What are Utilities like around here?

Submitted by BoulderFalcon t3_ywwamq in newhaven

Hi all.

I'm moving from out of state to the New Haven area.

One thing I keep hearing is some version of "be sure to factor in the high utility cost!!"

I've looked online but all the info seems very wishy washy.

I'm specifically looking for what it costs per month, on average, for basic utilities (heat, water, electricity, etc.) for an average sized single family home.

I realize this can vastly differ based on home type, age, heating type (apparently there's a huge difference in gas vs oil?), etc., but I'm not sure if I should be budgeting $500, $2000, or somewhere in between for utilities. Any insight is helpful. Thank you!

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Best-Raise-2523 t1_iwlytkn wrote

If you’re renting an apartment look for a newer building with gas heat. That will be the cheapest. Old building with electric heat will be very expensive. I paid almost 300/month dead of winter for electric/old building.

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CTRealtorCarl t1_iwludg1 wrote

As you already know its going to vary greatly. But I can try to get you in the ballpark.

I live in a 2100 square foot ranch and I expect to burn 700-800 gallons of oil this winter, but again this could vary. So at the current lovely price of ~$5/gallon around $3500 this year for heat.

My electric bill is fairly consistent around $170/month and I do run AC in the summer...However I have seen people talk about much higher electric bills so this one is super variable because the electric companies seem to just do whatever they want.

If you have city water its going to depend a lot on how many people are in your home but I would say budgeting for 30-45/month is reasonable...highly dependent on how many people are showering, how much laundry, watering gardens etc. If your home has well water it will be a very small bump to your electric bill.

Sorry I can't be more specific. I'm not sure if you already have a home in mind but something I've done for clients is had the sellers provide historical utility bills...especially when dealing with houses with solar because I've seen so many cases of the solar not actually saving the homeowner any money (crazy solar leases).

This is unrelated to utilities and again not sure if you have a home or town in mind... but one thing to keep in mind when working on budget is how variable property tax can be from town to town in CT. This is going to be a massive part of your monthly payment depending on where you land. And is why I encourage clients to shop by monthly payment and NOT purchase price... saying you are preapproved for 300k means almost nothing because 300k in one town could have the same monthly payment as a 400k home in another town purely because of property tax. Happy to delve more into this if you have questions.

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curbthemeplays t1_iwm1ufw wrote

Holy shit, you made me very happy to have gas heat in a modern house build. Almost 3000 square feet and my absolute max bill in winter is $200 a month.

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BoulderFalcon OP t1_iwlumyc wrote

Thank you so much, this is so so helpful!! Exactly what I was looking for.

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CTRealtorCarl t1_iwluuw0 wrote

No worries! Tons of variables. Happy to talk more or answer any other questions you might have.

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eddie964 t1_iwlupiq wrote

The average electricity cost in Connecticut is about 21 cents/kWh. That includes delivery (the service your utility provides, plus hidden taxes and fees) and supply (the cost of the electricity itself, which is paid to third parties).

The actual rate varies depending on your electric utility (UI in most of the New Haven area), and which generation supplier you choose. Check EnergizeCT.com for competing supply rates.

Typical Connecticut residential usage is 700 kWh/month, so if you do the math that comes to $147 a month, plus a monthly fixed fee of $12.84 for UI customers, bringing it to about $160 a month. Obviously, if you use a lot of electricity you're going to pay more. So if you plan to have a grow room in your basement, or if you're a big gamer, expect a higher bill.

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Extreme-Cupcake5929 t1_iwq3a40 wrote

My electricity is my heat as well - The delivery service and fees etc are the same as your bill so it’s literally double it’s ridiculous ( united illuminating )

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