It’s difficult to predict the weather in Southeast Texas, and that makes it even more difficult to estimate home or office energy costs. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, if you want to see snow – or even wintry temperatures – you’ll need to schedule a trip to Colorado in December 2016. In fact, temperatures are predicted to be “warmer than usual” from December 2016 through April 2017.
If you’re buying a new home or finally making a budget to balance your income and expenses, you can approximate your home’s cooling and heating costs. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says a basic calculation for heating costs is:
Fuel price per unit (Btu, Kilowatt) divided by fuel heat content per unit multiplied by 1,000,000 = price of fuel.
Natural Gas vs. Electricity
As another example, we’ll use Texas Gas Service TGS* and Reliant Energy* numbers. Calculations are variable and impacted by how much insulation you have in your home, whether or not you actively control your thermostat settings, and how many appliances use what type energy, so this calculation method is for general information only.
On the TGS energy calculator, you will enter the following information:
- Size of home
- Draftiness or tightness of insulation
- Average heat setting
- Type of heating unit
- Age and approximate efficiency of your current heating unit
The result is your estimated annual cost for a 95% energy-efficient natural gas furnace vs. electric or propane heat.
Reliant’s bill estimator provides a month-by-month cooling and heating costs estimate based on the age of your residence and number of square feet. You can use an exact address or enter a zip code for an average based on other residences.
Manage Your Energy Expenses
You can control your cooling and heating costs by keeping your HVAC units clean and operating at 100% efficiency. Bradbury Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning can estimate the current efficiency of your HVAC unit at no charge. Call 281-651-5484, 936-271-2030 or contact us for information about ways to save on your heating and cooling costs.
*Bradbury Brothers Heating & Cooling does not recommend nor endorse any energy service providers.
