UTILITIES

I'd estimate $300 - $600 a month for WAPA.

What is WAPA?

Water & Power Authority. You come to hate them very quickly.

Is everything electric or is there gas too?

Is everything electric or is there gas too?

Propane only...no natural gas.

If you're using A/C in all 4-5 bedrooms and living room even with a propane stove, you'll be lucky if you're not looking at much more than $600 per month in electricity. Make sure you have a back up generator that can run your whole house. WAPA is not reliable and expensive.

4-5 bedrooms with people to occupy it and laundry AC and electronics???? Id say $800 a month at least. Friends have a similar in STT - with a pool and it's 1k. They actually have solar for a few things too.

Hope you're rich!

Their house is for sale now.

Forgive me for my naivete, but are there solar companies on any of the three islands? In addition, does anyone have an automatic generator and can anyone advise as to the general cost of purchasing one?

Cost depends on size of generator and how many "bells & whistles" you have. A small unit that you have to manually start yourself and "connect" with enough to power for a few lights and a refrigerator will cost around $3,000. Whole house generators with automatic start and interface can run upwards of $20,000.

Between medical and electric, how do people afford to live there? I've estimated our monthly costs at 3,500-4,000 monthly. That's with me buying a house in full with cash. I can't image people can afford that.

That's why most folks don't run the A/C. A small very efficient mini-split in one or two bedrooms might not break the bank.

Forgive me for my naivete, but are there solar companies on any of the three islands? In addition, does anyone have an automatic generator and can anyone advise as to the general cost of purchasing one?

The only solar options are a complete off-grid system with battery storage + generator.

There are no more net metering applications being accepted as we have reached the maximum amount of net metering the WAPA system can handle (so they say).

i would go with splits too.

i have a 3 bedroom. ceiling fans, clothes washer, tv, stand fans, NO dryer or air conditioner and ours has been as high as 300+ due to the high cost of wapa

I'm clueless, what are splits?

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Heating-Venting-Cooling-Air-Conditioners-Coolers-Air-Conditioners-Ductless-Mini-Splits/N-5yc1vZc4m1

I'm clueless, what are splits?

Split AC Units = condenser unit outside and evaporator unit(s) inside

Also know as a mini split unit...very common.

Hey Lisa Ann come down for a PMV pre move visit, rent a condo for a couple of weeks and you'll learn a lot also you can chat up the locals. We are a pretty friendly bunch and will give you honest answers. The more booze we have the more honest the answer! 🙂

Forgive me for my naivete, but are there solar companies on any of the three islands? In addition, does anyone have an automatic generator and can anyone advise as to the general cost of purchasing one?

The only solar options are a complete off-grid system with battery storage + generator.

There are no more net metering applications being accepted as we have reached the maximum amount of net metering the WAPA system can handle (so they say).

You could be part on-grid. Your solar can't supply back to the grid but you should still be able to switch your loads between solar and grid. Kinda like switching between WAPA and back-up generator. Or have some on solar and some on grid.

A lot of people are waiting for the new lithium battery technology. If Tesla can pull off an affordable, reliable, high capacity battery for solar power storage, I think a quarter of WAPA's customers would immediately disconnect entirely.

I think a quarter of WAPA's customers would immediately disconnect entirely.

A quarter of WAPA's customers is a very optimistic guess - it will not be cheap to convert - [even though the payback time is economically worth it] - and to think it would be an immediate conversion that widespread is unrealistic.

Cost depends on size of generator and how many "bells & whistles" you have. A small unit that you have to manually start yourself and "connect" with enough to power for a few lights and a refrigerator will cost around $3,000. Whole house generators with automatic start and interface can run upwards of $20,000.

lol uhhhh I got mine from home depot for $700. Powers everything I need it to for a 3bd room and all my electronics, fridge washer etc. We don't have AC though.

Brand new $800 10kw gas , hand start, generator runs everything in my 3 Bdrm house and 1 bdrm apt.- no AC , 2 water heaters, one water pump, 2 refrigerators, 1 deep freeze, no pool, no LED lights, 3 TV's, electronics ---------------- 7 hr. run time, 3/4 GPH usage average.
Depends on what you want to set up - auto start is nice but increases the price -- maintenance is vital - learning to service the gen yourself is worthwhile.

The very best advice to new comers to the island, no matter how wonderful buying looks like on HGTV, is DO NOT BUY FOR AT LEAST ONE OR BETTER, TWO YEARS.

This is the big island of the 3. We have Far East, middle, West, and Northside. Each one is totally different from the other. Do a search on buying a house, condo, etc, here in the search engine above and I'll adventure to say there are hundreds of posts giving out this advice for very, very good reasons.

I first moved here in '95 and since I've never lived on the Northside, I still haven't decided where I'd like to buy. Sold two homes in the states in 12 and 13, so I am in a position to buy, but, why? There are probably more full time statesiders here renting than not. Rentals are plentiful. Do not bring a shipping container full of household stuff as most rentals are furnished in the areas you'd want to live.

Over the past twenty-two years, I've seen more people come with good intentions to stay forever LEAVE than stay. Would you be ok leaving and not be able to sell the house you bought here? The maybe you'd have to rent in the states. Houses here rarely sell within weeks as mine did in the states. I've lived in three houses for sale here that had been on the market more than 5 years.

Come for a PMV, because your questions shows you don't know much about what living here is all about. Do more homework before jumping, unless, of course, you just won the Powerball! Read this forum!

Many come with no debt and within just a short time begin to acquire debt! Easy to do here!

Personally, I'd rather buy than rent.
I moved to FL at the end of January. I've kept my STT home until I decide if this move is permanent.
I considered renting for at least a year or 2 but I was planning on moving with 3 dogs, wanted a large fenced yard and tiled or hardwood flooring as carpeting with the dogs wasn't going to work for me.

After doing my homework I realized it I would spend considerable money and have nothing to show for it after 2 years of renting. Plus no dealing with landlords, their rules, other tenants, someone else's furnishings, I can paint, plant, decorate how I like, when I like. If I decide to move back, I can either sell and make my money back at the least or rent, long term, seasonally or short term.

I can't see renting for years and paying someone else's mortgage.
That being said, island life isn't for everyone.
It does generally take longer to sell a property in the VI but it depends on the property, the location, the condition, price, etc. I've seen properties come on market and by day 2, they are contracted. In fact, I've had buyers in such circumstances. It's not the norm but it happens.

It's very dependent on one's specific situation, needs and finances.

I might add that in terms of costs of electricity, my next door neighbour has a lovely 2/2 vacation rental with pool. It's was not unusual for them to pay $1000 a month due to their guests usage prior to rates being reduced from the 54¢ per KWH.

You might be able to figure out what you'd pay depending on your current usage. I think the rate is now about 29¢ a KWH. Someone can chime in on accurate rate.

You'll soon learn to conserve both electricity and water usage living in the VI.