All Electric Utilities-- Expensive? (Lexington, Columbia: apartments, townhomes, heat pump)

[cdseeger1]

I've been looking at some apartments and townhomes in the area and have noticed that some of them are all electric utilities; is this expensive?

I've not even had a place that has all electric utilities, so I'm pretty unfamiliar with them. If you all could let me know you're experiences with it-- good and bad, likes and dislikes-- I'd greatly appreciate it!

[blossom4792]

Hmm, I don't have too much useful information but I'll try to get the ball rolling. I live in a regular house - in the winter I pay huge gas bills (combined with modest electric bills) and in the summer I pay huge electric bills (combined with almost non-existent gas bills).

Could you ask your realtor (or prospective landlord or whomever) for the average utility rates? Building management should be able to give you some estimates.

[cdseeger1]

In CO, where my family currently lives, we have gas heating. It gets expensive in the winter, but like you said, pretty cheap in the summer. We don't have whole house AC, so our electric bill stays pretty consistent all year; it does get pretty hot in our house b/c of that.

I'll be sure to contact the property and ask what the average cost is for all electric utilities, though; thanks for the suggestion.

[blossom4792]

Yes, I can't imagine living here in the summer without A/C - I regret to say that we started running a window unit last week! I am partly from Utah, and my parents still live there, and they go without A/C. I probably got through all of my childhood without it. But then Virginia and Kentucky - no way, not even living in the basement.

[LEXpert]

I think the benefit of all electric is that the prices don't fluctuate like they would if you had a gas furnace and water heater. However, gas heat comes out of the register at a higher temperature than electric heat will, so it is usually quicker at heating up when you turn the thermostat up. A heat pump (electric) will put out air that is the same as the temp that you set it. If the house is 65 degrees and you set it at 72, the register temp will be 72. A gas furnace will have a higher temp at the register than what the thermostat is set at............hope this makes sense.

Unless the apartment is not well insulated, I don't think it will make much difference, especially since you're probably looking to heat and cool less than 1000 sqaure feet that will likely have walls in common with other units.

[pirdybirdy]

What about the clothes dryers? Are most homes set up for only electric dryers? Or do they have both electric and gas hookups? Coming from CA we have mostly gas dryers because it is less expensive to run than electric. Want to know if I should lug my dryer in the move or sell it before I get there. Thanks!!

[Wing Feathers]

All electric is the way to go here in KY. Much cheaper than natural gas. For example - my gas heated home cost $250 a month in the winter to keep warm (a modest 68). My next place with heat pump is only $80 a month in the peak of winter. Columbia Gas Company will rape you here in Lexington... either than or someone tunneled into my gas line & was siphoning away my savings account.