Q: My teenage son says we should turn down the thermostat when we're at school/work, to lower the heat bill. But I've always heard that this costs you more because it makes the furnace work harder when you turn the heat back up. My son would love to prove the old man wrong (again), so I hope you'll settle this in your column.
A: Glad to - just don't blame the messenger! Your son's right. To understand why, imagine keeping a pot of water boiling on the stovetop all day because you want to make pasta for dinner. You get the picture.
Your furnace will run for a shorter time and use far less energy to heat up a cool house than it would if you kept the house warm all day. So, yes, it's a good idea to follow your son's suggestion. In fact, make it easy by installing a programmable thermostat. You can program it to lower the house temperature when you leave in the morning and when you go to bed. Then, it'll have the house warm for you in the morning and when you get home. Sorry I couldn't side with you on this, but I'm glad you'll be saving energy and staying warm this winter.
Q:How often would you recommend replacing a furnace filter?
A: Great question. Replacing a furnace filter is one of those little things that can go a long way toward reducing heating costs. Your frequency of replacement depends on how much dust and dirt is moving through your ductwork. It's a good idea to inspect the filter at least once a month and replace it when it's noticeably dirty. Depending on what your inspection reveals, you may need to replace your filter every two weeks, or only a few times per season. If you have central air conditioning, be sure to inspect and replace that filter as needed throughout the summer as well
Q:I know people planning to use portable electric heaters this winter to ward off some of the high cost of oil and propane. Does that really lower the cost of heating a house?
A: I can see why people would think that using a portable heater would be an energy-saving solution to today's gas and oil prices. But in Vermont, electricity is still one of the most expensive ways to heat. A typical portable electric space heater can increase your heating costs unless you intend to turn off your central heating system and use a portable heater in only the room you occupy. If you can stay comfortable and healthy doing that, keep in mind that your plumbing can't; pipes in unheated spaces can freeze.
A better approach is to make your central heating system work as efficiently as possible. Be sure your furnace filter is clean. Seal and insulate heating ducts, and have your furnace or boiler professionally inspected, cleaned and tuned each year. Vacuum or dust heating vents or baseboards and move furniture away from them so heat can circulate.
Then, take some steps to keep warm air in the house and to keep cold air out. Find places where air can move between the attic and heated spaces and seal them with expanding foam or caulk. Likely places for air leaks are around plumbing, wiring, chimneys, and gaps around recessed lights and fans.
Lastly, be sure you have at least 12 inches of insulation on your attic floor. You can hire a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® contractor to do a whole-house assessment and to make the improvements that can enable you to use less central-heating fuel and keep you comfortable without the expense of running portable electric heaters.
Q: I have a tip for your readers who are facing the high cost of gas heat. I'm able to stay pretty warm by keeping on my electric oven, with the oven door open. I have a friend with a gas oven who isn't sure if she wants to do this, so can you explain if it's a good idea for gas too?
A:It's not a good idea to use any oven to heat your home. Using a gas oven as a heater is dangerous. It can bring carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and unburned fuel into the house. An electric oven doesn't produce these toxins, but using it as a heater will run up your electricity bills. Even as gas costs rise, electricity is still one of the most expensive fuels.
A better approach to staying warm this winter is to make sure that your heating system doesn't have to work harder than necessary. Have your system serviced and ask the technician to make sure it is distributing heat to the parts of the house where you spend the most time. Also, be sure that nothing is blocking heat registers, returns or baseboards. As importantly, reduce drafts. Be sure that any gaps in your attic floor, such as around chimneys, wires, and ducts, are sealed with spray foam (from a can) and that you have at least 12 inches of attic-floor insulation. You can find a Vermont contractor who is specially trained in finding and fixing causes of inefficient home energy use
Q: I've been reading ads for Amish heaters. Are they really better at saving energy than other electric space heaters?
A: No. All portable electric heaters, including Amish heaters, produce the same amount of heat per kilowatt hour consumed. Before I get into specifics, I want to let you know that if your home is cold enough to warrant using a portable heater, the first step is to see that the building is properly air sealed and insulated. If you're not a do-it-yourselfer, you can find a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® contractor.
Back to heaters: A claim of energy savings from any portable heater is based on the idea that you'll turn off your central heat and use the portable heater to warm only the room you're occupying. It's true that you'll use less energy to heat just one room rather than an entire house, but electricity is one of the most expensive heating fuels.
If you can stay comfortable and healthy heating one room at a time, keep in mind that your pipes might not be as resilient. Be sure to keep any area with plumbing warm enough to prevent frozen pipes. Also, it's not a good idea to run a space heater near pipes to prevent them from freezing, or to hang a light near pipes. These are fire risks and hike up your electric bill
Q: Around 20 years ago, I converted from electric heat to an oil furnace, because oil was cheaper heat than electric. But I kept the old electric baseboard system just in case oil prices went too high. Well, now both of them are high. Between the two of them, which is the less expensive way to heat a house?
A: When I started answering your question, oil was less expensive than electricity. After I finished my reply, oil had crept up. When you read this in your newspaper, prices may have changed again. The best I can tell you is that fuel prices in Vermont are in a state of change these days. You can keep an eye on prices yourself with the Vermont Fuel Price Report, available for free from the Vermont Department of Public Service.
- No matter what fuel you use, there are ways to lower your heating costs.
- Keep your heating system well-serviced and make sure that your home is properly insulated and sealed against air leaks.
- Keep registers, returns and baseboards clear of any obstructions and consider a programmable thermostat, which will save you money by automatically keeping the house warm when you're home and cooler while you're out or asleep at night.
- Click here for EfficiencyVermont's top 10 tips to lowering those costs while keeping Vermont homes safe and warm.
- You can find a Vermont contractor who is specially trained to find and fix causes of inefficient home energy use, at www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeperformance
A: We don't recommend it. Here's why: A heater that's vented to the outside of the building, through a chimney or duct, allows the by-products of combustion to leave your living space, taking some of the heat produced by the heater along with them. Unvented or vent-free heaters deliver all their heat into the house, but they also deliver all the combustion by-products into your home, creating health and safety hazards.
These by-products include carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and possibly carbon monoxide. In addition, large amounts of water vapor are released into the home, posing a risk of unhealthy mold growth and wood rot as moisture condenses on cold surfaces. Because of these concerns, it's not a good idea to use unvented gas heaters. Regardless of the kind of heating system you choose, remember that your home should have at least one carbon monoxide detector on each floor.
Q: Pellet stoves sound great to me, so I'm getting one. How much will it add to my electric bill?
A: According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a typical pellet stove uses about 100 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month. At a rate of 12.5 cents per kWh, that?s $12.50 on your monthly electricity bill. These stoves use electricity to feed pellets into the stove, to blow air over the burning pellets and up the chimney, and to deliver heat to the room. Some pellet stoves also have glow coils that ignite the pellets, and these use electricity too.
To reduce the electricity use of your pellet stove, button up your home so the stove doesn?t have to work as hard. Good insulation and air sealing (spraying foam into gaps between living spaces and the attic floor) can make your home more comfortable, as well as save energy. You can find a Vermont contractor who is specially trained in finding and fixing causes of inefficient home energy use, at www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeperformance.
One more thing: Before you buy a pellet stove, it's a good idea to check on the availability of pellets in Vermont this season.
A: Both/neither of you. Each heater uses the same amount of electricity to warm up a living space. It looks like you'll both be paying your own electric bills. But I can't help but wonder how high those bills are going to be. You see, whenever somebody asks about portable heaters, a red flag goes up for me. Because, if you feel the need to use a space heater, you may have some fixable problems in your home that are making it unnecessarily chilly. Here are some tips:
Caulk around window and door frames. Replace cracked window glazing and be sure that windows close and latch properly. Find air leaks and seal them with expanding foam or caulk. Likely places for leaks are around plumbing, wiring, chimneys, and gaps around recessed lights and fans. Is the attic air-sealed and well-insulated? You can hire a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® contractor to do a whole-house assessment and to make the improvements that can enable you to use less central-heating fuel and keep you comfortable without the expense of running portable electric heaters. To find a contractor near you, visit www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeperformance.
Q:I keep my wife's truck plugged in to an engine block heater all night on cold nights to guarantee a start in the morning. We figure that we're paying a lot on our electric bill for that, but my wife is an emergency room nurse, so that truck has to start. If you know of an energy-efficient block heater that guarantees results, I'd like to know about it.
A: You're right about the expense of using a block heater. If you use a 1,200-watt heater on a third of the nights from November to mid-March, you'll use about $75 of electricity for the season. The best way to reduce that cost is to see if you can eliminate it altogether. Is your wife putting winter-weight oil in her truck? The right oil is a factor in starting a vehicle in the cold. If the truck has proper weight oil (ask your mechanic what to use) and it still needs a heater, the solution is to use the heater in an energy-efficient way. Energy-efficient heaters don't exist.
Use a heavy-duty timer, available at hardware and electric-supply stores, to turn on the heater an hour or two before starting the truck. Your wife can experiment with timing on cold nights prior to her days off. Make sure the watt and amp rating of the timer are sufficient for your block heater. This approach can significantly reduce the cost of operating the heater for the winter. With a good battery and the proper winter-weight oil in her truck, your wife should be all set to head out to her shift on time.
A: I share your love of fireplaces. I suspect that your son's professor was describing the fact that chimneys not only do a good job of drawing smoke out of the house but they also pull warm air out of the house. As warm air is lost up the chimney, equal amounts of cold air are drawn into the house from outdoors. That outside air enters through gaps throughout the house, such as around windows and doors, plumbing vents, wire pathways and more. That's why wingback chairs are traditional around fireplaces; they help protect people from the draft coming toward the fireplace.
The result is a costly cycle, because your central heating system then works harder to replace the lost heat and to compensate for the incoming cold air. This phenomenon is at its worst on the very days we're most itching to get by the fire: on the coldest days of the year. So, you can see why fireplaces can lose more heat than they generate.
Doors reduce heat loss but, seeing as you want an open fireplace, you can minimize the loss by making sure that the damper is shut when the fireplace isn't in use, after all ashes have gone cold. Find the sources of any cold drafts and seal them. Caulk around window frames and exterior door frames and use weather stripping on the doors too. In fact, sealing up air leaks is one of the most cost-effective improvements you can make to a house, whether or not it has a fireplace. A Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractor can do a comprehensive job of air sealing, including key points between the house and the attic. You can find a contractor at www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeperformance. I hope this helps in your next e-mail to your son.
A: The heat lamp is your better option, for many reasons. First, it will cost less than the portable heater to run. For every 30 minutes the heat lamp is on per day, it will cost about 50 cents per month in electricity. A portable electric heater in the 500-1,000 watt range could cost between 95 cents (for the low setting) and $1.90 (high setting) per month for every 30 minutes of daily use.
In addition, the heat lamp - if it's on a timer - will be safer and cheaper, because nobody can forget to turn it off. The timer is essential, as the lamp can get very hot. The heat lamp also doesn't have other fire risks of a space heater, which can be knocked over, and can set fire to materials or surfaces that are too close to it - an important consideration in a small bathroom.
Lastly is the comfort factor. A heat lamp warms objects, including you, while a portable electric heater warms air. So, of the two options, a heat lamp can be more comfortable for people stepping out of the shower. Stay warm!
A: Technically speaking, an electric heater is 100% efficient at converting electricity into heat. This use of the word "efficient," however, doesn't mean that an electric heater is an energy-saving, inexpensive way to keep you warm. Electricity is one of the most expensive way to heat. A typical 1,500 watt portable electric heater could increase your energy costs by as much as $50 per month. You can find tips for reducing or eliminating the need for portable electric heaters at
http://www.efficiencyvermont.com/pages/Residential/SavingEnergy/
If you're comparing new furnaces and boilers, the heating systems with the best AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, are furnaces. But if your goal is to save heating costs, it doesn't make sense to choose a house strictly because it has a furnace. There are more important considerations that could make a house with a boiler more energy-efficient than a house with a furnace or vice versa. For instance, the insulation and air-tightness of the home will have a much bigger impact on your energy bills than will the type of heating system. Also, the condition and AFUE rating of the individual furnace or boiler will play a role in the size of your energy bills, as will the condition of the furnace ductwork or the boiler's baseboards. I should also mention one advantage of some boiler systems: You can save on water-heating costs if the tank is the type that enables the water to be heated by the boiler.
When you've found a house that you're seriously considering, I recommend asking the seller for permission to have a comprehensive home analysis performed before closing. This will inform you about the energy efficiency of the house and about what kinds of improvements will increase your energy savings. Home Performance with ENERGY STAR certified contractors can do this assessment for you, for a fee, and can make recommended improvements once you own the house. To find a contractor in your area, visit efficiencyvermont.com/homeperformance. Good luck in your house search.
I'm sorry to say that you won't be able to find a higher-efficiency furnace fan motor that can easily be installed in your furnace. These motors can only be found in certain new gas furnaces. Technically, it's possible to custom-retrofit an older furnace to make it compatible with a new, efficient fan motor, but the cost of this effort would likely be more than it's worth.
All this may be beside the point, however, because a 20-year-old furnace could be reaching the end of its useful life. I recommend asking the person who does the regular maintenance for your furnace to assess its condition. If it's time to replace, look for a high-efficiency condensing gas furnace with a BPM (brushless permanent magnet) fan motor or with an ECM motor if it's from General Electric. This type of furnace could save you anywhere from $20 to $50 per year in electricity, plus a fair amount of gas.
Q. We head south for the winter and shut down our house. How cold can we keep it?
A. That all depends. If you drain the pipes, you can turn off the heat completely. If that's not an option, you can lower the thermostat - but don't be surprised if your heating costs remain about the same. People, lights and appliances really add to a home's ability to maintain its warmth. An unoccupied house at 55 degrees will use more heat energy than an occupied house at 68 degrees. Most home experts suggest maintaining an inside temperature of 50 degrees to prevent freezing pipes, but to accomplish this, it's a good idea to experiment with thermostat settings before you go away so you know what to expect from your heating system.
Power outages, extreme freezing temperatures and other winter mishaps may cause a sudden drop in temperature and may mean you'll need to have to set the thermostat higher, at least temporarily. If you don't have someone to check on your house regularly, see if your fuel company can install a monitor that enables them to notify you if the temperature in your house falls below a certain setting.
Q. Do forced hot air furnaces use much electricity?
A. They can. A furnace fan can use as much as 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually and an oil-burner pump can add another 500 kilowatt hours. Some furnaces also have draft inducers than can use 200 kilowatt hours annually. The amount of electricity used by furnaces can vary considerably, but a good rule of thumb is: The tighter the house and more efficient the furnace, the less time the fan will be running. Here are some things that you can do to have an impact on both these factors. Make sure that the furnace ducts do not leak. Keep the air filter clean and make sure that your return vents are clear of furniture or rugs since reducing air flow can decrease efficiency. Seal air pathways from the house into the attic and from the outside into the basement or crawl space. And when it is time for replacement, look for a furnace with a brushless direct current furnace fan motor since that is the most efficient type.
Q. What can you tell me about unvented gas heaters? I've heard there's some controversy.
A. It's smart that you decided to explore the issue before making a choice. This should help: In a conventionally-vented heater with a chimney or flue, the by-products of combustion are carried outdoors, taking some of the heat produced by the heater along with them. Unvented or "vent-free" heaters deliver all their heat - as well as these combustion by-products-directly into your home.
These by-products include carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and possibly carbon monoxide, in addition to large amounts of water vapor. None of these things are desirable in any home. Additionally, the water vapor produced could cause moisture damage to your home, including mold growth and even rot, as it condenses on cold surfaces. Unvented heaters can also consume oxygen (for combustion of the gas) to the point where a dangerous low oxygen condition can be created. Because of these concerns, many experts discourage the use of any unvented gas heaters in our cold Vermont climate. For public safety reasons, Vermont codes only allow the use of unvented gas space heaters in single-family owner-occupied buildings.
Regardless of the kind of heating system you choose, your home should have at least one Carbon Monoxide alarm on each floor.
Q. I'm thinking of getting a wood stove. Is this a good way to heat my house?
A. Burning wood is a great way to use a local, renewable energy source. Just remember that a woodstove may not offer you the same whole-house comfort that your furnace or boiler can because it does not allow for convenient heat distribution throughout the house.
Is wood heat cheaper? A good rule of thumb is that if a cord of wood costs less than 100 times the cost of a gallon of oil, then wood is the cheaper fuel. When shopping, choose a modern wood stove with a two stage burning system, a high efficiency rating from the EPA and low smoke output.
Wood pellet stoves are gaining in popularity too. Pellets are made from processed wood waste. Pellet stoves are generally more expensive than wood stoves, but they burn more efficiently and produce less waste. The drawback to pellet-burning equipment is that electricity is required for operation, so they cannot be used during a power interruption.
Q. I'm thinking of switching to electric heat. Would that save me a lot on my heating bill?
A. That's a question I hear a lot lately. Electricity remains one of the most expensive ways to heat. The most cost-effective way to lower heating costs is through increasing the energy efficiency of your home. Sealing air leaks and installing adequate insulation are good places to start. There are also many opportunities to improve the efficiency of existing heating systems. Well-planned efficiency improvements are a very cost-effective way to reduce your energy - and these savings continue year after year.
A. I can see why you'd think that, but imagine keeping a pot of water boiling on the stove top all day because you want to have a cup of tea when you get home at night. You get the picture.
Your furnace will run for a far shorter time and use far less energy to bring the house up to temperature if you turn up the thermostat when you get home than it would if you kept the house warm all day. You can save up to 3 percent of your energy costs for every degree you turn down your thermostat over 24 hours during an average heating season.
A great solution is to install a programmable thermostat. This device will automatically adjust your thermostat at certain times of the day. You can program it to lower your temperature when you leave your home or sleep and warm it back up before you get home. It's a great way to keep your house comfortable and save money at the same time.
A. I can see why you would think using a space heater would be an energy-saving solution, especially with higher gas and oil prices. But in Vermont, electricity is still one of the most expensive ways to heat. A typical portable electric space heater could actually increase your energy costs by as much as $50 a month.
A better approach is to make your house and central heating system work as efficiently as possible. Make sure your home has sufficient insulation. Prevent air leakage between indoors and out by sealing any holes between the house and outdoors or the attic, especially where chimneys and plumbing enter. Caulk gaps around window frames and use weatherstripping and door sweeps on doors. Repair cracked glazing on windows. You can find low-cost, easy-to-use window plastic kits at your hardware store. Be sure your furnace filter is clean, seal and insulate heating ducts, and have your furnace or boiler professionally inspected, cleaned and tuned each year. Vacuum or dust heating vents and move furniture away from them so heat can circulate. If you have a forced-air heating system, close doors to any rooms you don't want heated and close the registers. Finally, insulate attic hatches and doors.
Q. How often would you recommend replacing a furnace filter?
A. I can't give you a precise answer to that question because it depends on how much dust and dirt is moving through the ductwork. That said, replacing filters is one of those "little" things that can go a long way toward increasing energy efficiency. It's a good idea to inspect the filter at least once a month and replace it when it is noticeably dirty. Depending on what your inspection reveals, you may need to replace your filter every two weeks, or only a few times per season. If you have central air conditioning, be sure to inspect and replace that filter as needed throughout the summer as well.
A. For readers who don't know: An IR camera can be used to help identify insulation or air leakage problems in your home by giving you a picture of the places where the most heat is escaping.
You'll find, though, that the same things a professional infrared scan of a building can show, at a cost upward of $1,000, can be discovered with other, less expensive tools. I would have an efficiency expert do other tests on your home before calling in the IR camera. If you'd like to find a specially-trained Home Performance with ENERGY STAR certified contractor near you, click here or contact us for a list of contractors in your area.
