[Satori]

Were looking at moving into a brand new apt complex, I just found out its got central heat/AC. Our last place had it and OMG, the bills tripled when we moved in but the units were OLD, very old. This is brand new, construction wont even be completed until Oct.

How do I get an idea of what it will cost to run it? We haven't decided on a 2 or 3 bedroom, one is 890sq ft and the other 1203sq ft.

[brook6]

no way to tell with so little info...

what part of the country are you in? are you home all day or out? how cool/warm is comfortable?

it will be less than your old inefficient system, and 2 or 3 bedrooms is not gonna make much difference

call the utility company and get an estimate from them

[ypatton]

The apartment management or existing residents would be your best source for finding out the true cost!

[Tjemgoins]

Call the power company. They should be able to give some comparison for other apartments in the area.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by ypatton

The apartment management or existing residents would be your best source for finding out the true cost!

Its brand new, still being built so no one lives there yet.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by Tjemgoins

Call the power company. They should be able to give some comparison for other apartments in the area.

Forced air is pretty much unheard of here, until the last 5-10 years it didn't get hot enough to need AC. 10 years ago the high in summer was upper 80's, now it gets over 100F

Originally Posted by brook6

no way to tell with so little info...

what part of the country are you in? are you home all day or out? how cool/warm is comfortable?

it will be less than your old inefficient system, and 2 or 3 bedrooms is not gonna make much difference

call the utility company and get an estimate from them

So cal, home all day, prefer temp around 78F.

[Tjemgoins]

Originally Posted by Satori

Forced air is pretty much unheard of here, until the last 5-10 years it didn't get hot enough to need AC. 10 years ago the high in summer was upper 80's, now it gets over 100F

So cal, home all day, prefer temp around 78F.

I live in Oklahoma I have central ac. My bill runs about $400 per month for a doublewide trailer. Not the same but maybe it will help.

[onlyjackiee]

We live in a 3bed2bath newer apt about 1100 square feet 3 adults 2 children and AC stays around 75 degrees (btw in GA we have barely had 2 days below 93 for months) and our power bill in the summer is an average $280 in winter it's $150. It all depends when both of us worked longer hours and no one was home it was $110 so it depends and can vary alot

[karmi12]

i live in a 2400 sf house we have ac on all the time in summer set it at 75 or 76 and put in some ceiling fans to get the air moving elec bills vary but none over 200- current in a heat wave in the 90s for last 10 days or so. i think being a nwere house the insulation factor makes huge difference- we also try to do whatever we can to reduce our elec bill, can call your power company they have some good ideas on that and can give you specific

[Seirith]

I have a 1400sqft 100 year old house with a basement and attic and our electric bills with our A/C set to 72 is around 100-140 a month.

For us personally the bill is worth it to be cool all summer, it is 95 here right now.

[Satori]

Wow, you all have crazy bills! Even running my 15,000 BTU A/C 24/7 my bill has never been over $50 or so and thats a high bill. In the winter it runs about $30.

I don't think we could afford $100+ bills every month. The cost of running the system has me worried, I will call the utilities Monday and see if I can get any info but they were less then helpful when I called trying to figure out how much it would cost to run my AC when I got it last summer.

[SLance68]

Originally Posted by Satori

Wow, you all have crazy bills! Even running my 15,000 BTU A/C 24/7 my bill has never been over $50 or so and thats a high bill. In the winter it runs about $30.

I don't think we could afford $100+ bills every month. The cost of running the system has me worried, I will call the utilities Monday and see if I can get any info but they were less then helpful when I called trying to figure out how much it would cost to run my AC when I got it last summer.

First of all your 15000 BTU is a little over one ton (12000 btu per ton) and it usually takes 1 ton per 500 sqr ft. for cooling. Second the new A/C systems must be at a minimum of 13.00 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) which is probably much higher than what your other unit or an older apartment complex would have. I have a 1500 sqr ft house that has a 16.00 SEER Heat Pump System and my electric, water, sewer and trash/recycling bill are $ 150.00 per month during the summer and about 125 in the winter. I am in Orlando and I run my A/C at 76 - 24/7. You will have to just try it one month and be prepared. It might not be as bad as you think especially setting it as high as 78. You should also factor in what else is on your electric bill such as mine which includes all those other utilities. It will also depend on the cost per KW that your utility company charges. HTH.

Forgot to add - if you can go look at one of the units before it is rented it should have a sticker on the front of the unit that will show the expected electrical costs for that unit. HTH

[LetaB]

1. If the units are new, the chances are that they will be well insulated and have good windows. The heating and cooling would be new and high-e, too. They'll get tax incentives for using energy efficient materials.
(Why they wouldn't use geothermal on a new project is beyond me, but, eh.)
I'd make sure that the windows are vinyl and double paned. Frankly, I wouldn't live in a place where I had to pay utilities if the windows were wood or aluminum.

2. Find out what the electric rates are there. In SoCal, you almost certainly have tiered pricing, which means lower rates 9-5 and higher rates in the evening. If this is the case, find out if you can install a programmable thermostat in your unit in order to use the most energy during the least costly times.

3. How are they going to heat? Electric or gas? Electric heat is $$$$. Does your unit have a washer and a dryer? If yes, is the dryer electric? For an electric dryer, you can get a heat diverting vent. You put in on the duct, and in the summer, leave the switch up to vent the heat outside, but when it's cold, flip the switch and the hot air heats your house. One brand name is "Extra Heat" and they cost under $10.

4. Go ahead and get the 3 bedroom if you can afford it. Worst case scenario, you can close the door to the extra room, and probably will make an insignificant difference in the utility cost.

[SLance68]

DO NOT change the thermostat without the permission of the complex management. I have a programmable and I hate it as they are a pain in the butt to program. I actually made my boss come back and program mine. Do not set it above 82 or so during the day and then expect it to easily cool down when you get home. You have to realize when you come home and drop it 4 degrees it is going to run a lot more than if you had just left it at the 78 you would normally use it at. Find out if the A/C systems are straight cool or heat pumps if they are a heat pump they will be very efficient for heating. However if they are gas (natural or propane) they are usually a lot cheaper to use than electric - but with the increase in gas prices it isn't as good as it use to be.

The tax incentives for using energy efficient a/c units expired 12/31/2010. They are required to use no lower than a 13.00 SEER since they no longer are allowed to manufacturer them. As for Geothermal - have you priced this stuff? I am guessing no since it will wear out and need to be replaced before it actually becomes cheaper than using electric. That is why solar is not used because it costs more to purchase and install solar panels so that it takes 20 years to break even using them and they only last for 15 years - so you go in the hole using them.

As for the windows I would not have a problem with wood or aluminum since I have had to deal with vinyl getting old and it cracks and has to be replaced more often.

[Satori]

I didn't know they made anything other then double paned these days. The place I live in now is probably 15-20 years old and even has them.

I've never seen a beak down like that on my bill, I just know I pay the lowest cost due to the 20% low income discount and we have medical baseline which gives us a much higher baseline to the point we have never even made it halfway into Tier 1.

The heat is gas, the W/D thing has me ticked, they wont uncap them. If not for the fact I have a neighbor from hell that I just can't take anymore this would be a deal breaker issue but I know in this town W/D hook ups are a luxury anyway. Will be looking into portables though (will convert existing washer to portable, will probably need to buy portable electric dryer due to venting issue, not sure yet on that front)

The 3 bedroom is actually $36 less then I currently pay for a 2 bedroom but the 2 bedroom is $109 less if I remember right and I'm just worried about the cost of heating/cooling after the last experience. I'm on a fixed income and as it is the rent is like 44% of my income for the 3 bedroom. Still far cheaper then anything I will find in this town unless I managed to get into the low income apts, these new ones are "affordable living".

[LetaB]

A/C tax credits have expired, but the ones for good windows and good heating systems have not.

I dunno about vinyl windows cracking in hot climates, but in the midwest they are are no-brainer. There are 20+ year old vinyl windows here still going strong. I every aluminum window that I've ever had any experience with was terribly inefficient garbage. I wouldn't use them even if they did turn out to be more durable, because our heating bills here are serious- the first for years we lived in this house, we spent more money on heat than we did on our mortgage. For one year of heat, we could have replaced every window in this house. Even if I had to replace vinyl windows every ten years, they would still pay for themselves nearly six times over in that time. (We just had to pay for the windows, though, and did the install ourselves, with lots of supervision from my 35-years-of-construction-experience-having dad.)

Off Topic: Geothermal retrofits are expensive, but for new construction, cost the same or less than a high-E furnace and A/C unit. If a builder tries to tell you otherwise, tell him to take a hike, because that's hogwash. (You don't need a geothermal "system", or an expert. You need a excavator, an electrician, and a pipe fitter/plumber, which you will need anyway on new construction.)

Back on topic: Not having a W/D isn't the worst thing. It will help keep your utility bills lower.

Does the complex cover any of the utilities? Do you pay for heat, electricity, water, trash, gas, what?

[Satori]

Originally Posted by LetaB

Back on topic: Not having a W/D isn't the worst thing. It will help keep your utility bills lower.

Does the complex cover any of the utilities? Do you pay for heat, electricity, water, trash, gas, what?

We do like 20-30 loads of laundry a month so thats at least $50 at a laundry mat Plus its just a pain to have to trudge back and forth between the laundry room or laundry mat, plus having to sit there to make sure no one steals your clothes.

CA law says they have to pay water/sewer/trash so all I have to worry about is gas/elec.

[SLance68]

Originally Posted by LetaB

A/C tax credits have expired, but the ones for good windows and good heating systems have not.

I dunno about vinyl windows cracking in hot climates, but in the midwest they are are no-brainer. There are 20+ year old vinyl windows here still going strong. I every aluminum window that I've ever had any experience with was terribly inefficient garbage. I wouldn't use them even if they did turn out to be more durable, because our heating bills here are serious- the first for years we lived in this house, we spent more money on heat than we did on our mortgage. For one year of heat, we could have replaced every window in this house. Even if I had to replace vinyl windows every ten years, they would still pay for themselves nearly six times over in that time. (We just had to pay for the windows, though, and did the install ourselves, with lots of supervision from my 35-years-of-construction-experience-having dad.)

Off Topic: Geothermal retrofits are expensive, but for new construction, cost the same or less than a high-E furnace and A/C unit. If a builder tries to tell you otherwise, tell him to take a hike, because that's hogwash. (You don't need a geothermal "system", or an expert. You need a excavator, an electrician, and a pipe fitter/plumber, which you will need anyway on new construction.)

Back on topic: Not having a W/D isn't the worst thing. It will help keep your utility bills lower.

Does the complex cover any of the utilities? Do you pay for heat, electricity, water, trash, gas, what?

As for the Geothermal in a new house - Um I work for a General Contractor, Electrical Contractor and HVAC Contractor and they will all tell you that it is not worth the money and they will not put it in a new house since the additional cost would severely jack up the cost of the house. Trust me I know what this stuff calls since we can get it from the wholesalers and it is NOT worth the money since you will have to replace it before it pays for its self.

[LetaB]

I'm sure that's true in your area, but my general contractor dad has built several geothermal houses, most notably for his family members, and kept them well under what a furnace would cost. It varies by the area and climate, and it's important to compare apples to apples- what skilled trades and X equipment cost versus what natural gas/electric and Y equipment cost, which is always going to vary by area.