Advice on winter heating costs for newcomers to Maine (Portland: real estate, rental)

[Marigo14]

Actually I'm starting this thread because I wish I'd known more about some of the peculiarities of staying warm in Maine, especially when renting part or all of some of the very old houses in smaller cities.

It's not easy to get information from landlords on what to expect if you pay your own heat, and there can be some unpleasant surprises once you're installed in your rental for the duration of the winter.

I'm also shocked at the inattention to weatherization and insulation in some of these places, which would make a difference.

Anyway, instead of relating my own tales of woe (and sticker shock!), maybe some of the people who have lived here for a while can offer advice to those who are planning to relocate to Maine and live here year-round. Because if you're coming from an urban area in another part of the country, there are -- shall we say -- some unique problems that you'll encounter when you're looking to rent.

I know there must be places in Maine with central heating, so common in the Midwest, but I haven't found them. So many places are really old houses with propane heaters, woodstoves, etc. I think if you're in a midlife phase or older you need to be aware of whether you're going to be warm enough and if you can pay the heating costs and stay within your budget.

I remember last October I was sitting in a coffee shop full of people of all ages, and for a while I just listened to the buzz of conversations around me: every single person was talking about heaters, stoves, comparing costs of oil/wood etc.!

[KellySou]

I guess we all take it for granted the winter here sucks and is super expensive. They even advertise on some bank signs in my town for "home heating oil loans". We all dread that aspect of winter and it lasts for so long that you really do pay for it all year long. We lived in places that lacked insulation when we rented a house or trailer and we always put plastic over the windows to cut the draft.Also when we stayed in a trailer we banked the skirting with hay bales or bags of leaves to cut draft there too. We always have at least one electric heater and plenty of blankets. Ideally I would love to have a woodstove in our next place.

[Coaster]

Central heating isn't unknown (I don't know anyone without it), but it's often turned off or turned way down in favor of alternatives, such as wood stoves, propane heaters, and the like. Yes, Maine has a generally older-than-average housing stock, and if you're renting, landlords aren't known to care much about the heating efficiency of their units if they're not paying for the heat. There are several state programs that help people insulate their homes and rental units, but again it depends on action by the owners to take advantage of them.

Basically it's buyer beware, and for someone coming in from a milder climate heating costs can be a shock. I would advise talking to neighbors, local housing officials or perhaps the town's code enforcement officer to see what they say about the rental you're interested in. Also, visit forums like this one or develop contacts in the area before moving. ("Hi, I'm Joe and Joan Smith and I'm interested in joining your YMCA/land trust/VFW/church after moving to your town...")

[JoulesMSU]

I just don't understand why (seemingly) everything is heated with oil here.

I have yet to see a radiator anywhere out here, and I don't understand why, because they are so much cheaper to heat with. A gas furnace would also be preferable, but those don't seem to exist here either...

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by JoulesMSU

I just don't understand why (seemingly) everything is heated with oil here.

I have yet to see a radiator anywhere out here, and I don't understand why, because they are so much cheaper to heat with. A gas furnace would also be preferable, but those don't seem to exist here either...

No gas furnaces because until fairly recently there wasn't a natural gas pipeline in the entire state. Propane is expensive to use.

[Coaster]

Originally Posted by JoulesMSU

I just don't understand why (seemingly) everything is heated with oil here.

I have yet to see a radiator anywhere out here, and I don't understand why, because they are so much cheaper to heat with. A gas furnace would also be preferable, but those don't seem to exist here either...

Radiator? What do you mean?

Natural gas is just now becoming a major new source of heating fuel in Maine. Until recently Portland was the northern terminus of the New England natgas pipeline system. It is now being expanded into other cities, such as Augusta, Bangor/Brewer, Brunswick/Bath. Even then it will only be found in areas with a population concentration high enough to support the needed infrastructure. Heating oil is an easily transported, highly concentrated fuel source that does not require pipelines, transmission lines, etc. My brother in Brewer heats with oil and wood. When natural gas was installed on his street, he was offered the option of switching over. He declined when he learned it would cost $8,000 to $10,000.

[WhoFanMe]

I'm starting to see a move to...

Heating Oil. With the shortage of natural gas, propane and pellets this year and already projected for next year (natural gas), oil could become "hot" again. I met another real estate agent today I greatly respect at a house in North Yarmouth and she told me she's sticking with oil in her house, it costs $2000 - $8000 or more to convert, the natural gas companies moving into Yarmouth and Cumberland are offering special deals, but when they get entrenched in the community the rates will rise to market levels. I have buyers going under contract with a well known builder in Scarborough and they are going to use oil heat. I talked with another builder last week who told me he hadn't installed an oil boiler in over 5 years. I think he might this year.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by KellySou

I guess we all take it for granted the winter here sucks and is super expensive. They even advertise on some bank signs in my town for "home heating oil loans". We all dread that aspect of winter and it lasts for so long that you really do pay for it all year long. We lived in places that lacked insulation when we rented a house or trailer and we always put plastic over the windows to cut the draft.Also when we stayed in a trailer we banked the skirting with hay bales or bags of leaves to cut draft there too. We always have at least one electric heater and plenty of blankets. Ideally I would love to have a woodstove in our next place.

great point, i bought a 17 dollar surface temp laser gun off ebay,,,to measure temps around doors, windows, basement walls etc,,
and it became obvious really quickly, i dont do enough to "winterize" my home


Im buying the compressed bricks. instead of wood,,,clean, no chopping,,,,these are great to take the chill off

i may install another woodstove in the basement- i have one in the living room now

[Submariner]

I assume that fuel was fairly cheap 50 years ago. So it has only been in recent years that people have began thinking about insulation.

Our home is fairly well insulated [R-60]. We have a lot of Southern windows and they give us some Passive Solar heat through the mid-day, but only enough to keep our house from dipping below 50F.

I had read a lot about radiant floor heat, so when I built this house I included radiant floors. We love it. Nothing better than a warm floor.

This winter sure seemed long, we went through more wood than we normally do. We burned 4 cords this past winter.

In our township, I am pretty sure that wood is the most popular heating fuel. Some homes have oil, and some homes have propane.

I included a propane system here in our home, to be used only as a backup heat source. With electric as a tertiary heat source.

I intend next year to add-on a Solar-thermal array to begin heating our home with solar. I hope that we can cut our firewood use down to only 1 cord each winter.

[KellySou]

Originally Posted by Submariner

I assume that fuel was fairly cheap 50 years ago. So it has only been in recent years that people have began thinking about insulation.

Our home is fairly well insulated [R-60]. We have a lot of Southern windows and they give us some Passive Solar heat through the mid-day, but only enough to keep our house from dipping below 50F.

I had read a lot about radiant floor heat, so when I built this house I included radiant floors. We love it. Nothing better than a warm floor.

This winter sure seemed long, we went through more wood than we normally do. We burned 4 cords this past winter.

In our township, I am pretty sure that wood is the most popular heating fuel. Some homes have oil, and some homes have propane.

I included a propane system here in our home, to be used only as a backup heat source. With electric as a tertiary heat source.

I intend next year to add-on a Solar-thermal array to begin heating our home with solar. I hope that we can cut our firewood use down to only 1 cord each winter.

This is what I like to see. A Mainer that is converting to what really works. If you really want to stay and live in Maine and you own property this is what you have to do. Even if you can only tackle one major thing each year it goes a long way toward cutting overall cost and making your home more comfortable.
I have no intention of staying here in Maine but I have a deep appreciation of folks that choose to live here even in the dead of winter. Good job! Your house sounds wonderful and if I was to stay and buy eventually I would dream of a setup like that.