bills, bills and bills

[Guest bubbe2005]

I know it all depends on each family, i just wanted to get a rough idea on the electricity bill and/or gas bill?

 

Here in the U.S we are paying on average $100-$200 a MONTH, quarterly not sure (around $600 maybe)?

 

When paying the electric bill online, are you able to add money (in credit) whilst waiting for your quarterly bill to arrive? So that it squashes your bill down a bit and you know that you've paid the majority of it..I've gotten used to doing that here.

 

Majority of the stoves here are electric stoves rather than gas stoves.

 

Also, how does the hot water work there in homes? do you have to turn it on, wait for a while before you can run the bath or shower? or do they have an automatic switch?

 

Heating - living in London before I got married then lived in the states. So during the cold winters, we would use the heaters BUT I would wear always wear thick pj's in the house with thick socks and my GAP hoodies! So I want to save on heating bills if at all possible.

 

Aircon - here in Texas where temperatures reach 100 degrees (hot like Philippines), you can not live without having AC. Our AC comes on automatically for at least 10-15mins.

 

Garden - we have a garden at my parents house in London, we don't get nosey neighbors complaining that the grass it too high blah blah blah, but here in USA, you can get a fine if your front or back yard isn't maintained etc...(and I'm not a garden person!!) - is it the same over in SA?

 

Laundry - because of the space in my parents house in London, there was only room for a washer in the kitchen, here in the US we rent a washer and dryer for $40 a month in the garage. in SA, can you hang your clothes outside to dry (pending hot or warm weather conditions)? Will you need 'credit' to be able to rent a washer and dryer? and how much does it cost to rent? or what websites can I take a look at?

 

Cars- do aussies prefer automatic's over manuals? I'm a girl that enjoys stick shifting, but here in the US I haven't driven a manual car.

[Rachiegarlo]

Yep once u have your customer ref number and the company's Bpay number you can pay in weekly, fortnightly etc so you are ahead of the bill when it comes. I do this with utility bills to spread the winter load over the summer, also with our council and water rates.

 

Some areas don't have gas laid on to houses, but I'd say 50/50 gas or electric stoves, either way there is a lot to choose from.

 

Some houses have a hot water tank running either on electricity or gas and it is set to a thermostat to keep water hot. Many people are changing to a heat as you go system which runs on gas but also needs electricity to run the settings etc.

 

Lots of Aussies wrap up in winter in their houses. Houses here can get very cold in winter to the uninitiated, used to wandering around at home in very light tshirts etc in winter.A lot of people I know just have their heating on in the evening or at weekends if it's cold and they're home.

 

You can live without aircon, but if there is a bit of a heatwave then the houses heat up especially if it stays hot at night. Again if you have it , you can run it as you need.

 

The council wont fine you if you don't cut your grass unless it becomes a safety hazard , ie across the pavement or bushfire risk. Your neighbours may tut though if your front is a dump .

 

Unless it has been very wet you can hang your laundry out to dry outside. Most days it will dry especially if you hang it up under a carport or under cover. Washing machines are fairly cheap to buy new and there are lots of electrical second hand places. You can also rent them but most people will buy. Nearly every house, flat will have a laundry room . Smaller flats will either have a communal laundry for the block but most will have the necessary plumbing in the bathroom. Google Good Guys to get an idea of costs.

 

Automatics are generally more popular for household cars here, particularly in the city areas.You can get manuals though.

[scooterdan]

Yeah....I dont do this alot but i always round my bill UP to the nearest $100..... this is sometimes a few bucks or somtimes quite a bit.....and it really does help when high bills arrive!

 

Our rental agent politely reminds me to cut the grass!!

 

As regards hanging the washing out.... we do in spring,summer ans through to autumn.... but when its gets into winter i find that it takes ages and ages!!! We bought a dryer to use for the winter!!

Edited September 13, 2012 by scooterdan

[jim and adel]

I know it all depends on each family, i just wanted to get a rough idea on the electricity bill and/or gas bill?

 

Here in the U.S we are paying on average $100-$200 a MONTH, quarterly not sure (around $600 maybe)? We have solar panels and even so our last quarterly electricity bill was $1148 (three of us, two adults out at work all day and a child at school - and we don't leave things on standby! Colleagues at work seem to have far lower bills - not sure what we're doing to have them so high!)

When paying the electric bill online, are you able to add money (in credit) whilst waiting for your quarterly bill to arrive? So that it squashes your bill down a bit and you know that you've paid the majority of it..I've gotten used to doing that here.

 

Majority of the stoves here are electric stoves rather than gas stoves. You can get either easily enough but some areas (like ours) don't have mains gas, so if you move to one of these places you need to ensure that gas appliances can work from bottled gas.

 

Also, how does the hot water work there in homes? do you have to turn it on, wait for a while before you can run the bath or shower? or do they have an automatic switch?

 

Heating - living in London before I got married then lived in the states. So during the cold winters, we would use the heaters BUT I would wear always wear thick pj's in the house with thick socks and my GAP hoodies! So I want to save on heating bills if at all possible. I hope you've still hot your thick pjs and hoodies - you'll need them in the houses here for half the year!

 

Aircon - here in Texas where temperatures reach 100 degrees (hot like Philippines), you can not live without having AC. Our AC comes on automatically for at least 10-15mins.

 

Garden - we have a garden at my parents house in London, we don't get nosey neighbors complaining that the grass it too high blah blah blah, but here in USA, you can get a fine if your front or back yard isn't maintained etc...(and I'm not a garden person!!) - is it the same over in SA? Depends on area - if you're in a bushfire risk area you may get a letter from council if garden is overgrown - if you don't clear it they will, then bill you for it. Also, understandably, your neighbours won't be too happy.

 

Laundry - because of the space in my parents house in London, there was only room for a washer in the kitchen, here in the US we rent a washer and dryer for $40 a month in the garage. in SA, can you hang your clothes outside to dry (pending hot or warm weather conditions)? Will you need 'credit' to be able to rent a washer and dryer? and how much does it cost to rent? or what websites can I take a look at?

 

Cars- do aussies prefer automatic's over manuals? I'm a girl that enjoys stick shifting, but here in the US I haven't driven a manual car. I'd say more autos than manuals but both available.

 

Easier to answer directly into the relevant bits above!

 

Jim

 

[scooterdan]

Wow...some electric charges amaze me.. we dont have solar, have gas hot water and cooktop, both work a majority of the day, no kids..our highest bill in 5 years was $202 a qtr!!

[Guest bubbe2005]

wow, you must be doing something right then!! lol

[Guest Guest75]

Wow...some electric charges amaze me.. we dont have solar, have gas hot water and cooktop, both work a majority of the day, no kids..our highest bill in 5 years was $202 a qtr!!

 

Fnuck!! Our summer qtr can be up to $1100!

 

You must be out all the time!!