We were there a few years ago and were paying $400/mo electric in a 3000 sq ft home (tarrant county). Mind you we were hanging laundry out to dry, kept cooking on the electric range/oven to a minimum, covered the windows to black out the light and kept the AC at 80, because we were astounded by the difference in electric rates from where we were. These folks(irving) may be keeping it cooler etc but yes this is what is reported to us by them. I will say that both these homes spoken of were built in the 1950’s. We even got insulation to add to the attic of a rental home to try and avert the monthly bills.
Yikes $5400 a year 2500 sq ft. is outrageous. That is what we assessed and decided we could not afford to stay in TX. The monthly costs really need to be evaluated when searching for a home and evaluating affordability. The home costs upfront are cheaper per sq. ft. than many other areas but are deceiving when you add the utility costs, insurance, taxes. Speaking of insurance the owners of the home we were renting wanted to sell us the home, their insurance was about $5000/yr. Forget utilities $10,400 a yr divided by 12 is $866/mo.
I am all for advancing conservatism and wishing for a place to escape from an assault on our liberties, but why is Texas so expensive? You doubt my numbers, ok. I only wished our electric bill was $150 a mo while we were there. I am not trying to slap TX in the face I just want the numbers out there. We learned later than sooner what it cost. If people are on a tight budget it really does matter.
I appreciate your reply and frustration. ...I also live in Tarrant Co. (Grapevine). I’m also on a fixed income, since I’m 67 and retired.
The differences in the utility costs you had and what I have may be due to the fact that the place you lived was built in the 1950s. I bought my house new in 1986. The building codes of the two houses were considerably different. ........Much more insulation in walls and attic; double paned glass on all windows and French doors; technologically improved heat pump/furnace along with improved insulation around ducts; NO West-facing windows, thus reducing heat build up on hot Summer days; etc., etc.
All of that significantly reduces the costs of electricity usage. .....The school district taxes are the big driver in my property taxes, but we do have many of the top schools in the DFW area.
Glad you had the opportunity to live in the DFW area, and hope you make it back someday.