Utilities estimate for Renton (2014, apartments, townhomes)

[sincitysg]

Please pardon my English as I am not a native English speaker, and also my ignorance as I have never lived in the US before. I am relocating to WA to live with my fiance in May 2014. He has just returned from out of state and is thus a little out of touch with the current costs.

We are interested in a 2 bedroom apartment in Renton for $975/mth that does not include utilities. This will be the first time either of us are paying for w/s (and maybe gas?). The apartment is 850 sq ft and has a w/d inside. The providers are PSE (electricity) and NWP (w/s). Before we put down a deposit on the apartment, we would like to find out what a reasonable estimate of our utilities bill would be. I have read various estimates from $50/mth to $300/mth. While it would not be out of our budget to pay $975 (rent) + $300 (utilities) every month, it would be very, very tight until I got a job.

Before you say it, I know it will depend on our usage. He does not think that we are heavy users but I am also thinking that we are both constantly online (pretty much all day) and our laptops/computers are almost always plugged in. We watch a fair bit of TV and sometimes have the bad habit of leaving it on while we eat. I like cooking and will probably cook 1-2 times a day (which means more washing up of pots and pans = water). I also have an addiction to taking showers. At least 2 a day and if I work out then 1 extra. He averages 1 shower a day (I don't judge). I am thinking the washer + dryer will also make our bills jump.

Can anyone help us with an approximate amount that we should expect to pay for WSG + electricity? He is certain that it will be no more than $100/mth at the very most and is optimistic that it will be closer to $50-60, based on his experience in CO. I have also read horror stories of power companies undercharging for several months and then charging the shortfall in one lump sum - I don't know how I'd react to a $800 bill honestly! Is there any way to avoid this?

If it's not possible to provide an estimate, would you share your bill amount and type of usage (heavy/light), how many people in your household, and the type of residence you live in? Although we are mostly interested in what the costs would be like for a 2br apartment, others who are looking for the cost of utilities in townhomes, etc might also find the information useful. Thank you very much in advance!

[amaiunmei]

Call PSE directly and ask them about the cost of the electric; they would be the ones who would have that info.

In my experience, the answer to your question (i.e. cost of utilities) has far more to do with the structural integrity of the apartment than your personal activity. Apartments with deteriorated electric systems and less insulation use more energy; newer apartments with strong insulation tend to use less energy. Outside of the extremes of activity usage (marijuana grow ops, etc.), you would not know this information without contacting the utility directly.

So yeah, call PSE.

(I work for a utility which is not PSE.)

[lmealing]

I would expect $70-100 for energy in the winter given the number of people and square footage. It goes down a ton in the summer.

I can't help on water and sewer as I don't have experience with the city of Renton.

Calling PSE like the above user suggested is great and also asking for references at apartments you are interested in where you could maybe ask about utilities? I don't know how willing people are to offer up information though. Also call the City of Renton's utilities line for estimates as well.

[sincitysg]

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I will bug my fiance to call PSE soon.

[BATCAT]

Originally Posted by lmealing

I would expect $70-100 for energy in the winter given the number of people and square footage. It goes down a ton in the summer.

Unless I'm totally missing it, the OP doesn't mention what kind of heat the apartment has. Many apartments use electric heat but this is by no means a given. But I'll assume that for this post. I'm also assuming no AC, because it's fairly rare here.

As mentioned above, your electric costs are going to vary significantly (and I do mean significantly) by both the time of year the size and construction of the unit. We live in an older, drafty ground-floor one-bedroom, and while our electric costs in the summer are so low I couldn't even tell you what they are, during the winter they can get closer to $60-$80/month, and most of this is heating. (and we don't even run the heat when we are not home)

[sincitysg]

Originally Posted by BATCAT

Unless I'm totally missing it, the OP doesn't mention what kind of heat the apartment has. Many apartments use electric heat but this is by no means a given. But I'll assume that for this post. I'm also assuming no AC, because it's fairly rare here.

As mentioned above, your electric costs are going to vary significantly (and I do mean significantly) by both the time of year the size and construction of the unit. We live in an older, drafty ground-floor one-bedroom, and while our electric costs in the summer are so low I couldn't even tell you what they are, during the winter they can get closer to $60-$80/month, and most of this is heating. (and we don't even run the heat when we are not home)

Thank you for sharing what your average bills are like. I am feeling a bit more relieved as it seems like a smaller amount than I thought and it is reassuring that we will have periods where the bills are lower. I checked with my fiance and it will be electric heat. Ours is a 2 floor unit and I don't know about how drafty it is going to be. Will find out in 23 days.

Thanks again! You guys are all so helpful.