Energy is expensive. In fact, it’s one of the biggest household expenses for American consumers. The average U.S. family spends at least $2,000 per year on utilities, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, with heating and cooling alone accounting for more than half the bill. In addition, the average consumer spent another $2,450 on gasoline in 2023.
The Department of Energy estimates that adopting energy-efficient measures in the home could reduce a family’s utility costs by as much as 25%. It pays to conserve, especially during a time of increasingly warmer temperatures. As for transportation, the agency found that a more fuel-efficient vehicle could save the average driver nearly $900 per year.
In order to gauge the impact of doing more with less energy, WalletHub measured the efficiency of auto- and home-energy consumption in 48 U.S. states. Due to data limitations, Alaska and Hawaii were excluded from our analysis.
