Home Energy: Your Largest Utility Expense
If you're like most people, home energy is your single largest utility expense. You may have wondered how your home's energy consumption compares others around the country. One of the best sources of this information is the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The EIA collects statistics on energy use in American homes. They recognize three distinct housing types among the approximately 105 million American households: single-family, multi-family, and mobile homes.
Manufactured homes in rural areas represent 20 to 50 percent of the housing stock. The average site-built home in the U.S. consumes $1492 worth of energy each year, and the average manufactured home uses $1206. Though manufactured homes use less total energy per household, they use more per square foot than site-built homes: $0.81 per square foot for site-built homes versus $1.27 per square foot for manufactured homes.
Northeastern homes have the highest average energy use at $1763 annually. Homes in the Midwest and South each use around $1450 annually. Western homes have the lowest annual average at $1155.
Of the total energy used in American homes, 65% is electricity, 26% is natural gas, 7% is oil or propane, and the remaining 2% is wood heat and other energy sources.