propane heating costs in Sudden Valley? (Bellingham: apartment, rental, appliances)

[chinook]

I'm considering buying a new home in Sudden Valley. Like many of the new homes there, it is heated with propane from a leased tank. The house is around 2800 sf, with three levels.

Anyone here have information on what a home like that costs to heat over an average year in Sudden Valley?

Thanks in advance!

[allforcats]

Where is Sudden Valley? I've never heard of it, so Googled it, and the result I get seems to be in Bellingham. Is Bellingham the location you're talking about?

[scirocco22]

yup, just southeast of Bellingham proper. I had some friends who were looking at a house there. They found a nicer old house inside Bellingham.

I have a propane tank here in my house in the desert. I just had it filled and it came to over $500 ...damn, I looked at the invoice and propane is selling for over $3.25/gal.!!! I think the last time I filled it, it was half that price.

I'd be interested in any responses you get.

[chinook]

Yeh, east south east of Bellingham. Look for Lake Whatcom, the big lake to the east of Bellingham. The community is on the west shore (the Bellingham side). Wander through the woods until you find yourself in the lake; you can't miss it ;-)

Originally Posted by allforcats

Where is Sudden Valley? I've never heard of it, so Googled it, and the result I get seems to be in Bellingham. Is Bellingham the location you're talking about?

[LMB]

We just had our propane tank topped off last week and it was $2.96/gal. We have a small 120 gal leased tank for our propane gas fireplace, which we originally put in just for auxiliary heat (and for power outages), but it actually heats the entire main floor (1200 sf) of our house so efficiently that we rarely use our central heating anymore. We have a lower level guest apartment (900 sf) that we keep closed off and only heat when needed. Over the last two months, since we began using the propane fireplace heater, we're averaging about one gal of propane per day and it's very cozy in the house. Not bad at all considering it's supposedly a colder than usual winter, but for three levels and 2800sf your usage would obviously be considerably more.

Hope this helps!

Lynn

[chinook]

Yikes! Where's your desert? How long does it take between fillings?

Duh. My inner genius finally checked in and said "call the local propane companies!"

Two quotes: $2.36 per gallon and $2.75 per gallon. Average winter usage between 100-150 gallons per month. So between roughly $350 and $415 a month for heat, water heater, appliances, etc. Tank rental roughly $50-60 per year. So figure roughly $4k/year propane use in Sudden Valley (appliances and water heater also run on propane). Your mileage may vary.

Thanks for the responses, hope this is helpful!

Originally Posted by scirocco22

yup, just southeast of Bellingham proper. I had some friends who were looking at a house there. They found a nicer old house inside Bellingham.

I have a propane tank here in my house in the desert. I just had it filled and it came to over $500 ...damn, I looked at the invoice and propane is selling for over $3.25/gal.!!! I think the last time I filled it, it was half that price.

I'd be interested in any responses you get.

[M3 Mitch]

Given the current prices, propane heat is not a very good deal. If you look at the link below you'll see that even "straight" electric heat, ie small plug-in resistance heaters, are better. Heat pump is better yet. Several years ago propane was more economical but with current prices I'd consider it a liability.

I wouldn't reject the house just because of the propane heating system, but allow for changing over to something more cost-effective if you make an offer on it.

If you do stick with the propane, if you buy a large say 500 + gallon tank you can take advantage of the seasonal low price in late summer or early fall - what I did for years - but now I heat almost entirely with wood, with a little help from small electric oil-filled radiators.

Energy Selectors Home

[chinook]

The house we're looking at is brand new, it's well insulated, and has some kind of fancy furnace. I'm thinking that Lynn's experience will probably be comparable to what we'd have, and you're right about the little electric heaters for "spot" heat.

This, plus all the other things we've learned about Bellingham and Sudden Valley, clinches it. (Yes, even after reading the grumpy posts in "The Ugly Truth" thread.) Lynn, you're getting some new neighbors!

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

Given the current prices, propane heat is not a very good deal. If you look at the link below you'll see that even "straight" electric heat, ie small plug-in resistance heaters, are better. Heat pump is better yet. Several years ago propane was more economical but with current prices I'd consider it a liability.

I wouldn't reject the house just because of the propane heating system, but allow for changing over to something more cost-effective if you make an offer on it.

If you do stick with the propane, if you buy a large say 500 + gallon tank you can take advantage of the seasonal low price in late summer or early fall - what I did for years - but now I heat almost entirely with wood, with a little help from small electric oil-filled radiators.

Energy Selectors Home

[jinj]

We have propane and a wood stove. We use the wood stove to heat the house mostly, 2600 squ ft, need about 3 cords if wood per winter really, $500. Cheaper than propane.