Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My boyfriend and I are apartment hunting in Yorkville, and we saw today a very VERY spacious, clean, cute, well-kept 2BD apartment off of First Avenue. It's a courtyard-facing apartment, on the north side of the building. The caveat is this — it has all electric utilities — heat, oven, water, that I as the tenant would be responsible for. The apartment is listing for $2300.
I am going to find out more about the heating and water appliances tomorrow. From what I could tell the heaters are wall units that control both heating and cooling.
I currently live in a typical steam radiator, heat/hot water included situation so this is a shocking prospect to wrap my head around.
So my questions are:
One, in your humble opinions, is it even worth looking into this situation?
Two, if anyone on the boards has paid for their own electric heating/water in NYC (I imagine it is rare), what sort of experience has it been? Terrifying? Doable for the frugal?
If it helps, some of my energy habits:
We work a 1-10pm schedule full time; most of our energy use is during off peak times.
In the summers we only use AC in the bedroom, when absolutely necessary, and keep it around 78.
We love sleeping in a cold room in the winters, radiator turned off, temp falls to about 62-64.
We're comfortable hanging out at home in a temperature of 66-68.
My current electric/gas ConEd bill (electric appliances and cooking gas) in a 400sf apartment with one roommate averages around $65/mo, $95 during AC season.
Any insight would be wonderful. My gracious thanks.
Have seen those units before in friend's apartments and also heard plenty of new construction/renovated apartments have them, but for me I'd never want to live that way. Well perhaps if it was a huge two bedroom in Manhattan on the UES, or Chelsea, Village, Fifth Avenue, UWS, etc....
Electric heating is common in many places in the United States that either do not normally have cold winters and or cheap rates. In NYC it allows the LL to transfer costs of heating the apartment to the tenant. You will be paying high to very high electric bills for most of the year because the cooling and heating is all on you. That or simply learn to love heat/humidity and wear lots of warm clothing indoors.
Look at the current situation with Con Ed rates because of this very cold winter. Now imagine yourself having to foot the heating bills for a winter like this.
It is really hard to judge your current heating versus what you would need/use in the *new* apartment. Most likely there is a pipe or some sort of radiator in the bathroom which is not turned off that provides *some* heat so your current apartment is warmer than it would be otherwise with the main one closed.
Depending upon several factors it takes more energy to heat a *cold* apartment (assuming you turn the heat off when not at home) than one kept at an even temperature.
If you're interested in the place absolutely look into the facts of the matter. I would ask the manager of the property who is the electricy company and if they know the average rates for the unit. If they don't then get the address for the place and call the electric company with your query.
You'll want to ask:
Quote:
The current month's bill, the 12 month high and lows or a 12 month occupied average.
I have lived in older historic building with radiator heat. However, coming from the rest of the country that uses electric heat I'll give you a few frugal tips.
I read the place is courtyard facing on the North side of the building. Look at which sides of the unit face East to West and where the windows and doors are. If the bedroom has a window consider your schedule are you an earlier riser? Will the sun wake you up or will it be difficult to get to sleep with a sunbathed room? Will the living room in the afternoon be bathed in sunlight with the other side of the place in darkness, or if the unit faces North to South will the apartment be bathed in light through out the day?
In the PNW they don't seem to believe in AC. Meaning there aren't a lot of apartment units with air conditioning because it doesn't get that hot here often. Inspect where the doors and windows are in the place. Is there a place to create a current of air flow? The one or two months out of the year it does heat up we all bring out the big box fans that cost $10 at the store and place them in our windows and doors to create a current throughout the house that cools the place down. You usually only need one or two of those fans to get a nice flow of air. Another tip is to close the shades to cool a place down. Shades create shade and it's cooler in the shade, right?
About the heat aspect. Can it be controlled on a timer or does it have to be manually? If you're gone during a period of the day can you set it to turn the heat off? If it's manual heat is there a heating unit in each room that you can control where some areas you don't need heat can be turned off? In the winter the rates increase here so we move into the little room and close the big room up and turn off the heat. It reduced our bill by $30.
It seems the rates are higher in NYC but for our 850 sq ft place we pay $40 a month for electricity in the summer. In the winter we were paying $100 a month until we closed up the bigger bedroom and now it's $70 a month. That's including the water heater and running the appliances. We also cook a lot at home so if you aren't home much using the kitchen you may save there as well.
Another consideration is take shorter showers or colder showers. Cold showers can be refreshing in the summer heat. If you really want to conserve energy and water you may do it like we do at the swimming pool or in the gym showers where you hop in the shower, get yourself an initial coat of wet and your loofa lathered, and then turn off the water while you lather yourself with soap and shampoo. Then turn back on the water to rinse yourself off quickly.
Wait a minute, just saw the word "water" in the OP. Are you saying that the water heater is in your apartment and runs on electric? Such things are common in Europe but haven't seen them in NYC much less USA.
Let me make one thing quite clear, Con Edison (the power company for NYC) has the highest rates in the United States. Normal average electric bills for a small NYC studio can run $70 or so per month. That is just with the normal comforts of today's living (television, electronics, computer, charging cell phone, lights, etc...). On top of this you are going to foot the bill for heating, air conditioning, cooking, and hot water?
If you really love the place, are keen on living in NYC and there are few if other options then by all means take the apartment. But be prepared for a huge shock when you get your first electric bill. Suppose you could start off in this place to get your feet "wet" in NYC then start looking for something else then move when your lease is up.
Wait a minute, just saw the word "water" in the OP. Are you saying that the
water heater is in your apartment and runs on electric? Such things are common
in Europe but haven't seen them in NYC much less USA.
There were a lot built in the 80's even in New Jersey. It a way for cheap developers to cut their costs by pushing higher costs onto tenants...they called it LUXURY, aka "individually controlled heat and hot water."
PSE&G even dangled rates that were 60% less than usual for those with Residential Heat and Hot Water Service. Alas the teaser rates soon disappeared but the expensive water tanks remained.
I think their popularity wained because they take up too much space, cost a fortune to operate, and present a flood risk.
Electric Heat? For a REAL joy have a vacant apartment under you for a couple Winter months...you'll need to sell blood to pay Con-Ed.
I lived with it for 2 decades and would not wish it on my worst enemy.
Last edited by Kefir King; 03-02-2014 at 07:23 AM..
Wait a minute, just saw the word "water" in the OP. Are you saying that the water heater is in your apartment and runs on electric? Such things are common in Europe but haven't seen them in NYC much less USA.
My buddy lived in an 'luxury' unit that had that. He was dumba** and didn't realize what it means to their bill before he signed the lease...also when his wife wanted to take a nice long hot bath followed by a shower. Eventually they just found someone else to take over the lease with some cash incentive and left.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
