Electric bill in Az very expensive (Phoenix, Glendale: big home, buying, to live)

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by matyoka

Not to forget about the water/sewer/garbage bills...

November: $178.61 (2 households)
December: $107.73
January : $94.96

Sprinkler system is NOT on!!!! I believe during the summer months these figures will easily double.

??
who is your water provider?

My bills are $50-$60 in Phoenix (no sprinklers).

[pandaundercover]

Originally Posted by DellNec

The other thing that is not talked about regarding electric bills in Phoenix is that in WINTER time, the heating bills are higher than most people think. During winter in Phx, the nighttime lows get into the 40's and 30's. With 98% of the homes having their duct work coming in from the ceilings, it makes for a very inefficient heating setup. Being PHX is a cooling dominate climate, they install HVAC ducts in the ceiling as cold air drops. Unfortunately in the winter the ducts are much less efficient as heat rises.

Add to that the single pane windows, poor attic insulation, all the warm air escapes out the windows and roof. Phoenix homes perform pretty bad during winter. People using natural gas/air handler to heat their PHX homes will see gas bills in the $100+ range and their electric bills around $75-$100 a month during winter. In the end, you are still paying $200 a month in utilities during a PHX winter.

Some winters are worse than others, this winter in PHX has been the 3rd warmest on record so the heating bills will be low. But there has been cold PHX winters and high utility bills (gas & electric) are not uncommon. So you get it both ways, during summer and winter, but mostly during summer. The high winter rates are mostly due to the poor energy efficiency of the homes, as they are designed for cooling, not heating.

Understandable, however, I suppose some people don't touch the central heating unit in the winters out here. We're one of them. Our house didn't seem to climb over 62* the entire winter with no heater running. Wear sweats, use heating blankets, and/or space heaters, and your bill will be under $100 all winter. These winters are really NOTHING compared to what the rest of the country deals with.

[pandaundercover]

Originally Posted by matyoka

Not to forget about the water/sewer/garbage bills...

November: $178.61 (2 households)
December: $107.73
January : $94.96

Sprinkler system is NOT on!!!! I believe during the summer months these figures will easily double.

So, you're paying that much for two houses? Our one house water bill is a consistent $65. No pool, don't use the sprinklers... just from showering, dishwasher, laundry, pretty much. We have the AZ American Water Company... which I'm aware are on the high side compared to a lot of water companies out here, and recently got approved to raise their fees. So, I'd have to say your costs for 2 houses is pretty good, compared to what we pay for one house. My opinion.

[Ponderosa]

Water is the cheapest thing on the "water bill" for me. The sewer costs more than the water in winter at least. Then there is trash. I live in Goodyear and really appreciate the trash service though - two bulk pickups per month. But we do have to pay for it. I understand that.

[matyoka]

Originally Posted by pandaundercover

So, you're paying that much for two houses? Our one house water bill is a consistent $65. No pool, don't use the sprinklers... just from showering, dishwasher, laundry, pretty much. We have the AZ American Water Company... which I'm aware are on the high side compared to a lot of water companies out here, and recently got approved to raise their fees. So, I'd have to say your costs for 2 houses is pretty good, compared to what we pay for one house. My opinion.

Panda,

The water is provided by the city of Mesa and it's very high in my opinion...

The November bill has 2 homes, as we closed on the second home mid October. December and January bills are for one home with pool. I will break down the January bill for you guys:

WATER: $42.80
WASTE WATER: $22.90
SOLID WASTE: $23.88
OTHER FEES: $5.38
----------------------------------
TOTAL OF: $94.96

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by shiraz72

Talked to someone today & they told me the electric bill in thier home is $800 a month in summer for a newer 2 story home in Surprise, Az. That is crazy, should you expect a $400 electric bill for a one story home?

When you live in Phoenix, it is best to have a small house or apartment. I had a 2br 1100 square foot house in Phoenix and my electric was $50 in the winter and (at most) $125 in the summer. This was with keeping the thermostat at a very comfortable 74 degrees. Here in Vegas (similar weather), my electric bill averaged ranged from $30 in the fall, spring, winter to $75 in mid summer for a 322 square foot apartment. I personally would rather live in a small space and be comfortable than swelter in 80-82 degrees in a large house and still have a larger electric bill.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by matyoka

Panda,

The water is provided by the city of Mesa and it's very high in my opinion...

The November bill has 2 homes, as we closed on the second home mid October. December and January bills are for one home with pool. I will break down the January bill for you guys:

WATER: $42.80
WASTE WATER: $22.90
SOLID WASTE: $23.88
OTHER FEES: $5.38
----------------------------------
TOTAL OF: $94.96

Whenever you open the tap and water instead of dust comes out you should be thankful. It costs a lot of money to build and maintain the infrastructure that supplies water to this city and ensures ample supplies for the future. Actually, a number of posters from other areas have commented that our water is surprisingly cheap.

[matyoka]

I believe the price of water at the Johnson Ranch was higher. I need to check some bills from 2011...

[pandaundercover]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

When you live in Phoenix, it is best to have a small house or apartment. I had a 2br 1100 square foot house in Phoenix and my electric was $50 in the winter and (at most) $125 in the summer. This was with keeping the thermostat at a very comfortable 74 degrees. Here in Vegas (similar weather), my electric bill averaged ranged from $30 in the fall, spring, winter to $75 in mid summer for a 322 square foot apartment. I personally would rather live in a small space and be comfortable than swelter in 80-82 degrees in a large house and still have a larger electric bill.

Seriously? Is this possibly b/c you had SRP? And how long ago did you live in Phx? B/c we had a 700 sq ft apt, 1 bdrm, newer, in Goodyear, with APS, and we certainly used the AC as little as possible, or set under 80 and were still dealing with summer bills that reached $280.

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by pandaundercover

Seriously? Is this possibly b/c you had SRP? And how long ago did you live in Phx? B/c we had a 700 sq ft apt, 1 bdrm, newer, in Goodyear, with APS, and we certainly used the AC as little as possible, or set under 80 and were still dealing with summer bills that reached $280.

The 1100 sq foot house was located on 67th ave and Peoria and was SRP. I lived there from 2001-2004.