Electricty and water bill (Dover, Newark: rent, new home, neighborhood)

[quietwaves0]

We are military and moving to DE soon. I was told that the electricty and water are high for delware because most of the houses are heated using oil. We will be living in Newark. Can anyone tell me an average electricty and water bill for a 2000 sq ft house?

[maryCh]

I can't speak for the Newark area, as we are in Kent County (just south of Dover) and have only been in DE for about 6 months. That said, I know our electric bill has been reasonable compared to central NC where we moved from. The house we rent has a well and septic, so we have no water bill.

Our house is about 2000 square feet, so it may be comparable to what you are considering. The house is about 6 years old, and we heat with propane (not oil). Don't know that "most" houses are heated with oil these days... I'd say with so much new construction, that may not hold true anymore. Our propane usage has been hard to swallow, as we try to be pretty conservative with the thermostat, etc. In our part of the state, I will say we have experienced a bit more wind than I expected. And being a new (sort of) neighborhood, there are not many trees to break the wind from whipping around the house. I'm sure that factors in to the amount of propane gas we have used to heat our home.

Good luck with your move, and hopefully, others more familiar with rates in northern DE will post soon. Welcome to the forum!

Mary

[fyia25]

Hi Mary,

I am also relocating to DE and i currently have oil heat, which is robbing me blind... I can't take it.... In DE, i seen alot of houses that use propane to heat their homes... this is the first i have heard of this... I am trying to figure out the cost of propane compared to oil... With my contract with the oil company it is 2.57 per gallon and i have a 300 gallon tank... which i have to fill roughly 2.5 times a year... i was just wondering if propane is more costly... this will really affect my choice when buying...

thanks

[maryCh]

To be honest, I don't know how the price per gallon compares between oil and propane. I do know, that with our last delivery of propane, the price was $3.059 per gallon. That was on March 6th. I would suggest calling a supplier in the area; our delivery company deals in both oil and propane, so they could tell you the different rates. Of course, as with gasoline, that price is jumping around quite a bit too. In fact, I gassed up my van on Saturday, 3/8, at $3.039 per gallon. At the same gas station today, the price for the same grade of gasoline (the 87 octane) was $3.139 per gallon!

Hope that info helps!

Mary

[fyia25]

Originally Posted by maryCh

To be honest, I don't know how the price per gallon compares between oil and propane. I do know, that with our last delivery of propane, the price was $3.059 per gallon. That was on March 6th. I would suggest calling a supplier in the area; our delivery company deals in both oil and propane, so they could tell you the different rates. Of course, as with gasoline, that price is jumping around quite a bit too. In fact, I gassed up my van on Saturday, 3/8, at $3.039 per gallon. At the same gas station today, the price for the same grade of gasoline (the 87 octane) was $3.139 per gallon!

Hope that info helps!

Mary

Thanks mary, i had no idea that propane was on the same price level as oil...

[Gone-2-Beach]

Originally Posted by fyia25

Thanks mary, i had no idea that propane was on the same price level as oil...

It might be on the same level, but is it used the same way? Does a gallon of oil and a gallon of propane provide the same amount of heat?

I don't know the answer to this - but it's probably important to consider when deciding which is the less costly option.

Charley

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by CMTAD

It might be on the same level, but is it used the same way? Does a gallon of oil and a gallon of propane provide the same amount of heat?
I don't know the answer to this - but it's probably important to consider when deciding which is the less costly option.
Charley

I certainly don't know that answer. I do know, that every, and all new construction around here in Kent County has either public gas (Chesaspeake Utilities underground) or propane gas, which is a tank buried in the yard. Many older homes, like mine, have oil heat. In my travels, I rarely see oil heat in a new home. My house is about 2,000 sq.ft. 100 years old, with old windows. So far this year (starting Sept. 2007) my oil bill has totaled $1,550, and I still have almost half a tank, which will get me to the end of April, at least. Probably won't fill again until next September. We keep our thermostat at 68 degrees and are comfortable. We have baseboard hot water heat, otherwise known as oil-conversion hot water. My electric bill runs about $110/month in the winter, and a little more in summer with AC. Our old plaster walls are great insulators, and must compensate for the old windows We are not freaked out over the utility bills we pay. Our other property in the country is improved by a small bungalow. It's also an older home. Oil this winter has only cost $500 so far, and the electric bill is $29/month. Hope that gives some a feel for the range of utility costs.

[DEnative]

I live in the city of Newark, and my house is about 2000 Sq feet. My Bill for electricty and heat is about $350 a month, on average. I heat with Natural gas and have found it to be cheaper than oil. Also, the City of Newark bundles your trash pickup and your water bill as well, so that average includes those services too.

We do keep the heat around 72 in the winter and 72 in the summer when the air conditioning is on. Plus we just put in new windows and also siding that has an insulated backing. That is making my average bill go down about $40 a month so far.

Make sure you are in the city limits to get all the services. There is a large general area that is called Newark, but not really in the city proper.
Also, the city has great parks, good programs for kids, neighborhood pools,
and IMHO has it's act together as a municipality.

Good luck with your move.

[Prple Btrfly]

I am relocating to DE from NY and have a total different system going on. We pay light and gas on one bill. We dont pay for trash pick up and our water bill is paid every three months. I am hearing that this is all different in DE. Please help

[Prple Btrfly]

I hear that DE doesnt pay taxes. What does this mean? Does taxes come out of your paycheck? Here in NY we pay federal, state, local and a few other taxes out of our pay? Is this different in DE?