What does it cost to heat a 1 bedroom apartment?

No way. I have a new 2bd/2bath that is never more than $150 total. Insulation is everything. My old place was like $400 in the winter.

That's insane. I have a 1 BR condo and the ConEd bill is about $70 total.

electric could easily be $200 and gas closer to $100. i'm paying for a 1250 sq ft 3 br built in 90's about $150 with heat and hot water running on gas. the thing is, i turn off the heat from 7:30am to 5:30 pm since there's no one home. temp does not go below 70 even with the heat off.

Really depends on how well the apartment is sealed and insulated. For a while I rented a badly insulated new construction large 1 BR condo with PTACs. The bill in midwinter was easily $300 per month, and often more -- and that was despite the fact that we were careful to turn the heat down during the day and in whichever room we weren't using. We got the sponsor to add more insulation around the (large, aluminum) windows but it didn't help much. Swore I would never have electric heat again.

The amount could vary widely depending on exposure, amount of glass, level of insulation, etc. I live in a 40-year old all-electric building that's poorly insulated, so it may not be the best comparison point. But when we took a survey of our winter electric bills, the range was from $150 - 800(!) per month, all for similar units that are 700 s.f. +/- 150 square feet. (The $800 unit was the basement.)

Higher floors paid less, units with southern exposure paid less, units with a lot of windows paid more, units where the owners diligently used programmable thermostats to lower the temp at night and while at work paid a lot less.

The electric heat never feels as warm as gas or radiator (sigh, I miss the days of having a window open year-round). The trade-off is that central air in the summer feels wonderful, way better than window a/c's.

If you're looking at an all-electric building, make sure you can live with an electric stove and electric water heat if you've never had either before. I actually prefer the electric stove, but the electric water heat makes me want to cry every morning.

I lived in a 930 sq ft 1 bedroom in an old building with bad insulation and high ceilings and, more importantly, old, crappy wall unit heaters. My bill in the worst winter months was $250; in the summer is was around $175 and in the spring and fall, around $110. My situation was probably unusual, though.

Ah, yes floor. When I lived on a ground floor, also $400 in the winter.

This one I just got was $136 for an 1150 SF 2/2 with WD in-unit, for heat and electric. All-in. So $68 per person. Much better insulated.

downtown1234: Was it electric or gas heat? $250 was your total ConEd bill or just heat?

My eletric bill in a small 1bedroom apartment built in 1923 is over $100 a month and I don't even pay for heat or hot water right now. In the summer it's about $180 with the airconditioner running but I live on the top floor and the heat seems to travel up.

there's an article in NYtimes today about insulation, finding heat leaks. apparently some utility companies will come and do a full diagnostic evaluation.even fix the leaks for a fee. big savings on final bill.

I was considering renting a 2 bedroom 2 bath in a rental bldg. with electric heat in Manhattan. I called Con Ed and asked if they could tell me 4 months of bills for last year (Dec. thru March) for the apt. in question and also bills for the apt. one floor below in the same line. One ran around 450-489 per month, the other more in the mid-upper 200's. The difference? perhaps tenant was home during the day with babies? If I hadn't asked a current resident in the elevator if he was happy in the building I wouldn't have known about the electric heat until lease signing.
I had no idea that there were Manhattan rentals with electric heat. Caveat Emptor.
I passed on this lovely apt. and am still looking.. My last electric bill was $70 for a one bedroom with free heat (gas).

gaongaon: Was it a new building?

Calldn, it was a postwar building.

I have gas heating with a brand new hot water/heat combo boiler in a 650 square foot basement apartment. It's pre-war, though gut renovated with new high efficiency radiators and some in-floor heating also. With a programmable thermostat but 24 hour use (we have a kid and someone is always home) we are paying over $300 a month for gas and electric (60/40) in the coldest months and half that when the heat is off. I was sure we were getting ripped off somewhere, but it turns out to be what it is. We have a washer dryer (electric), dishwasher, and high ceilings, and a large sliding glass door out onto a yard. Seems they all add up to that hefty number.

maudymay: Thank you. I think I've been over estimating how much heat will cost.

ALso, some places with individual units STILL include heat. Yes, the units turn on for "free" during the night to keep the place at least 60 degrees or whatever.