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Old 08-07-2010, 10:14 AM
 
27 posts, read 98,514 times
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The apartment I am looking at in Bethlehem has electric heat, which I am unfamiliar with (but I have heard it is expensive). Is there anyone who lives in a one bedroom apartment who can tell me how much their electric heat costs them in the winter? In Erie I was paying $50 in the winter for gas heat, but I'm assuming electric will be more (probably a lot more!).
Thanks!
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Old 08-07-2010, 03:54 PM
 
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I don't know what it would cost, but it is known as the most expensive kind of heat in the area, now that PPL has jacked up electric rates 30+ percent. Is it electric baseboard heat (looks like small radiator-type things along the bottoms of the walls) or electric forced air (air comes out of vents) heat? In my opinion electric baseboard is the least "warm" feeling heat. I'd look for another apartment with gas or oil heat, preferably included in the rent.

Landlords like electric baseboard heat because it's cheap to install and it can go on the tenant's electric bill instead of the landlord having to pay for it. It's also in a lot of single family homes in this area built in the 1970s and 1980s, supposedly PPL gave builders some kind of incentive to install it at the time.
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Old 08-07-2010, 06:17 PM
 
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We have electric heat and consider the cost pretty low in comparison to what we were paying in Delaware County with PECO. We paid about twice as much there for just electricity and the house was heated with oil. Our costs have gone up with the de-regulation but it's lower then many parts of the country. I think your bill will have a lot to do with how new your apartment is, how big it is and how well it's insulated.
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Old 08-07-2010, 07:59 PM
 
27 posts, read 98,514 times
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Hmmm. Yes, it is electric baseboard heat. I don't think the building is very new- I know it was renovated a few years ago but I don't know what the insulation is like. I don't know the exact size, but I would estimate based on my previous apartments that it is somewhere between 500-600 sq feet, probably on the lower end of that. It is on the first floor, with one apartment above it.

Darn! Now I don't know what to do. I really like the apartment otherwise, and I'm having a tough time finding a decent apartment in my price range, especially given that I currently live 2 hours away and so it takes some planning to view an apartment in person.
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Old 08-08-2010, 05:31 AM
 
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If it's that small, it shouldn't be too bad then. Some electric baseboard setups allow you to control it on a per-room basis, so if there is a room you don't use, you can turn it off or keep it low in that room to keep costs down.
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Old 08-08-2010, 08:06 AM
 
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Oh, excellent! Thanks so much, guys! Yeah, it is not too large. Just a living room with a strip of kitchen at one end, a bathroom, and a bedroom.
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Old 08-08-2010, 06:09 PM
 
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I have electric heat and I love it. I have PPL and yes the rates did go up. I live in a bi-level home and I went on a budget plan. My bill is now $122.00 per month. I have an electric stove and water heater. Each type - gas, electric and oil go through times when the price goes crazy. A while back it was oil prices went over the top. I heard gas is suppose to be coming up with a big increase in the future. To me at this point one is the same as the other.

I have no trouble getting the rooms warm enough. Sometimes I have to turn it down. Guess it depends also how well your living space is insulated.

I say go for it! If you really like the apartment I wouldn't let electric heat keep you from getting it. I'm not sure if you would have PPL but if so you could check into getting on the budget plan (not sure if living in an apartment makes a difference). That way you will have a set amount you know you will pay each month.
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Old 08-08-2010, 08:59 PM
 
27 posts, read 98,514 times
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Sweet! Thanks for the info and advice, dj10!

Yes, it would be PPL, and they do offer a budget plan for apartments.
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