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Home
Heating
The Dollar Stretcher
by Gary Foreman
gary@stretcher.com
Does it make
more sense to turn the heat off totally at night and then set the thermostat to
turn the heat on about an hour before we get up? Or should we maintain a lower
setting during the night (like about 58 degrees) and then turn it up (we
usually keep it at about 65-68 degrees) for the daytime?
Dear
Dollar Stretcher,
My husband and I aren't quite sure which way
to go to conserve on our heating bills. We have steam radiators in our old
Victorian house and just replaced the boiler. The old one was over 60 years old
and very inefficient. We have a programmable digital thermostat. Does it make
more sense to turn the heat off totally at night and then set the thermostat to
turn the heat on about an hour before we get up? Or should we maintain a lower
setting during the night (like about 58 degrees) and then turn it up (we
usually keep it at about 65-68 degrees) for the daytime? Does it use a lot more
energy to go from having the boiler turned off to the desired temperature than
to keep it at a moderately low temperature and then turn it up in the morning?
Our house is large with high ceilings and at night we only use two bedrooms on
the second floor. If it gets cold in there we're considering using some type of
space heater rather than heating the whole house at night.-Beth S.
During
winter about 75% of your home energy usage is for heating.
Yep, it's that time of year where we need to pay
attention to our heating bills. During winter about 75% of your home energy
usage is for heating. And with the recent run up in oil prices it could be a
particularly costly winter.
 Beth has already taken a
couple of major steps to reducing her bill. The first was to replace an older
inefficient furnace with a newer model. In some cases a new furnace could
produce twice as much heat on the same amount of fuel. For those of you who are
considering that step it's pretty hard to estimate savings without knowing both
the old and new furnaces. You'll want to have a reputable furnace supplier
provide you with an estimate of fuel savings. The second major step to savings
is lowering your thermostat, especially at night. Beth has done that, too.
According to Reliant Energy in Minnesota you can save up to 10% on your fuel
bill by lowering your thermostat by 5 degrees for 4 hours each day.
A setback or programmable thermostat will adjust the temperature during the day
and night for you. They generally pay for themselves in two years or less. Of
course, if you're willing to adjust it manually you can start saving money
right now!
To answer one of Beth's questions, you will save money if you turn off your
furnace at night and reheat the house in the morning. It takes more fuel to
keep the house at a minimum temperature all night compared to letting it drop
and then bringing it back up again.
She's also considering heating just the two bedrooms during the night. Most
people would use electric space heaters for that. But remember that electric
space heaters are not the most efficient heat generators available. The
University of New Hampshire says that natural gas or fuel oil are five times
more efficient in producing heat. While you wouldn't want to use electricity to
heat your whole house, you might choose it for a room or two. If those rooms
comprise less than one fifth of the floor space of the house there should be a
fuel savings.
The best types of
electric space heaters
There are two basic kinds of electric space heaters. The first type, a radiant
heater, only heats objects in front of it. It's good for spot heating but
doesn't raise the temperature of the air in a room. You'll find them for $40 to
$70 in wattage's from 750 to 1,500. The other kind of space heater is a
convection heater. They actually warm the air in a room. That's better for a
room where people are moving around. They, too, will put out between 750 and
1,500 watts. Expect to pay between $20 and $50. With any space heater be sure
to read and follow all safety instructions. They can be dangerous if not used
properly. Among the things to watch out for is not having any cloth or paper
too close to the heater. You'll want a couple of feet of space all around.
They're also inappropriate for homes
with small children who could be burned.
If you're looking for a more permanent type of room heater consider adding
electric baseboard heat. A 1,500 watt system will put out about 5,000 Btu's per
hour. It will cost about $100 for materials plus installation. Gas area heaters
are also gaining in popularity. The best models draw combustion air from the
outside and also vent exhaust to the exterior of the
house. For about $500 you'll find a heater than can provide up to 10,000
Btu/hour. That would heat an area of about 2,000 square feet. The benefit of a
gas heater is that it's nearly as fuel efficient as your furnace.
Giving your furnace a
tune-up
There are also other conservation methods that should be considered. Unless
your equipment is new like Beth's, get a 'tune up' for your furnace. Just
because it fires up and produces heat doesn't mean that it's doing so with
maximum efficiency. Not only could you be wasting fuel, important safety
systems should be checked. And don't forget the easy things. The U.S. Dept. of
Energy reminds us to clean air filters and registers. And try not to use your
kitchen and bath ventilating fans. In just one hour they can draw all of the
heated air out of a home. Your ceiling fans can also be a help. Hot air rises.
In a house with high ceilings that can mean that all the hot air is just
hanging around over your head. A ceiling fan set on low can circulate the
warmer air.
A final consideration is to
make sure that your home has proper weather-stripping. All those gaps around
your doors and windows can add up. In fact, a typical home that hasn't been
weather-stripped is like having a window wide open all winter.
Hopefully Beth and her family
will stay nice and cozy this winter
without feeling like they're burning money in the process.
____________
Gary Foreman is the Editor of The Dollar Stretcher website www.stretcher.com.
It contains the web's largest collection of free time and money saving
articles. There's even a free weekly email newsletter. Visit today!
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