[KEVIN & JOSIE]

I've heard all positives about the energy efficiency of Courtyard Villas from those who own them. Can any Cottage homeowners reflect on their energy use experiences?

[Down Sized]

They told me when I bought my cottage that it was a courtyard villa, with a yard. Same floor plan.

[KEVIN & JOSIE]

Originally Posted by Down Sized

They told me when I bought my cottage that it was a courtyard villa, with a yard. Same floor plan.

How are your energy bills? I've heard from some that the concretes are more efficient than the sided ones. What have you found? Thanks

[wendyquat]

We Have been in a Foxglove cyv for 9 months. With the thermostat at 78 all summer, our electric bills have been in the $120 to $135 monthly range. Our heat, cook stove, water heater and dryer are gas. That bill runs $20 to $30 in the summer. During the winter gas bill runs a high of $75 and the electric bill drops to about $50. VCDD runs us about $205 per month. We like to be comfortable and these utilities are so much lower than we had in NC we don't feel like we have to shiver or sweat! The foxglove is cement/stucco. Hope this helps

[Down Sized]

I'm sure that is right. Concrete is a pretty good insulator. But, there are many sided villas. So the only difference is the concrete. If you pay that extra ten to fifteen thousand for a concrete villa, it will take a lot of years to recoupe in utilities. At my age I probably would not ever get there.

[John_W]

We purchased a new masonry CYV last July, we just had our one year anniversary. We have a 2BR 2BA 'Woodlawn', it's now called a 'Durham'. The only difference is the front porch overhang is 10' instead of 5', it goes out past the front bedroom window. The interior only difference is they now have tray ceilings in the bedrooms instead of a vaulted ceiling, which I actually like better.

We paid $156,900 and I think we got a pretty good deal. In fact of the 88 villas in our section, ours was the cheapest. The average price of a 2BR was $164,000 to $169,000 and overall the average was between $179,000 to $210,000 and a couple of units hit $225,000.

We started last year by keeping our A/C on 80 degrees then eventually 81. This year we keep it at about 83 degrees, any lower and it gets too cold. We have total electric everything and our bills have averaged about $92 a month until July when it hit $117. Our amenities/sewer/water/irrigation/garbage monthly bill was about $207 but lately they've been about $215.

[KEVIN & JOSIE]

Originally Posted by wendyquat

We Have been in a Foxglove cyv for 9 months. With the thermostat at 78 all summer, our electric bills have been in the $120 to $135 monthly range. Our heat, cook stove, water heater and dryer are gas. That bill runs $20 to $30 in the summer. During the winter gas bill runs a high of $75 and the electric bill drops to about $50. VCDD runs us about $205 per month. We like to be comfortable and these utilities are so much lower than we had in NC we don't feel like we have to shiver or sweat! The foxglove is cement/stucco. Hope this helps

Sounds like the utilities are fairly reasonable. We are looking to downsize, and with so many home choices, we're trying to narrow down the right fit for us. We want a small home, with a lot less stuff and little or no maintenance. Every time we look at the website home tours, we always find another possibility. We started looking at the sided Cottage homes yesterday, and although they do have some grass to cut, the larger garages attracted me. They kinda look like a CYV, but with a little more garage space. I do like the 2 car garage CYV'S, but they seem to be quite a bit more money than the Cottage with a 2 car. That's why I was wondering if anyone that lived in a sided cottage could share there utility usage with us. Thanks for your reply!

[KEVIN & JOSIE]

Originally Posted by Down Sized

I'm sure that is right. Concrete is a pretty good insulator. But, there are many sided villas. So the only difference is the concrete. If you pay that extra ten to fifteen thousand for a concrete villa, it will take a lot of years to recoupe in utilities. At my age I probably would not ever get there.

You have a very valid point & Thank You!

[Paperboy]

Bought a cottage home "Tuckett" (3 bdrms.) Nov.of 2011 in the village of St. James & we are snow birds.
In the winter the air is @ 76 & the bill is in the mid $70.'S. May - Nov. the dehumidistat is set @ 60 & 85 & the last 2 bills were in the lo$20's. Home ia ALL ELECTRIC & we have a solar attic fan.

[KEVIN & JOSIE]

Originally Posted by John_W

We purchased a new masonry CYV last July, we just had our one year anniversary. We have a 2BR 2BA 'Woodlawn', it's now called a 'Durham'. The only difference is the front porch overhang is 10' instead of 5', it goes out past the front bedroom window. The interior only difference is they now have tray ceilings in the bedrooms instead of a vaulted ceiling, which I actually like better.

We paid $156,900 and I think we got a pretty good deal. In fact of the 88 villas in our section, ours was the cheapest. The average price of a 2BR was $164,000 to $169,000 and overall the average was between $179,000 to $210,000 and a couple of units hit $225,000.

We started last year by keeping our A/C on 80 degrees then eventually 81. This year we keep it at about 83 degrees, any lower and it gets too cold. We have total electric everything and our bills have averaged about $92 a month until July when it hit $117. Our amenities/sewer/water/irrigation/garbage monthly bill was about $207 but lately they've been about $215.

Nice looking home you have! Your utility bills surely look a lot better than ours up North. It's good to know you are comfortable at 83 degrees, it shows that your home is well insulated. I look forward to being comfortable at 83 degrees with a heavier wallet. Thanks

[JSX2=US]

John W
I do not currently live in the Villages, just doing my due diligence and research about a possible move to TV.

You posted:
Our amenities/sewer/water/irrigation/garbage monthly bill was about $207 but lately they've been about $215

Is this per quarter? Or per month. Please explain.

Thanks
JS

[asianthree]

Originally Posted by JSX2=US

John W
I do not currently live in the Villages, just doing my due diligence and research about a possible move to TV.

You posted:
Our amenities/sewer/water/irrigation/garbage monthly bill was about $207 but lately they've been about $215

Is this per quarter? Or per month. Please explain.

Thanks
JS

thats a month amenities/garbage stays the same sewer/water irrigation changes month to month

[tommy steam]

Originally Posted by wendyquat

We Have been in a Foxglove cyv for 9 months. With the thermostat at 78 all summer, our electric bills have been in the $120 to $135 monthly range. Our heat, cook stove, water heater and dryer are gas. That bill runs $20 to $30 in the summer. During the winter gas bill runs a high of $75 and the electric bill drops to about $50. VCDD runs us about $205 per month. We like to be comfortable and these utilities are so much lower than we had in NC we don't feel like we have to shiver or sweat! The foxglove is cement/stucco. Hope this helps

What is VCDD?

[dkrhardy]

After the sun goes down, the concrete holds heat. That is good in the winter and not so good in the summer.
Don

[John_W]

Originally Posted by KEVIN & JOSIE

Nice looking home you have! Your utility bills surely look a lot better than ours up North. It's good to know you are comfortable at 83 degrees, it shows that your home is well insulated. I look forward to being comfortable at 83 degrees with a heavier wallet. Thanks

I see you are from Baltimore, we moved from Abingdon near Festival Shopping Center last July. Since BG&E was deregulated about five years ago our electric bill in Abingdon was about $250 in the summer and about $400 in the winter. It's hard to complain when our bill now goes from $92 to $117. We just had plantation shutters installed yesterday so we might even have a lower bill, our house is very bright inside so we wanted to control the brightness little more.

We also had a screen installed on our garage door opening about a month ago and I now open the attic steps about a foot from the ceiling. I now can feel a nice breeze going up into the attic when I stand near the attic entrance. Since we installed the garage screen we have since set our inside temperature on 84 degrees, it's hard to believe because I'm normally a hot person.