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[quote=Anonymous]Every house is different.

Two houses, side by side, that were built around the same time can have energy bills that vary by a factor of ten. There is no such thing as "normal" or "average" construction, houses are built one by one. You care about your house, your best bet is to get actual usage data from either the seller or your utility.

The question you need to be asking is how do various fuel sources compare in cost per unit of heat. Because the amount of heat it's going to take to cool your house is the same regardless of the source of that heat. Energy costs vary quite significantly by region, so you need to find out what electricity and fuel oil cost where you are, as well as alternatives like natural gas and propane.

In terms of air conditioning efficiency, every air conditioner or heat pump sold in the US has what's  called a "SEER" rating, which stands for  Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. Look up the model number on the unit that's there now, and find out its SEER rating. Then look up the SEER rating of equipment you might use to replace it. Usage will proportional to SEER, doubling SEER will cut your electricity bill in half for the same amount of cooling. From past bills you'll be able to see how much that will save.

Generally, in DC, new equipment doesn't pay for itself in cooling, it's best just to replace with high-SEER equipment when it reaches the end of its life. Generally, natural gas is the cheapest fuel for heating, followed by electric heat pump, fuel oil, propane and electric resistance. But it can vary.

Finally, the second biggest user of energy in most houses is heating hot water. If you heat with natural gas, oil or propane you can combine your heating with hot water and save money over an electric water heater. [/quote]

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