what on earth does electricity cost near you?

[LD1]

Only gas here is propane, no bargain. Off peak power and LP are about a draw so installing a LP furnace will never break even let alone pay.
We have a high efficiency fan forced wood burning insert in the fireplace, works great with lots of heat from a modest amount of wood. The novelty of snow covered firewood , bark , dirt , smoke, dirty floors , cold blowing into the house while tossing the wood in and having to keep throwing a couple of sticks of wood in every couple of hours is wearing thin.

What percentage of your heat comes from wood? How much electric heat are you running?

I'd have a hard time getting 4000kwh usage a month with 100% electric heating

 

[buickanddeere]

2497.7 Kw hour for November 2016. 87.1% of use at the lowest rate. The 3897.2Kw was actually from Sept 24th to November 24th. There was a month in there where the online remote metering had crashed and I forgot about that during some calculations. 64 Kwh used per day on average during that span.

 

[LD1]

2497.7 Kw hour for November 2016. 87.1% of use at the lowest rate. The 3897.2Kw was actually from Sept 24th to November 24th. There was a month in there where the online remote metering had crashed and I forgot about that during some calculations. 64 Kwh used per day on average during that span.

Makes a little more sense now. ~130kwh per day seemed like a ton.

During the last week of single digit temps (F), I peaked around 80-85 kwh/day. But on a more normal 20-35 degree winter day....bout 55kwh/day

 

[buickanddeere]

Makes a little more sense now. ~130kwh per day seemed like a ton.

During the last week of single digit temps (F), I peaked around 80-85 kwh/day. But on a more normal 20-35 degree winter day....bout 55kwh/day

Block heater for the tractor, heat trace on water pipes, heated water pail for Daughter's pet, a little electric heat in the garage/shop to keep it from freezing, well pump, yard lights, two freezers, electric water heater, electric clothes dryer,block heater for vehicle before going to work. All the little bits add up.

 

[ultrarunner]

The usage rates are hard for me to fathom... 2400 square foot home with nothing energy efficient except CREE LED bulbs... 12 kWh per day summer and winter... or 360 kWh per month... Oakland California.

 

[Looking4new]

The usage rates are hard for me to fathom... 2400 square foot home with nothing energy efficient except CREE LED bulbs... 12 kWh per day summer and winter... or 360 kWh per month... Oakland California.

Heating costs are expensive. Are you on a well? Septic tank?

 

[ultrarunner]

Heating costs are expensive. Are you on a well? Septic tank?

Almost no heating and don't have A/C at all... also no well or septic as inside the city limits...

It's good to have low usage when it cost 24 cents per kWh...

In Washington it is all electric supplemented with wood plus well and septic... winter has been as much as $800 for 5,000 square feet for a cold January... never happened to me but it did to a tenant that was cold unless it was 74+

I'm happy at 66 in the winter and in Oakland the house is often set at 60...

Too bad wood heat is banned when the temps drop... have acres of oak at the ready.

 

[3930dave]

....You still have to pay their price.

For now. Things change..... I'm old enough to start planning for retirement.....

Plan A: Totally off-grid, in an un-incorporated township. Unless I win a major lottery, this is my goal.

A few people in this thread are fortunate enough to still be in the low cost stable environment that existed here 30 years ago - for those of us dealing with broke and corrupt govts, you realistically have to consider that the out of control rate hikes are going to continue.

Plan B: Move to a low-cost locale. Utility costs are a non-trivial element of a retirement budget. If you have a decent job, choking down a $500/month electric bill may be doable - for many retired people, not so.

Plan C: Buy a modest place in a warm low-cost USA location to winter in, and just full time RV up here the rest of the year......

Plan D:...........

Always options to consider..... knowing variations around the continent can be useful, if you are willing to pick up and move.... if you are planning to move anyway, this is good stuff to know, IMO.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

My SIL was living in Connecticut a half dozen years ago,,,
his internet business partner convinced him Texas was THE place to live.
The expected cost of living was supposed to be far less than CT.

Well,, they moved to San Antonio.
After 18 months,,, reality set in. The actual cost of living in San Antonio was discovered.
They moved to Virginia about 16 months ago.
The tax bill for his now larger home, on 13 acres is about 1/3 of the San Antonio property tax.

He is SUPER happy now,, virtually everything in VA cost less than TX.

Yea, we can not get a good brisket,,, but, we will survive,,,,
On electricity, his electricity not only costs less per KWH, but, he uses less.
Our per KWH price of electricity hovers around 10-11 cents.
The TX fee for water was also very high, now, with his well, water is almost free.

Costs are relative..... a business associate years ago moved from Texas to Quebec. Major tax shock.

There can be big tax variations even within a Province or State. I noticed looking around this province for real estate 30 years ago, that there were big variations from one town to another. It would be interesting to see how the San Antonio tax load compares to the average for Texas.

You are fortunate to have various low cost locales to choose from in the USA.

Rgds, D.

 

[LD1]

The usage rates are hard for me to fathom... 2400 square foot home with nothing energy efficient except CREE LED bulbs... 12 kWh per day summer and winter... or 360 kWh per month... Oakland California.

Gas dryer? Gas stove? Gas water heater?

I have a 1250 sq ft house (2500 if you count the semi-finished basement). In the spring and fall days of no HVAC need, 30kwh per day is my lowest.

Heck, on my work days and no one at my shop, I log 5 kWh down there with just a single fridge, a dusk to dawn light, and a LED exit sign.