When it comes to heating costs, you probably assume that residents of the coldest, most blusterous cities have the highest bills. However, according to a new study from the team at HVAC Gnome, the most expensive U.S. cities to heat a home in winter aren't exactly what you'd expect. The research compared the 500 largest U.S. cities across three categories: energy costs, cost inflators, and lack of energy efficiency. Keep reading to find out which 10 cities topped the list.
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10 | Detroit
f11photo / ShutterstockOverall score: 65.72
Energy costs: 57
Cost inflators: 26
Lack of energy efficiency: 177
To arrive at their findings, HVAC Gnome determined the most relevant factors in each of the three categories and assigned each one a weight. They then calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each city to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. The lower the number in each category, the more expensive it is.
Coming in at number 10 is Detroit, the first of two cities in Michigan that make the top 10. The city was the 26th highest in the cost inflators category, which is comprised of the following metrics: average home square footage, share of homes built up to 1999, historical average number of extremely cold days in winter, historical average number of heating degree days, and cold wave risk score.
9 | Dayton, Ohio
ShutterstockOverall score: 66.20
Energy costs: 6
Cost inflators: 150
Lack of energy efficiency: 159
Dayton is much lower than Detroit in the cost inflators category, yet this city is ranked sixth for energy costs. That category is broken down into average residential electricity price (as a percent of average monthly household income) and average residential natural gas price (as a percent of average monthly household income, adjusted by cost of living).
8 | Columbia, Missouri
ShutterstockOverall score: 66.24
Energy costs: 82
Cost inflators: 92
Lack of energy efficiency: 22
Missouri is quite expensive for heating a home; five cities in the top 10 are in this state, including Columbia, which comes in 22nd for energy efficiency. This category is based on the following factors: residential code efficiency score, number of LEED-certified homes, and number of Energy star-certified homes.
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7 | Kansas City, Kansas
TriggerPhoto/ShutterstockOverall score: 66.43
Energy costs: 46
Cost inflators: 128
Lack of energy efficiency: 10
Kansas City, Kansas (not to be confused with Kansas City, Missouri), is the seventh most expensive city to heat a home in the winter. It's also the first of two cities in the state to make the top 10. While its cost inflator score falls on the lower side, the lack of energy efficiency ranking is one of the highest.
6 | Topeka, Kansas
ShutterstockOverall score: 67.21
Energy costs: 68
Cost inflators: 91
Lack of energy efficiency: 13
HVAC Gnome points out that the "Kansas City metro area is particularly not budget-friendly to cold-natured folks," which is why Topeka lands on the list.
5 | St. Joseph, Missouri
APN Photography/ShutterstockOverall score: 67.41
Energy costs: 54
Cost inflators: 96
Lack of energy efficiency: 1
While St. Joseph, Missouri is fifth in the overall ranking, this city is the least energy efficient. The study also revealed that St. Joseph has zero LEED-certified (a sustainability measure) homes.
4 | Flint, Michigan
Linda Parton/ShutterstockOverall score: 70.77
Energy costs: 4
Cost inflators: 78
Lack of energy efficiency: 92
With the third-highest electricity prices and the largest share of homes built before 1999, Flint, Michigan comes in at number four.
3 | Independence, Missouri
Jon Kraft/ShutterstockOverall score: 71.08
Energy costs: 22
Cost inflators: 76
Lack of energy efficiency: 1
Independence, Missouri is the second city in the top 10 to be ranked as least energy efficient. Like St. Joseph, they also scored a one in this category. They have 0 energy star-certified homes, plus their cold wave risk score is 96.31, which contributes to their overall costs.
2 | Cleveland, Ohio
ShutterstockOverall score: 72,27
Energy costs: 2
Cost inflators: 66
Lack of energy efficiency: 166
Not only is Cleveland ranked 21st for high electricity prices but it also has the third highest natural gas prices.
1 | Springfield, Missouri
Kenyon Gerbrandt/ShutterstockOverall score: 72.94
Energy costs: 7
Cost inflators: 113
Lack of energy efficiency: 20
Springfield, Missouri tops the list as the most expensive U.S. city to heat a home in the winter. According to HVAC Gnome, Springfield pays among the 100 largest monthly energy bills. They're tied for having the lowest residential code efficiency score, and they have the second most expensive natural gas prices.
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