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Old 04-23-2014, 01:37 PM
 
Location: Michigan
6 posts, read 34,563 times
Reputation: 11

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We are in the process of purchasing a single-family house in Naples. It is a 3-bedroom ranch roughly 1,650 square-feet, no pool. This is our second home and we intend to use it a few months of the year on and off before we retire. Can anyone give me a sense of what the average cost of water and electricity might be. We are rather tolerant couple and have spent time in Naples before, renting a house. We normally set the temperature at 78-80. When we are not using the house, we plan to set it at 83 or so. Also, do people have the lawn sprinkler water the lawn every day all year long. Any idea of the average water bill. Any information you can share will be greatly appreciated.
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Old 04-23-2014, 03:04 PM
 
Location: Mtns of Waynesville,NC & Nokomis, FL
4,782 posts, read 10,552,399 times
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We had ~1900 sq ft under air, SFH for past 8 winter seasons in Naples.
A quick look at our utility bills suggests:

'Water': a basic charge of water/sewer 'availability' is ~$51 a month, before one turns on the tap. Our water consumption varied considerable depending on how often and how many 'house guests' showed up any given winter month, but the water 'costs' when using, were nominal.


Electricity, from FP&L: averages ~ $40-48 a month during our absence, with A/C turned up to 79/80ish degrees F, and Humidistat set at 60%.

When we were there, it varied considerably based on outside temps, but really never got over $100 a month, or rarely...

If one likes warmer ambient house temps/seldom has A/C on, the occasional cold snaps push many to crank up the 'heat', which in most HVAC systems is really an electric strip with air moving over it = pricey 'heat'. We rarely turned on the 'heat' in our 8 1/2 seasons. Some neighbors had theirs cranked, but it is not 'furnace' or 'boiler' heat, lol!

We did not live in our house with A/C set to your '78-80', as we preferred it cooler, esp at night for sleeping, but electric bills were never severe by any definition, in winter season.

We had our A/C handler and compressor replaced 18 months ago, after 8 years of use, from the builder grade pos that came with the house when it was new, to an American Standard unit with aluminum coil, (vs bi or tri metal condenser coil that corrodes and molds up), and a very efficient 16 SEER rating. The electricity usage for past 18 months has been reduced by over 35% regardless of monthly Kwh quantity consumed. Remarkable to me...

That's my anecdotal minutiae on utility costs. For the house size your are ref'ing I would not think 'utility costs' would be a real concern, esp seasonally.
GL, mD
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Old 04-23-2014, 07:32 PM
 
Location: Naples & Sarasota Florida
597 posts, read 1,437,297 times
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Is it ia new home or an older home? That makes a huge difference. My newer home was 4,000 sq ft and I was running $70 a month in the summer, $125 water, cable was $120, gas was $30. If your home is older I would suggest you spend the money and get new insulation blown in. It will help cut your bill. Also, if your A/C is older, consider replacing it.

I have a friend who has an older home. Her electric bill is $200 and she is living there alone. We have also heard of people having $700 electric because of older units. Old A/C and no insulation will get you high bills.

BTW, if you get new insulation, check out Terminix. They have one that they blow in and it has some sort of anti bug and anti rodent material in the insulation.

Congrats on your home purchase.
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Old 04-24-2014, 06:18 AM
 
Location: Michigan
6 posts, read 34,563 times
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Dear David and Lido,

Thank you very much for the information, very helpful. The house was built in 1991 so I do not know if that is considered "old" or "new". Also, I do not know the age of the A/C. We actually replaced our entire HVAC system, furnace and A/c in Michigan this year to a high efficiency Lennox system (97.6% and 16 seer) after 23 years. I love the new system - it is so quiet I cannot even hear it when it on and I standing right by the register.

So, would you consider the house in Naples new or old? Also, how to most people water the lawn? This house is in a relatively nice neighborhood and I do not want it to look neglected.
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Old 04-24-2014, 07:39 AM
 
23 posts, read 50,422 times
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Smile Utility Costs

I bought a home in 2011, but I'm not in Naples proper. As far as the sprinkler goes, mine runs year round since I am not there full time yet. Your house, I believe would be considered older since so many were built in the 2000's. We keep our a/c on all year round and open all the interior does. How high are your ceilings? This will make a big difference regarding temperature comfort in your house.
As far as the AC/heater, mine was replaces last yearso the unit lasted about 10 years which I was told was pretty standard. People complain alot in Naples about the cost of electricity, but when you come from the midwest, you know that there electrical costs are not out of line. I hope you enjoy living in Paradise.
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Old 04-24-2014, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Mtns of Waynesville,NC & Nokomis, FL
4,782 posts, read 10,552,399 times
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vlotfi,
I would have RE agent/seller confirm the HVAC system age; a good house inspector, (recommend inspection before buying), should also be able to determine HVAC handler and/or compressor age.

Additionally, if handler is in garage, its life span is reduced vs a handler 'inside' the home somewhere.
If in garage at ceiling 7-9 yrs is about max, though bi metal condenser coils can get loaded up/become very inefficient sooner, due to corrosion and mold.

If HVAC sys in the house(s) you are considering are 5 or 6 yrs old or older, you may be able to bargain down a bit, as it's only a matter of time before you drop ~$4Gs on new handler and compressor, imo.

As you have discovered, the new A/C units are much improved over 'builder's grade' or even replacement units, from a few years ago.

Nothing wrong with a house built in '91, but your local insurance company will require a thorough inspection to see if house has been brought up to better/more recent standards, storm-wise. Either way, you may end up paying considerably more for even basic house insurance vs a 2005 or 2013 house, for comparison purposes.

Irrigation: in the communities I am familiar with, irrigation water is pumped from the community area ponds, (often called 'lakes' by the RE marketing gang, lol!), through a community system and directed to individual homes via your existing in ground sprinkling system. Irrigation systems, full of plastic and rubber parts, are a continual maintenance item either paid for by individual home owner or HOA/COA.

Timers are used for that irrigation of sections/areas of a community based on rainfall, pond level, drought restrictions set by county if any, etc.

GL on your house hunt...
BR, mD
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Old 04-28-2014, 08:56 AM
 
Location: Michigan
6 posts, read 34,563 times
Reputation: 11
Thank you very much, David. All good suggestions.
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Old 05-03-2014, 01:31 PM
 
Location: the beach
146 posts, read 334,325 times
Reputation: 217
I have 1400 sq ft. Size of house doesn't matter as much as the efficiency of your AC unit....also insulation inside roof. Tile floors really help keep the AC bill down. I keep my AC set at 74. My bill for April was 91$. When I lived in central Naples in an older small house, it was 975 sq ft, my bill would be as much as $175 in hottest months. That is because the AC system was very inefficient and my house faced to the west, the hottest direction to face.

My water bill averaged around $60 a month. You absolutely will not want to water your lawn using city water or your bill will be a fortune. It will be worth the investment in the long run to be on a pump/well sprinkler system and a timer box. Or get rid of a grass lawn and plant native plants and have mulched zones. Or perhaps a combo of the two eliminated the amount of plantings you have to water. If you have just a small section of grass left, then you could use city water .

I would have the insulation in the attic checked out, make sure there is plenty up there. If you have a lot of windows facing west, consider getting window tinting on them...they make a clear titanium film you cannot tell it's there. Don't bother with the cheap stuff ,it's a waste. The film has to have a high amount of titanium in it to work.

If you leave for long periods in the summer, have a dehumidifier on your AC control otherwise you will set the stage for mold to grow. Even if not cooled getting the moisture out of the air is important.

just my thoughts!
TL
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