Genesee County Home to Top City For Highest Heating Costs In U.S.

Heating bills hitting the roof? You aren't alone. As winter is settling into temperatures where they are normally, residents are bracing for some serious hits to their wallets. The hard fact is that heating costs, just like everything else, are on the rise, and some of the priciest cities for keeping cozy in those cold months are right here in Michigan.

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The site HVAC Gnome, which is known for connecting consumers with the right air conditioning and heating services, released a list of "2023's Most Expensive Cities to Heat a Home in Winter".

"We compared the 500 biggest U.S. cities based on 3 categories: Energy Costs, Cost Inflators, and Lack of Energy Efficiency. More specifically, we looked at average monthly electricity and gas bills, periods of extreme cold, the average size of homes, and residential energy efficiency code adoption, among 10 total metrics", HVAC Gnome indicated.  ( see full methodology here)

 

How Does Michigan Rank When It Comes to Heating Costs in America?

According to HVAC Gnome, Michigan has quite a few cities that tip the scale towards pricey when it comes to heating costs. As a matter of fact, Michigan posted 8 cities in the top 50, with 2 landing in the top 10.

Ranking the highest was Flint, Michigan. Coming in at number 4, the study indicates that part of the issue is that 98% of homes in Flint were built before 1999 and lack newer heating systems that are more energy efficient.

Other Michigan cities making the top 25 of the most expensive cities to heat a home are as follows:

• #10- Detroit
• #20- Dearborn
• #22- Southfield
• #32- Lansing
• #33- Warren
• #34- Sterling Heights

Michigan Public Service Commission announced last year that there would be a rate increase effective January 1, 2024. Most residential customers will see an increase of $5.10 on their bill, each month, or about a 6.6% increase.

Check out the full list for the country here.