Natural Gas In Maine (Portland, Lewiston: sales, real estate, apartment)

[JndA]

Greetings! My wife and I have been planning on moving to Maine from Colorado for about the last 5 years. We were pretty serious last year but the slump in the economy and real estate (housing prices down) set us back. Hopefully, things will be looking up next spring! We're both in our mid-50s, so we'll be looking for work and have been considering Portland. An obvious concern is heat in the winter. Here in Colorado, everything is natural gas. I understand that there are some areas of Maine where natural gas is available. Is Portland one of them? Is so, how do prices compare to heating oil and is service reliable? Thanks and it is great to be a part of this forum with so many wonderful people!

[Maineah]

Portland has natural gas. I do not know how it compares to oil at this time. They announced on the radio just today that the natural gas distributor Northern Utilities asked the Public Utilities Commission for a 15%-20% increase this summer and will ask for an additional 15%-20% increase again this fall. Find a house with a woodstove!

[JndA]

Hi Maineah-

Yes, I'm not surprised it's on the way up. It's going to be brutal this coming winter. If NG was cheaper than oil, I was thinking about going with that and supplementing with wood. Greetings from Colorado and thanks for this info!

[Mark S.]

The overwhelming majority of houses in Maine are still heated by oil. But that's changing --- and changing fast, with oil prices being what they are.

Natural gas is available in many places. We have it here in Brunswick in some neighborhoods. You just have to check and make sure there is a line near your house.

Propane is also becoming more and more popular.

Wood stoves and especially wood pellet stove sales are booming. Especially after the winter we just had.

[JndA]

Hi Mark-

Sounds like NG might be cheaper than oil. Having never used wood for anything other than a fireplace, I wonder how easy and convenient it would be to rely on it for your primary source of heat? Maybe the combination is the way to go? I know this is starting to stray off topic, but I've read favorable things about pellet stoves, other than they rely on power to run. I even thought I read somewhere that a newer, cleaner burning coal was making a comeback, though I don't know that for a fact. Thanks!

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by JndA

Having never used wood for anything other than a fireplace, I wonder how easy and convenient it would be to rely on it for your primary source of heat? Maybe the combination is the way to go? I know this is starting to stray off topic, but I've read favorable things about pellet stoves, other than they rely on power to run.

My wife is actually the household pellet stove expert, but I know that many of the newer models will burn both wood and wood pellets. And you really only need a power source if you are going to hook it up to a fan or ventillation system.

Honestly though...

If your house is designed well, you won't need it. In the first place we lived, the primary heat source was a propane fireplace. We had a big place, close to 2,000 square feet, two stories, and that one fireplace heated the whole house without an electric fan. But the vents were well placed so that the heat went right up through a vent or up the staircase into the rooms overhead.

My parents had a woodburning stove. If you've got it hooked up right, it can heat your whole house pretty well. You do have to be careful though, especially if you have little ones. The metal can get VERY hot. Way too hot to touch. And if you don't keep the chimney maintained, they can be a fire hazard.

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by JndA

Greetings! My wife and I have been planning on moving to Maine from Colorado for about the last 5 years. We were pretty serious last year but the slump in the economy and real estate (housing prices down) set us back. Hopefully, things will be looking up next spring! We're both in our mid-50s, so we'll be looking for work and have been considering Portland. An obvious concern is heat in the winter. Here in Colorado, everything is natural gas. I understand that there are some areas of Maine where natural gas is available. Is Portland one of them? Is so, how do prices compare to heating oil and is service reliable? Thanks and it is great to be a part of this forum with so many wonderful people!

I know just how you feel. My family and I have been scouting in Maine for several years now and even sold our house a couple of years ago in order to finance the move. We are now debating if this is now time to move with the ever faltering economy and price of fuels skyrocketing. Here across the Maple Curtain we are fortunate to have steady employment.
When we get to Maine I am planning to heat primarily with wood but will have a propane or kerosene heat source for back up.

[flycessna]

natural gas is readily available in in just about any city...i think. I know at least lewiston auburn has it.

I had my 6 unit apartment building switch from natural gas to oil about 5 years ago. My oil bill is now equall with what i was paying for gas. I know they say its cheaper but i dont see how........I found it crazy expensive.......and now with it going up....who knows

I would consider propane if you do not mind the thought of evaporating in the middle of the night when the tanks blow up. I have it.........and other then the two bombs parked against the house it is cheaper to buy than oil.

Now they say electric is expensive but they do not consider how well zoned it is.........I heat with electricity and spent about 3000 last winter...

[JndA]

Hey Mark- Sounds like some of those stoves are pretty fancy. I'll have to check them out.

Hi bignhfamily- I hadn't thought of kerosene! Hope you make the move soon.

Hi flycessna- Out here, electricity has always been the most expensive. The wife will love the "bomb" up against the house thing!

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by flycessna

natural gas is readily available in in just about any city...i think. I know at least lewiston auburn has it.

Lewiston/Auburn, Portland, Bangor. All have it in areas, but not wide spread like cities in the West/ Midwest. Nothing much further north of Bangor has NG as far as I know.

Here is the Maine PUC web page with the NG companies in Maine and the areas/towns they serve. MPUC: Natural Gas: Frequently Asked Questions about Natural Gas in Maine