Malcolm's trials with electricity costs has me feeling very lucky.
Here in Michigan we have very few outages and the cost is low. Our house is a 1300 sq ft ranch plus a full basement. A large garage and nice outdoor areas make it very livable for two. We run heat and A/C at comfortable levels and don't spare the lights. No sliding glass doors, no skylights, no fireplace, no heat sucking second floor plus good windows and doors make it tight.
Our gas and electric bills are each under $1,000/year.
BTW we have a 1985 gas furnace, it runs well and has passed recent inspection. One new electronic module and a new gas valve in 34 years. I don't think a high efficiency furnace could pay for itself if it ran for 100 years.