Apartments with Utilities Included and A/C temps (Phoenix, Scottsdale: rent, house)

[yukon]

Dumb question here. I've never rented a place with utilities included, but I see quite a few in the metro that do include utilities. Does the tenant have any control over the actual temps, or is it restricted to x in the winter and y in the summer? As in, does the complex keep the a/c at a high temp in the summers to save on their power bills?

Or will they even be central a/c? I really don't want another swamp cooler, especially not down there

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by yukon

Dumb question here. I've never rented a place with utilities included, but I see quite a few in the metro that do include utilities. Does the tenant have any control over the actual temps, or is it restricted to x in the winter and y in the summer? As in, does the complex keep the a/c at a high temp in the summers to save on their power bills?

Or will they even be central a/c? I really don't want another swamp cooler, especially not down there

I've only known one person who lived in a building with utilities included & in that case, they didn't really have much control over the temps. The set-point was determined by the complex (they could close the vents if it was too cold in a room, but that wasn't a problem, because the set-point was pretty high).

For them, it really was a "central" a/c , because each building had multiple apartments and only a couple a/c units.

That person did have issues with it, as you might expect - the complex had certain dates when they would turn on the a/c and heat, and a cold day in the fall (before the heat date), or a warm day in the spring (before the cool date) would be uncomfortable.

Not bad enough that you would have to worry about your pipes freezing, or your apartment getting to 95 degrees, But it might get to say 82 in may before the a/c goes on, when the summer set-point was like 76..

if you're new to the area (or younger), you might be just fine with the wider temp-spread - older people tend to have have less tolerance for wider temp-spreads & after you've been here a while you might be more grumpy about having a "max temp" (i know I am, lol!).

The apartment my friend had was set-up so they paid for their own electricity in the apartment, but not for heat or a/c. They had a "cash card" from aps that you could add any amount of "value" to at any time (5 bucks or a hundred bucks), and the electricity for the lights came off that card automatically - but you never got a "bill" from aps. I don't know what their actual costs were for electricity, but in a small apartment I'd expect it really couldn't have been more than $40-$50 per month to keep the lights on (without paying for hvac).

For contrast (and it's been a few years), my brother had a 650 sq/ft one bed apartment that he controlled (and paid for) his own heat & a/c, and I think his peak/worstest bill was about $90 in the heat of the summer.

[Bondurant]

My current apartment includes utilities. The landlord asks, but does not require, that tenants keep the a/c at a reasonable level and turned off when not home.

My previous place in Tempe also included utilities but they did have controlled levels.

[urbex]

One thing that I learned the hard way when I had an apartment - included A/C doesn't always mean that it will perform the same way you would expect the A/C to be in your own house or an apartment with separate A/C for each unit.

I forget the name the of the complex I was in then, as it was almost 10 years ago now...it was the place on the southwest corner of where Mill crosses the 60 (south of 60, west of Mill Ave). They included all utilities in the rent, including electric, but their "A/C" was actually cold water circulation. There was a central chiller in an outbuilding that circulated cold water throughout all the apartment buildings. We had individual temp control in each apartment that would turn our blower on or off as needed, but the air came out of the vents more like a whisper than a wind, and in the hot summer months we were ecstatic if we could get the temp below 90 degrees inside. Was great having us 3 college aged dudes wandering around the apartment all day long in nothing but our skivvies trying to keep from over heating, lol. This setup also didn't do jack for removing humidity in the air during the humid months, so it was especially fun in August and September.

We called maintenance out several times, and they'd come out, stick a thermometer in the vent, say it's working just fine and that ALL the apartments were like ours, so they didn't know why we were complaining...

[Lexethan]

I wouldn't recommend renting an apartment where A/C or heating are included! I've done that once; it was HUGE mistake. As others have eluded to above, these are the kinds of situations where the landlords will have control of when and what temperature threshold before your A/C or heating units will kick in. It's like living with your cheap (if they were) again. I'd say rent an apartment where you're not on the top floor or bottom floor, and not the corner apartment. You would have neighbors on top, left and right, and below you. You will find that set up will save you a lot on heating and cooling costs. And, pick an apartment where your balcony/exposed wall faces the north! Good luck hunting/on your decision.

[yukon]

I was afraid that was the case with utilities included apartments. Thanks for the replies! I've always paid for utilities, even in TX, so I doubt an apartment a/c bill in the summer will be any worse than I've had before.

[elcajones]

If I lived in one of those I'd just get a portable ac to assist making the place comfortable. When I was apartment hunting I came across a few electric included apartments but they seemed kinda crappy...

[Serenity1944]

I lived in several apt complexes that had utilities included - because the heating and cooling was chiller - water pipes in the walls with hot water in winter, cold water in summer. Management has to turn the system on before the apt theromstat can be set by you. Big problem for those who care about mold is when pipes (especially in older buildings) leak in the walls, mold results. I once got out of bed in the AM and discovered one of the dining room walls was black with it. While at work the wall board was replaced and painted. Another apt with chiller-- manager did not tell me of the problems in the Scottsdale apt I rented (I asked) - mold in all the apts in that building (remediated). I am sensitive to mold so I had the hassle and expense of moving again. Harder on us older folks than the young.

And if I understand correctly, hospitals and schools have chiller , and it is common knowledge that many of those buildings have mold. I worked in a Phoenix hospital for many years, became very ill - after I took early retirement because the building was making me sick I found out they opened up the wall behind my work station - black mold! They saw a water line doing a very, very slow drip, and for who knows how long.