Ultility Costs (Tampa, Cape Coral, North Port: how much, big house, water heater)

[catsupbottle]

Will be closing on a home in Island Walk West Villages soon.

For two people, what should we expect the average monthly cost of water and electricty to run? The home will be 2003 sq ft under air.

Respectfully Submitted,
Catsupbottle

[Racelady88]

You have not given enough info to get an answer that will be helpful to you.

How big is the house? What temp will you set your thermostat at? How often will someone be opening a door to the outside? Will you be cooking on the stove/oven or using the microwave? How many showers will be taken in a day and how long will they last? How many loads of laundry per week? How many loads of dishes?

Here is the answer for the 2 people who live at my house.

1,200 sf, thermostat set at 72, minimal indoor cooking during the summer. Electric bill last month was $230. House is older with poor insulation and single pane windows. We have blinds and insulated curtains on all the windows and keep it like a cave.

3-4 showers per day 15 minutes +/-, 4 loads of laundry per week, no dishwasher. Water bill was $72 last month. We do water plants outside, rinse off the dog when we get back from the beach most every afternoon.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by catsupbottle

Will be closing on a home in Island Walk West Villages soon.

For two people, what should we expect the average monthly cost of water and electricty to run? The home will be 2003 sq ft under air.

Respectfully Submitted,
Catsupbottle

Hi Catsupbottle,

I can give you a round about figure on electric. My home is 2127 sq ft and built in 2003, so the specs should be similar to yours. I do however have five people in the house, which includes three girls i.e. extra laundry, showers,etc. You might be able to cut 25%-50% off these costs. We keep the A/C set at 80 and we have no pool.

Not sure on the water since I have a well.

I was able to dredge up some old electric bills. The electric bills are generally less in the winter/spring, Dec-May. June-Nov, the bill is sometimes double due to running the A/C.

July 2010, $232
June, 2010, $156
May 2010, $109
Mar, 2010, $112
Feb, 2010, $73
Jan, 2010, $122
Dec 2009, $160
Nov, 2009, $233
Oct 2009, $216
Sept, 2009, $219
Aug, 2009, $224
July, 2009, $196
June, 2009, $180
May 2009, $121
Apr, 2009, $122
Mar 2009, $146
Feb 2009, $127
Jan, 2009, $131
Dec, 2008, $113
Nov, 2008, $204
Oct, 2008, $263
Sept, 2008, $179
Aug 2008, $202
June, 2008, $212
May 2008, $112
Apr, 2008, $102
Mar, 2008, $104
Feb, 2008, $111
Jan, 2008, $124

[foggytoad]

You have been so helpful and supply so much great info for the newbie. I tried to give you a rep or positive and it told me I couldn't and that I had to spread it around to others before I gave you any more but you're da bomb! It looks like Oct. of '08 must've been an exceedingly warm month compared to many others. Does all of SWFL have one company that supplies electricity or many? Is it advantageous to average your payments out every month or isn't that an option? Is natural gas an option for hot water heaters, kitchen ranges, etc.? Is city sewer preferable over a septic tank? I hope my questions don't sound really dumb. If so, I'll !

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by foggytoad

You have been so helpful and supply so much great info for the newbie. I tried to give you a rep or positive and it told me I couldn't and that I had to spread it around to others before I gave you any more but you're da bomb! It looks like Oct. of '08 must've been an exceedingly warm month compared to many others. Does all of SWFL have one company that supplies electricity or many? Is it advantageous to average your payments out every month or isn't that an option? Is natural gas an option for hot water heaters, kitchen ranges, etc.? Is city sewer preferable over a septic tank? I hope my questions don't sound really dumb. If so, I'll !

Nope, perfectly legit questions. I'll do my best. FPL (Florida Power and Light) provides the electric for this area. I think other areas have other companies, for example-TECO for Tampa, etc

I think FPL does have some kind of option for averaging out the electric bill so you know what to expect each month. I did have them put a whole house surge protector on after losing a very expensive washer and a dishwasher.

Natural gas is an option in some areas. I think it depends on if it's available in your area. It's not an option were I live. Many gated communities have that option.

I prefer septic and well but that's just me. I get the tank pumped out every few years and that's about it. I do know the tank has to be replaced every so often and that could get expensive but overall I think it's a cheaper choice.

With the well water, I just have the filters changed every six months and have it scrubbed out. It costs me $100. Every month I have my well guy come and put salt in the container at a cost of $35 (although my husband could do it for much cheaper but it's easier just to pay to have it done and not nag him). So, really the costs are minimal and I don't have a monthly water bill. Again, if something breaks, then there's a cost related to that. Since we've been in our house '05, we haven't had any substantial issues with our well.

[Big House]

I'm on public water and sewer her in MD. Well, . . . we just got our water and sewer bill for the last 3 months! They only bill us quarterly here in Baltimore County. So, . . you can imagine how much it was! Yep, . . . $ 19.00.

[Salty Dave]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

Nope, perfectly legit questions. I'll do my best. FPL (Florida Power and Light) provides the electric for this area. I think other areas have other companies, for example-TECO for Tampa, etc

I think FPL does have some kind of option for averaging out the electric bill so you know what to expect each month. I did have them put a whole house surge protector on after losing a very expensive washer and a dishwasher.

Natural gas is an option in some areas. I think it depends on if it's available in your area. It's not an option were I live. Many gated communities have that option.

I prefer septic and well but that's just me. I get the tank pumped out every few years and that's about it. I do know the tank has to be replaced every so often and that could get expensive but overall I think it's a cheaper choice.

With the well water, I just have the filters changed every six months and have it scrubbed out. It costs me $100. Every month I have my well guy come and put salt in the container at a cost of $35 (although my husband could do it for much cheaper but it's easier just to pay to have it done and not nag him). So, really the costs are minimal and I don't have a monthly water bill. Again, if something breaks, then there's a cost related to that. Since we've been in our house '05, we haven't had any substantial issues with our well.

I also give kudos to you for your help, I read in a post that NP is putting a sewer system and forcing you to connect any truth to that?
If so what are the costs going to be? What part of NP has sewers?
Sorry about so many ?'s

Dave

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by Salty Dave

I also give kudos to you for your help, I read in a post that NP is putting a sewer system and forcing you to connect any truth to that?
If so what are the costs going to be? What part of NP has sewers?
Sorry about so many ?'s

Dave

I have heard nothing about any sewers being put in in North Port in the near future. I've actually heard the exact opposite-they there are no plans for it. They are putting sewers in Cape Coral, however. If you wanted a definite answer you could always call the building dept for confirmation: North Port, FL : Building Department In NP the city water and sewer is hit or miss. Mostly miss. Most of the main roads have city water-Chamberlain Blvd, Sumter, Cranberry, Biscayne, etc Some of the original developments in NP off of South Biscayne Blvd also have city water.

Cartwright St off of Chamberlain Blvd have city water. A few streets off of Atwater also have city water-Junction St and a few others. You can use this to find out if an address had city water or sewer: http://www.cityofnorthport.com/index.aspx?page=343

[mr&mrssunshine]

Originally Posted by Big House

I'm on public water and sewer her in MD. Well, . . . we just got our water and sewer bill for the last 3 months! They only bill us quarterly here in Baltimore County. So, . . you can imagine how much it was! Yep, . . . $ 19.00.

ooooo you should shower more

[Harbor Hopper]

Originally Posted by Big House

I'm on public water and sewer her in MD. Well, . . . we just got our water and sewer bill for the last 3 months! They only bill us quarterly here in Baltimore County. So, . . you can imagine how much it was! Yep, . . . $ 19.00.

$19 for 3 months????? Your municipality must not have a "facility" or "ready to serve" charge. Are you sure you didn't forget a "0" at the end?
For water and sewer in Charlotte county, even if you don't use a drop of water, your bill will be at least $35/month. We are on city water but have a septic system. Our family of 3 averages around $80-90/mo for water. If the county ever wastes the money to expand sewer (I'm on a committe fighting it), this will almost double the water bill. I simply couldn't imagine paying over $150/month for water & sewer!!! My electric bill isn't even that high!