Moving involves a lot of planning: making a packing inventory, finding the perfect home, and hiring reliable Charlotte, NC, movers to transport all of your belongings safely to your new home. Among all of this organizing, calculating your future utilities is key.
Utilities costs can vary considerably depending on state, zip code, or even building and type of home. Here are some tips for properly calculating your moving costs and avoiding unwanted expenditures in the future.
How to Make a Utility Estimate Before Moving In
If you’re wondering about the utility costs for a home you plan to shift to, there are several ways to find out.
It’s important to remember, though, that utility costs can also vary considerably depending on the season and type of weather of the location where you’re moving to. While obtaining a perfectly accurate amount may be impossible, researching your options beforehand can help you make an accurate budget and prevent unexpected extra costs.
Talk with Former Tenants
If you moved with a real estate agent, you can view previous utility bills and billing history for cable, garbage, gas, oil, water, electricity, and Internet. Even though their energy use patterns may not be the same as yours, you can still estimate the costs of most suppliers through them.
Make a Home Energy Assessment
Home energy assessments are an additional method. This audit examines how much energy your house uses, where it is not performing well, and what you can do to improve its energy efficiency.
For example, aspects like good natural light can considerably lower your energy costs. On the other hand, a poorly insulated window will make heating harder, increasing gas or electricity bills.
Reach Out to Utility Providers
Another way to estimate utilities for a new home is to contact the local utility companies, who can frequently give you the average monthly usage and cost for particular addresses or comparable single-family homes in the neighborhood.
Use Online Tools
Online resources that calculate utility bills by zip code are another option. With the help of these publicly available tools, you can estimate your possible monthly expenses by entering information such as your location and household size.
Utilities’ Cost Estimates Across the U.S.
Utility prices can vary based on several variables. Although some states have higher costs than others, the national averages for the United States are:
- Electricity: $118/month
- Natural gas: $6 to $21/year
- Water: $71/month for a family of four
- Internet services: $68.40/month
- Cable: $217.45/month
Find Accessible Charlotte, NC, Movers to Reach Your New Location
Before moving into a new home, estimating your future utility costs is a must. Knowing how much monthly costs you’ll have to face can ensure a smooth transition and avoid surprises in your monthly budget. Some counties have set city and county utility providers. In other cases, you can look around and compare.
Once you understand the future cost of your new home, you can look for reliable movers like Pink Zebra. Find a location near you and contact us for a personalized quote!