# What are your average utility bills per month?



## monokitty

For you that own your own home.. what kind of dollar amount do you pay, on average, per month, which includes the following expenses:
• Water
• Hot Water
• Electricity
• Heating

I'm just curious.. you know, for my own home in the future..


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## gordguide

$83.00/month ($43 for natural gas used for home heating and hot water heating; $30 month for electricity, and $30 billed every third month (ie $10/mo) for water. My natural gas is on the equalized payment plan so it's fixed per month based on annual consumption. House is in the city.


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## Cameo

I guess that answers my question - A house I was looking at stated that the oil heating cost $2700 per year and Hydro at approximately $1200 per year.
Old house out in the country. Kinda expensive - I was curious as to what others were paying to find out how much more this was......I would hate to pass up the house only to find out that it wasn't much more than others.


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## Sonal

Really varies on the size, age and style of house, type of heating, and area. (Cost of gas/vs electricity varies.)

2100 square foot house, natural gas heating, two people who both work at home. About $160/month on gas, $140/month on hydro, $10/month on water. 

$310/month total.


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## guytoronto

$0 - Rent, all inclusive.


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## SINC

Hi Gordguide, welcome back!

1200 sqaure foot home:

Natural gas $118/mo budget billing
Water/sewer/garbage disposal $180/every second month
Electricity $160/mo summer/ $200-230 winter
Avg about $500/month


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## Mugatu

guytoronto said:


> $0 - Rent, all inclusive.


It's there, just hidden. 

$375 / month.


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## Sonal

guytoronto said:


> $0 - Rent, all inclusive.


I'm on the other side of the landlord/tenant thing. 

STOP RUNNING UP MY EXPENSES!!! 

Though in a month I move to an all-inclusive apartment myself. Damn landlords. 

You should know, however, that there's some talk on a government level to require all landlords to submeter their apartments in a few years. Tenants use less energy when they pay their own--better for the environment. Your rent would go down by the average cost of utilities, but then you'd be responsible for your own.

It's pretty amazing how much the energy usage varies between apartments in an all-inclusive buildings. Some folks in 1 bedroom apartments use more electricity than I do in my whole house.


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## iMatt

About $100/month for hydro, which includes heat and hot water. Roughly 1000 square-foot apartment, w/ washer-dryer.

Water is not billed separately here; it's rolled into property taxes. As a tenant, property taxes are included in my rent.


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## ErnstNL

We heat about 1500 sq ft of our 4 level backsplit. Electric heat, electric water boiler, no air conditioning; Run a dehumidifier in the basement 12 hrs a day. Heat exchanger, 12 year old house. Live in an open area which can get windy sometimes.  
On the 12 month equal payment plan: Just renewed at $320/ month. (We pay those darn HST taxes on electricity too). 
Last year paid $285 month. They raised the KW rate and added a few dollars more.


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## guytoronto

Sonal said:


> You should know, however, that there's some talk on a government level to require all landlords to submeter their apartments in a few years.


This would suck for many reasons.

One of the main ones is that tenants can't really invest to make their apartment energy friendly. If the landlord doesn't put in weather seals and stripping, good quality windows and doors, and sensible heating solutions (i.e. NOT baseboard electrical heaters), the tenant would be stuck with a HUGE heating bill.

I can understand wanting to pass water expense onto the tenant (who really needs a 20 minute shower), and electricity (only if heating is not electric), but heating should remain as part of the landlords responsibility.


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## Cameo

So, the heat/hydro for the house I am thinking of renting is not out of whack. This thread has been very helpful to me, thanks all.


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## Sonal

guytoronto--in some of the properties we manage, we've already submetered to make our expenses more fixed. In that case, we're required to show the tenants a schedule of the utility bills each month for a full 12 months, and then everyone's rent is reduced by the average monthly cost. So if you're a below-average user to begin with, then it's to your advantage. In an inefficient building, it's a bigger rent reduction.

Your point about a tenant's ability to make improvements, however, is well-taken. The smart landlords are making energy improvements already--vacancy rates are higher than they have been in years, and utility costs are going up. In addition, the government has incentive programs to speed up the payback period, and there's a lot of new tech out there that increases efficiency. But there are sometimes big changes that are often not cost-effective to do because the payback period is too long. And there are not a lot of smart landlords. 

Still, in one building, hydro on identical apartments varies from $70 to $400/month--kind of suspicious about it being a grow-op, but it doesn't seem that way. We do have tenants who run the air conditioner and a heater simultaneously, though, with the doors and windows wide open.


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## _Outcast_

I have a 1500 sq. ft. house that is a little over 50 years old (damn plaster walls. sigh)

Gas: ~$130/month
Hydro: ~$120/month except summer, then it's ~$250/month due to the pool pump and A/C
Water: ~$15/month

So I guess approximately $265 a month until summer rolls around, then it jumps way up. 

Jerry


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## MacNutt

My hydro bills run about two hundred per month for three residences on this property. One of which is warmed solely by electric heat.

I am in the process of setting up a small scale hydro generation plant using our spring water...it originates on a mountainside 900 feet above us...this 7000GPD water stream that falls 900 feet at a fifty degree angle should be able to generate enough power to cover ALL of the electrical bills for this acreage, and acually return money to us from BC Hydro. In fact...I might be getting checks from them for upwards of 900 per month, according to the studies.

But we gotta do some real work to get to that point. And spend some real money to get there, too. Am setting it up as we speak...

Nothing is ever free. Or even easy.

Trust me on this.


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## Jordan

1700 sqft home built 1945, Electric Plus force air, hydro, sewer, water and garbage averages out to $100 a month.


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## dona83

I live in an apartment, hydro's $30-35 a month. Heat and hot water is included in the rent.

I think in an average home around Vancouver hydro + natural gas runs around $200 a month


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## dona83

MacNutt said:


> I am in the process of setting up a small scale hydro generation plant using our spring water...it originates on a mountainside 900 feet above us...this 7000GPD water stream that falls 900 feet at a fifty degree angle should be able to generate enough power to cover ALL of the electrical bills for this acreage, and acually return money to us from BC Hydro. In fact...I might be getting checks from them for upwards of 900 per month, according to the studies.


That's awesome MacNutt, take pictures of the area and show us, I'd love to see it.


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## Kosh

Yeah, this is going to vary depending on the size of the house, # of people, whether someone stays at home all day, and location in Canada, but I'm game to provide some info:

Heating & Hot Water are natural gas paid on a equal payment program of $170 per month for a 2100 sqr ft house. Last year I ended up having 2 or 3 months in summer on the credit built up - the equal payment program is charging me a little too much.

Electricity is about $40 per month when the air conditioning isn't on all the time. When the air conditioning is on, it can go up to $90 a month.

Water and Sewage is about $45.


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## RicktheChemist

.


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## moonsocket

The apartment we just left was very expensive in the winter. Forced hot air from an electric furnace at about $500 a month. $50 of which was was just our normal power bill. so in the winter months(December, January, February and part of March) we were paying $500 a month. The apartment was still cold and never really warmed up. The place we just moved into has all new windows and we can control the heat room by room.We shall see what happens this winter.


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## Dr.G.

Sonal hits the proverbial "nail on the head" with her comment that "Really varies on the size, age and style of house, type of heating, and area." We have three levels (3500 sq.feet) to heat, but do so differently on each level. The addition of insulation was a great savings. Still, we spend about $1500 a year for electricity, $1500 for heating oil, and nothing for wood (which I scrounge from fallen tree branches and people doing renovations).


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## SoyMac

MacNutt said:


> ...I am in the process of setting up a small scale hydro generation plant using our spring water......


MacNutt - That is awesome! 
I am looking in to converting this 100 year-old downtown Ottawa house to geothermal heat, with active and passive solar generation as well.
First thing we did was insulate the main part of the house, It had never had insulation before!!!!


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## macintosh doctor

monokitty said:


> For you that own your own home.. what kind of dollar amount do you pay, on average, per month, which includes the following expenses:
> • Water
> • Hot Water
> • Electricity
> • Heating
> 
> I'm just curious.. you know, for my own home in the future..


• Water - less than $40 per month - family of four
• Hot Water - $28/month for the rental heater
• Electricity - $variable with seasons.. winter $ 85 - $120 / month - summer is double..
• Heating - which includes my cooking, BBQ [ as we are gas everything ] $variable with seasons.. summer $ 45-95 / month - winter is double..

you left out insurance which is another $800 per year
the greatest dent is property taxes $ 5300 per year for the city I live in. [seems to be on the rise] size of house is 4000' sq ft

Our home is very enviro friendly, also we use German Appliances - yes expensive up front but pays for itself 3 times over on cost of operations..
we use our washer / dryer 4 times a day too. [ cost nothing to operate - Miele ]

good luck




guytoronto said:


> $0 - Rent, all inclusive.


no such thing as all inclusive.. you are paying for it in your rent.
also he asked about buying a home because people like you make other pay dearly ..
I also agree with sonai that they should make renters pay for utilities plus the cost of the property to teach them a lesson on the cost of life and respect for others..


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## Garry

2750 sq ft (includes developed basement) built in 1958 - average is $275 (includes everything)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Macfury

Folks, it's a zombie thread. You're comparing with utility prices from 2005.


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## G-Mo

7+ year old thread!! :yikes:


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## eMacMan

Gouge Fees courtesy of the AB governments privitization of the utilities, over $60/month. That's on top of gas and electrical consumption.

Water sewer and garbage up more than 30% over the past 5 years. tptptptp


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## Joker Eh

taken again. tptptptp


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## Sonal

Macfury said:


> Folks, it's a zombie thread. You're comparing with utility prices from 2005.


Kind of interesting.... I was in a different house with a different husband then, all new and bright-eyed about the landlord game...


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## macintosh doctor

Macfury said:


> Folks, it's a zombie thread. You're comparing with utility prices from 2005.


it is still relevant for those that wish to compare..


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## chimo

Since nobody shot this zombie thread through the brain, I'll bite too.

2012 Monthly Averages

Water/Sewer: $43
Gas (Heat (FHA) & Hot Water(Tankless)): $53
Electricity: $103


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## SINC

OK, me too:

Gas heating home and stand alone garage/shop $77
Water/Sewer/Garbage/Recycles $145
Electricity $255

Welcome to privatization in Alberta


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