Austin (Belterra) -- Outrageous utility start-up fees (Donna, Howe: real estate, appliances)

[newbelterraresident]

Perdenales Co-Op is possibly going to charge more for the monthly access fee. Instead of $20.00 a month they may be raising that to $25.00 so I figured that my last bill with only 326 KWH used really cost me about 17 cents per killowatt rather than the 11.9 which, I was told was the cost per KWH. This summer should really be interesting. By the way I am very cautious about electric usage and turning off the lights. I had heard that co-ops were expensive but I did not realize they do not have to account the the Public Utility Commission so I guess they can do as they please.

[thesonofgray]

Originally Posted by Rooster24

I live in Belterra and find that the utilities are expensive but manageable. Everything in our consumer world has gone up in recent years - as anyone in any location across the US.

Between 4/07 and 3/08 I averaged $113 for propane, with the highest bill being $270 (it was only over $100 four months in the 12 month period). I live in a two-story 4000 sqft home, with two furnaces and two water heaters. Two adults, and one child (run the dishwasher everyday and do about 10 loads of laundry a week). We are cautious of what we use to heat the home during the winter months. We turn the heat way down at night, but are still comfortable. I have heard of neighbors who have had $400-$600 bills, but I don't think they are being aware to make changes and keep their house heated all throughout all day, plus the use of the propane fireplace will add high usage. My husband and I are doing what we can to help reduce our footprint on this planet and it starts at home under our roof.

Getting rid of the 4,000 square foot home, two furnaces, and two water heaters is a start.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by new_austin_guy

I recently moved to the Belterra subdivision in Austin, TX. I am pretty shocked by the fees the various utility companies are tacking on for activating services.

For you out-of-towners who may not know any better Belterra IS NOT within the City of Austin limits. That means, for better or for worse, no AISD, Austin Energy, Austin Parks, etc. As a matter of fact I don't even think it belongs to Dripping Springs proper as it is listed as "Hays County WCID No. 1 (Belterra Subdivision)." As far as I know Water Control and Improvement Districts (WCIDs) in Texas are not governed by any city but are approved by TCEQ and have law firms like Severn Trent or Armbrust and Brown adminster to their legal/adminstrative needs.

[jobert]

It's a not-so-subtle hint that developers shouldn't build 20 miles out in the middle of nowhere on top of our drinking supply.



They are trying ot make it cost-prohibitive for the sprawl caused by the invasive species homo erectus suburbus

[Marblecake]

Franklyn, Texas Community Propane is a SCAM. It is so unfortunate that people are buying homes that have covenants requiring the use of this company. Propane is not a bad form of energy, but this is like Honda installing a gas tank that only takes gasoline from a single gas company, and this company charges you $20 a gallon. $300 heating bills aren't the extreme example, they are the norm.

If a Realtor suggests that you buy a home that has anything to do with TCP, you should seriously consider a new agent.

There are a lot of good HOAs, and a lot of reasonable deed restrictions, but this is an example of the nightmare that scares people away from those sorts of organizations.

[iceshots]

Let's compare apples to apples. I just had my propane tank filled up today in Dripping Springs (not Belterra) and paid $1.99 a gallon.

If someone on the board who lives in Belterra can post the current price per gallon they are paid for propane, then we have a good comparison. This would be much more accurate than trying to compare monthly bills which are impacted by size of house, lifestyle and other factors.

I am not in a community propane area and can pick my own supplier. I used Garnett's.

For the record, the fear of community propane is one of the things that made me decide against Belterra. I would like to know if the fear was justified, or if I fell for some hype.

[Franklyn]

Originally Posted by Marblecake

Franklyn, Texas Community Propane is a SCAM. ..............If a Realtor suggests that you buy a home that has anything to do with TCP, you should seriously consider a new agent. There are a lot of good HOAs, and a lot of reasonable deed restrictions, but this is an example of the nightmare that scares people away from those sorts of organizations.

Thanks for the heads up. We looked at Belterra and liked a little of what we saw, but didn't see many of the other things we would want in a community, so passed on it. But thanks.

[Driftwood1]

Filled ours 2 weeks ago for 2.01
Again, no HOA, but we have actually used the same company 9 years.
Cheers

Originally Posted by iceshots

Let's compare apples to apples. I just had my propane tank filled up today in Dripping Springs (not Belterra) and paid $1.99 a gallon.

If someone on the board who lives in Belterra can post the current price per gallon they are paid for propane, then we have a good comparison. This would be much more accurate than trying to compare monthly bills which are impacted by size of house, lifestyle and other factors.

I am not in a community propane area and can pick my own supplier. I used Garnett's.

For the record, the fear of community propane is one of the things that made me decide against Belterra. I would like to know if the fear was justified, or if I fell for some hype.

[Marblecake]

Yeah, propane in and of itself is not a scam at all. It's just an alternative that can compete with gas and electric on normal terms. Texas Community Propane is a special vendor that pays developers part of their much higher rates in exchange for restrictions on properties making it extremely difficult, if not altogether impossible, to heat your home using a different supplier.

I had friends in Briar Creek paying $600 a month to heat their home before they moved. $300 was the low end for winter months that I heard about. And it's so sad to look at the property values of those homes, now that people are fleeing and no one wants to buy these houses. I'm glad most of the Realtors I came across were aware of this problem and protecting their clients.

[Marblecake]

I just called Texas Community Propane and asked their operator, Donna what their rates were. They said they aren't competing with other companies and only service a few communities. I said I was looking at one of those communities and wanted to compare the costs. They asked which community and I told them one. They put me on hold for a while and then asked which address. Dr Google came up with an address that would work. They still wouldn't tell me the rates.

This should be the most fundamental piece of information that company has. The call lasted ten minutes and they said they would need higher approval to let me know their charges. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess it's not a price they are proud of.