We use technologically hidden costs to make up for a lot of the difference. For instance, European homes seem to be built to self-regulate temperature much more effectively than American homes are. Americans then make up for the difference with air conditioning. The initial costs may be lower, but there's an ongoing (and often massive) recurring cost that isn't readily apparent. My mom's home in Indiana, for instance, has an electric bill in the range of $600/month during peak of the hot months which is just nuts to me. The place just wasn't built to use passive cooling techniques.
Residential electricity rates in Indiana are about 10.5 cents per kW/h, and the average home uses 1000kW/hr per month, for a bill of about $105/month. $600 is indeed nuts, but it sounds like something else is going on there - perhaps this was a larger bill that included electricity in it?
It's a remarkably poorly insulated 5 bedroom home with a purely global temperature control (i.e. she can't just cool / heat her bedroom). I gave her a bunch of money to do renovations so hopefully that goes down significantly.
That makes sense. You can find old homes in SF with the natural gas heaters and it's easy to get a big gas bill if you leave those on with the terrible windows that don't close properly (the windows on those old victorians are awful).
Germanmy’s climate is relatively moderate compared to most of the US. In California most people do not have air conditioning. On the east coast you will be miserable in the summer because of the high heat and humidity. No amount of passive cooling will make that better and because of the humidity it remains hot all night.
And $600 is an extreme electricity bill. I have never heard of anyone with a bill that high.
