Evergreen Heating Costs (real estate, apartment, how much)

[whoisjongalt]

I'm planning to purchase a house in Evergreen and everything I look at has this electric baseboard heat which I'd never seen before (I guess it was popular in the '60's and '70's). I'm wondering how much it is going to cost to heat a house approximately 2000 sq. ft. in size.

[cowboyxjon]

I can't give you an estimate, but you can call Xcel Energy (or whoever the energy provider is in Evergreen) and ask for an average monthly cost for a particular address. I called Xcel for an estimate on a home I thought about purchasing and they were happy to help... and it's kind of sad that the estimates for the home I inquired about were still less than my monthly average for my current (inefficient) apartment.

I know this probably isn't extremely helpful since it doesn't break down by month, but it's a start.

[whoisjongalt]

Thanks! I never knew you could do that. That's really helpful.

[2bindenver]

Probably IREA. (303) 688-3100 Ask for a high low average.

[whoisjongalt]

Thanks for the info. I'd prefer gas heat but every house I look at has that baseboard electric heat.

[High Altitude]

Originally Posted by whoisjongalt

Thanks for the info. I'd prefer gas heat but every house I look at has that baseboard electric heat.

Are you sure it isn't gas hot water radiant baseboard heat? This type of heating system is also pretty popular in Evergreen and it looks very similar to electric baseboard since they both use a baseboard system.

[whoisjongalt]

You may be right. A real estate agent just told me about the differences. I know one place I looked at was electric but a lot are also that hot water system. How do those compare to forced air heating in terms of expense?

[2bindenver]

Hot water is preferred because of the humidity it adds to the air.

[High Altitude]

Originally Posted by whoisjongalt

You may be right. A real estate agent just told me about the differences. I know one place I looked at was electric but a lot are also that hot water system. How do those compare to forced air heating in terms of expense?

The hot water baseboard system is a radiant system which IMHO is far superior to a forced air system as far as comfort goes. The expense should be pretty close to the forced air system since they are both running on gas etc.... of course how efficient (new) the system is matters but it will definitely cost less than an all electric setup.