Naples - Cost of electricity to cool home, and run pool pump?

[FLKitties]

Originally Posted by FireStation46

Yes, frame above block can be a bigger concern when a hurricane or straight wind event rolls in. Folks may need the 2-story but just know the risks.

^This 100%. I always assumed that 2-story homes down here were entirely CBC until I saw new homes actually being built. I think that there may be some built completely CBC but I think that's rare with the exception of custom builds as I don't think a lot of builders were just putting up all block 2-story homes due to the extra cost involved. Also, be sure to check what a home is made of as there are some wood-frame homes around.

Originally Posted by FireStation46

Been thru a few home sales over the years, getting the utility bill history has always been part if the deal before inking the deal. You are spot on, The buyers could be using less or more but if you get it for a few months and you can at least ballpark what your bill may come in at.

Exactly. As a seller, we've had people ask to know what our bill history was and things like what we set our thermostat at so if that kind of information interests you and/or would sway your decision on one property vs the next, definitely have your agent make the inquiry.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by FLKitties

^This 100%. I always assumed that 2-story homes down here were entirely CBC until I saw new homes actually being built. I think that there may be some built completely CBC but I think that's rare with the exception of custom builds as I don't think a lot of builders were just putting up all block 2-story homes due to the extra cost involved. Also, be sure to check what a home is made of as there are some wood-frame homes around.



Exactly. As a seller, we've had people ask to know what our bill history was and things like what we set our thermostat at so if that kind of information interests you and/or would sway your decision on one property vs the next, definitely have your agent make the inquiry.

The problem with bill history is if you have a seasonal elderly couple with very little usage selling to a full time family that uses more. Relatively speaking I was a high energy user so I didn’t want to provide what we used as a family. What I ended up doing as the house was on the market for a while was to provide the guideline for the “empty” house.

As to wood frame on CBC it still has to meet Collier code requirements. I don’t like it either but all those 2 story homes in Riverstone seemed to survive Irma just fine.

[FLKitties]

Originally Posted by markjames68

The problem with bill history is if you have a seasonal elderly couple with very little usage selling to a full time family that uses more. Relatively speaking I was a high energy user so I didn’t want to provide what we used as a family. What I ended up doing as the house was on the market for a while was to provide the guideline for the “empty” house.

As to wood frame on CBC it still has to meet Collier code requirements. I don’t like it either but all those 2 story homes in Riverstone seemed to survive Irma just fine.

What you did with your bills works, too. If you had been providing them with whole family actively living there bills, I would have just prefaced it with that. We had a previous situation where we were renting out a condo and were asked for utility costs and we explained that it would probably represent the top end of costs as it was in WI and I like warmth plus we would leave the TV on all day for our cats while we were at work. A smart buyer is going to take into consideration how they would live versus how the present party lives but I understand your hesitation because a lot of people just see $$ and don't stop and think that something is best- or worst-case scenario.

I'm not against wood-frame houses but I do think people need to be mindful of what they are buying and not just assume everything is block down here. We actually considered a wood-frame home but the added insurance costs and termite risk made us more leery than risk of any hurricane damage because of the fact that it was an older home and we couldn't be sure of its treatment/prevention history.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by FLKitties

What you did with your bills works, too. If you had been providing them with whole family actively living there bills, I would have just prefaced it with that. We had a previous situation where we were renting out a condo and were asked for utility costs and we explained that it would probably represent the top end of costs as it was in WI and I like warmth plus we would leave the TV on all day for our cats while we were at work. A smart buyer is going to take into consideration how they would live versus how the present party lives but I understand your hesitation because a lot of people just see $$ and don't stop and think that something is best- or worst-case scenario.

I'm not against wood-frame houses but I do think people need to be mindful of what they are buying and not just assume everything is block down here. We actually considered a wood-frame home but the added insurance costs and termite risk made us more leery than risk of any hurricane damage because of the fact that it was an older home and we couldn't be sure of its treatment/prevention history.

Unfortunately in my experience most buyers in Naples aren’t “smart buyers”!

[hardluk1]

Instead of fretting over the monthly energy bill that can very greatly by life style be sure they can get insurance and what there taxes are and can cover them along with there mortgage !! With todays 21 seer A/C and pool equipment if a house your looking to buy is 6 years old or older it probably was not top level equipment of the day so upgraded your a/c and pool heat reduce month energy bill by as much as 50% + and I sure a sharp home owner can get tax breaks and right offs for that .

When we sold our home to a friend 11 years ago it was in the mildly of October , typically the end of the high monthly power bills for the year !! There first full month's power bill was instantly twice what out last 3 months average was and this is cooler weather .??

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by hardluk1

Instead of fretting over the monthly energy bill that can very greatly by life style be sure they can get insurance and what there taxes are and can cover them along with there mortgage !! With todays 21 seer A/C and pool equipment if a house your looking to buy is 6 years old or older it probably was not top level equipment of the day so upgraded your a/c and pool heat reduce month energy bill by as much as 50% + and I sure a sharp home owner can get tax breaks and right offs for that .

When we sold our home to a friend 11 years ago it was in the mildly of October , typically the end of the high monthly power bills for the year !! There first full month's power bill was instantly twice what out last 3 months average was and this is cooler weather .??

Going from an antique 9 seer to a 21 seer will save 57% in energy on a 3 ton unit but likely means also redoing all the ductwork. You may or may not see the full payback. Also a 21 seer will probably be variable speed, etc. to get the rating up.

Going from a 9 seer to a 16 seer saves 44% but likely requires a lot less hassle. At some point you are paying for frills and extra comfort than savings.

[hardluk1]

mark You spend what you can justify on any upgrade and that does depend on what you have now .both ductwork and equipment and you think that's a Hassle ? A hassle is crawling around in a attic only 3 feet high full of blown insulation and 40 years of other garbage in some drug smugglers house in everglades city in the '70's or '80's during the summer before they had central air in an attic that could average 125 to 140* . Now that's a hassle not upgrading an existing system that may have reuseable ductwork . That's just a matter of what it cost you upfront . I guess its better for you to spend the higher monthly electric bill and do nothing !! Changing from a 9 seer to a 21 seer could save more that 57% But were in the hail did you find a 9 seer unit still running?? Might be one MY dads company installed in 35 years ago . I changed from a 13 to a 16 in my last house in florida a year before selling it and that alone lowered my monthly bills buy close to 45% but I had R-21 walls and R-52 ceilings . It was a multispeed unit then I upgraded then to and if ductwork was done correctly it would have a well designed pressurized system not some flex duct with triangle boxes junk like so many 3rd class A?C outfit try to sell any more .

[Naplesfan]

Regarding air conditioning. I installed a mini-split in my guest house. Daiken 25 seer. Great unit quiet and efficient. Easy to install. Big drop in power usage compared to the old "window" air conditioner built into a wall.



I know that pool pumps on variable speed run more efficiently not so much because of the rpm drop but because of the power curve formula. You may have to run a variable speed a little longer to process the same amount of gallons but you save money because the power usage curve is less.
Here's a linkhttps://www.inyopools.com/Blog/how-much-does-my-pool-pump-cost-to-run/



Naplesfan

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by hardluk1

mark You spend what you can justify on any upgrade and that does depend on what you have now .both ductwork and equipment and you think that's a Hassle ? A hassle is crawling around in a attic only 3 feet high full of blown insulation and 40 years of other garbage in some drug smugglers house in everglades city in the '70's or '80's during the summer before they had central air in an attic that could average 125 to 140* . Now that's a hassle not upgrading an existing system that may have reuseable ductwork . That's just a matter of what it cost you upfront . I guess its better for you to spend the higher monthly electric bill and do nothing !! Changing from a 9 seer to a 21 seer could save more that 57% But were in the hail did you find a 9 seer unit still running?? Might be one MY dads company installed in 35 years ago . I changed from a 13 to a 16 in my last house in florida a year before selling it and that alone lowered my monthly bills buy close to 45% but I had R-21 walls and R-52 ceilings . It was a multispeed unit then I upgraded then to and if ductwork was done correctly it would have a well designed pressurized system not some flex duct with triangle boxes junk like so many 3rd class A?C outfit try to sell any more .

If you went from a 13 to a 16 and saved 45% that must have been one sorry old unit. I do agree that variable speed is the best - removes more humidity by running longer and slower and you can keep the thermostat higher.

[hardluk1]

HUmmm, How old does a unit need to be for someone to want or need to change it ??? Surely not in 10 years or even 15 if installation was done any long well ! I grew up in the A/C trade and 25 years building homes many more learning the trade well but if you want be the winner here , Hey You the Winner . Ha

Naplesfan Good upgrade .