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I've been looking at some threads where people mentioned some average heating costs but thought I would see if I can get some more specific and updated info. We're thinking about buying a home in West Hartford - modest in size - maybe 1400 sq. feet or so. We'd love to avoid oil heat but that seems to be predominant in the area. Can anyone give me an idea of what they have paid for heating bills last winter, either natural gas or oil? I know prices will continue to shift but I've never lived in CT. or used oil heat so just trying to figure out what we may be in for.
It will really depend on the age of the house and what the owners have done to weather proof. Are there new windows? Is there insulation in the attic and walls? Those changes will make huge differences in the amount you'll spend on heating.
If you're looking at a house that's heated with oil, call their oil provider and ask for the annual usage of the house. Ask the agent to find out the thermostat setting for the winter. The gas company will also give you the annual total cost if the house is on gas.
That being said, a 1400 square foot house could run you anywhere from approximately $250-$400 to heat a month in the winter.
Our house is 1600 square feet with new windows/doors/boiler. We kept our thermostat low, around 62 during the day and 58 at night. We didn't lock in a rate last year and paid current prices. Monthly oil was about $300-$400.00.
Our house is 1600 square feet with new windows/doors/boiler. We kept our thermostat low, around 62 during the day and 58 at night. We didn't lock in a rate last year and paid current prices. Monthly oil was about $300-$400.00.
How much do u guys think that would go up if you were to buy a fixer-upper with older windows and doors? We are looking at a place in Beacon Falls for $250k and needs repairs like windows, roof and needs TLC including landscaping which I can do myself. We were gonna buy and stick through the winter and do repairs in the spring/summer next year, but would it be more wise to rent a place and then move after the winter is over? I'm just afraid for a house with crappy windows will cost us a lot.
Sorry to the original poster, I have my own thread but since this is going down the path of what I was going to post anyway I decided to keep it on the same thread.
I've been looking at some threads where people mentioned some average heating costs but thought I would see if I can get some more specific and updated info. We're thinking about buying a home in West Hartford - modest in size - maybe 1400 sq. feet or so. We'd love to avoid oil heat but that seems to be predominant in the area. Can anyone give me an idea of what they have paid for heating bills last winter, either natural gas or oil? I know prices will continue to shift but I've never lived in CT. or used oil heat so just trying to figure out what we may be in for.
thanks all!
As the heating season draws closer a few people have asked this question. So let me give you my take…..
First of all, I have a home that is about 1800sq feet, or which 400 sq feet is a porch that I use from April to mid November. Then in the cold season - I only heat about 1400 sq. feet. So the area I’m heating is pretty similar to what you will be heating. I have an electric hot water heater, so I only use oil for heat. I usually shut my furnace off by early April and turn it back on in early November or so. So the furnace is only on about 5 months.
I usually burn about 300 to 400 gallons a season (November through March). Last heating season … I spent about $1400. Prices were actually about where they have fallen to now. The latest price I have seen is about $3.56 a gallon.
A tightly sealed house makes a big difference. Extra insulation in the attic, sealed windows and doors, and thermo winds will help significantly. Also, a passive solar systems works well in Connecticut. This means….. things like a row of needle trees along the North and Northwest side of your home (to block cold north winds)…..a dark colored home (to absorb more heat)….and large south facing winds that will let in the winter sun. Unlike the Pacific Northwest, Great Lakes and New England…… the East Coast from Connecticut south - receives a lot of winter sunshine. Also, remember, the main thing you deal with on the East Coast in winter is periodic severe wind-chill………not the enduring cold in places like Minnesota or Michigan. A blustery 30 F winter day in Connecticut with 30-mph winds…will chill your home every bit as fast a calm Minnesota afternoon of –20 below zero.
Lastly, I think the automatic fill-up thing is not such a great deal. This is especially true for people who have smaller homes and don’t burn that much oil. They hope people will just accept oil as another monthly bill. However, 25 to 50 years ago this wasn’t the case. People mostly had a few big fill ups in the winter season, paid it, and that was it. Now they come in months like May, or July, or September, and when it’s 75 F outside and keep topping off the tank. There is never a month without a bill. I buy oil COD in late October and late January. Check the Yellow Pages, there are companies that will deliverer COD. The way prices are falling…you might even make out better.
My advice if you buy a home…invest in a new tank-less electric water heater (you only make hot water when you need it), and just use the furnace for heat from November through March. Remember that there are many days in the 3 main winter months that are sunny with temps in the 50’s. A south facing window can heat up your rooms quite nicely. There are even days in the winter we turn off our furnace while the sun is out during the day.
1400 sq feet is a good modest size. With conservation I think you should be fine.
Wavehunter - So can you easily add a hot water heater ( and yes, I 've seen the tankless versions and think they are brilliant) to a house that is already outfitted with oil heat? I'm sort of a novice at this as I grew up in the mid-atlantic with natural gas heat, and have lived as an adult in a very warm climate. We are also first time home buyers so I'm trying to understand how a house has both oil and gas or electirc heating sources as well.
thanks for any further illumination you can provide.
We can conserve but we also have two very young children so need to be aware of their needs. We're looking at a fairly low housing budget so I dont know what shape the house we would purchase would be in as far as insulation, etc. goes.
How much do u guys think that would go up if you were to buy a fixer-upper with older windows and doors? We are looking at a place in Beacon Falls for $250k and needs repairs like windows, roof and needs TLC including landscaping which I can do myself. We were gonna buy and stick through the winter and do repairs in the spring/summer next year, but would it be more wise to rent a place and then move after the winter is over? I'm just afraid for a house with crappy windows will cost us a lot.
Sorry to the original poster, I have my own thread but since this is going down the path of what I was going to post anyway I decided to keep it on the same thread.
Thank you!
greyson-
Since it seems you're not having much luck with decent homes in your price range I might suggest you rent for the winter while you live in CT. If the only home you can find is one with old windows and bad insulation, you'll have either a very expensive or very cool winter inside your new home. My suggestion is to rent, wait to buy until Feb/March and do the work yourself over the summer. You can probably find a 6 month rental or someone who will work with you on a month to month basis. And who knows, by then you may find a decent home that requires little to no work - move-in condition.
I live in a city with a fair amount of older homes built around 1900. Many are very energy inefficient. Since about 1/3 of our city's residents have household incomes of less than $40,000 a year, and these homes are the most affordable, it goes without saying that heating their homes uses a significant portion of their income.
I know people who were using 150 gallons every two weeks last year just to keep their home at 60 degrees. That translated to heating costs of nearly $1000 per month in December, January, February, and March. It would be nice to make those homes more energy efficient but due to the age of the home and the owners' limited incomes this is no easy task.
In an energy efficient home of 2000 sq ft expect to use 500 to 750 gallons of oil per year.
Wavehunter - So can you easily add a hot water heater ( and yes, I 've seen the tankless versions and think they are brilliant) to a house that is already outfitted with oil heat? I'm sort of a novice at this as I grew up in the mid-atlantic with natural gas heat, and have lived as an adult in a very warm climate. We are also first time home buyers so I'm trying to understand how a house has both oil and gas or electirc heating sources as well.
thanks for any further illumination you can provide.
We can conserve but we also have two very young children so need to be aware of their needs. We're looking at a fairly low housing budget so I dont know what shape the house we would purchase would be in as far as insulation, etc. goes.
I’m really not an expert about the mechanical part of it… ….but I would think it would be easy to go from oil fired hot water to electric hot water heating (again the tankless would be the best). Basically they just stop the cold water feed at the furnace… and pipe it into the electric hot water heater tank. The tank heats the water….then the water rejoins the original system…. by-passing the furnace again. I’m sure a plumber can give you a quote for installation of an electric hot water heater. As far as systems…it’s very common for people to have an oil furnace heating system….and electric or gas to heat hot water.
The big problem in much of the Atlantic States (and Connecticut is no exception)… is homes are either relatively new (1975 or after)…or quite old (1940 to 1880). Many older homes were not nearly as energey efficient (winter or summer) as a newer home. My house was built in 1977 – during the last energy crunch. So it is heavily insulated, has all thermo windows, and a great solar orientation.
Although you may be buying a home that needs work (you should see the shape this place was in before I bought it), adding energey savings things like insulation, window seal, and weatherstriping is quite cheap. Also think small…don’t fall into the trap the boomers have with a huge house. Make sure you stick to a house of 1400 to 1600 sq. feet max. I also have very young children. I keep the temp at around 68 F during the day…58/60 at night (in Dec – March). I only burn about 60 gallons a month (for 5 months or so) for a 1400 square foot house. At around $3.60 a gallon, that comes out to around $220 a month (from November through March). However, I do live in the warmest part of the state (southeast coastal Connecticut).
If you grew up in the middle Atlantic states - the Tri-State area (NYC/Long Island/NJ/CT) are pretty similar in energy consumption. You know the drill. As another poster above said, maybe renting first is not a bad idea. Waiting and getting a more energy efficient home seems to be the way to go with everything going on today. Prices are not going up anytime soon, that’s for sure. I think it’s going to be a buyers market for the next several years.
I went back and looked at my numbers over the last few heating seasons just to be accurate. I averaged out the warm years and cold years.
I burned about 75 gallons per month...for each month from November through March. A few mornings in early April and late October, I might click it on to take the chill out of the air.
So 75 gallons for around 5 months is 375 gallons per heating season. At $3.60 a gallon..thats $1350 - $1400 for the heating season..or about $280 per month over the five cold months (November to April 1st).
Good Luck.
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