Guides
Plain-English breakdowns of what home projects, energy bills, cars and tech hardware cost, what drives the price, and where people get talked into overspending.
Home & Repairs
Home & Repairs hub →HVAC
Oct 5, 2026 Furnace Repair Cost: Compare Quotes and the Heating Budget HVAC Separate furnace diagnostic fees, repair scope and installed replacement costs, then test fuel savings and future repair allowances with a worked budget. Oct 23, 2026 Heat Pump Thermostat Setback: When Savings Disappear HVAC Deep setbacks can trigger costly resistance backup. Compare a worked heat-pump recovery example, check your controls, and separate kWh savings from bill savings. Oct 19, 2026 AC Capacitor Replacement Cost: Parts vs. Service Calls HVAC A run capacitor is a $9 to $50 part, but an installed replacement runs $100 to $400. See verified 2026 part prices, labor rates, and repeat-failure causes. Oct 5, 2026 AC Repair Cost: What Common Fixes Run in 2026 HVAC Most AC repairs cost $150 to $650, with a national average near $350. See prices by part, service-call fees, and when to repair or replace instead. Oct 19, 2026 Furnace Igniter Replacement Cost: Parts and Repair Bills HVAC An igniter is a $20 to $103 part, but an installed replacement usually runs $96 to $250. See verified 2026 prices, HSI vs. spark, and what no heat really means. Oct 5, 2026 HVAC System Replacement Cost: Furnace and AC, 2026 HVAC Replacing a furnace and AC together costs $5,000 to $12,500, about $7,500 on average per Angi. See tiers, what drives the spread, and when to bundle.
Appliances
Oct 11, 2026 Robot Vacuum Ownership Cost: Parts, Power and 3-Year Totals Appliances A robot vacuum's sale price misses bags, brushes, filters, mop pads and repairs. Build a three-year budget with current manufacturer accessory prices. Oct 13, 2026 Appliance Prices and Tariffs: Read the Data Before Buying Appliances BLS September 2026 data shows different price trends for major appliances and laundry equipment. Separate category inflation, tariff claims and your delivered quote. Oct 13, 2026 Dishwasher Repair or Replace: A Quote Comparison Worksheet Appliances Compare a dishwasher repair quote with an installed replacement, avoid counting diagnostic fees twice, and test operating savings and future repair risk. Oct 21, 2026 Is an Efficient Appliance Worth the Higher Price? Appliances Compare an appliance's higher price with its energy savings. Our original ten-year example finds a $325 saving at 25 cents/kWh and a tie at 12 cents.
Home
Oct 1, 2026 Christmas Tree and Lights Cost: Build a Five-Season Budget Home Compare real and artificial trees with your own prices, delivery, accessories and upkeep. A worked five-season budget separates tree purchases from lighting electricity. Oct 19, 2026 Hot Tub Cost to Own: 10-Year Numbers, Not Showroom Price Home A mid-range hot tub often costs $27,000 or more across ten years of ownership. See the electricity, chemical, filter, and repair math behind that number. Oct 19, 2026 Property Taxes by State: Why Your Bill Differs From the Rate Home Effective property tax rates run from 0.29% in Hawaii to 1.88% in New Jersey, but that rate is not your bill. See all 50 states, median taxes paid, and the math. Oct 5, 2026 Basement Waterproofing Cost: Interior vs Exterior 2026 Home Basement waterproofing averages $5,240 per Angi, from $2,461 to $8,201 for most homes. See interior vs exterior prices, what to fix first, and quote traps.
General
Sep 24, 2026 Contractor Quote Red Flags: A Scope and Payment Worksheet General Compare contractor bids on the same scope, price missing work, test change-order exposure and check payment terms using an itemized worksheet. Oct 19, 2026 Cost of Owning a Cat in 2026: First Year and 15 Years General A shelter cat costs about $680 to $3,100 in year one. Our arithmetic puts 15 years at $8,300 to $46,300, with dental and emergencies arriving late.
Energy & Bills
Energy & Bills hub →Energy
Oct 5, 2026 Electricity Prices by State: August 2026 Data, Checked November 6 Energy Compare all 50 states and DC using verified August 2026 EIA residential prices. Download the data, price a chosen 900 kWh and compare the July snapshot. Oct 5, 2026 Appliance Electricity Cost Per Month: A Label and Meter Worksheet Energy Use annual label kWh, measured energy or watts and runtime to price appliances at your own rate. Includes a reproducible ledger and an uncertainty check. Oct 5, 2026 How to Lower Your Electric Bill: A Measured Savings Worksheet Energy Separate usage, rate and fixed charges, rank changes by your own kWh, and check whether a smaller bill reflects real savings rather than a shorter month. Sep 29, 2026 Space Heater Cost to Run: Hours, Cycling and Break Even Energy Calculate a heater from its label watts and your tariff, test thermostat cycling, and find how much central-heating spending it must replace to save money. Sep 24, 2026 Smart Thermostat Savings: Costs, Evidence and Payback Energy ENERGY STAR reports about 8% average HVAC bill savings. Compare that benchmark with your existing schedule, an installed quote and three hypothetical budgets. Oct 23, 2026 Is a Time-of-Use Electricity Plan Worth It? Run the Math Energy A cheaper off-peak rate can hide a higher bill. Calculate the peak-use threshold, compare fixed charges, and test a worked 900-kWh household example. Oct 19, 2026 Portable Generator Cost to Own: The 10-Year Bill Energy A 7,500-watt generator runs $3,250 to $6,100 over ten years. Fuel, maintenance and a transfer switch add more than the machine itself; see the line-by-line math. Oct 10, 2026 Electric Blanket vs Space Heater: Running Cost in 2026 Energy A 100 W heated throw costs $2.20 a month at four hours a day; a 1,500 W heater costs $32.96. Compare cycling, purchase payback and winter heating limits.
Solar
Oct 5, 2026 Solar Panel Payback Period in 2026: By State and Rate Solar EnergySage shoppers break even in about 10.8 years in 2026, from 5.2 in DC to 17.2 in Georgia. See the state table, the formula, and what moves payback. Sep 24, 2026 Solar Panel Installation Cost: Quote Scope and Payback Math Solar EnergySage reports about $2.60 per watt before incentives. Compare your installed quote, itemized scope, production and export assumptions with worked examples. Oct 10, 2026 Solar Net Metering vs Net Billing: Savings in 2026 Solar The same solar panels can save $2,000 or $1,040 a year depending on export credits. See worked examples, battery math and the questions to ask your utility. Oct 21, 2026 Solar Quote Savings Audit: Check the Payback Claim Solar Audit a solar savings quote with a worked $18,000 example. Separate direct use, export credits, maintenance and rate growth before trusting the payback. Oct 19, 2026 Solar Tax Credit 2027: What Ended and How to Do the Math Solar The 30% homeowner solar credit ended for systems placed in service after 2025. Here is what still cuts cost and how to underwrite a 2027 system.
Cars
Cars hub →Cars
Oct 1, 2026 Drive or Fly for Thanksgiving: Compare Your Actual Trip Budget Cars Compare driving and flying with your own holiday quotes. Worked examples separate shared car costs, per-person fares, luggage, road hotels and the value of time. Oct 13, 2026 EV Lease vs Buy in 2026: The Math After the Tax Credit Cars With the federal EV credits gone, a 36-month lease on a $36,495 EV costs about $21,200 in our model, while buying nets $20,100 to $24,500 depending on resale value. Sep 28, 2026 What It Costs to Charge an EV at Home in 2026 Cars Home charging costs about $5.49 per 100 miles and $55 monthly at 12,000 miles a year. See state rates, charging losses and current charger installation budgets. Oct 10, 2026 Home EV Charger Installation Cost in 2026: Full Budget Cars Tesla lists $750–$1,500 installation plus $585 or $660 hardware. See total budgets, panel questions, charging bills and the expired federal charger credit.
Tech & Crypto
Tech & Crypto hub →Tech
Oct 10, 2026 Portable Power Station Cost in 2026: Budget and Runtime Tech A 1 kWh power station costs about 20 cents to recharge at a historical electricity benchmark. Compare runtime, purchase budgets and small backup limits. Oct 11, 2026 Starlink Cost in 2026: Plans, V5 Power and 2-Year Totals Tech Starlink starts at $55 a month, but hardware, mounting and power change the total. Compare current US plans and V5 versus V4 electricity costs. Oct 1, 2026 AI Subscription Budget: Compare One Plan With a Stack Tech Build an AI subscription budget from your own renewal prices, paid months and extra usage. Compare annual billing, stacked plans and the value of an upgrade. Oct 1, 2026 Game Console Ownership Cost: Build Your Five Year Budget Tech Compare a console budget using your checkout price, games, memberships, power and resale. A worked example shows when a larger game subscription costs more. Sep 28, 2026 GPU Rental Income: Build a Budget From Paid Hours Tech Separate GPU asking prices from host receipts, include idle power, and calculate the utilization needed to cover costs with a worked hosting budget. Oct 13, 2026 Storage Cost per TB: An Editable Five-Year Budget Tech Compare hypothetical local drives, mirrored capacity and cloud bills using your own prices, power and fees. Separate usable capacity from advertised TB. Oct 19, 2026 OLED TV Cost of Ownership 2026: Black Friday Math Tech A 65-inch OLED is $1,499 on sale and costs about $21 a year to run. See five-year totals for 55, 65, and 77-inch sets before November 27. Oct 13, 2026 RAM and SSD Prices in 2026: Build Now or Wait? Tech 32GB of DDR5 now starts near $450 and a 2TB NVMe SSD near $250. See how far prices have climbed, what Micron and TrendForce expect next, and when to buy.
How the numbers are built: our estimating methodology.