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#1
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Advice needed on separating utility bills
Ivan,
Contemplating adding an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) to an existing residence in Portland, Oregon. In California this was called a "Mother-in-law Apartment". Unit to be in basement. Main floor already has owner and two room mates sharing utility (gas and electric) bills. ADU will be 2 bedrooms and a large open kitchen-dining-family room. Separate street entrance. Approximately 800 square feet. HVAC guy says electric heaters are out of the question due to utility costs. I'm not sure why electric heaters are out of the question. They are quite popular here in the Pacific Northwest thanks to our mild climate and low electric rates. We live about 20 miles away from Portland. Our house is 1456 sq/ft and is heated entirely with electric wall heaters (Ours are made by King Electric, sold at Lowes stores). Our monthly bill is under $150 which includes heating, hot water, lighting, and all appliances. That's for a family of three and a home based business. We also have 12-14 foot vaulted ceilings. Electric heat is easy to install, easy to zone, and safe to operate. It's also one of the least expensive systems to install and maintain. Gas or heat pumps may be more efficient, but the high installation costs would take a long time to pay off, especially for 800 square feet. If it were me, I would spend more money on insulation and weatherproofing to minimize heat loss in the first place. That will also help cut down the noise between units. Anthony Watson www.mountainsoftware.com www.watsondiy.com |
#2
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Advice needed on separating utility bills
HerHusband wrote:
Ivan, Contemplating adding an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) to an existing residence in Portland, Oregon. In California this was called a "Mother-in-law Apartment". Unit to be in basement. Main floor already has owner and two room mates sharing utility (gas and electric) bills. ADU will be 2 bedrooms and a large open kitchen-dining-family room. Separate street entrance. Approximately 800 square feet. HVAC guy says electric heaters are out of the question due to utility costs. I'm not sure why electric heaters are out of the question. They are quite popular here in the Pacific Northwest thanks to our mild climate and low electric rates. We live about 20 miles away from Portland. Our house is 1456 sq/ft and is heated entirely with electric wall heaters (Ours are made by King Electric, sold at Lowes stores). Our monthly bill is under $150 which includes heating, hot water, lighting, and all appliances. That's for a family of three and a home based business. We also have 12-14 foot vaulted ceilings. Electric heat is easy to install, easy to zone, and safe to operate. It's also one of the least expensive systems to install and maintain. Gas or heat pumps may be more efficient, but the high installation costs would take a long time to pay off, especially for 800 square feet. If it were me, I would spend more money on insulation and weatherproofing to minimize heat loss in the first place. That will also help cut down the noise between units. Anthony Watson www.mountainsoftware.com www.watsondiy.com What is your cost per KWh? Up here in Calgary, AB, 8 cents/KWh fixed rate. NG is ~$3.80/GigaJoule at the moment. My power consumption is average 1000KW/h per month. |
#3
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Advice needed on separating utility bills
On Friday, April 10, 2015 at 12:57:28 AM UTC-4, HerHusband wrote:
Ivan, Contemplating adding an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) to an existing residence in Portland, Oregon. In California this was called a "Mother-in-law Apartment". Unit to be in basement. Main floor already has owner and two room mates sharing utility (gas and electric) bills. ADU will be 2 bedrooms and a large open kitchen-dining-family room. Separate street entrance. Approximately 800 square feet. HVAC guy says electric heaters are out of the question due to utility costs. I'm not sure why electric heaters are out of the question. They are quite popular here in the Pacific Northwest thanks to our mild climate and low electric rates. We live about 20 miles away from Portland. Our house is 1456 sq/ft and is heated entirely with electric wall heaters (Ours are made by King Electric, sold at Lowes stores). Our monthly bill is under $150 which includes heating, hot water, lighting, and all appliances. That's for a family of three and a home based business. We also have 12-14 foot vaulted ceilings. Electric heat is easy to install, easy to zone, and safe to operate. It's also one of the least expensive systems to install and maintain. Gas or heat pumps may be more efficient, but the high installation costs would take a long time to pay off, especially for 800 square feet. If it were me, I would spend more money on insulation and weatherproofing to minimize heat loss in the first place. That will also help cut down the noise between units. Anthony Watson www.mountainsoftware.com www.watsondiy.com The big factor here too is that it's a *basement*. Assuming most of that is underground, then it's around 50F outside temp he's dealing with. Easy to heat, easy to cool. In a relatively mild climate, underground, electric heat may not be a bad option. The problem with trying to zone the existing furnace, I'm not sure how well that will work. If he needs AC too though, then the mini-split option would seem to make the most sense. It costs some money, but having something that works, is cost effective, etc would seem to be worth it, especially when he's going to be presumably collecting some rent money. A year of rent and it's paid for. |
#4
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Advice needed on separating utility bills
What is your cost per KWh? Up here in Calgary, AB,
8 cents/KWh fixed rate. According to my last electric bill, we pay 8.16 cents per KWH. We do get a .119 service credit per KWH, which amounted to a whopping $1.67 off last months bill. NG is ~$3.80/GigaJoule at the moment. My power consumption is average 1000KW/h per month. We are all electric, no gas or heat pumps. Last month we used 1400 KWH, but we typically average about 60KWH per day in the winter and 30KWH per day in the summer. In other words, at least half of our electric bill is for heating hot water, and running the lights/appliances. I work from home so my computer, lights, and heat are on all day. We built the home in 2004 with typical insulation. R30/38 in the ceilings, R21 in the walls, R30 in the floors. Double-pane vinyl windows. Nothing fancy. Anthony Watson www.mountainsoftware.com www.watsondiy.com |
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