Average Utility Bills? (apartments, for rent, how much)

[JillyBeanTM]

My husband and I are planning on moving into a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment in the northern suburbs and we're trying to figure out how much monthly utilities will be. Specifically electric and heating, since most complexes cover water and trash.

Thanks in advance!

[Globe199]

is it gas heat? apartments are cheaper than houses, and i paid about $130 in energy costs for my house during November -- and it was 7 DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL

[Duk123]

Heat is included in most complexes in the area that I've ever looked at. If heat isn't included see if the have a second or 3rd floor apt. for rent. In the place that we rented before we bought we lived on the 3rd floor and I doubt that we ever turned on our heat. As for electricity when we rented we paid right around 75/mo and that was with my wife and i working opposite shifts so someone was pretty much always in the house and awake.

[kcitti]

You can call the energy company and ask...they'll give you averages for both and also high and low over the last year. Just give them an address and unit #.

[Robert98]

I agree with 2nd and 3rd floor apartments. I don't pay for heat. But I don't have to turn it on until outside temp gets to about 20 degrees. And I have never paid more than $50/mo for electicity. And I have lights and tv on all the time.

[Mercedes-Benz]

Originally Posted by JillyBeanTM

My husband and I are planning on moving into a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment in the northern suburbs and we're trying to figure out how much monthly utilities will be. Specifically electric and heating, since most complexes cover water and trash.

Thanks in advance!

Is there really an average? How much money you spend on heating depends on the square footage of your home, the efficiency of your heater, and how well insulated is the house. It also depends on how often someone opens the door, vent, or window. You can lower costs by using a geothermal heat pump instead of a natural gas heater. Build a house with thick walls with fiberglass and fiberglass in several layers in the attic with an insulated floor. Carpeting all round helps with heating but not for the allergies. Build a house with low ceilings. Not so low that tall people bump their heads walking through the doors but low enough so the heat won't go so high up, lower ceilings keep the heat closer to the floors where the people are living. Also use air ducts that are built inside the living space. Placing the heating ducts inside the attic so it is out of view is very inefficient.

You can also use big reservoirs of water that get heated by solar heat panels during the day and heat the house at night. Electric solar panels and solar water heaters for the pool and indoor plumbing are not a bad idea either. You can even use a gray water storage tank to store water from the showers and laundry to be used to flush the toilet and water plants.