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Climate change is affecting energy consumption for homeowners and renters alike. Just last week, the average daily global temperatures were the hottest ever recorded (can you say “air-conditioning?”). On the flip side, the shifting climate is increasing occurrences of extremely cold, short-term weather, also adding to our total energy costs.
Of course, the emissions from the energy we use to maintain a comfortable home contribute to the extreme weather we’re protecting ourselves against. How does it all break down? A new report from WalletHub compares the monthly costs of electricity, natural gas, motor fuel and heating oil in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Energy needs vary by region, but the study suggests that heating a cold home is much more expensive than cooling a warm one. The highest costs for heating oil were found in Wyoming, helping to raise its total energy costs above all the other states. Two more frigid states — North Dakota and Alaska — followed.
Washington D.C., neither very hot nor very cold, had the lowest energy costs, helped not just by its milder climate and moderate costs across all forms of energy, but by lower gasoline consumption. Two warm states, New Mexico and Texas, followed, with their total energy costs kept down by low requirements for heating fuel.
To find the total costs in each location, researchers multiplied the average monthly consumption of each form of energy by its average price, and all costs were added together. Data was gathered from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, AAA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The 10 most expensive and 10 least expensive places are shown in this week’s chart.
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