If living in a condo in Toronto is among your priorities, you ought to know how much the hydro bill is. It is without a doubt that you will be required to pay the hydro bill every month. Knowing it in advance will help you plan to live in a Toronto condo. As you look for condos for sale in Toronto, keep that in your mind. If you find it too high for you, you will have no choice but to consider living in another city other than Toronto. If it is something you can easily afford, you will have to go ahead with your plans of living in a condo in Toronto.
The average hydro cost for a condo in Toronto is $70 to $200 per month. It depends on the size of your condo. Is it high or affordable for you? Several factors always influence the cost of hydro. Some of those factors are as follows:
Size of the condo
The size of the condo will have a say in energy consumption. A bigger house means you will likely have more appliances that will consume high power. The more power is consumed, the more the hydro bill will be high. A bigger condo will also need more light and will, of course, have more bulbs. That will make the energy consumption a bit high compared to if the condo was small. If you are looking forward to living in a bigger condo, be prepared. High bills will be your thing as far as hydro in a Toronto condo is concerned. Don’t let that scare you from buying a bigger home for your family. You will always find a way out no matter how you’re pressed with huge bills.
Amount of electricity used
How you use electricity will determine what kind of hydro bill you will have to pay. If you are fond of keeping lights on for a long and opening the oven all the time, you will be in for it. If you do not minimize your usage, you will experience the highest hydro bill in a Toronto condo. You better watch how you use electricity in your house.
Number of people living in the unit
The number of people living in a given house will matter when it comes to electricity consumption. The higher the number of people, the higher the electricity consumption. When more people live in the house, electricity consumption will be high because of how appliances are used. For instance, more people will spend more time in the bathroom; hence the water heater will be on for a long time. This will lead to high consumption of power compared to if few people were living in that unit. The number of people in your house will matter as far as hydro in a Toronto condo is concerned.
Time of the year
The time of the year matters a lot when it comes to a hydro bill in a Toronto condo. During summer, you will need to cool your house, and therefore more power will be consumed. On the other hand, during winter, you will need to warm your house. During this time as well, more power will be used to ensure your house is warm.
Another thing that you should be aware of is what home appliances consume high energy. If you are seriously looking for condos for sale in Toronto, you better know which appliances you should watch out for. The following are the top five energy-consuming home appliances.
Wet appliances
It is estimated that wet appliances can take up to 14% of an electricity bill. This could even go higher depending on the usage. Wet appliances include tumble dryers, washing machines, and dishwashers. Water used in these appliances requires more power to be heated; hence power consumption tremendously goes up.
Cold appliances
Cold appliances such as fridges and freezers also rank high when it comes to energy consumption. These appliances could account for about 13% of the energy bill. They consume high energy because they need to be on always.
Consumer electronics
Consumer electronics such as televisions, radios, laptops, and even game consoles account for about 6% of the energy bill. If you didn’t know, now you know.
Lighting
Lighting is another thing that people take for granted, but it could account for about 5% of the energy bill.
Cooking
Kitchen appliances such as a kettle, microwave, and oven will not spare you when it comes to energy usage. These appliances account for about 4% of your energy bill.
You can take control of your hydro bill if you want to. It all depends on how you use electricity. As you are exploring condos for sale in Toronto, don’t forget about that. Some of the ways that can help you regulate your hydro bill are as follows:
Reduced use of air conditioner
How often you use your air conditioner matters as far as energy usage is concerned. You can avoid running your air conditioner at certain times when you feel you can do without it. That will help in cutting down the electricity cost.
Use appliances optimally
You can use your appliances in such a way that energy costs are minimized. A good example is avoiding unnecessary opening of the oven door. Only open the oven door when it is necessary. Each time you open the door, 20% of the heat escapes. So you have to check on that if you want to minimize energy costs.
You can improve heat and lights
You can make changes concerning how you heat and light your home. These changes are what will help you cut down your electricity costs. The said improvement can be made in the following ways: You can switch to LED bulbs which are very efficient when it comes to saving energy. You can as well utilize natural light by opening the windows during the day. In this case, you will not need to put on the lights, therefore, minimizing costs. Another thing that can help a great deal is changing the furnace filters. This can be done after about every three months. Changing the filters will help in reducing the energy usage of your furnace fan.
Conclusion
Once you find one of the best condos for sale in Toronto, be prepared to face such a hydro bill. You will, of course, face it at the end of every month. If it is low for you, you have every reason to be happy. If it is a bit high for you, you will have no choice but to adjust your pocket.