--- title: The High Cost of That Draft Under Your Door description: As it gets colder outside it's time to break down heating costs by the numbers. authors: - name: Jacob Davidson url: https://money.com/author/jacob-davidson/ at_money_since: 2014 articles: 106 covers: - Housing - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://x.com/JakeD former_staff: true published: '2014-11-20T17:16:47.000Z' modified: '2024-04-16T04:46:00.000Z' section: Housing tags: - Buffalo - cold - Electricity - energy - heating costs - heating oil - Natural gas - polar vortex - winter - winter heating costs word_count: 433 canonical: https://money.com/winter-heating-costs/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Snow covers a street at daybreak Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014, in south Buffalo, N.Y.](https://img.money.com/2014/11/141120_em_winterheating.jpg) It may not be winter yet—the season doesn't officially start until December 21, of course—but the weather doesn't care. Temperatures across the country are plummeting, and a new "polar vortex," [otherwise known as a cold front](http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/11/16/npr-cold-but-not-polar-vortex), is already upon us. And the "lake effect" [has hit Buffalo](https://time.com/3596433/buffalo-snow-storm-aerial-photos/) with a vengeance. That frigid weather is bad news, and not just because many will soon be forced into a coat and hat. The change in season also means more heating expenses, and it can put a chill on your finances if you're not careful about managing the thermostat. Here's the costs of winter, by the numbers. **45% —** The portion of your energy bill that goes to heating. According to the Department of Energy, heating is the [largest expense in the average American home.](http://energy.gov/articles/energy-saver-101-infographic-home-heating) **$649 —** The average cost of heating a home with natural gas from [October through March](http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=18291). [Roughly half of Americans use natural gas to heat their homes](http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/tips-heating-and-cooling). **$938 —** The average cost of heating a home this winter with electricity. [About one-third of American homes have electric heating.](http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/tips-heating-and-cooling) **$1,992 —** The average cost of heating a home with heating oil. According to the [Energy Information Administration](http://www.eia.gov/EnergyExplained/index.cfm?page=heating_oil_use), heating oil is used by about 6% of households, mostly in homes with older (and less efficient) heating systems. **$362 —** How much heating oil households will save compared to last year because of lower prices. Natural-gas users will save just $11. **6 feet —** The amount of snow that has fallen in Buffalo [since Tuesday](http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/19/us/winter-weather/index.html). Another 20 to 30 inches of snow is expected. **220,000 tons** — The [estimated weight of the snow](http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/19/us/winter-weather/index.html) that has fallen in Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the NFL's Buffalo Bills. The team is offering fans $10 an hour and free game tickets to help clear the field. **1% —** The amount of money you can shave off your heating bill for every degree you turn your thermostat down during the winter, according to the [Department of Energy](http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/thermostats). The DOE estimates turning your thermostat back 10 to 15 degrees for 8 hours can save you 5% to 15% on heating costs. **1/8-inch —** Size of a gap under a 36-inch-wide door that will let in as much cold air as a [2.4-inch-diameter hole punched in the wall.](http://content.money.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/escape_routes_012507.pdf) **$1,000 —** The amount one Utah home saves on winter energy costs by [using a wood burning stove.](http://www.sltrib.com/news/1685925-155/2013-accommodate-airquality-compliance-gov-htm) Authorities are cracking down on this practice because of its negative impact on air quality. **Read Next:** [Beat the Winter Chill Without Breaking the Bank ](https://money.com/beat-the-winter-chill-without-breaking-the-bank/ "Beat the Winter Chill Without Breaking the Bank")7 Easy Ways to Lower Winter Energy Costs ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/winter-heating-costs/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Housing", "item": "https://money.com/housing/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Utilities", "item": "https://money.com/utilities/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The High Cost of That Draft Under Your Door" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/winter-heating-costs/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/winter-heating-costs/", "name": "The High Cost of That Draft Under Your Door", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2014-11-20T17:16:47.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/winter-heating-costs/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/winter-heating-costs/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-04-16T04:46:00.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "The High Cost of That Draft Under Your Door", "articleSection": "Housing", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2014/11/141120_em_winterheating.jpg", "width": 3648, "height": 2432, "caption": "141120_EM_WinterHeating" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacob Davidson", "url": "https://money.com/author/jacob-davidson/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/jacob-davidson/#author", "image": "https://money.com/content.money.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/jake-davidson-2.jpg?crop=35px%2C18px%2C872px%2C872px&resize=640%2C640&quality=85&strip&ssl=1", "email": "jake.davidson@yoh.timeinc.com", "sameAs": [ "https://x.com/JakeD" ] } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2014-11-20T17:16:47.000Z", "description": "As it gets colder outside it's time to break down heating costs by the numbers.", "abstract": "As it gets colder outside it's time to break down heating costs by the numbers.", "@id": "https://money.com/winter-heating-costs/", "inLanguage": "en-US", "dateModified": "2024-04-16T04:46:00.000Z", "wordCount": 433, "keywords": [ "Buffalo", "cold", "Electricity", "energy", "heating costs", "heating oil", "Natural gas", "polar vortex", "winter", "winter heating costs" ], "about": [ { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Housing in the United States", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_in_the_United_States" ] }, { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Public utility", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_utility" ] } ] } ] } ```