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I am considering a small home in durham that has electric heat. no past record to see what they were paying as it was just switched from propane to electric. any ideas on how much electric heat would cost to heat a house in durham NC?
Mine is Central (elec) heating and cooling, and my average-pay bill is $67/mo I think. That is year round average for 1200 sf, 1.25 people living there (part time daughter). I am in Cary, so it should be similar.
If you are talking about electric baseboard heat, that is different.
Also, consider how well insulated the house is. Mine is 35 years old, and "decent". Not great.
I am considering a small home in durham that has electric heat. no past record to see what they were paying as it was just switched from propane to electric. any ideas on how much electric heat would cost to heat a house in durham NC?
Heat pumps are the norm around here, and work fine for our winters. 2700sq foot house, and our winter month electric bills never come close to our summer peak.
You mean an electric heat pump? Those are quite common in the Triangle area, and should be cheaper than using propane gas.
^ This. Unless the house is drafty and poorly insulated, I wouldn't worry too much about high utility bills. Propane on the other hand, costs a small fortune...and I would NEVER recommend heating with it.
I have grown up with heat pumps and they are fine. I have natural gas and heat pump at my house. The heat pump maintains it pretty well for 120 years old and 2800 sf. The gas only kicks in when it drops below 35 outside. Baseboard heat is a major energy killer.
Small home in Durham makes me think older house, so baseboard or radiant ceiling heat could be the source. Those are both pretty expensive to run compared to a heat pump.
Dual fuel is a good setup to consider since the area can go down to the 20s, and natural gas prices are relatively cheap in the area. Natural gas-fired furnace can kick in when air-sourced heat pump (ASHP) may not be to effectively exchange heat with the outdoor air. But some solely rely on the ASHP depending on the robustness of their home's thermal envelope (i.e., insulation and air sealing).
If money were no object to me, I would use a chiller or a hydronic system (not geothermal, but use city water supply for water loops to heat and chill).
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