The cost of heating and cooling can increase utility bills considerably each year. According to Energy Star, nearly half of the energy you use in your home goes to heating and cooling. This means that you spend a large portion of money that could be used for your other bills paying for your utilities.
If you’ve ever wondered how much it costs to heat and cool your home, you might be surprised by the estimates:
- The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that the average household heating costs from October to March (winter heating season) are $960.
- EnergyWatcher.com estimates that cooling expenses add up to around $200 per month. Assuming that you’ll run your air from May to September – about four months – your cost could easily reach $800.
The time frame that you run your air conditioner can significantly increase your electric bill.
While these are just basic estimates of how much it could cost to heat and cool a home, there are tools out there to give you specific estimates. One in particular is Home Energy Saver, which is a government-sponsored web site that helps you determine average energy costs based on your zip code. While it doesn’t break down heating and cooling costs separately, you do get an idea of the amount of savings you could enjoy if you upgraded to an energy-efficient home.
For instance, a Waller, Texas zip code showed average energy costs of $2,018 with efficient home costs considerably lower at $1,086. On the other hand, Antelope, Ore. showed a lower average energy cost of $1,395 with an efficient-home cost of $737.
Some other energy cost comparisons around the nation include:
- Los Angeles – Average energy cost: $1,314; average energy-efficient home cost: $899
- Chicago – Average energy cost: $1,615; average energy-efficient home cost: $969
- Alexander City, Ala. – Average energy cost: $1,730; average energy-efficient home cost: $1,014
- Abercrombie, N.D. – Average energy cost: $1,153; average energy-efficient home cost: $791
- Poughkeepsie, N.Y. – Average energy cost: $2,267; average energy-efficient home cost: $1,451
If you want, the site also allows you to make energy-saving calculations based on the year your home was built, the square footage, type of foundation and much more.
Ways to Cut Back on Heating and Cooling Costs
Different-sized homes may impose different energy costs; however, there are some surefire ways to cut those costs. According to Energy Star, there are a number of ways to cut back on your energy costs while still heating and cooling efficiently:
- Change your air filter regularly: By changing your air filter every month during the heavy-use months (winter and summer), you could not only help the air circulate easier, but also avoid expensive maintenance issues, including early system failure.
- Tune up your HVAC annually: Regularly tuning up your HVAC equipment could be compared to tuning up your car to improve your gas mileage. If you get a yearly tune up, you could improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system, thus helping it to not work as hard to do its job.
- Add a programmable thermostat: If you know you’ll be away from home for extended periods throughout the day – or even for weeks at a time – you can install a thermostat that allows you to pre-program settings. This could save you nearly $200 a year in energy costs.
- Seal your heating and cooling ducts: The ducts that move air to and from the furnace, air conditioner or heat pump often leak, wasting energy. If you seal those ducts, you could save as much as 20 percent on heating and cooling costs.
- Consider Energy Star-qualified equipment: This government program has contracted with retailers to offer top-level appliances and equipments meant to cut your annual energy costs by using energy in your home efficiently. Taking the steps necessary to upgrade to Energy Star equipment could lower your energy costs so that you could enjoy the savings listed earlier in this article.
If you plan to upgrade your home to one that is energy efficient, enter your zip code here to estimate the cost of the upgrade as well as find out about tax credits you could take advantage of along the way. Whatever you can do to help bills lower during the peak heating and cooling seasons could be a major bonus to you.
How do you keep you heating and cooling bills down?
For those not having to pay utility bills – you are lucky, it’s so troublesome.
I save on my bills every summer and winter by using fans whenever possible vs the A/C in the summer, and by wearing sweaters and blankets in the winter
. Luckily, I’m naturally “hot-blooded”, so I love the cold and I never need to use the heat!
My old place was all paid for, it was fantastic not knowing. But it also lead to waste.
I think more emphasis should be placed on landlords reducing the costs or passing the costs off to tenants. I have the same issue – because it doesn’t hit my pocketbook, I have less incentive to pay attention to wear I’m being wasteful.