Utility Costs (Norfolk, Richmond: renting, buying a house, heat pump)

[PMBird]

Doing more research and preperations for my fall(ish) move from Maine to somewhere in the Richmond area. I am looking for an average $$ electric bill and an average cable bill. I know electric bills can vary a great deal, but I am just looking for a ball park $$. I'm guessing cable bills don't vary too much anywhere you live so I am guessing $75 avg?

[Trevor92]

Electrical bills may be hard to help you out on. Dominion Virginia Power is now seeking SCC approval to raise rates by almost 20%. After that happens, you're probably looking at least at $100/mo depending on a ton of factors. Size of home, heating & cooling, and overall energy efficiency.

Cable also has a number of options too. Comcast is the cable provider here. And they have bundles, standard cable, basic cable, about 10 digital packages, etc. It really depends on what you're looking for and I would strongly recommend to get an accurate price for them, go to the website and play around with all the options. If you're an average user, you probably want to budget around $200 per month.

[richmondpics]

Verizon FIOS is also available in many areas... there are all sorts of deals and bundles (adding internet and phone for example).

[rosette8]

Originally Posted by Trevor92

Electrical bills may be hard to help you out on. Dominion Virginia Power is now seeking SCC approval to raise rates by almost 20%. After that happens, you're probably looking at least at $100/mo depending on a ton of factors. Size of home, heating & cooling, and overall energy efficiency.

Cable also has a number of options too. Comcast is the cable provider here. And they have bundles, standard cable, basic cable, about 10 digital packages, etc. It really depends on what you're looking for and I would strongly recommend to get an accurate price for them, go to the website and play around with all the options. If you're an average user, you probably want to budget around $200 per month.

you are KIDDING??!!

Here in upstate New York in our large 100-year old house, the winter bills for electric can run $1200!! Are you serious $100??? Even with air conditioning??

[whynot?]

Our 15-year-old cedar plank house (4,500 sf) costs at least $250-$300/month to "heat" (with "heat" pumps -- haha!) in winter. Cooling in summer is about $150/month. Of course the winters are much shorter and milder in Virginia. And we do get a break in March/April and October/November, when our electric bill is usually under $100. The Dominion price increase request is driving people nuts, though. (And it will be approved.)

We have Comcast digital cable with internet and a couple of premium channels; I think our monthly cable bill is closer to $150/month.

[Trevor92]

Originally Posted by rosette8

you are KIDDING??!!

Here in upstate New York in our large 100-year old house, the winter bills for electric can run $1200!! Are you serious $100??? Even with air conditioning??

Well, for a 1,000 sq ft townhouse which is what one of my family members have in Richmond. It use to be about $100/mo until they upated their pre-1990 heat pump to a new one last year, and now they claim it runs from $70-90 depending on the month as it is now. But yeah, that is a bare-minimum estimate. I could easily see $200 for the average-sized, unattached place before you factor in cable. It's just hard to give estimates when you don't really have any info to give an estimate on.

But if you do compare utility prices in metro areas with an internet search like this one: http://www.ekpc.com/issues/2007/WEBISSUESMARCH.pdf, Richmond and Norfolk under Dominion Virginia Power are on the final page with comparably, pretty low rates. All the New York/New Jersey, California areas, and a few areas in Texas have among the highest rates in the nation and are 3-4X as much as it is here.

[PMBird]

I should have been more specific and I applogize. I am looking for an estimate for an apt. I will not be renting or buying a house to start off with. Coming from Maine, the bulk of the $$ was spent in the winter not because of the electricity, but buying oil which is as crazy in $$ as gas is these days. I spent around $2000 on oil alone this past winter. So, I don't have my head in the clouds thinking my current $75 avg electric bill is going to stay the same. I know I won't be needing that $2000 for oil this year, but I know I will need that $$ for different utility needs. I just had no idea of a ballbark figure that I was looking at.

[PMBird]

Originally Posted by rosette8

you are KIDDING??!!

Here in upstate New York in our large 100-year old house, the winter bills for electric can run $1200!! Are you serious $100??? Even with air conditioning??

I would have to say that is the reason for your XL utility bill

[jensen beach gal]

I live in a small 2/1, house, less than 1000 sq ft. I just got my 2nd electric bill, and it was only $74.00!! I couldn't believe it, this is an older house too. Although I only used the heat once. My first bill was 140-but I had to use the heat. I imagine in the winter it will probably double, which is a bummer because I'm not used to having to pay for heat.

[richmondpics]

It will probably go up in the summer too as your A/C usage increases. The humidity is funnn!