U.S. Homes Smaller, More Electric-Powered in 2009 Aug 25, 2010

Printable format  Email this Article  Search

New homes completed in 2009 were slightly smaller than the year before, and the share of homes using electricity as a heating fuel saw a big increase. These were among the findings in the U.S. Census Bureau's annual report on the characteristics of new housing built in the U.S.

Among the findings:

• The average single-family house completed in 2009 had 2438 sq ft, down from 2519 sq ft in 2008.

• 93% of all single-family homes sold had air-conditioning. The 93% peak was reached in 2006 and remained at that level

• 55% of all new single-family homes completed used gas as the primary source of heating fuel; 42% used electricity. Gas use in completed homes has been decreasing, and electricity increasing, since 2003.

• 37% of single-family homes completed had heat pumps installed as the primary type of heating system. Heat pumps accounted for 35% of heating systems installed in new homes inside metropolitan areas; 52% outside of metropolitan areas.

• 60% of hot water or steam heating systems in completed single-family homes used gas, 12% used electricity, 21% used oil, and 6% used other fuel.

• 34% of single-family homes completed had 4 or more bedrooms. Of those, 54% had 3 or more bathrooms.

• 53% of single-family homes completed had 3 bedrooms.

• 17% of new single-family homes sold in the U.S. had a 3-or-more-car garage.

• 49% of new single-family homes sold had 1 fireplace; 5% had 2 or more fireplaces.

• The average single-family home sold had a lot of 17,462 sq ft. The average lot size in the Northeast: 35,176 sq ft. In the West: 10,081 sq ft.

Back to Daily News