Winter has already started, judging by the weather in some parts of the country, although it does not officially start until December 21. Usually, people think the coldest cities are the most expensive ones for residents to keep their houses warm. By other measures, not all cities are in the northern tier of the country. So, which is the most expensive city for heating homes in winter? (These cities have the oldest homes.)
Home services marketplace firm HVAC Gnome has compiled a list of the most expensive cities for heating a home this winter. It used some metrics that are not traditional for its 2023’s Most Expensive Cities to Heat a Home in Winter report:
- Energy costs: The cost of natural gas and electricity
- Cost inflators: Square footage of homes and the number of homes built before 1999
- Lack of energy efficiency: Based on LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) certification
Cities were rated on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the score, the more expensive it is to heat a home in that city. The list was topped by Springfield, Missouri, with a score of 72.94. Its energy costs were particularly high. Notably, Missouri is not in the northern tier of states. A Missouri city was in third place as well, and another in Missouri was in fifth place.
Two northern cities were in the top five. Cleveland ranked second, while Flint was in fourth place.
10 Most Expensive Cities for Heating Homes in Winter
Source: Olivier Le Moal / Getty Images
- Springfield, Mo. (72.94)
- Cleveland, Ohio (72.27)
- Independence, Mo. (71.08)
- Flint, Mich. (70.77)
- Joseph, Mo. (67.41)
- Topeka, Kan. (67.21)
- Kansas City, Kan. (66.43)
- Columbia, Mo. (66.24)
- Dayton, Ohio (66.20)
- Detroit, Mich. (65.72)
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