Hope, energy costs (new house, water heater, live)

[samluc]

Moving to Hope, Idaho.....all the houses we looked at have small electric heaters, instead of furnace. Alot of Coal fired electric plants are going off line next year, rates across country to raise drastically, Idaho has some of the very lowest rates, I think because of the hydroplants. Are there rates going to rise?

[f5fstop]

Not an expert, but I believe that the biggest hits to coal fired plants will be in the midwest to eastern states. And yes, rates will probably skyrocket in those areas.
But when I was looking for a house in ID, I noted a large number were either electric baseboard or electric forced air, and I bypassed everyone. Preferred to keep the heating system as gas forced air. (My new house does have an electric hot water heater, but that is not a large concern for me; single, and I only do laundry with cold or warm water.)

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by samluc

Moving to Hope, Idaho.....all the houses we looked at have small electric heaters, instead of furnace. Alot of Coal fired electric plants are going off line next year, rates across country to raise drastically, Idaho has some of the very lowest rates, I think because of the hydroplants. Are there rates going to rise?

Some of those houses you looked at may have had wood or propane heat. Country homes may have large wood stoves that are capable of heating the entire home, and some of them use wood pellets instead of logs, as the pellets are more efficient fuel. Older country homes may use propane for heating and cooking.

Homes equipped with large wood stoves most often have an open design with doors only on the bedrooms and bathrooms. A wood stove is either damped down at night, and the electric baseboards or wall heaters can be set individually to comfortable temperatures.

For a while in the late 70s and into the 80s, electric heat enjoyed a brief surge of popularity, using the same rationale.

Natural gas heat has been the cheapest for the past 15 years or so in most parts of the state, but the gas prices are variable, and a lot of country homes don't have gas lines. Gas prices are supposed to go up this year after a long slide in price. Propane is also more expensive than it once was, mostly due to the costs of delivery.

Idaho winters are cold, sometimes very cold, for up to 9 months long. Heating is a major expense, and the electric wall heaters and baseboards allow flexibility in heating. Unused spaces can be left unheated with them.

A lot of homes are now being built with a super-insulation design, using 2x6 wall studs instead of 2/4, so more insulation can be packed into exterior walls, and interior walls also have insulation in them. Wrapping the exterior with heavy vinyl wrap to seal the cold air out, insulated windows, and heavy insulation in the attic spaces are all intended to save heating costs.

The problem with some of these super-insulated homes is sometimes they are so sealed up that fresh air intakes and exhausts are needed. The air can become very stale very quickly in some places, and CO2 buildup can become dangerous in a few, especially when a home is unoccupied for most of the day.

Many newer homes have some or all this stuff while older homes may not. Some homes may seem to be a real bargain, but can be very costly to heat, which may be a reason they're a bargain.

When it's 30 below zero outside, a house can become very expensive to heat very quickly. The costs of all heating fuels have gone up substantially in the past 20 years, so folks have found many solutions to keeping the costs down.

While below zero cold snaps are common, and most only last for 10 days or less, that's not always true. it is also common for the temps to hover around zero for a month or more, never getting warmer than 20º during the day and dipping down below zero at night. Heat conservation becomes a big deal.

Wind chill is as big a factor as cold here. When a winter day is 35º and the wind is blowing at 30 mph, the wind chill is below zero, and a house with a lot of air leaks loses it's heat rapidly.

A part of being an Idahoan is developing a tolerance for cold. We have a lot of topics about this here; it would pay to read through some of them. The more you learn about heating, the more questions you will have to get info on a house. Air conditioning isn't needed here very much, but heating is essential.