Cable and Electric bill - how much approx?

**avan77** · 02-23-2012, 08:59 PM

Hi,

I almost have a studio now. Unfortunately cable and electricity is on top which is no good. How much would that be for 1 person, who likes to cook and use the oven

.

The estate agent said that cable would include TV and internet? And would be around 50 to 60 USD per month!?
And that electricity would not be more then 100 a month!?

Thanks

**Catt** · 02-23-2012, 10:35 PM

Paying for utilities separately may not be your preference, but that is the standard - it is rare to find "utilities included" in the rent. If that is a "must have" for you, that will REALLY cut down your possibilities.

Cable & internet together might be a bit higher than 50/60 -- cable by itself costs that much; with internet too, it is likely to be closer to 75/month.

however, from my experience, (also in a studio with electric stove and A/C), they are correct on the estimate of the electricity cost.

**Matt Meltzer** · 02-25-2012, 03:11 PM

If you cook a lot, and it's an electric stove, and you have a dishwasher. And you want to use air conditioning. It may top 100 if you're in the summer. But you also have to put down a deposit to get your power turned on, which is typically 2 months of the average bill in that location.

As far as cable and Internet, Catt is dead on. Catt is also the only person I've ever heard of in Miami who routinely keeps her power bill under $75, so you may want to ask her for some energy saving tips. Personally, I think she doctors the meter.

**Catt** · 02-25-2012, 04:06 PM

SHHHHHHHHHHHH matt!

don't tell or everyone will want one.

believe me i'm shocked too (in a good way), the apt i lived in before this one was nearly 200/month. it was a 1-BR so larger - but still i would'nt have expected it to be that high. that was an older building with inefficient central air, and kinda drafty. this is a studio with new well-sealed windows & new, higher-end energy-saving appliances. that must have something to do with it. also since it's only me, i only run dishwasher once a week or so; and i don't cook every single day; although I do run the a/c and ceiling fans continuously during the summer, and i think my highest bill was 79.00 - so i can't complain!

**dylan** · 02-25-2012, 04:44 PM

A/C has always been my biggest enemy on the electric bill I like it cool but it is hard to do. Like Catt said fans are great keeping the A/C as constant as possible instead of raising and lowering it will help also if you have central A/C check the filter. My friend cleaned his A/C coil with some Home Depot coil cleaner and lowered his bill by about 55% that may help you out in the future.

**Catt** · 02-25-2012, 04:48 PM

oh yes good point dylan, i do also clean the a/c filters & vents regularly

**dylan** · 02-25-2012, 04:56 PM

Thanks good blinds help too if you don't mind living in a dark timeless isolated cave. I love keeping my apt dark keeps the heat out.

**cynvela** · 02-25-2012, 05:36 PM

I live in a 2 bdrm apartment with central air and at first i didn't know how to use it so my first bill was like 70 dollars. but once i knew it went up to200. yikes so now im learning about it. filter???? i am gonna have to figure that out. but so far i have been able to keep it as low as 150 and i think my electric is used for making the water hot. still learning. I moved here october 2011 hoping it wont raise my bill too much during the hurricane/ summer months.

**cynvela** · 02-25-2012, 05:39 PM

oh almost forgot - cable is expensive... i went with comcast bundle (phone, internet, cable) everyone around here are using either dish or direct tv. i prefer this over that because i like watching via online. In NYC, watching online was definitely cheaper than here...oh well

**Catt** · 02-25-2012, 05:43 PM

oh geez, i just thought of another thing. Thanks cynvela, that's another good point about the hot water.

we have tankless water-heaters; they only heat water as it is being used; so no energy expended on keeping a tank of water hot. that probably helps quite a bit on the bill too.

i guess when i think about it, i should probably realize how lucky i was to find this place. hehe.

**Mario** · 02-25-2012, 07:33 PM

Cooking will affect your bill a bit, but as everyone said the AC is by far the worse. Now, the temperature is still pretty cool and with a few fans, you won't need to turn on the AC much. By the time, the summer rolls around, you'll definitely need the AC on most of the time when you're home.