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Old 08-14-2006, 10:22 AM
 
15 posts, read 66,118 times
Reputation: 14

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I have been reading this forum for a while trying to decide where my family will move and am leaning toward Maine. Despite the difference in mortgage prices, it seems that the high heating costs in Maine would make the cost of living the same as Tacoma Metro. Is the utility cost really between $300-$400 per month? (At least for heating oil)

I suppose this might be a dumb question, but why are all the homes heated with oil, anyway? Is it difficult to change to electric or natural gas? I can see how it would be difficult for gas, I mean, if it's not there, then it's not there.
But why can't you convert an existing heating system to electric to save some $$?

I would love to move to Maine, but would need the total cost of living to be considerable lower than Tacoma Metro to make ends meet on my husband's possible telecommuting income.

I would appreciate any responses to this!
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Old 08-14-2006, 11:11 AM
 
Location: Boise
149 posts, read 1,097,604 times
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You've probably been reading my posts, so I don't know if hearing from me one more time is going to be any help, but I'll tell you what I know anyway.

We moved here from Idaho in August 2004. I knew heating oil would be expensive, but I really had no idea. I also figured that the cheaper mortgage in Maine would offset the higher heating costs.... I was wrong.

I called our oil company so I could get exact figures about how much oil we used between 2004 - 2006 to heat our ~2300 sq ft house.

Between Aug 04 and Apr 05, we burned 1378.6 gallons of heating oil, at 2.25 per gallon. Between May 05 and Apr 06, we burned 1271.2 gallons of heating oil, at 2.29 per gallon. The current cheapest oil prices (according to maineoil.com) are 2.489/gal. So, by my calculations, thats $6000 over 16.5 months -- an average of $364 per month.

Shortly after we moved in, I installed programmable thermostats that keep the thermostat low at night and when nobody was home... not that it seemed to help much. The house is set up on four different zones, which also helps keep energy costs lower.

Where we live, natural gas isn't available. It's "more available" in metro areas like Portland and Bangor, but not available in rural areas.

Electricity is expensive. Believe it or not, electric heat would be much worse. Central Maine Power charges $0.084/kwh for electricity supply, and another $0.065 for the electricity delivery.. essentially charging $0.15/kwh for electricity. We were paying between $.07/kwh and $0.08/kwh in Idaho for electricity.

Water is expensive too. Check out this site to compare water rates among the different cities: http://www.maine.gov/meopa/water/water_rates.html
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Old 08-14-2006, 11:33 AM
 
15 posts, read 66,118 times
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Default wow

Thanks for the quick response!

Wow. How does anyone actually pay for heat? I love everything else that I've read about Maine, but the heating bills might make a move there impossible.

You mentioned natural gas being available in some homes around Bangor. Does anyone know if that is a cheaper alternative? How hard is it to find?

I like what I've read about Bangor and am planning a trip to explore in the spring. Is there much of a possibility of snow hindering my travel plans in March? I thought about a trip in December before Christmas to take advantage of the kids break from school, but would weather hinder me? Does the snow typically come mid-December or is it unpredictable? Or do Maine roads get maintained so well that travel is still reasonably easy despite it? I know that in the Tacoma area snow is so rare that ONE inch of it makes everyone stay home!

I am hoping to find our new hometown and move next summer, and am already getting nervous!
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Old 08-14-2006, 11:52 AM
 
10 posts, read 44,296 times
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My bf & I are looking into alternative heating sources for our Maine sanctuary (wind & solar power).

When we were looking for a place in Maine to settle down, we did come across a few homes that had converted to solar (at least partly).

I think its a great investment if you have the $ to install.
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Old 08-14-2006, 12:29 PM
 
15 posts, read 66,118 times
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Default solar option

I saw one house for sale in Herman that had passive solar with wood and oil also. Is Herman a nice spot? How does the "passive" solar work? Does it only charge the electric part of the home? I'm full of questions, and the answers I find only give me more questions!
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Old 08-14-2006, 02:05 PM
 
Location: Tucson, AZ
4,975 posts, read 11,692,041 times
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Depending on your needs and wants, another simple way to cut down on heating costs would be to buy a small house. I would rather live in a tiny house in Maine than a bigger house in NC, which is where we settled due to hubby's work. We're enjoying NC, but Maine will always be the state for me! Good luck with whatever decision you make Andrea Jean!

Last edited by lovemaine; 08-14-2006 at 02:22 PM..
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Old 08-14-2006, 02:10 PM
 
Location: Maine
22,913 posts, read 28,245,835 times
Reputation: 31204
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrea Jean
How does the "passive" solar work?
"Passive solar" might be realtor-speak for "holes in roof."
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Old 08-14-2006, 02:21 PM
 
Location: Tucson, AZ
4,975 posts, read 11,692,041 times
Reputation: 3392
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark S.
"Passive solar" might be realtor-speak for "holes in roof."
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Old 08-14-2006, 05:18 PM
 
Location: Maine
566 posts, read 1,417,318 times
Reputation: 685
Default Hermon

Hi,
You said you saw a place in Hermon and wondered if it was a good area. Hermon is a wonderful area. It is just outside of Bangor and growing. The town is very nice.
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Old 08-15-2006, 02:34 PM
 
Location: Fayette, Maine
9 posts, read 43,269 times
Reputation: 11
Had to put my two cents in here. I think the price of oil is the price of oil no matter where you live. It is the degree days and yes Maine has many more cold days. But Maine also has less crime and drug problems too. So is it worth the few $$ ? Been here 20 years now ( outside of Augusta on David Pond ) year round and find it nice and quite and very peacefull anytime of the year. I guess you would say PRICELESS !!

It all depends on what you want in life. Some people like the city some like it hot. I love the four seasons and fall,winter and spring are great here. Summer well if you stay away from the tourist area its real nice too...
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