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Kingsport - Johnson City - Bristol The Tri-Cities area
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Old 10-12-2009, 03:43 PM
 
Location: South Yarmouth, MA
140 posts, read 355,847 times
Reputation: 136

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Hi everyone! All have been so helpful as I am assessing a move from NH to ETN.

Here in frigid NH, heating oil is the most common fuel for home heat, followed by propane with a small amount of natural gas in the more urban areas. Wood is also common, but mostly in freestanding stoves. Radiant electric is pretty rare as it costs mega $$$$ to run.

It seems as I look at RE listings around the Tri-Cities that electric heat and A/C is the norm. Are these mostly heat pumps? Heat pumps are non-existent in NH, and I don't really understand what they're like. My guess is heating oil is rare there. Are there any other common heat systems in a typical 3-4 BR single family house?

Central A/C is rare in NH, usually only in high end homes, but of course summers are relatively cool here, although we can get hot spells. Is Central air pretty much automatic there? Do you ever see about little gas or wood stoves to take the chill off and save electric?

I'm hoping to cut down on my utility bills when I move. Here, it's about $110/mo. for electricity, (4 people), I buy about $600/yr. in wood, and spend about $600/yr. for heating oil. This house is about 2100 SF on 2 floors, and well insulated. I guess some of the electric bill numbers I read here seem high, but I guess that includes heat. Thanks for enlightening me!

Mark
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Old 10-12-2009, 04:18 PM
 
Location: A Yankee in northeast TN
15,940 posts, read 20,906,769 times
Reputation: 43127
Not quite what you asked but maybe you can use this info for some comparison.
I have a heat pump for my only source of AC/heat. Never even heard of heat pumps until I moved here last year, and it took a little getting used to, but I'm liking it so far. My electric bill runs pretty much between $40-$60 per month, maybe a bit more in the colder months of Jan/Feb. That's for a fairly well insulated 1100 sq ft house, completely electric, with 2 people. I keep the house at78* in the summer and 68* in the winter, which might account for some of my savings, but still, I think having a heat pump instead of some other source has been great for my wallet!
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Old 10-12-2009, 08:00 PM
 
Location: Beautiful East TN!!
7,280 posts, read 21,233,099 times
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I have a 1500 sq ft plus garage(not heated or A/c) house, 4 people, heat pump. Our electric bill is just over $200 during A/c months and a big higher during heat months. But I have a very "electronics and computers" orientated family, plus an extra fridge running in the garage because I feed two horses (teenage boys.).
Personally I hate the heat pump...but that is just me and only during the winter. I was spoiled with the wood stove with radiator (steam) back up growing up in CT. Then when I moved to TN into an old farm house had a gas furnace (kerosene or diesel) and it was the WARMEST, comfiest heat when you stood on the grates in the floor. With the heat pump, sure it heats and cools, just takes a while and even though it warms the house, when you stand over the grates it feels like cool air. So I guess it is just me, lots of folks like them.
To answer your question, yes, there are alternatives such as propane and in certain areas, natural gas and of course wood. My parents heat their house with propane, vent less gas insets in their fireplaces.....however they have 6 fireplaces so not really sure how it would be for one unit like that heating the whole house? But the cost of propane has really gone up!
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Old 10-12-2009, 09:12 PM
 
Location: Seattle
7,498 posts, read 17,102,683 times
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Lots of people here heat with wood, especially in rural counties. Natural gas is very rare I would imagine.

I grew up with electric heat in the walls ("wall heaters") but I love the heat pump now. My 2/2 ~1100 sq/ft house runs about $70-$80 in the summer, but I've not lived here through a winter yet. I'd imagine it's more like $110/$120.
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Old 10-13-2009, 07:59 AM
 
Location: South Yarmouth, MA
140 posts, read 355,847 times
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Thanks all for that info. Is a heat pump unit outside the house, like central A/C or inside like a regular heating system?

Seems like a heat pump is more efficient than wall mount electric heaters. Here, my electric use averages about 550 kwh/month and runs about $94. That's includes cooking but not hot water or heat. I wonder how that compares to TN. I heard power is cheaper there, but I haven't found any concrete numbers. Thanks.

Mark
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Old 10-13-2009, 08:04 AM
 
Location: Gray, TN
2,172 posts, read 4,595,313 times
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Atmos Energy serves the TriCities area with natural gas. If you're familiar with that, gas homes are available - my grandparent-in-laws have one in Kpt and like it.

Wood stoves are not uncommon in older homes but nonexistent in newer ones. If you go wood, expect to cut your own. I wouldn't count on it being sold.

Central Electric should be stated in RE listings where it exists. Expect about a 15 year life on them. I have an old one that heats 1100 square feet in the coldest winter month for $130, but that will probably be lower since JCPB has lowered their rates. JCPB also allows a "budget option" that they offered me at $85 for every month, but I preferred to "pay as I go".
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Old 10-13-2009, 08:25 AM
 
Location: Gray, TN
2,172 posts, read 4,595,313 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark-faf View Post
Thanks all for that info. Is a heat pump unit outside the house, like central A/C or inside like a regular heating system?
Correct, except that your HVAC (heating,ventilation, & air condition) serves both heating and cooling purpose, normally with an outside unit. When retrofitting a house sometimes two HVACs are needed. See HVAC - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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Old 10-13-2009, 09:11 AM
 
Location: A Yankee in northeast TN
15,940 posts, read 20,906,769 times
Reputation: 43127
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark-faf View Post
Thanks all for that info. Is a heat pump unit outside the house, like central A/C or inside like a regular heating system?

Seems like a heat pump is more efficient than wall mount electric heaters. Here, my electric use averages about 550 kwh/month and runs about $94. That's includes cooking but not hot water or heat. I wonder how that compares to TN. I heard power is cheaper there, but I haven't found any concrete numbers. Thanks.

Mark
I have a two part heat pump.The inside unit looks just like a furnace and the outside unit sits on a concrete pad and looks just like an AC unit. Except that outside unit runs in the winter too, that's what took a little getting used to for me. Very weird to see puffs of frosty air coming from what looks like an AC unit in the middle of winter.That and the fact that it warms the house with what feels like cool air coming from the vents. http://www.srpnet.com/energy/graphic...pdiagram06.gif

I think too that the different cities in the tri-cities have different energy rates? Haven't I read somewhere in the forums that Johnson City has the highest rates? I know Bristol has it's own little energy company, which might be another factor in why my electric bill seems to be pretty low.
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Old 10-13-2009, 11:57 AM
 
Location: Seattle
7,498 posts, read 17,102,683 times
Reputation: 4753
I believe Kingsport contracts their power/energy through someone in .... Ohio?

We did some comparisons once and found that we think the JCPB charges higher rates. But it would be interesting to find the exact rates. Dont' have time at the mo'.
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Old 10-13-2009, 12:39 PM
 
Location: A Yankee in northeast TN
15,940 posts, read 20,906,769 times
Reputation: 43127
Hmmmm. My bill for August shows I used 716KWH for $60, so 84 cents per KWH in Bristol?
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