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Monthly household energy cost per sq. ft.

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by RoadNoise, Jul 27, 2016.

  1. RoadNoise

    RoadNoise Active Member

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    Not sure if this belongs here or in FHOP, but thought it might be a fun exercise and only takes a few minutes.

    What is your average monthly cost for energy per sq. foot? Of course this will vary depending on your climate, energy costs, efficiency of living space/appliances, personal preferences, use of wind/solar and other factors such as how many days per year you live there.

    To determine your number, total your home energy expenses for an entire year (electricity, gas, oil, propane, firewood, etc.), divide by 12, then divide that number by the total conditioned sq. footage of your living quarters. Availability charges should be included in the total.

    I'll go first. Dates sampled were July 2015 to June 2016 and we were absent from the house for about 6 weeks. I am in North Alabama, all electric (heat pump) and use about $100 worth of firewood per year for supplemental heat/enjoyment. Electricity here costs about .088 per KWH (depending on how much I use). Summer thermostat is set to 77f, winter set to 68f during the day and 64f at night.

    My total average monthly expense for energy is $.0427 per sq. ft. What's your number?
     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    14 cents.:( electricity between 21 and 24 cents/kwh, oil around $2.50, propane around $3.75, and $25. worth of firewood fun.
    summer a/c 75 in the day and 70 at night. heat 68 in the day and 54 at night.
     
  3. Sabby

    Sabby Active Member

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    70 degrees winter daytime 62 night. Summer 75 daytime and 73 at night

    We have solar panels that have covered all of our electricity needs with a 4kw system. Very small natural gas needs since there is not much need for heat. $0.0089 per square foot per month
     
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  4. RoadNoise

    RoadNoise Active Member

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    Ouch, bisco! Those killer winters and high electricity rates in Boston are expensive! At least fossil fuels are cheap (at the moment) or you would be on the hook for even more. But hey, you get to live in Boston!
     
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  5. RoadNoise

    RoadNoise Active Member

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    Ah, you get the benefit of a mild climate and plenty of sunshine! Thinking about solar panels but my house is surrounded by trees (which provide a nice cooling effect during our hot, muggy summers). Congrats for being almost gridless!
     
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  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Both our gas and electric bills stay the same year 'round, adjusted yearly. Six cents a month per square foot. Managed to do a spreadsheet on phone lol.

    upload_2016-7-27_21-51-31.png
     
    #6 Mendel Leisk, Jul 27, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2016
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  7. iplug

    iplug Senior Member

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    $0.0247 per square foot per month

    We have PG&E which has rather high rates by state and national standards. We had been close to net zero on electricity given our solar PV, but starting last year our utility instituted a mandatory $10/month minimum electricity use fee. Still, most of the monthly energy cost is natural gas during our relatively mild winters.
     
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  8. Sabby

    Sabby Active Member

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    I should have added a clarification that there are just two of us Sr citizens, new home, all new energy star appliances and all LED lighting which helps a bunch. Adult children that have moved on. Kids are very energy intensive! :)
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yes, spot the month my wife and I were outa town and our son was home alone, for one week...

    upload_2016-7-27_21-59-51.png

    And he moved out in June, 2012. :whistle:
     
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  10. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Greetings from China. I pay <2 US cents per month per square foot for electricity. Hot water is solar. No space heating here in the south. When the apartment is 10 oC or less I might use an electrical space heater, which is included in the above.

    Electricity in Yunnan is nearly 3/4 hydro and the rest coal. Hydro is from dammed rivers that downstream countries sorta don't like. Other parts of China exceed 60% electricity from coal.

    Thanks to OP for creating an informative thread. A similar one on water cost would also be good.
     
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    exactly where should i google real estate?:love:
     
  12. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    This totally neglects the number of energy users living in a home.
     
  13. RoadNoise

    RoadNoise Active Member

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    You are absolutely correct, fotomoto, but this was never intended to be a scientific measurement by any stretch.

    Generally speaking, only two people occupy our residence, but there are times when we may have up to 10 living here for short periods (4 of those under 5 years old), consuming more hot water, more cooking, more thermostat fiddling, refrigerator door opening, more hairdryers, etc, yet our energy use does not go up by a factor of 5 or even a factor of 2. Heating/AC comprise the majority of our energy usage and this does not change dramatically whether there are 2 people home or 10 (@Mendel Leisk's son notwithstanding).

    To correlate to our beloved Prii, few report the number of passengers aboard when touting their MPG, or cargo weight, or whether or not they have a spare tire (in their trunk or around their waist :D), yet all of that weighs upon the numbers.
     
    #13 RoadNoise, Jul 28, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2016
  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    two retirees here, but that doesn't change heat and a/c. just a bit of electricity and hot water.
     
  15. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    My home, two adults, 1440 square feet, all electric, has no energy bill whatsoever until the state solar incentives expire in mid-2020. (Those incentives give us energy income, though all that goes to paying off the PV capital investment.) After that, it will depend on whether or not our overproduction can cover the fixed account charges.

    Absent the PV system, and with a couple months of travel absences, we would be burning just under 5000 kWh/year. The tiered rate schedule complicates the average cost of that, but it would fall somewhere between $0.019 and 0.036 /sq-ft/month, biased towards the low end due to our low usage.

    Before serious conservation efforts began a decade ago, the annual burn averaged 10,600 kWh/year, which would have pushed monthly cost closer to $0.07/sq-ft under the current rate schedule.
     
    #15 fuzzy1, Jul 28, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2016
  16. SDunahugh

    SDunahugh Junior Member

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    finishing up installing a tankless electric water heater today(no gas where i live and LP is just to expensive now vs. elec.) (order on amazon waiting on fedex to show up now) I live by myself so going to be interesting to see what it does to my electric bill
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i'll be curious as well. how much is a kWh there?
     
  18. SDunahugh

    SDunahugh Junior Member

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    just looked at my last bill and it came out to $0.12 per kwh
     
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  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    nice, i'd go electric if mine were that low. no gas here either. they make propane models, but that's way more than 12 equivalent cents around here.
     
  20. SDunahugh

    SDunahugh Junior Member

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    well the installation is done now, and so far I LOVE it, still playing with the temp setting but............. now hope I still say that come winter in central; Ohio
     
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