Auto and Home Energy Consumption by State

Happy National Energy Awareness Month! With the U.S. Department of Energy estimating families could save up to 25% on utilities with energy efficient measures, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2018’s Most & Least Energy-Efficient States

To gauge the financial impact of doing more with less energy — the average American household spends at least $2,000 per year on utilities and another $1,968 on motor fuel and oil — WalletHub compared the auto- and home-energy efficiency in 48 U.S. states. Due to data limitations, Alaska and Hawaii were excluded from our analysis.

What is the biggest mistake consumers make when making their homes energy efficient? According to WalletHub expert Steven E. Letendre, PhD, Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, Green Mountain College, ” So, I would say that the best ROI would likely be for a smart thermostat. These devises can be easily programmed to automatically turn the heat down in the winter or raise the temperature of the AC in the summer based on when you are out of the home and in response to your personal preferences, such as keeping your home a bit cooler at night in the winter. Instead of trying to remember to take these energy savings steps, a smart thermostat does it automatically once you have programmed it. Studies have found that these devices can reduce your heating and cooling costs by 10 – 15 percent.

The next best household energy efficiency investment would be for energy efficient LED lightbulbs.

Start by replacing the lights you use most often with LEDs to achieve the greatest savings.

When the time comes to replace your major appliances replace them with the most energy efficient models available on the market. Although they can be a bit more expensive upfront, they will pay back that higher price given the fact that they cost less to operate than an inefficient model. Many states also offer rebates and incentives to encourage homeowners to purchase efficient appliances. Here in Vermont where I live Efficiency Vermont offers a variety of incentive programs to encourage homeowners and business to purchase efficient appliance.

Finally, it has been proven that investing in home weatherization can be an excellent investment. Heat and cool air cost money to produce for your home and can be lost in two ways. First, hot or cold air will escape from your home in the hundreds of small gaps and holes around doors, windows, pipes, and other systems that penetrate from the inside of your home to the outside. The second way your home loses heat or cold during the summer is through the walls and attic. The more insulation you have the slower this process is and the less you spend on heating and cooling. Weatherization involves sealing up cracks around doors, windows, and chimneys, etc. in addition to installing higher levels of insulation in the basement and attic. There are businesses called home performance contractors that will come to your home and do a comprehensive home energy audit identifying all the opportunities to make your home more energy efficient to reduce heating and cooling expenses. These contractors charge a fee, but it is relatively small given the amount of money you can save when you make your home more energy efficient

To view the full report and your state’s ranking, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-and-least-energy-efficient-states/7354/

Courtesy: WalletHub

Photo Courtesy: Amanitamano CC-BY-SA 3.0 from Wikimedia Commons