What can I expect for Monthly Costs on a 4300 Square Ft home ? (Phoenix: relocation)

[SHEPNYC]

Currently considering relocation to Phoenix from the New York City. Looking at a 4300 Square Foot home with 12 foot ceilings, in North Phoenix. Would like to get a handle on the upkeep costs for the following:

ELECTRICITY (we like it cool, set to 72 degrees)
TELEPHONE with standard features and 5 extensions
CABLE TV, 5 sets with DVR and HD plus a High speed internet connection on 3 computers
COOKING AND HEATING GAS
REAL ESTATE TAXES on a $850K home
HOME OWNERS INSURANCE
HOUSEKEEPER twice a month
SWIMMING POOL SERVICE on a weekly basis
LANDSCAPING SERVICE (don't know how often you need this on a desert landscape)
WATER/SEWER/TRASH PICKUP
AUTO LEASE (3 years in a $45k car)
AUTO INSURANCE (full coverage with umbrella)
MEDICAL COVERAGE with a good HMO

Have I missed anythng? Any guidelines you could offer would be appreciated.
Thanks

[topjimmy]

In the summer, keeping a 4300 square foot home with 12 foot ceilings at 72 degrees is going to be extremely costly.

I would guess your electricity bill would be somewhere around $750 a month. Of course, it depends on how energy efficient your home and appliances would be.

[Movin Ed]

Originally Posted by topjimmy

In the summer, keeping a 4300 square foot home with 12 foot ceilings at 72 degrees is going to be extremely costly.

We have a 4100 sqft house and have never tried to get to 72 in the middle of summer. I don't even know if we could when it's 110+ outside. I could see your AC unit(s) running all day long at that temperature. We cool down to 76 from 4AM to 1PM. We're on the time of use plan, and 1PM is when the price shoots up.

Ed

[SHEPNYC]

Being from the East Coast, we consider 72 degrees a comfortable number, on the other hand, we don't want to spend $750 a month either. What is a feasible temperature to maintain at $400 in the Summer and $250 in the Winter?

Movin Ed: Would you mind giving me an idea of what that timed plan runs you in the Summer.

Thanks.

[Movin Ed]

Originally Posted by SHEPNYC

Being from the East Coast, we consider 72 degrees a comfortable number, on the other hand, we don't want to spend $750 a month either. What is a feasible temperature to maintain at $400 in the Summer and $250 in the Winter?

Movin Ed: Would you mind giving me an idea of what that timed plan runs you in the Summer.

Thanks.

We're probably not the best people to ask about the time of use pricing. We're freaks who rarely run the AC units between 1-8PM. When we do it's usually between 6-8PM when the temperature really starts to rise. Our highest electric bill last year was < $160.

HERE is SRP's time of use info.

Ed

[sablebaby]

I think 75 is quite cool, sometimes too cold in the house. I know others who keep it at 80 to save money. I set it at 80 when I'm not home.

[MotleyCrew]

81 with a little fart fan running and we are good to go.

[nitram]

Originally Posted by SHEPNYC

Currently considering relocation to Phoenix from the New York City. Looking at a 4300 Square Foot home with 12 foot ceilings, in North Phoenix. Would like to get a handle on the upkeep costs for the following:

ELECTRICITY (we like it cool, set to 72 degrees)
TELEPHONE with standard features and 5 extensions
CABLE TV, 5 sets with DVR and HD plus a High speed internet connection on 3 computers
COOKING AND HEATING GAS
REAL ESTATE TAXES on a $850K home
HOME OWNERS INSURANCE
HOUSEKEEPER twice a month
SWIMMING POOL SERVICE on a weekly basis
LANDSCAPING SERVICE (don't know how often you need this on a desert landscape)
WATER/SEWER/TRASH PICKUP
AUTO LEASE (3 years in a $45k car)
AUTO INSURANCE (full coverage with umbrella)
MEDICAL COVERAGE with a good HMO

Have I missed anythng? Any guidelines you could offer would be appreciated.
Thanks

For all the items you've listed, you should be in the $5000-$6000 per month category.

If you want to keep your Air Condition bill in the $250.00 month range you need to set it at a minimum of 78 degrees and do your laundry after 9 pm and find other shortcuts to save electricity. You may want to check with the utility company for their averaging out your bill over the year plan.

[topjimmy]

Originally Posted by SHEPNYC

Being from the East Coast, we consider 72 degrees a comfortable number, on the other hand, we don't want to spend $750 a month either. What is a feasible temperature to maintain at $400 in the Summer and $250 in the Winter?

Movin Ed: Would you mind giving me an idea of what that timed plan runs you in the Summer.

Thanks.

I have no idea with that square footage. I have known a lot of people who kept their 2000 quare foot home at 78 and paid between 300 and 400. 750 is just a guess, I could be wrong.

[Master Shake]

Originally Posted by SHEPNYC

Currently considering relocation to Phoenix from the New York City. Looking at a 4300 Square Foot home with 12 foot ceilings, in North Phoenix. Would like to get a handle on the upkeep costs for the following:

ELECTRICITY (we like it cool, set to 72 degrees)
TELEPHONE with standard features and 5 extensions
CABLE TV, 5 sets with DVR and HD plus a High speed internet connection on 3 computers
COOKING AND HEATING GAS
REAL ESTATE TAXES on a $850K home
HOME OWNERS INSURANCE
HOUSEKEEPER twice a month
SWIMMING POOL SERVICE on a weekly basis
LANDSCAPING SERVICE (don't know how often you need this on a desert landscape)
WATER/SEWER/TRASH PICKUP
AUTO LEASE (3 years in a $45k car)
AUTO INSURANCE (full coverage with umbrella)
MEDICAL COVERAGE with a good HMO

Have I missed anythng? Any guidelines you could offer would be appreciated.
Thanks

Some estimates on the other areas not yet covered:

You could look into a Qwest or Cox package deal that would cover your telephone/TV/Internet service. Both have good packages for around $99/month (and go up from there) for basic levels of all three. A good total package would be just over $200/month.

Gas has seemed to creap up lately, along with other energy sources. If you have a gas water heater/stove/dryer/house heater, you can expect about $50 in the summer months and over $150 in the winter months. Maybe more for a 4000+ sq ft house.

Real estate taxes are roughly 0.8 - 1.0%, depending on specific area (ie: school zones, etc.)

Home Insurance will depend greately on who you select and what type of pacakge you get (such as combined with auto). So this one is very difficult to estimate.

House Keeping: Depends on the level of service. I know someone who pays $50 per visit, but gets very little (beyond floors and bathrooms) acutally done.

Pools Service: I have heard it can be from $25-$50 per visit.

Landscaping: For a simple desert based yard, should be less than $100 per visit, with 1 visit per month.

Water, etc. Depends on the city. Phoenix city rates are VERY low, compared to some of the private companies that the newer, further out cities offer.

Medical: Depends on if you will get employer based coverage or private coverage. This would difficult to estimate, based on different circumstances.

As a side note, as everyone stated above, you will most likely not want to be at less than 78 degrees in the warm months. We have very low humidity here (in the low teens), so setting your temp to 78 or higher -- along with a ceiling fan or two is usually very comfortable.