HOME ENERGY, WITHOUT THE GUESSWORK
See what each upgrade could realistically save you.
Free calculators and guides that show the cost, the likely saving, and how long it takes to pay back — with the assumptions and sources on the page. No sign-up, nothing collected.
Start with your own numbers
All four calculators →Drag the sliders — the estimate updates instantly. Estimate, not a guarantee.
Upgrades = smart thermostat, LED, insulation, heat pump… each trims estimated usage.
Estimate, not a guarantee.Rounded for guidance. Your figures depend on your home, local rates, and usage.
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Pick the cost that bothers you and go straight to the tool or guide that addresses it.
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Smart Home
Thermostats, hubs, lighting, and security that actually save money.
ExploreEnergy Savings
Understand your bill, seal the leaks, and cut usage room by room.
ExploreHeating & Cooling
Heat pumps, HVAC, and water heaters — cost, efficiency, and payback.
ExploreSolar
Panels, batteries, and incentives — with honest payback math.
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Guides worth reading first
Why Is My Electric Bill So High? 14 Causes Ranked by Cost
Split the change into three parts before blaming an appliance: kWh used per day, the price you paid per kWh, and how many days the bill covers. If use is up, the first places to look are heating and cooling, water heating and always-on loads; if the rate or the number of days moved, no appliance is at fault.
Heat Pump vs Furnace: Which Is Cheaper to Run in 2026?
Against oil, propane and electric resistance heat, a heat pump wins easily. Against natural gas it is closer than most articles admit: at the current U.S. average of 18.44¢/kWh and $15.34 per thousand cubic feet of gas, a heat pump running at a seasonal COP of 3 costs about $18.01 per million BTU of delivered heat versus about $15.41 for a 96% AFUE gas furnace. The heat pump needs a seasonal COP above roughly 3.5 to beat cheap natural gas — and your own two rates decide it, because state electricity prices range from 12¢ to 52¢.
What Temperature Should You Set Your Thermostat?
The Department of Energy suggests around 68°F in winter while you're awake, and setting it lower while asleep or out. In summer, set it as high as is comfortable. The setback — the gap between occupied and unoccupied temperatures — saves more than any single number.
How Much Does It Cost to Run a Space Heater?
Cost = kilowatts × hours × your rate. A 1,500W heater is 1.5 kW, so eight hours is 12 kWh — about $2.21 a day or $66 a month at the current U.S. average of 18.44¢/kWh. That is the ceiling, not the answer: a heater with a working thermostat cycles off once the room is warm, and at a 40% duty cycle the same eight hours costs closer to $27 a month. A plug-in meter left in place for a few days is the only way to know which figure is yours.
How every number here is built
How we frame itCostSavingsPaybackConfidenceNext step
Every figure is a modelled estimate from public data — U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Star, the EIA, and NREL — with its assumptions, limits, and sources printed alongside it. We have not tested products in a lab, and we say so wherever it matters.