Home Energy Benchmark: kWh per Sq Ft
Add up 12 months of kWh from your bills, enter your home's size, pick your state, and see how your electricity use per square foot compares with a typical home in your climate.
kWh per square foot benchmark
G05Scenario A
Sets the electricity rate. Pick US average if you're not sure.
From EIA for US average. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 18.4¢/kWh · US average · EIA reference 2025–26 · climate zone 4 (data as of 2026-09-26) ·
Your home vs the zone benchmark
Benchmark for climate zone 4: 4.6 kWh per sq ft a year (EIA RECS 2020).
- Your kWh per sq ft per year
- 5.40
- Climate-zone benchmark (electric use, average home)
- 4.6
- Your home vs the benchmark
- +17%
- Average bill in US average
- $140.00
Estimate. Formula and sources are under “How it works”. Change any input; the result updates as you type.
Formula
How it works
- Your kWh per sq ft = kWh per year ÷ square feet
- Benchmark = typical electricity use per sq ft for a home in your IECC climate zone:
| Climate zone | kWh per sq ft per year |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5.5 |
| 2 | 5.8 |
| 3 | 5.0 |
| 4 | 4.6 |
| 5 | 4.5 |
| 6 | 4.8 |
| 7 | 5.2 |
- Your home vs the benchmark = (your kWh per sq ft ÷ benchmark − 1), as a percent above or below
- Also shown: your state's average residential bill from the EIA
Hot zones (1–2) run high because of air conditioning; cold zones (6–7) run higher again because of electric heating in some homes. Mid-latitude zones use the least per square foot.
Sources: electricity use per square foot by climate zone from the EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) 2020; average monthly bill by state from the EIA (table 5.a); climate zones by state: IECC via DOE/PNNL.
Worked example
A worked example
A 1,600 sq ft New York home that used 7,000 kWh last year comes to 4.38 kWh per sq ft. New York is in climate zone 5, where the benchmark is 4.5, so this home uses about 3% less than a typical home there. The average New York residential bill is $135.00 a month.
Reference
By state, at the default inputs
Your home vs the zone benchmark, with this page's default inputs and each state's reference prices (EIA reference 2025–26, data as of 2026-09-26).
| US average | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 18.4¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | +8% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Alaska | +4% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 25.0¢/kWh |
| Arizona | -7% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 15.0¢/kWh |
| Arkansas | +8% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 13.0¢/kWh |
| California | +8% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 32.0¢/kWh |
| Colorado | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 16.0¢/kWh |
| Connecticut | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 30.0¢/kWh |
| Delaware | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 17.0¢/kWh |
| District of Columbia | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 19.0¢/kWh |
| Florida | -7% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 15.0¢/kWh |
| Georgia | +8% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 14.5¢/kWh |
| Hawaii | -2% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 42.0¢/kWh |
| Idaho | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 12.0¢/kWh |
| Illinois | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 17.0¢/kWh |
| Indiana | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Iowa | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 13.5¢/kWh |
| Kansas | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 14.5¢/kWh |
| Kentucky | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 13.0¢/kWh |
| Louisiana | -7% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 12.5¢/kWh |
| Maine | +13% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 26.0¢/kWh |
| Maryland | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 19.0¢/kWh |
| Massachusetts | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 29.0¢/kWh |
| Michigan | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 19.5¢/kWh |
| Minnesota | +13% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Mississippi | +8% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 13.5¢/kWh |
| Missouri | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 13.0¢/kWh |
| Montana | +13% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 13.0¢/kWh |
| Nebraska | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 12.0¢/kWh |
| Nevada | +8% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 15.0¢/kWh |
| New Hampshire | +13% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 27.0¢/kWh |
| New Jersey | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 22.0¢/kWh |
| New Mexico | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 15.0¢/kWh |
| New York | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 25.0¢/kWh |
| North Carolina | +8% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 14.5¢/kWh |
| North Dakota | +4% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 11.5¢/kWh |
| Ohio | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 16.5¢/kWh |
| Oklahoma | +8% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 13.0¢/kWh |
| Oregon | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 14.5¢/kWh |
| Pennsylvania | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 18.5¢/kWh |
| Rhode Island | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 29.0¢/kWh |
| South Carolina | +8% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 15.0¢/kWh |
| South Dakota | +13% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 13.0¢/kWh |
| Tennessee | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 13.5¢/kWh |
| Texas | -7% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Utah | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 12.0¢/kWh |
| Vermont | +13% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 22.0¢/kWh |
| Virginia | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Washington | +17% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 12.0¢/kWh |
| West Virginia | +20% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Wisconsin | +13% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 17.5¢/kWh |
| Wyoming | +13% 5.40 kWh/sq ft | 12.5¢/kWh |
Questions
FAQ
What is a normal electric bill for a 2,000 sq ft house?
It depends on the climate zone and the rate. In zone 4, the benchmark is 4.6 kWh per sq ft a year: about 9,200 kWh for 2,000 sq ft, roughly 767 kWh a month. At the US average rate of 18.4¢/kWh that's about $141 a month in energy charges. Your state's average bill is shown under the result.
Is my electricity use high?
With the default inputs (10,800 kWh, 2,000 sq ft, US average), a home uses 5.40 kWh per sq ft, about 17% above the zone-4 benchmark of 4.6. Well above the benchmark is worth a look at the biggest loads below.
Why is my bill high? A checklist
Start with the biggest loads: electric heat or a heat pump using backup strips, an electric water heater, a pool pump, an old second fridge or freezer, a dehumidifier running all summer. Each has its own calculator on this site. Then check standby power, and whether your rate went up.
Why does all-electric vs gas heat matter?
The benchmark is for electricity only. A home that heats with gas uses fewer kWh than an all-electric one in the same zone, so it will look better on this benchmark; its gas bill isn't counted.
Where does the benchmark come from?
The EIA's Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) 2020, which measures energy use in a national sample of homes. We use the electricity use per square foot for a typical home in each climate zone.
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