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anubis2051 t1_j56zuli wrote

Reply to comment by bodhipooh in Do you think a $200 electric bill for a 2 bedroom is too much? by TechnologyPale329

You missed the big one, is your heat electric or gas? If it's electric, that makes sense.

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bodhipooh t1_j571yzo wrote

Totally... I lump that as part of A/C. But, even with electric heat (as is more common in new construction, due to the use of PTACs) I would find $200 to be excessive for a winter bill. Ours is usually around $100. This past month was a notable exception for us, for a number of reasons, as I already explained.

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anubis2051 t1_j573k2e wrote

In a 2BR? Damn those must be efficient. I had electric heating once and swore never again...

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bodhipooh t1_j576ed8 wrote

Well, like I explained above, the trick is to be savvy as far as how to minimize usage by leveraging other things. We have great Sun exposure (this is a factor that weighed heavily in choosing our current place, as well as our previous one) and we have our blinds open all day (during Summer) which allows in all the Sun available during the day. Our place gets warm enough from just the Sun exposure that we never run the heat during the day. At night, if we need it, we may run heat in our bedrooms while sleeping, though that is somewhat rare, as our place remains warm enough. For Summers, it is a bit trickier. After 9 or 10, we bring down the blinds, or it would be unbearably hot. Even with blinds down, AC may become necessary from time to time. I do like having windows open (more like cracked open, as few buildings allow you to actually open them more than a few inches) and if the day is windy enough, the draft can help keep things cooled nicely.

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objectimpermanence t1_j581n2m wrote

Depends on the type of heating. Newer electric heat pumps can very efficient for heating/cooling in our climate since we don’t have too many days where temps are consistently below 20F or so.

I’ve lived in two apartments with them and my electricity bill has rarely been over $60 even though I keep the thermostat at 68-70F whenever I’m home.

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