Electric, Gas, Water, Heat: Which NYC Condo Utilities Are in Common Charges?
Comparing common charges between two condos? First find out what they cover. We read the utility arrangements in about 1,900 NYC condo offering plans to see which bills owners pay directly and which are folded into common charges.
Two condos with the same common charges can cost very different amounts to live in. The reason is usually utilities: some buildings fold heat, gas and hot water into common charges, while others leave you to pay them on your own bills.
Every offering plan spells out who pays for what. We read the utility arrangements in about 1,900 NYC condo plans.
The Short Version
| Utility | Usually paid by | Share of plans |
|---|---|---|
| Water and sewer | Common charges | 98% |
| Electricity in your apartment | You, directly to Con Ed | 96% |
| Electricity for hallways, lobby, elevators, building systems | Common charges | 94% of budgets |
| Air conditioning | You | 95% |
| Heat | You | 83% |
| Cooking gas | Depends on building size | — |
| Hot water | Depends on building size | — |
Water: Almost Always in Common Charges
NYC bills water and sewer by the building, so in 98% of plans it's a common expense split among owners. A handful of buildings install water submeters so each owner pays for what they use.
Electricity: Two Meters, Two Bills
Every condo pays for electricity twice over, and it helps to keep the two straight:
- Your apartment's electricity (lights, outlets, appliances, and usually your heat pump) is on your own bill.
- Common-area electricity (hallway and lobby lights, elevators, pumps, fans, the gym, and any shared mechanical equipment) is on the building's "house" meter and paid through common charges.
Your apartment: almost always your own meter
In 96% of plans, each apartment has its own Con Edison meter. The exception is big buildings: about 28% of plans with 100+ apartments submeter electricity, meaning the building buys power in bulk and bills each owner for their usage. Claremont Hall, The Cortland, ONE11 Residences and VITA all submeter. At the Mandarin Oriental Residences on Fifth Avenue, every service other than gas and water is submetered.
Why it matters more now: with heat pumps, induction stoves and electric water heaters, electricity is becoming your biggest utility bill in a new condo.
Common areas: in your common charges
About 94% of budgets filed since 2019 include a line for common-area electricity. It's based on an engineer's estimate of the house meter's usage, and it grows with the building's size and amenities:
| Building size | Median common-area electricity, per apartment, per month |
|---|---|
| Under 10 apartments | about $30 |
| 10–29 apartments | about $60 |
| 30–99 apartments | about $90 |
| 100+ apartments | about $120 |
A small walk-up's house meter barely runs: The Harman, an eight-unit building in Bushwick, budgets about $1,100 a year for common-area electricity. A big building with elevators, corridors lit around the clock and shared equipment is another story: Centric in Woodside budgets about $324,000 a year for common elements alone, roughly $200 per apartment per month.
Watch where the heat pump compressors are wired
Heat pumps have an outdoor compressor (the condensing unit). If each apartment has its own, it's usually on your meter and you pay to run it. If several apartments share one, as in many VRF systems, it may run on the house meter instead, and its electricity lands in common charges.
The budgets suggest this matters. Among plans filed since 2019, buildings with VRF systems budget about three times as much common-area electricity per apartment as similar-size buildings with individual split systems:
| Building size | Split systems | VRF |
|---|---|---|
| 10–29 apartments | about $40 | about $120 |
| 30+ apartments | about $50 | about $130 |
VRF buildings also tend to have more amenities, so not all of that gap is heating and cooling. But it's a reason to read the fine print: a VRF building's common charges may include part of your heating and cooling bill, and its owners' own electric bills may be lower to match. See individual vs. shared compressors.
Heat: Usually Yours, Unless the Building Is Big
Most new condos heat each apartment with its own heat pump, so in 83% of plans owners pay for heat on their own electric bill. That's about 95% of buildings under 10 apartments.
Large buildings with a central plant are the exception: about 72% of plans with 100+ apartments include heat in common charges. Sutton Tower and 255 East 77 include central heat and gas in common charges, and at The North in Williamsburg, owners share heating and hot water as a common expense.
Gas and Hot Water: It Depends on Size
| Building size | Gas in common charges | Hot water in common charges |
|---|---|---|
| Under 10 apartments | 9% | 14% |
| 10–29 apartments | 29% | 34% |
| 30–99 apartments | 55% | 63% |
| 100+ apartments | 78% | all that say |
The bigger the building, the more likely it runs one central gas line and one hot water system, and splits the bill. Small buildings give each apartment its own meter and water heater. More on that in how NYC condos make hot water.
How to Compare Two Condos Fairly
- Read the utilities section of each offering plan, or the Schedule B budget footnotes, to see which utilities are in common charges.
- Add your own bills. If one building includes heat and hot water and the other doesn't, the cheaper common charges may not be cheaper overall.
- Ask for actual bills. For a resale, ask the seller for a year of electric bills. For new construction, ask the sales office for estimates.
- Watch for submetering. It's fair to owners, but you'll get a bill from the building instead of Con Ed, sometimes with an administrative fee.
Compare budgets on our operating expense benchmarks and common charge benchmarks. See also how much condo common charges should be and why operating costs differ.
Common Questions
Are utilities included in NYC condo common charges?
Water and sewer almost always are. Electricity for hallways, elevators and other common areas is too, but the electricity your apartment uses almost never is. Heat, gas and hot water are usually included in large buildings and paid separately in small ones.
Is electricity included in NYC condo common charges?
Only for common areas. The building's house meter (hallways, lobby, elevators, shared equipment) is paid through common charges: a median of about $30 per apartment per month in small buildings and about $120 in buildings with 100+ apartments. Your apartment's own electricity is almost always on your own Con Edison bill.
Do NYC condo owners pay a water bill?
Usually not directly. In about 98% of NYC condo offering plans, water and sewer charges are a common expense included in common charges.
What does submetered electricity mean?
The building buys electricity in bulk and bills each owner for their own usage, measured by a submeter. It's most common in buildings with 100+ apartments.
Is heat included in condo common charges?
Only in about 15% of plans, mostly large buildings with a central heating plant. In most new condos, each apartment has its own heat pump and owners pay for heat on their electric bill.
Where this comes from: the utility arrangements in about 1,900 NYC condo offering plans, and the common-area electricity lines in about 1,400 projected first-year budgets (Schedule B) filed since 2019. Percentages are of plans that state who pays for each utility. Budgets are developers' first-year projections. Updated October 2026.