Electric furnace - estimated winter costs on 1500 sq ft... (Spokane: rent, how much)

[1freespirit]

Hi there,

We are going to switch over from oil furnace to electric. Yes I know more expensive (well right now anyways) BUT we are going to do this mainly because electric is less maintenance over all. We rent out our Summer Idaho home in the Winter months and seems the tenants have issues with the oil furnace each year. It is an older oil furnace so needs to be replaced anyways. Posted in Spokane forum as there is no Coeur d' alene forum and temps are about the same from Spokane to CDA.

We are going electric due to the ease of maintenance and operation.

Trying to get a ball park estimate on cost to operate during winter season from Oct - May.

On oil this past winter when oil prices were down it ran about $250-$300 every 6 weeks for the Winter season. When oil prices were high a couple years ago it ran around $400-$500 every 6 weeks.

So for those that have electric heat and for a home around 1500 sq. ft. what would you say your average monthly electric heating portion was cost wise?

I am guessing about $200 a month for electric on just the heating part not including everyday electric usage?

Thank you,

[ScottPlake]

Originally Posted by 1freespirit

Hi there,

We are going to switch over from oil furnace to electric. Yes I know more expensive (well right now anyways) BUT we are going to do this mainly because electric is less maintenance over all. We rent out our Summer Idaho home in the Winter months and seems the tenants have issues with the oil furnace each year. It is an older oil furnace so needs to be replaced anyways. Posted in Spokane forum as there is no Coeur d' alene forum and temps are about the same from Spokane to CDA.

We are going electric due to the ease of maintenance and operation.

Trying to get a ball park estimate on cost to operate during winter season from Oct - May.

On oil this past winter when oil prices were down it ran about $250-$300 every 6 weeks for the Winter season. When oil prices were high a couple years ago it ran around $400-$500 every 6 weeks.

So for those that have electric heat and for a home around 1500 sq. ft. what would you say your average monthly electric heating portion was cost wise?

I am guessing about $200 a month for electric on just the heating part not including everyday electric usage?

Thank you,

It really depends on your usage. My Mom used to be on Oil and switched to electric. It was much easier for her, not having to have the fuel truck come out all the time to fill up. She saved some money, but not too much....but, and this is the main point. She keeps the house super warm all the time. She's 85 and recovering from Vaginal Cancer so after chemo and weight loss she likes her house real warm. I feel like I'm going into a sauna in the winter when I go over there. It's usually set at 78, lol. She admitted that she was more frugal when she was on oil, for whatever reasons. Now that she's on electric, she keeps the temps high in the winter. Her house is smaller than your, but her average is around $120 for the year. I believe she also does the Comfort billing from Avista. That's about $40 per month average savings for her. I cannot remember how much it costs for her to make the switch.


So to sum up, it really depends on your usage. Are you home all the time, or do you turn the thermostat down when you're at work? But, I'm sure you'll see some savings.


Good luck.

[1freespirit]

Thank you Scott for the information and response.

I'm not really expecting a savings between oil and electric so hearing it is possible is nice.