old furnace and that should make another huge difference.

[Positiveone]

Thanks all for the responses!

I’m from Las Vegas so adjusting to snow & long winters will be a different experience.
On average how much does it cost to fully insulate a home? Garage & all?

Do most of you homeowners have generators?

What do you have to do exactly to prepare your home for winter?

Any info helps.

Thank ya
Have a great weekend ��