Utilities? What is your average? (Owatonna: apartment complex, renting, hotel)

[ACJessen]

We are moving to the Owatonna area in a few weeks and I have noticed some places offer all paid utilities or paid heat. What is the differences? Obiviously all paid means everything. But paid heat? I'm assuming most places use both gas and electric.

So, with that being said and trying to get a budget in line, what is your average for utilities (monthly)? We are moving from Florida and only need to pay for electric since we have a well and septic.

TIA.

[Mdcastle]

Most apartments I've seen here have individual meters for electricity, and you also pay for your own phone, TV, and internet if you want those but water, sewer, refuse, and heat are paid for. An apartment complex usually has a gas fired boiler for the whole building that provides "free" heat, and then you pay for the electricity for a window A/C unit. Electric heat is uncommon except for hotel rooms. If your renting a duplex or something older homes may be a gas boiler or gas furnace, newer houses will have a furnace that might include central air. But as a data point on a typical winter I live in a detached 1100 foot square house and pay somewhat more than $200 a month for heat (set at 71 degrees), slightly more than $200 a month for electricty in the summer (central A/C set at 77, all incandescent lamps except for the basement and kitchen), about $100 a month in the winter.

[Kebinminn]

I checked my Xcel account and averaged $70 a month of the last year, the highest was $143 when it was really hot, that was my only bill over $100, and the lowest was $47 with most bills being in the $50-mid $60 range.

[Kamsack]

In regards to heat paid.... at least up here in the Grand Forks MN/ND area in many instances that meant the landlord pays for the natural gas. But I am sure it varies from place to place and area of state to another.

I live in the larger single family home so my gas and electric bills run quite a bit higher than would be for an apartment so cant compare. Plus our family is quite large so we use a bit more than the average. Iin my example we live in a newer ranch house with 1700 sq ft on each level finished. As I said we use lots of noise makers, air purifier, etc and have 3 kids....our electric portion runs about 300/mo in the summer (a/c set at 73) for peak and our gas heat bill peaks usually 170/mo or so in Jan-Feb (but we are much colder up here than down in southern MN).

[justinguru]

It seems to be around $100- $150.