Which water heater costs less to run?
Electric tank$507
Heat pump water heater$192lowest
Saves about $314 a year; the extra $600 pays back in under two years.
Energy math for the decisions on your bill.
Calculators for heating, cooling, solar and appliances, built on federal efficiency standards, NOAA weather data and EIA prices. Start with the question you have.
- My bill went up even though I used lessRates +$64, usage −$32
- Will my heating oil last until the next delivery?Order in 20 days
- How long will the house stay warm if the power goes out?55°F after 6.9 hours
- Is backup heat running up my heat pump bill?Aux heat added $108
- How many solar panels do I need, and will they pay off?22 panels, 13-year payback
- What does a new refrigerator cost to run?$73 a year
- Is my apartment's utility charge fair?$55 over an even split
- What will charging an EV at home cost?$62 a month
Sample results use each calculator's default inputs. Yours will depend on your home, rates and weather.
Where a typical home's energy money goes
The average U.S. household spent $1,884 on home energy in 2020. Here is how it splits, with the calculators that work out your own share.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, table CE3.6. Average across all 123.5 million U.S. homes at 2020 prices; "appliances" covers everything else, including cooking, laundry, lighting and electronics.
Browse by topic
Heating and fuel
Solar and batteries
Appliances and lighting
Bills and rates
Driving and travel
Carbon footprint
Heating season
Fuel deliveries, backup heat and cold snaps: the math that matters from October to March.
- Heating cost by fuelGas, oil, propane, electric and heat pump at your local prices.
- Pre-buy, price cap or pay as you goHow each oil contract plays out if prices fall, hold or spike.
- Thermostat setback savingsWhat turning the heat down at night or from 70°F to 68°F is worth.
- Aux heat vs emergency heatWhat the thermostat setting does and what it costs per hour.
- Dual-fuel switchover temperatureWhen your heat pump should hand off to the gas or propane furnace.
- Pellet and firewood costA season of stove heat vs propane, oil and gas, plus tons or cords needed.
- Generator propane runtimeHow long your tank keeps the generator running in an outage, and what a day costs.
- Garage heater size and costThe heater a garage needs and what a month of heat costs by fuel.
- Block heater costCost per night, how long to plug in, and what a timer saves.
- Frozen pipe prevention costDripping a faucet vs heat cable vs a heat lamp, per freezing night.
Cooling season
Air conditioning drives the summer bill. These answer where the money goes from June to September.
Between seasons
Spring is when replacements and upgrades get planned before the next heating or cooling bill.
- Heat pump size from your fuel billsSize a heat pump from last winter's actual usage.
- Furnace upgrade payback80% vs 95% AFUE, with venting costs and the 2028 rule.
- Solar panel count and paybackPanels, roof space and payback under net metering or net billing.
- Smart vs programmable thermostatWhat each saves and which homes see the difference.
Running cost, side by side
Annual energy cost at each comparison's default inputs: national average rates and a typical household. Open one to plug in your own numbers.
Heat pump, furnace or boiler?
Heat pump$760
Gas furnace (95%)$644lowest
Gas boiler (85%)$720
At average gas prices the furnace wins on heat alone. The heat pump also replaces the air conditioner.
Which dryer is cheapest per year?
Standard electric$176
Gas$98
Heat pump$88lowest
Gas and heat pump land within about $10 of each other; local rates decide it.
Where the numbers come from
Each calculator states its assumptions under the result, so you can check the math or swap in your own figures.
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Federal efficiency standards (10 CFR 430) behind the refrigerator, freezer, furnace and light bulb numbers.
- NOAA
- Heating degree days and winter design temperatures for 25 U.S. cities.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Average and regional prices for electricity, natural gas, propane and heating oil.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour, therm and gallon of fuel.
- NREL
- Peak sun hours and production assumptions for solar sizing.
- USDA
- Food safety timelines for freezers and refrigerators during outages.
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