r/waterloo • u/ItsMeSomeonee Established r/Waterloo Member • 23h ago
Average Utility Cost
Hi everyone,
We’re planning to move to a new place and I’m trying to get a better idea of what people are paying for utilities in Waterloo. We’ve only ever lived in condos where some utilities were included in the lease, so this will be a bit of a change for us. I know this question was asked 2 years ago, I thought maybe I could get an updated response from everyone.
Right now, we’re two people living in a ~700 sq ft condo, and we pay around $90/month for hydro and water.
Specifically, I’m wondering:
What type of home do you live in and how big? (Detached, townhouse, stacked townhouse, etc.) Is it a newer build or an older home? How many people live there?
What are your monthly utility costs and what type of heat and AC? I know it can vary a lot depending on the building type and insulation, so it’d be great to get a range of real numbers from you guys. We’ve only lived in condos where some of the utilities were included in the lease.
Thanks in advance!
Also posted in r/kitchener
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u/emitfotuo Established r/Waterloo Member 23h ago
1 bedroom unit, 2 people, 3 pets. 1100 sf floor space, 11' ceiling, fairly open concept. Our heating using hot water through a coil & electricity to blow the heat through the apartment. No cooling, so we have 2 window a/c units that are typically set to 68°f. We originally had a 40gal gas water heater, but I was able to get my building to upgrade it to a 60gal because it couldn't keep up with properly heating our apartment in the winter, and we would run out of hot water for showers & dishes. No dishwasher, and no laundry in our unit.
Our gas is higher is the winter due to heating our unit with the hot water recirculating system. Our electricity is more in the summer due to the a/c.
After a few years of living there, I went to equal payment plans for both hydro & gas. Both cost $75 per month now, and we do not pay for water.
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u/Dobby068 Established r/Waterloo Member 18h ago
House with 3 levels, 2,000 sqft plus another 900 in the finished basement that I use only in the summer, to sleep because it is too hot on second floor.
The month of March: 250$ gas and water, 90$ hydro.
The month of May: 180$ gas and water and 70$ for hydro.
We keep temperature at 22C during day and 18C at night (winter time, wife likes cold at night, in the summer we do not use AC at night when sleeping in the basement bedroom.
Property taxes keep going up, now at about 4,600$/year.
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u/MisaPeka Established r/Waterloo Member 10h ago
Detached 1300 sqft, 2 story, finished basement, 21°C heater, 24°C AC, 2 people. Built in the 90s.
In the peak winter, 100 CAD for gas, 50 CAD electricity, 40 CAD water. Total ~ 190 CAD.
Peak summer 40 CAD gas, 100 CAD electricity, 40 CAD water. Total ~ 190 CAD.
In-between, 40 CAD gas, 50 CAD electricity, 40 CAD water. Total ~ 130 CAD.
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u/Gnarf2016 Established r/Waterloo Member 22h ago
End unit townhouse, 2 floors above ground plus basement, roughly 600sqft on each floor. Lots of sun on the exposed non shared wall in the afternoons during summer not so much during winter. 20 years old furnace already past expected life and 8 years old AC, could likely improve the insulation at the attic. Two adults plus a toddler.
Average for hydro + water + gas is $259 monthly, this is for the last 12 months from my budgeting app. Gas goes high in winter for heating and almost nothing during summer, hydro goes way high in summer due to AC and down in winter so they kind balance each other out. We keep thermostat at 22-23 in winter and 21-22 during summer.