A compiled reference of 17 verified statistics on energy in rental housing. It covers what renters actually pay per square foot, why rental homes waste more energy than owned ones, how many households struggle to pay for energy, where the money goes, and what proven fixes save. Every figure names its source (the federal Residential Energy Consumption Survey of 18,496 households, ACEEE research, ENERGY STAR field data, the Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report, AppFolio's renter survey) and was independently checked before publishing.
Key statistics
6 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Rental housing has an energy problem with a simple shape. The person who pays the bill does not own the equipment, so rental homes run less efficiently and cost more per square foot. The fixes are proven and cheap. The incentives are what is broken.
Renters pay 28 cents more per square foot for energy than owners.
Rental homes burn 15% more energy per square foot than owned homes.
27% of US households struggled to pay for energy or kept an unsafe temperature.
Nearly a third of renters spend over 6% of their income on energy.
Heating and cooling are almost half the energy bill: $900+ a year.
Certified smart thermostats save about 8% of heating and cooling bills.
How we built this report
Every figure was compiled in August 2026 from named public sources and verified against the original before publishing.
- Compiled from primary sources
Federal energy survey data, nonprofit efficiency research, certification program field data, and a national renter survey.
- Only explicitly stated figures
We include only numbers a named source states directly, and attribute each one inline where it appears.
- Disagreements shown, not averaged
Where sources give different numbers, we show both rather than blending them into a false single figure.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
A note on reading these numbers. The billing figures come from the 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, the most recent complete cycle; prices have risen since, so treat the dollar figures as a floor. Survey figures are self-reported. This page is about rental housing energy patterns, not a guide to individual utility bills. Confirm any figure against the named source before relying on it.
Rental housing energy, by the numbers
All 17 figures, grouped by theme. Each one names its source and was independently verified.
Renters pay more per square foot
The best data comes from the US Energy Information Administration, EIA (eia.gov), whose 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey covered 18,496 households, its largest sample ever. The pattern is consistent: renters pay more for every square foot they heat and cool.
Statistic 1
US households were billed an average of $1.04 per square foot for energy in 2020, across all energy sources.
EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (2020)
Statistic 2
Renters were billed 28 cents more per square foot than owners on average. Renters paid more in every income range.
EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (2020)
Statistic 3
Among households earning under $10,000, renters paid $1.37 per square foot versus $1.21 for owners.
EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (2020)
Statistic 4
Low-income households paid $1.31 per square foot. High-income households ($100,000+) paid $0.96.
EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (2020)
Statistic 5
Energy-insecure households were charged $0.20 more per square foot than the national average.
EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (2020)
What this means: The people with the least ability to pay live in the homes that cost the most to run. That gap has more than one cause: less efficient buildings, smaller homes, and fixed billing costs all play a part. The efficiency gap in the next group is the part operators control.
The rental efficiency gap
Why do rentals cost more to power? The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, ACEEE (aceee.org), points to the split incentive: the landlord buys the furnace, but the tenant pays the bill, so nobody is rewarded for upgrading it.
Statistic 6
Rental homes consume 15% more energy per square foot than owner-occupied homes on average.
ACEEE, energy equity for renters research
Statistic 7
Nearly one-third of renters have high energy burdens, spending more than 6% of their income on energy bills.
ACEEE, energy equity for renters research
Statistic 8
In an ACEEE Miami study, 20% of participants struggled to afford their electric bills and keep their homes cool in summer.
ACEEE, Miami heat study
What this means: The split incentive is the core of the story. An owner who pays their own bill upgrades the insulation. A landlord whose tenant pays the bill often does not. The 15% gap is what that decision costs, every month, forever.
Energy insecurity is common
The EIA also measures what happens when energy costs collide with budgets, and renters are one of the groups reporting the most trouble. ACEEE's 2024 metro analysis adds the local detail.
Statistic 9
34 million US households, 27% of all households, reported difficulty paying energy bills or keeping their home at an unsafe temperature in 2020. Renters were among the groups reporting the most energy insecurity.
EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (2020)
Statistic 10
5 million households could not use their heating equipment, and 6 million could not use their air conditioning. 1.4 million households had someone who needed medical attention because of an unsafe home temperature.
EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (2020)
Statistic 11
A quarter of US low-income households spend more than 15% of their income on energy bills.
ACEEE metro energy burden analysis (2024)
Statistic 12
In 23 of the 25 largest metro regions, one in four low-income households paid over 10% of income for energy, the severe-burden threshold. Baltimore was highest, averaging 26%.
ACEEE metro energy burden analysis (2024)
Statistic 13
The share of households receiving a utility disconnection notice fell from 14% in 2015 to 10% in 2020.
EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (2020)
What this means: Energy waste in rentals is not an abstraction. It shows up as one in four households struggling, and in the worst cases as a health emergency. Every efficiency fix a rental operator makes lands directly on these numbers.
Where the money goes
One system dominates the bill. According to ENERGY STAR (energystar.gov), heating and cooling take almost half of it. And per the Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2025 (zillow.com), utility fees are the most common recurring fee renters pay.
Statistic 14
Almost half of the average American household's annual energy bill goes to heating and cooling: more than $900 a year.
ENERGY STAR smart thermostat documentation
Statistic 15
44% of renters paid a utility fee in 2025, up from 41% in 2024, making it the most common recurring rental fee.
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report (2025)
What this means: If you want to cut a rental's energy waste, start at the thermostat and the HVAC system. Nothing else on the bill is half as big. Our HVAC cost statistics report covers what that equipment costs to run and replace.
What the proven fixes save
The fixes are not exotic. The two best-documented ones are a smarter thermostat and a changed air filter. Both claims below rest on field data, not lab tests.
Statistic 16
ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostats save about 8% of heating and cooling bills, roughly $50 per year. Certification requires demonstrated savings from real installations in US homes.
ENERGY STAR smart thermostat program documentation
Statistic 17
Air filter delivery programs cut HVAC repair costs 25% and maintenance requests 38% on average in rental homes.
AppFolio Renter Preferences Report (2026), citing Second Nature data
What this means: An 8% heating and cooling saving on equipment the landlord owns, paid to the tenant who covers the bill, is the split incentive in miniature. Operators who fix it anyway get the second-order wins: fewer repair calls, longer equipment life, and a unit that shows better. Water is the other utility with the same shape, covered in our water leak statistics report.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
Do renters pay more for energy than homeowners?
Yes, per square foot. Renters were billed 28 cents more per square foot than owners on average, and renters paid more in every income range, per the EIA's 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey. Among households earning under $10,000, renters paid $1.37 per square foot versus $1.21 for owners.
Why do rental homes waste more energy?
The split incentive. The landlord buys the furnace and the insulation, but the tenant pays the energy bill, so upgrades are nobody's win. The measured result: rental homes consume 15% more energy per square foot than owner-occupied homes, per ACEEE.
How much do smart thermostats actually save?
About 8% of heating and cooling bills, roughly $50 per year on average, per ENERGY STAR. That figure comes from field data in real US homes, not lab tests, and actual savings depend on climate, occupancy, and equipment. Heating and cooling are the right target: they are almost half of the average household energy bill.
How many households struggle to pay for energy?
34 million US households, 27% of the total, reported difficulty paying energy bills or keeping their home at an unsafe temperature in 2020, per the EIA. Renters were among the groups reporting the most energy insecurity, and a quarter of low-income households spend more than 15% of income on energy, per ACEEE.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these named sources, each checked against the original before publishing.
US Energy Information AdministrationResidential Energy Consumption Survey, 18,496 households (2020)eia.gov
ACEEEEnergy equity for renters research; metro energy burden analysis (2024)aceee.org
ENERGY STARSmart thermostat program documentation and field-data savingsenergystar.gov
ZillowConsumer Housing Trends Report (2025)zillow.com
AppFolioRenter Preferences Report, 3,002 US renters (2026)appfolio.com