Home Energy Costs
 

I was reading that the average American home energy costs is about $300 per month or $3,477.

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/...-energy-costs/

Referring to electricity and gas (not phone or water, etc.) This is about half what I pay, and I wondered if this sounded right to you? Mine varies from about $65 (spring and fall) to $120 (winter and summer). I realize I live in a small apartment/townhome (800 SF; all electric) so an entire house would run more.

I'm in a similar situation, mine averages about $150 a month.

In the winter, our electric bill is about $150. In the summer, it can get over $400. (Gas is negligible in all seasons because almost everything is electric.)

$300 summer/winter $200 spring/fall (heat pump)

Gas (heat only) in winter around $50, no gas in summer. Electricity $25-$35 in winter, right around $50 in hottest months. Just about 1000 very well insulated sq. ft.

150-300 for both

Electric - $75 per month $100 in Jan/Feb. Wood heat for the year would cost $250 if I paid cash for it.

Our heat and hot water are gas, we have our utilities averaged out over the year, so it's regularly ~$260 every month. I understood home energy cost is high in Michigan since we heat in Winter and cool in Summer.

During the snowpocalypse, we were on emergency heat so our bill was $500. It's more normally $300 or so, summer and winter, less in the spring and fall. Heat pumps aren't great when you get outlier weather like we did this year.

We're having a home energy audit done in the next few weeks to see if there's something that needs fixed.

what's a "heat pump"?

Heat Pump

An air-sourced heat pump is basically an air conditioner that can be run in reverse in the winter (taking heat from the great outdoors and bringing warmth to your home). As with air conditioners, they have a problem spanning too much of a temperature differential -- the carnot efficiency drops as the delta goes up.

Geothermal heatpumps don't have that problem (since the underground temps are more stable) but cost a lot more to put in, and aren't always practical, as they require long ground loops trenches to be dug into your yard. The payback timeline is 3-5 years.

For the last 12 months, our electric bill was $506 (for an average of about $42/month) and our gas bill was $712 (for an average of about $59/month). Our house is about 3,000 square feet. We live at an elevation of about 7,000 feet, so it tends to be winter most of the year.

We do not have AC.

Our electric bill is between $200 and $300 a month....

House just under 3k. All electric.

We live about 9 feet above sea level.

Ah, so that's why you're so concerned about climate change.

I try to do my part and build a big ass fire in my outdoor fireplace every chance I get.