Buying a house in Niagara in winter: how do I find out what the heating will cost?
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Ask the seller for the last 12 months, including at least one bill from December to February.
The total includes delivery, a monthly charge, adjustments and tax, and gas rates change several times a year. Usage reflects insulation, windows, the furnace and household size.
January and February usually run higher, so a spring or fall bill times 12 will come in low.
Two neighbouring homes, same period: gas was $171.94 and $182.62, hydro was $251.35 and $78.37. Check only the gas bill and you miss half the picture.
It's not on the gas bill, so add it in. Ask who takes over the contract on closing.
- 01Ask for 12 months of gas and hydro bills
- 02Note days, usage and total with tax
- 03Divide to get a daily cost
- 04Look at a January or February bill alone
- 05Ask what is rented and the monthly cost
- 06Have the inspector check furnace age and insulation
Tell Yifei about the house and your situation. He will tell you straight what he would do.
Ask YifeiBefore you make an offer on a house in Niagara, ask the seller for the last 12 months of gas and hydro bills, including at least one from December to February. Look at how many cubic metres of gas and kilowatt-hours the house used, not just the dollar amount. Then ask whether the water heater or HRV is rented and what that costs each month, and have the home inspector check the furnace age and insulation. Put those together and you have a realistic picture of a winter month.
Look at usage, not just the total
The dollar total on a gas bill includes the gas itself plus delivery, a monthly customer charge, adjustments and tax, and gas rates are reset several times a year. The cubic metres are what the house actually burned, and that depends on insulation, windows, the furnace and how many people live there.
The time of year matters too. On one house Yifei worked with, the bill from March 11 to April 9, 2026 showed 428 cubic metres and $171.94 with tax, about $5.73 a day. That is a spring bill. January and February usually run higher, so a spring or fall bill times 12 will come in low.
If you are viewing homes in December 2026 or January 2027, the seller will have fresh November and December bills. Ask for those.
Different situations
Step by step
- Before the offer, ask the listing agent for 12 months of gas and hydro bills, or a screenshot of the usage chart in the seller's account.
- On each bill, note the number of days, the usage, and the total with tax. Divide to get a daily cost.
- Pull out a January or February bill and look at it on its own.
- Ask about rentals: water heater, HRV, furnace, air conditioner. Monthly cost, and who assumes the contract on closing.
- At the inspection, check the furnace data plate for its age, the filter, attic insulation and drafty windows.
- Before closing, call to open the gas and hydro accounts in your name as of the closing date.
What Yifei has seen
Two neighbouring homes, same billing period: gas was 428 and 461 cubic metres, $171.94 and $182.62. Almost the same. Hydro was a different story: one was $251.35 for 33 days, about 1,515 kWh, the other $78.37. More than three times apart. If you only look at the gas bill, you miss half the picture. Ask the seller what heats the water and the house and how many people live there.
In one subdivision, the water heater and HRV were both rentals, close to $100 a month combined. When the buyer's agent asked, Yifei explained that is standard in that neighbourhood. That money is not on the gas bill, so add it in.
Rental equipment can turn into a billing headache. One client got an Enercare bill for a little over $700, while the collections notice said over $1,100. Yifei asked Enercare to cancel it in writing or send an itemized breakdown within a few business days, review payments on both accounts going back several years, refund any overpayment, and reply by email only. Sorting out what is rented, and in whose name, before you buy saves a lot of back and forth.
Frequently asked questions
Can I multiply a spring bill by 12?
No. Spring and fall use less gas than January and February, so you will underestimate. Get at least one winter bill.
What if the seller won't share bills?
Ask the listing agent for at least one winter bill. If that fails, rely on the inspection and on similar homes nearby, and treat the number as an estimate.
What about a new build with no history?
Ask the builder whether there is an EnerGuide evaluation, or ask neighbours already living in the subdivision what they pay in winter. An EnerGuide rating is calculated under standard conditions, so it won't match your actual bills; use it to compare homes, not as a bill estimate.
Tell me about the house you're looking at and your situation, and I'll tell you straight what I'd do. Yifei (RE/MAX), efay.ai
Sources
- Ontario Energy Board, natural gas rates: https://www.oeb.ca/consumer-information-and-protection/natural-gas-rates
- Enbridge Gas, rates and bill charges: https://www.enbridgegas.com/residential/my-account/rates
- Ontario Condominium Act, 1998 (section 76, status certificate): https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/98c19
- Natural Resources Canada, EnerGuide rating vs. actual bills: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/product-energy-ratings/energuide/after-your-energuide-home-evaluation