Cost of utilities at Golden Gate Estates, Naples (new home, buy)

[HeartofFlorida]

Check out the link below.
Florida Public Power Energer and Electric Utility Industry (http://www.publicpower.com/electricrates.shtml - broken link)

[purpleash22]

Reading in from England where we pay a fortune for property here which was one reason why we want to buy a house/villa in Florida to stay six month of the winter months. It seems however to be swings and round-abouts in that you seem to pay out so much for insurance and and some utility bills, especially when you have to cover all year round air conditioning. Or can A/C be less or not used for the winter months? Our gas and electric bill are high but so are yours including very high council taxes as well.

[RMD3819]

You can use the A/C less or not at all in the winter. Some snowbirds leave the A/C on all year, including when they are gone, to help avoid mold issues.

[JudiPatooti]

Don't really need a/c in the winter unless you're a very hot blooded type, but you must put it on in the summer to take the moisture out of the air whether you're here or not due to severe mold issues if you don't. During the ten years I've been here I've heard some awful stories of people having to rip their walls down and everything simply because their a/c units broke during the summer while they were gone and they didn't know it. Leaving it at 80 degrees is sufficient, however.

[BigMunch]

You'll need it year round unless you enjoy sweating..........the
A/C just works a lot less in the winter months

[janelle4882]

Does anyone know if Directv services Golden Gate Estates?

[FLBirdwatcher]

Yes, Directv services GGE.

[purpleash22]

Thank you everyone for your advice. When staying there one can determine if A/C is required in winter then. The all important thing would be that it is used all summer and wise therefore to be serviced before being left for months at a time to reduce the odds of it breaking down.Thanks

[RMD3819]

Originally Posted by purpleash22

Thank you everyone for your advice. When staying there one can determine if A/C is required in winter then. The all important thing would be that it is used all summer and wise therefore to be serviced before being left for months at a time to reduce the odds of it breaking down.Thanks

There are some who leave their A/C on while they are gone. This lowers the humidity and helps prevent mold.

[motordavid]

Originally Posted by purpleash22

Thank you everyone for your advice. When staying there one can determine if A/C is required in winter then. The all important thing would be that it is used all summer and wise therefore to be serviced before being left for months at a time to reduce the odds of it breaking down.Thanks

Depends on current temp & humidity, one's comfort zone, and what one defines as 'winter'...it's Dec 10, and we have had our A/C on several times since we arrived for our season, ~10 days ago. Some of my Geezer golf buds who live here full time think the current 80+ deg F/high humidity is 'perfect'; for us it is hot and sticky. Thus, we have cranked the air in our SFH several times.

As RMD noted, we like many others, set our A/C to ~80/82 when we depart, with ceiling fans on, so the house doesn't superheat, air is circulated, and mold held at bay.

In my experience, A/C units here are under severe and near continual operating conditions. They can get 'serviced' to a fare thee well and still go kaboom at the most inopportune times, esp about a week after the warranty or ext warranty/service contract expires.
GL, mD