What's Your CCM Energy Score?
The CCM Energy Score is a free 300–850 tool that measures whether your
household's energy costs are affordable, using the same 6%-of-income "energy burden" threshold
the U.S. Department of Energy applies nationally — where the average low-income household
carries an 8.6% energy burden, three times the 2% rate paid by higher-income households.
The CCM Energy Score
Free, no signup. Enter your numbers and get an instant 300–850 score that tells you whether your household's energy costs are healthy, stretched, or in the danger zone — benchmarked against your state and DOE's national energy-burden data.
Leave at 0 if your home is all-electric.
—
Enter your numbers
Scale: 300 (severe burden) to 850 (excellent)
Why we built this
Most electricity calculators tell you what a single appliance costs to run. None of them answer the question that actually matters for a household budget: is what I'm paying for energy healthy relative to what I earn, and relative to other households in my state? The CCM Energy Score answers that in one number, the way a credit score condenses a tangle of financial factors into something you can act on immediately.
The model behind it draws on the U.S. Department of Energy's Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool methodology, EIA state electricity rate data, and ACEEE energy-burden research — not a guess. See the full methodology and FAQ.
50 Surprising Facts About Home Energy Costs
Facts rotate as you read — come back anytime for a refresher.
- 01The U.S. residential electricity rate jumped from 15.04 cents/kWh in 2022 to 18.83 cents/kWh in April 2026 — a 25% rise in four years (EIA).
- 02Hawaii's average electricity rate, 46.62 cents/kWh, is nearly 4x North Dakota's 12.35 cents/kWh — the widest state gap in the country (EIA).
- 03A household is considered to have a 'high energy burden' once energy costs cross 6% of gross income — the same threshold DOE uses nationally.
- 04Low-income U.S. households spend 8.6% of income on energy on average — more than 3x the 2% spent by higher-income households (DOE LEAD Tool).
- 05Nearly one-third of U.S. households reported struggling to pay an energy bill in a single recent year (EIA).
- 06One in five Americans has reduced spending on food or medicine at some point to cover an energy bill (EIA).
- 0711% of U.S. households have kept their home at an unsafe temperature just to reduce energy costs (DOE).
- 08HVAC (heating and cooling) accounts for roughly 46% of the average U.S. home's energy use — the single biggest line item on most bills.
- 09Water heating is typically the second-largest home energy expense, at about 14% of usage.
- 10Lowering a water heater from 140°F to 120°F is one of the few energy fixes that costs $0 and works immediately.
- 11A single incandescent bulb left on 24/7 for a year can cost more than $50 in electricity at national average rates — a modern LED doing the same job costs under $5.
- 12The federal solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) remains at 30% of system cost as of 2026.
- 13Solar panel system costs have fallen more than 90% since 2010.
- 14A typical 6 kW residential solar system generates 7,200–9,000 kWh per year — enough to cover 80–100% of many households' usage.
- 15ENERGY STAR-rated windows can cut energy bills by 12–33% compared to old single-pane glass.
- 16A heat pump moves 3–5x more energy than it consumes, versus a 1:1 ratio for electric-resistance heat.
- 17New England has the highest average regional electricity rate in the country, at 25.91 cents/kWh (EIA, 2026).
- 18The South Central U.S. has the lowest average regional electricity rate, at 14.73 cents/kWh (EIA, 2026).
- 19Black and Hispanic households face energy burdens well above the national average, according to multiple ACEEE studies.
- 20Renters and multifamily residents tend to carry a higher energy burden than homeowners, since they often can't control insulation or appliance upgrades themselves.
- 21Elderly households are consistently found to carry a higher-than-average energy burden across ACEEE's research.
- 22In some U.S. census tracts, households spend as much as 30% of their income on energy costs (DOE LEAD Tool).
- 23The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) exists specifically to help cover this gap — and is underused relative to eligibility.
- 24A 1,500-watt space heater run 8 hours a day costs roughly $60/month at the U.S. average electric rate.
- 25A phone charger draws so little power (5W) that leaving it plugged in all year costs about $1 in electricity at national average rates.
- 26An old, inefficient refrigerator running in a hot garage can use up to double the energy of one kept indoors.
- 27Homes built before 1980 are disproportionately represented among the highest-energy-burden households.
- 28A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the energy used by a 1,000-watt device running for one hour — the unit your entire bill is built on.
- 29Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) funding helps an estimated 35,000 U.S. homes every year at no cost to the household.
- 30Federal tax credits allow up to $3,200 per year in savings for qualifying energy-efficiency home upgrades through 2032 (ENERGY STAR).
- 3118 states plus Washington D.C. have restructured, deregulated electricity markets that let residents shop for a supplier (EIA).
- 32Texas's competitive electricity market keeps rates roughly 10% below the national average, on average, according to industry rate trackers.
- 33Rising natural gas prices, record AI data-center power demand, and grid-hardening investment are the three biggest drivers of 2026's rate increases (EIA/industry analysis).
- 34The Northeast's high rates are driven partly by limited natural gas pipeline capacity, which creates sharp winter price spikes.
- 35Every U.S. state's electricity rate is calculated by the EIA as total revenue divided by total kWh sold — not a posted 'sticker price.'
- 36A dishwasher (about 1,800W) run once a day costs meaningfully less annually than most households assume — usage duration matters more than wattage alone.
- 37Clothes dryers (up to 3,000W) are among the single most expensive individual appliances to run per hour.
- 38Air sealing and insulation are consistently ranked by DOE as the highest-ROI whole-home efficiency investment for older housing stock.
- 39A programmable or smart thermostat can cut heating and cooling costs by roughly 10% a year with no other changes, per ENERGY STAR estimates.
- 40Ceiling fans let most households raise their summer thermostat setting by about 4°F with no change in comfort, lowering cooling costs.
- 41A poorly maintained HVAC filter can raise a system's energy use by 5–15%, according to DOE guidance.
- 42The average U.S. home's energy costs are shaped more by climate zone and home age than by any single appliance choice.
- 43Attic insulation upgrades typically pay for themselves within 2–5 years in high-heating-demand climates.
- 44A well-sealed home can lose 25–40% less conditioned air than an unsealed one of the same size, per DOE weatherization data.
- 45Time-of-use electricity rate plans can lower costs for households that can shift laundry, EV charging, or dishwasher use to off-peak hours.
- 46Nine U.S. states actually saw electricity prices decrease between March 2025 and March 2026, even as the national average rose (EIA).
- 47Energy-inefficient homes are a documented factor in higher rates of respiratory illness among high-burden households (ACEEE).
- 48A programmable water heater timer can reduce standby heat loss costs with zero change in hot water availability.
- 49The average U.S. home uses several times more energy on climate control than on all its electronics and lighting combined.
- 50Tracking your CCM Energy Score over time, the same way you'd track a credit score, is one of the simplest ways to see whether efficiency changes are actually working.