Utilities/Electric bills in Texas (Dallas, San Antonio: real estate, credit, mobile home)

[Just Lookin]

Thanks Steel Man, no we are buying a home already there. There are so many nice one's.

[musicman107]

With builders building homes in CenTex as quickly as possible:
Often pour slab, and begin framing immediately.
W/ expansive clay soil in much of Texas, clay swells tremendously when wet, and contracts tremendously during a long, hot dry summer: results: uneven settlment of fdn, cracked inter. floor clay tiles, cracks in fdns, etc.
Slab should be kept wet for about 28 days before framing, to allow much of the curing process (known as "hydration") to occur. Not often the case, as builders get a bonus for completing on schedule, I've seen many homes being framed w/in 1-3 days after slab is poured. Asking for probs.
Have seen improperly placed reinforcement (rebar) in slabs, wooden form boards left in place (should be REMOVED, as this wood is an invitation for termites to dinner), and other items that unfortunately, we cannot depend upon local code inspectors to catch.
Building a home: Yes, highly recommend a third party, independent inspector for 'phase construction inspections.'
Indiv. builders/supts. often have dozens of homes being built at same time...they cannot possibly monitor what their laborers (with lots of turnovers in crew members) and subcontractors are doing when they're not present.
All fdn's are going to undergo settlement. Simple fact.
Rule of thumb: most settlement occurs w/in about 7 yrs,
but it's a real dissapointment to have interior floor clay tiles crack, and even ceiling-wall separations, w/in a few years in your new dream home. These things can largely be avoided.
I'd also inquire about rigid steel HVAC ductwork. My hunch is relatively little expense added to construction price, would well be worth the investment in a relatively short 'pay-back' time for HVAC effic. and lower utility bills.

Originally Posted by Steel Man

musicman107,
Great post. These are the type of helpful posts that are really appreciated.

Bound for Texas,
If you're going to build a new home, I recommend you hire a housing inspector.
www.inspectpros.com/new%20construction.htm

[eisd]

Well Texas has some of the highest rates in the US on average. I found some of the avaerage rates by state at this site. It's kind of informative.

http://www.electricitybid.com/menu_item_8.htm


Residential rates are interesting in Texas in that although Texas has deregulated the industry the retail providers have not lowered then rates significantly below the ex-monopolies rate. So for residential things stay about the same as they always have. Commercial is different but for now it looks like residential remains very uncompetitive.

[crystalblue]

how much are you apartment dwellers paying?

where do you live?

[Bo]

San Antonio has a municipal electric utility, City Public Service, which provides some of the lowest electrical rates in the state. The document below includes a comparison of rates in 7 Texas cities.

http://www.cpsenergy.com/files/current_financial_data/Srs2004OS.pdf (broken link)

[ozonehole]

The size of your house and the insulation (the more the better) makes a big difference. Double or triple-glazed windows also are important. Late model mobile homes actually have better insulation than stick-built homes (but old pre-1990s mobile homes suck).

Or instead of air-conditioning, make much better use of electric fans in summer. Open windows at night for cool air (if crime is an issue in your neighborhood, consider installing bars on the windows?). A ventilating fan in the attic helps a lot at night (though again, at least one window needs to be open to suck in the cool night air).

In winter, wood stoves are good only if you've got a ready supply of wood, and air pollution laws in your area allow it. Wood stoves are a PITA to run. Much better is a pellet stove (make sure wood pellets can be bought in your area - dried corn can also be used, but it's not as good).

Consider getting a house with a basement. Basements are cooler in summer, warmer in winter. But dampness can be a problem (you might need a dehumidifier), and flooding is a real issue in some areas.

[Canine*Castle]

I was just bagging away the 2007 paperwork last night and reviewed my electric bills for the year. I live in Central Texas north of Waco. My house is only about 1,600 square feet and all electric.

The highest bill I had was $150.00 with the next highest being just under $125.00 two times. The months were August for the $150 and February and July for the $125.00. The rest of them ranged from $65.00 (March) to $117.00 (September). These were the highest bills I've had in my 20 years in this home. I know 2008 will be higher.

I don't blast the heat or the A/C because of the costs. I don't warm my home to anymore than 65 degrees and don't cool it below 78 degrees. I do use a tiny electric heater when I'm sitting at the computer if I get really chilly. At night, the heat is off all together as I would roast under blankets if the heat came on. I think that helps. Maybe if everyone did that, our energy bills would go down greatly in due course. As a nation, we use and waste entirely too much energy.

[crystalblue]

Is electricity deregulation a raw deal for Texas? | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Business News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/012008dnbusdereg.2b27284.html - broken link)

well, that wasnt too bright of y'all!

[tstone]

Originally Posted by crystalblue

Is electricity deregulation a raw deal for Texas? | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Business News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/012008dnbusdereg.2b27284.html - broken link)

well, that wasnt too bright of y'all!

It wasn't too bright of those not to switch from their old electric co. which once held the regional monopolies! Otherwise, with a little shopping around (and good credit), electricity is about 25-30% cheaper now than it was 5-6 years ago when it was not deregulated yet.

It is for me, anyway.....

"Retail electricity prices have dropped from their peak after the 2005 hurricanes, and a few retailers now offer lower rates than the pre-deregulation days.

But most people are still paying more."

This is the free market and nanny government is not going to hold your hand. Please leave it this way.

[citizen_jane]

Which provider are you using that is 25-30% cheaper than pre-deregulation? Do you know the price per Kwh around the time of dereg?