Again, my personal expenses total $1,290 CAD monthly. That will drop to about $1,200 once I pay $7,000 for a new high efficiency furnace.
You love math, so I thought you might get a kick out of this comparison.
My home is heated using a Goodman modulating 98% AFUE high efficiency gas fired furnace which heats most of the house, plus an electric ‘mini split’ for heating and cooling the 2nd floor. The high efficiency gas water heater is tankless. The cooktop is also gas.
The annual NW Natural Gas bill for 2022 was $1325,78. The average annual cost of running a gas stove is $90. The average annual cost to run a natural gas tankless water heater is $228. So, my average monthly cost for heating just the downstairs, which is around 2,000 sq. ft. is about $85 US or $116 CA a month.
It looks like your projected $90 CAD or $66 US a month figure is not exceptionally far off, depending on a couple of variables, where you set your thermostat and the cost per therm for natural gas. Here it is about $1.60 per therm. I assume you mean a high efficiency gas furnace since that is your least expensive source.
Of course, the climate in West Linn, OR is considerably milder than in Thunder Bay. Our cool season lasts for 3.2 months, from November 15 to February 22, with an average daily high temperature below 52°F. The coldest month of the year in Portland is December, with an average low of 36°F and high of 45°F. Our thermostat is set to call for heat when the inside temperature falls below 70° from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm and 60° between 11:00 pm and 7:00 am.
I cannot imagine how anyone can live on
$1,200 ($879.84 US) a month. You excluded what you contributed to the cost of raising your kids, and I assume you are still single like me. My monthly expenses sans my mortgage are 9 times higher than what you intend to live on.