Emma.Giles

Just a question on the price of gas and electricity in Canada as over here its not cheap to keep the house warm in winter and my worry is if we have a bigger house in Canada will it cost a lot to keep warm in the winter months?

Emma x

Atlantic Xpat

It's not cheap to keep a house warm in Canada either. Plus in many parts of the country you have to pay to keep the house cool in summer. Which is equally expensive. As you have correctly identified the downside of being able to afford that massive house is keeping it heated or cooled!

For comparison purposes, we have a modest 2400sq ft (incl developed basement) 3 bed house. We heat with oil fired hot water radiation which is a little unusual initself. Our oil costs average per month are somewhere around $200. Electricity is $80 per month on top of that. We have no airconditioning as it is not needed in our part of the world.

linz3112

I have pinched this from a different thread - "Cost of Living - Calgary"

Obviously it will depend on where you are heading and size of house etc.

If you do a search of the forums, you will find quite a few threads on cost of living which should give you an indication.

HTH

iaink

Oil is as commonly used as gas. Outside one or two provinces with cheap electricity Hydro is an expensive option.

My house is about 2000sq ft, and our monthly oil bill over the ten billing months is set at ~$150. That covers water heating too. We also pay between $110 and 150 a month for electricity! Very little of that is actual electricity usage, there are lots of delivery charges and other add ons.

Its not the newest most efficient house, but its now well insulated and sealed at least.

Oil prices by city/ date here:
http://www2.nrcan.gc.ca/eneene/sourc...,17#PriceGraph

HPJOS

Will also depend on some factors outside the winter severity - how old is the house, therefore how well insulated, does the house have a new high-efficiency furnace or an old not so efficient one, do you have triple glazing, do you run a gas fireplace and how cozy do you like your house to be.

We have a 1,500sq ft 3 bed, keeping at 20C when we get up and when we are home, then 18C at night we run about $150 - $200 per month in the winter and $30ish in the summer. Most of that is service fees though, not actual gas consumption.

Natural Gas prices run between $2.50 per GJ (summer) and $5-$6 per GJ winter.

spaceace

Here in Fall River, our electricity bill just landed; $260 for the month, that's for cooking, washing, drying and tv etc

Having said that, our oil burning furnace used to heat the water rads was turned off in June so we've had the luxury of no oil bill this quarter...that will soon change.

We are on well water, but even that's not free...we just replaced our UV water treatment bulb @ $180

Yeah, it's not cheap

BristolUK

4 Bed house, we have heat pump/air con which gives heating in Winter and AirCon in summer - five complete weeks and a few odd days this summer.

So for heating, aircon, lighting, hot water, cooking (everything) we pay 12 x $225.

spaceace

I've seen on TV those heat pump systems are efficient...but that's very good!

Atlantic Xpat

Expensive to install though. Ground circulation systems are in the region of $30k or more AFAIK.

Tangram

4 bed house ? 1600sqft 3500sqft ? Makes a difference to being meaningful.

BristolUK

I don't think it's that type but it was already in place when we bought.

Haven't a clue. I don't recall it being on anything.

Alan2005

You don't know how big your house is?

BristolUK

I have never seen or heard anyone speak about house size in terms of x square feet outside of this forum.

Never.

(or even metric )

Alan2005

Odd, it's the primary measure that Canadians use.

fledermaus

It's the Canadian way. The area of houses is given on the MPAC assessment- (Ontario property tax)

Ours is a titchy 1000 sq ft and no basement.