When house hunters calculate their monthly costs, some overlook the cost of heating and electricity. However, it is difficult to get an accurate estimate of your future costs.

Current usage cost: Electric and gas companies in Massachusetts will provide the current cost at a specific residence. Some listing agents will provide it. It is a mistake to will rely on that figure. It can serve as a guide, but it is not an estimate. Heating costs vary wildly for year to year, based on average outdoor temperatures. Add to that the variations on personal usage.

  • What if, last winter, the resident was home all day with an infant? The house was kept at a steady seventy degrees, night and day.
  • What if, last winter, the resident spent eight weeks in Arizona? The house was kept at a steady fifty degrees, night and day.

Advice: If you want to use last yearโ€™s bills as a guide, ask about personal usage. How many people lived here last year? Were they in residence all year, or was it empty?

Heating cost

Heating bills can be modified when you are a tenant, but your control is limited. Once you become a homeowner, you can do make effective changes to your energy efficiency. You wonโ€™t have to depend on your landlordโ€™s idea of efficiency anymore!

The heating system:

If your heating system is moderately efficient, and it is new, leave it alone. Boilers cost $6-10,000 to replace a typical one, and $15-20,000 for a high-efficiency boiler. You will not see $10,000 savings in reduced gas or oil bills in the first ten years, unless you have a huge house.

When your heating system is near the end of its life, plan to replace it before it fails. This will afford you the time to replace it with a more efficient model. In Massachusetts, youโ€™ll need an energy audit to be qualified to get rebates from Mass Save. Expect a six week, or so, timeline to get all parts of the replacement scheduled.

But if your heating system is an energy hog, replace it. When I say hog, I mean hog. If you are burning $500 a month in the winter, oink. Some systems that fit this category:

Very old gas or oil-fired boilers. Efficiency for typical boilers went up in the late 1980s. Before that, some boilers were losing a third of their heat, or more. They used a third more fuel, and warmed your basement some. Boilers keep water boiling all winter, then send either forced hot water or steam up into your living space to heat it.

asbestos-covered boilers

Asbestos-covered boilers, a/k/a “snowmen”

Electric baseboard heat. Old electric baseboard heat is expensive to run. Modern electric heat is much less expensive to run. If you have old baseboard electric heating units, you may want to change out the heating units for something more efficient. It will pay back you back in reduced energy costs in 3-6 years.

casement windowsOther efficiencies help. Windows waste a lot of heat and air conditioning. Heat also seeps out of your walls. You can check for some of these air leaks if you are house hunting in colder weather. Check Mass Save; their programs vary, but there may be loans or grants available.

Electric cost

Your electric bill will be the same as it was in your previous place, unless your next place has built-in items that draw a lot of power. Your electric usage for your personal items will remain consistent from one residence to the next. Youโ€™ll be using the same lamps, computers, televisions, kitchen appliances, and phone rechargers.

old refrigeratorLook for these large energy-sucking appliances at your next place:

  • old freezers or refrigerators
  • electric baseboard heating
  • extensive lighting that doesnโ€™t use energy-efficient bulbs
  • oversized dehumidifier in your basement
  • an electric clothes dryer, when you are used to a gas one
  • inefficient central air conditioning, when you are used to ductless AC or single room units.

Any of these items will increase the cost you pay for electricity.

Are you paying too much because the house has all the whistles and bells?

A seller who has added super-efficient updates will show them off when they go to sell. Consider whether those features are ones that will help you use the house efficiently. If you wonโ€™t benefit from the expensive upgrade, you may not want to pay for it.

Here is a guest blog that showed some of the upgrades that you might see while house hunting.