BH, Millhouse was speaking of the average fuel customer. The fact that your ES 5+ house costs less than half the average says two things. First, the "average" house really isn't that good at holding in the heat in winter. Second, going the extra distance in construction techniques, which doesn't have to add much to cost if built into the design, really does save a pile of energy every year over the life of the house, not to mention improved interior comfort. Yet many builders haven't taken the time to learn how to do it right, and some who could do it right may be constrained by whoever will buy the house (or is having the house built), and his unwillingness to pay the small extra cost of a really good shell or his lack of understanding of what it all means.
That's why I advise anyone about to have a house built get very well educated on building science and house construction, so as to be able to evaluate prospective builders and work with the one selected to achieve the desired goals. If the homeowner won't insist on "really good" and understand what that means, then improvements in construction will come slowly, driven only by upgrades in energy codes. Codes have been upgraded, but adoption of new versions often comes slowly in any town, and what passes for code-compliant too often doesn't perform to the intention of the code in the worst weather.
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