How much do utilities and other cost in OR? (Salem: homeowners insurance, mattress)

[ladybuggk]

I know this is a broad question because I'm certain that utilities can vary from area to area, but I'd like to get a general idea, and if several people post with an answer, i would highly appreciate it.

I'm trying to figure out what my monthly expenditures would be in OR. I am coming from CA. I'd like to know how much Oregonians pay each month for the following: (by the way, we'll probably be in about an 1800 square foot house with 3 small children)

gas
trash
electric
water

house taxes on a $300,000 home
homeowners insurance for said home

house cleaner once a month
part time childcare for 1 baby- drop off childcare AND in-house babysitting

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Silverfall]

I have a 3,000 sq foot home and so those averages are based on that. We have gas heat and water heater, and AC.

Originally Posted by ladybuggk

gas we average $95 a month
trash $17.50 a month
electric we average $75 a month
water we average $60 a month

house taxes on a $300,000 home around $3,500 in the Salem area
homeowners insurance for said home around $500 a year assuming no flood plain, earthquake rider, and normal insurance for possessions.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

[ladybuggk]

Silverfall, do you use the AC often in the summer?
Do you know if house taxes are universal in Oregon? It looks like you pay about 1.25%?
and is your water bill mostly for indoor use or do you do a lot of watering during the summer? if so, how big is your lot that you water? we'll be wanting to grow an enormous garden but i understand there's no need to water for most of the year in OR.
thanks for your answers!!!

[Silverfall]

We have a daylight basement which stays cool all summer so we only turn on the AC about 6Pm and run through the night.

House taxes are not universal. Some counties have lower property taxes than others. If you live in city limits you will have higher taxes also.

We have a .20 acre lot and have a drip irrigation system for our vegetable garden and then we water our yard normally.

[ladybuggk]

out of curiosity, have you ever thought of a whole house fan? it's wonderful! it goes up in the attic, sucks in all of the cool air from OUTSIDE and blows out all of the hot air from inside! It's a big money saver. You can get them at Home Depot etc.

[seashelly]

I live along the Coast and our utility costs correspond similarly with Silverfall's mentioned above except for our trash collection bill which is higher, about $34 per month. We're all electric, do not have A/C but run ceiling fan constantly to circulate the air, but our average electric bill runs about the same as Silverfall's electric and gas bill combined. Our water bill is about $50 a month and we do not water outside.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by ladybuggk

out of curiosity, have you ever thought of a whole house fan? it's wonderful! it goes up in the attic, sucks in all of the cool air from OUTSIDE and blows out all of the hot air from inside! It's a big money saver. You can get them at Home Depot etc.

I haven't because the inside of our house is cooler than the outside.

[ladybuggk]

The inside is cooler than the out? It doesn't cool off at night during the hot times? How hot does it stay in the evening during the summer? I"m so sheltered, I've never lived anywhere but southern california, where it cools off in the evenings even when it's really warm during the day.

[sarahkate_m]

When I had an all electric 2800 sf house with a heat pump, the costs were amazingly low. Also the house was relatively new (10 years old) & a "good cents" house.

Now I live in an all electric house (maybe 1400 sf) with forced air & the insulation is terrible... It's built like a cabin with vaulted & unprotected from heat loss with lots of windows upstairs...

We use portable heaters in each room, a mattress heating pad & try to bundle up to the max in the fall, winter & early spring. I don't understand the billing because there are always charges for a different season added on. It's ridiculous but not as bad as I remember in CA. I think, without running a dryer nor dishwasher, no heater or air conditioner (used small fans this summer) my bill has been under a hundred dollars per month and that includes water with no landscaping usage.

Both houses I'm mentioning had the bottom story partially built into a hill. The current house has a tiny footprint with the middle level being the entry level. The downstairs is always about 10 degrees cooler which is SUPER in the summer.

Last winter we tried in vain to heat the upstairs living room/dining room. It was around 40 degrees unheated. So...

This winter, we're making a mini living room in a bottom level bedroom (no vaulted ceiling) to save on heating costs when we're on the computer & watching telly. We find we don't watch a regular TV anymore because with a special computer card we can watch cable on the computer screen. We also use Hulu.com & rapidshare... We wouldn't even have the cable but it's a good package deal. We end up eating in there too... so it's a multi functional albeit tiny room. About 120 sf. for 3 people to coexist.

Kate

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by ladybuggk

The inside is cooler than the out? It doesn't cool off at night during the hot times? How hot does it stay in the evening during the summer? I"m so sheltered, I've never lived anywhere but southern california, where it cools off in the evenings even when it's really warm during the day.

Yes it cools off at night, but we have a daylight basement which stays cooler than outdoor air because it is partially below ground.

I would still rather run our AC for the upstairs at night. You only need it a few weeks in the summer and I don't think sucking in 80 degree air via a fan into my house as cooling it off.