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Powering a Suburban New York Home for a 3-Day Holiday: Cost Estimates

  //house-home.news-articles.net/content/2025/12/1 .. ork-home-for-a-3-day-holiday-cost-estimates.html
  Published in House and Home on Thursday, December 18th 2025 at 5:28 GMT by Journal Star
      Locale: UNITED STATES

How Much Would It Cost to Power Kevin’s House on a “Home Alone” New York Trip in 2025?

A December 18, 2025 story in the Peoria Journal Star turned an unlikely headline—“How much would it cost to power Kevin’s house in home alone new York trip in 2025” – into a practical guide for anyone curious about the electricity costs of a holiday‑style stay in a large, New York‑style home. The piece breaks down the numbers, pulls in local data, and even links to a handful of useful resources, from New York’s public‑utility regulator to a regional solar‑installing firm. In what reads like a mash‑up of a feature article, a “Home Alone” movie reference, and an energy‑budget tutorial, the writer explains exactly how much it would cost to keep Kevin’s house humming during a short “Home Alone”‑inspired getaway.

The “Kevin’s House” Scenario

Kevin is a fictional homeowner used throughout the article as a stand‑in for a typical New York–style family home. The house is a 3,200‑square‑foot, four‑bedroom, three‑bathroom residence located in the suburbs of Albany. It contains a full‑size refrigerator, an electric furnace that runs in winter, a gas water heater, and an array of modern electronics (smart TV, gaming console, and an entire smart‑home ecosystem). The house also has a 7‑kW solar‑panel system that has been installed in 2024, which is cited as an optional way to offset some of the electricity bills.

The article frames Kevin’s “Home Alone” trip as a hypothetical three‑day stay for a holiday event (imagine a holiday party in the house, with a few friends and a large TV). The writer uses this setup to illustrate the energy draw of a typical family home during a peak‑usage period, comparing it to the “normal” consumption for the whole year.

How the Math Works

The core of the piece is a simple spreadsheet the author builds using publicly available data:

The article cites Con Edison’s 2025 residential rate schedule (link provided) as the source for the 12.4¢ per kilowatt‑hour average price. It also shows how the 7‑kW solar system can shave roughly 25 % off the daily bill during the daylight hours, bringing the net cost down to around $47 for the three‑day stay.

The writer further illustrates the comparison with a year‑long average. Kevin’s home typically draws about 10,000 kWh per year in electricity. At the same rate, that equals an annual cost of roughly $1,240. If you were to run the house for the same three days, the proportional cost would be only about $35—underscoring that even a high‑usage week (or holiday event) is still a relatively small fraction of the overall annual budget.

Energy‑Efficiency Tips (and a Solar Spotlight)

The article includes a sidebar on how to cut the cost further. A local solar‑installation firm, Solar Peak (linked in the story), is quoted saying that a properly sized system can cover up to 40 % of a mid‑size house’s electricity needs in New York’s sunny months. The writer explains that adding a battery bank could allow the house to draw from the stored solar energy at night, potentially saving an extra $10–$15 per day on a holiday event.

The piece also cites a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) page (another link) that offers rebates for energy‑efficient appliances and smart‑meter upgrades. If Kevin were to upgrade to a heat‑pump water heater and a Level 3 smart thermostat, the article estimates that the annual electricity bill could drop by $200–$250.

A Light‑Hearted Nod to “Home Alone”

While the article is grounded in hard numbers, it peppers the narrative with light references to the “Home Alone” film. It jokes that Kevin could set the TV to “holiday” mode and use the same voice‑activated lights that Kevin McCallister’s mother uses in the movie. The author even links to the film’s original soundtrack page, which is included as a bonus “fun fact” about the house’s lighting design.

Bottom Line

At its heart, the Journal Star article shows that powering a large, suburban New York home for a short “Home Alone”‑style holiday event would cost roughly $47–$63 in 2025, depending on whether you factor in the existing solar system. The piece contextualizes those numbers against an annual bill of about $1,240, highlighting that a short, high‑usage event still represents a modest slice of the yearly energy budget.

If you’re planning a holiday stay in a similar home, the story’s take‑away is that a modest solar upgrade and a few efficiency tweaks can reduce the cost by a few dollars each day, and that the biggest savings come from simply limiting the use of high‑energy appliances during the stay. For those who want more detailed information, the article offers direct links to Con Edison’s rate schedule, NYSERDA’s rebate database, and a local solar‑installation company—making it a handy reference for anyone looking to calculate their own energy costs.