Yes homes also have operational cost like businesses.  Find out how you can save money.

Your benefits can include not only the energy savings, but also,

• dramatically reduced heating and cooling bills
• a reduction of uncomfortable hot and cold spots in your home
• a reduction of excessive humidity or dryness
• healthier air quality
• cleaner carpet

Article to Read: Are American homes more energy efficient? Not exactly.
Thursday, September 30, 2010 by David A. Fahrenthold , Washington Post Staff Writer

Home Heating

If your home is heated with natural gas or propane, you’re sitting pretty, as the cost of those fuel sources aren’t expected to rise. But households that rely on home heating oil are going to feel the pinch of the run-up in crude prices. According to Department of Energy, home heating oil prices will be 10.4 percent higher this winter, and with a forecast for bone-rattling cold in some areas, we’ll need to use more heat, pushing total household spending on heat this winter 12.6 percent higher.

The regional breakdown for home heating oil this winter:

• Northeast: Heating oil price up 10 percent. Total spending on heat up 14.5 percent to an average of $2,225 per household.
  

•  Midwest: Price up 13.5 percent. Total spending up 11.2 percent to an average of $1,630 per household.

• West: Price up 10 percent. Total spending up 8.6 percent to an average of $1,403 per household.

• South: Price up 10.4 percent, but the expectation for warmer weather will give southerners a price break, with a 3.3 percent decline in total spending to an average per household of $1,628

If you haven't yet converted to a high-efficiency heating system, and a Snuggie doesn’t fit your fashion sense,maybe those price forecasts are enough to get you motivated. Also, if you hustle to get a new high-efficiency furnace installed in the next few weeks, you could qualify for a federal tax credit of as much as $1,500 that expires at the end of this year. And if you’re looking to buy a home anytime soon, energy costs are a good reason to steer clear of McMansions; the smaller the home, the lower the utility costs.

Is this similar to how you feel about your house?

You can also read about our own Energy Audit done by The Energy Detective Inc., recently.