# 2013 Utilites and Housing Costs



## Ihatetaxes (May 5, 2010)

Just preparing this for my accountant and I know it was a popular thread last year.

Electricity/Water - $2891.03
Natural Gas - $1157.64
Water Heater rental - $329.56
Property taxes $5104.40
House Insurance - $1825.20
Home Phone Bell – $825.34

Interesting our electricity/water bill is within $100 of last year and natural gas about $130 higher but we also kept the pool at 90 pretty much all summer and that was a great investment as we must have spent hundreds of hours in there over the summer.

Somewhere between 2,500 and 2,700 sf 4 bedroom home. Pool and sprinkler system drive up electricity and water bill. Insurance and Bell both irritate me but I can't convince the wife to dump the land line and she talks to her mother for hours so we need the unlimited long distance. House insurance is a very good policy but still seems excessively expensive to me (claim free for 15+ years).

Property tax is up 7% since 2009 so not too bad.


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## NotMe (Jan 10, 2011)

out of curiousity, why do people rent water heaters? 

I guess it depends on the age of the water heater maybe? We bought out our old water heater about 4 years ago for $30. It was costing $12.99 / month + hst. Still going strong. The lady at enbridge or whatever said I should rent in case something breaks because then the repair is on them to fix, but then I said well I don't rent my fridge, or my stove, or my furnace or my phone etc, so I don't get the appeal of renting water heaters but it's so common in Ontario.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Because it came with the house? and people hasn't got around to yanking it out to replace a still-workable water heater - it ain't broken, why fix it? or that people don't want to or know how to deal with "replacing" the water heater when it breaks down, like the electrical/gas reconnection? It's not as easy as unplugging and then plugging the phone/fridge and what are the chances that the stove would die within 10 years? Not everyone is an appliance-handyperson.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

NotMe said:


> out of curiousity, why do people rent water heaters?
> 
> I guess it depends on the age of the water heater maybe? We bought out our old water heater about 4 years ago for $30. It was costing $12.99 / month + hst. Still going strong. The lady at enbridge or whatever said I should rent in case *something breaks because then the repair is on them to fix, but then I said well I don't rent my fridge, or my stove, or my furnace or my phone et*c, so I don't get the appeal of renting water heaters but it's so common in Ontario.


Exactly..this is a CASH COW for the tank rentals. 
I bought my own water heater (GE) from H-D back in 2000 , when Enbridge was getting out of the HWT rental business, so there was no extra charge to cancel the monthly charge and get them to pickup the old tank.

Back then the new HWT cost me under $400. I self installed it. Just a tiny bit of copper plumbing. I don't know what they charge for a monthly rental, but lets say at $20 a month + tax ($22.60) in 13 years,
I saved $3500 by not renting and the 9year warranty tank is still going strong 4 years after the pro-rated warranty expired. No problems with it in those 13 years. My 18 year old furnace only needed a ignitor last winter. Still going strong and no reason to replace it...as they say..if it aint broke..don't fix it. In this case a new replacement.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> "replacing" the water heater when it breaks down, like the electrical/gas reconnection? *It's not as easy as unplugging and then plugging the phone/fridge *and what are the chances that the stove would die within 10 years? Not everyone is an appliance-handyperson.


No it's not maybe as easy as plugging in a stove or fridge or connecting up a washer..and of course you need to drain the old tank first. But pretty much all the tanks and furnaces have a gas shutoff and gas pipe union disconnect to unscrew the inlet pipe from the gas valve on the tank. 

And of course you need a propane torch, copper fittings and pipe fittings for the new tank..even if you CAN'T do that yourself, there is no law in Ontario that says you can't buy your own HWT and have an contractor install it. H-D have those services..and over the life of the tank 15-20 years (depending on how hard the water is), you can save thousands in monthly
rental to replace the tank again, (even if you decide to replace it) every 10 years..
...but for most..it's easier to pay the rental and let the rental company worry about any repairs. And if you hate paying HST on rentals..think of how much the gov'ts make off
your rental (say $2.60 per month)..$312 in 10 years..that's half the cost of a new tank!


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

I have always just bought out the hot water tank, generally it works out to be cheaper in the long run. (unless you bought a place with an older tank)

If I have a repair, I call someone to repair.

Natural Gas may end up being even higher at the end of this year.


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## NotMe (Jan 10, 2011)

Beaver101 said:


> Because it came with the house? and people hasn't got around to yanking it out to replace a *still-workable water heater* - it ain't broken, why fix it? or that people don't want to or know how to deal with "replacing" the water heater when it breaks down, like the electrical/gas reconnection? It's not as easy as unplugging and then plugging the phone/fridge and what are the chances that the stove would die within 10 years? Not everyone is an appliance-handyperson.


But that's just it - it's not broken - so just buy out the contract if it's cheap (mine was $30!) and then if it breaks in 6 or 7 months you have at least saved 7 months * 15 = $105 towards a new water heater. At this point 4 years in, we've saved enough in rental fees to pay for a new one. Also a water heater can come with a 12 year warranty. Anyway, sorry didn't mean to hijack the thread.


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