Take a bite out of heating costs
Dear Tim: My home heating bills are going up faster than a jet at an air show. Settle a debate among my fellow employees. Some say it is better just to leave the thermostat at the same temperature all the time, as it costs so much to bring a cold house up to temperature. Others say to use a programmable thermostat. Still others feel you should set the thermostat down to 50 degrees at night and while at work. What is the best way to save money on home heating? –Marylyn O., Victoria, British Columbia
Dear Marilyn: Home heating oil prices, as well as many other heating fuel costs, are going up with little relief in sight. The smart person, like you, is starting to think about how they can save. It’s insane to waste money on home heating when it is so easy to save.
Still, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for keeping your home comfortable cheaply. I am reminded of a neighbor who wanted to save money. She kept her thermostat so low that I nearly turned blue when my wife and I would visit for dinner.
If you want to save a significant amount on your heating bills, then set back the thermostat to 60 degrees for the entire heating season while you’re awake, and then to 50 degrees when you are asleep. Go out and buy some long underwear, a hooded sweatshirt and maybe some light gloves. This may be a drastic change in your at-home lifestyle, but the savings will be amazing.
Most homes are very different from one another. Each one loses heat at a different rate – a well-insulated home being better at retaining it, of course. But, given the different source of heat a home can have, the rate and amount of heat produced can vary significantly. Keep in mind that furnaces, boilers, heat pumps and so forth are like shoes – they come in all different sizes.
To make things even more complicated, the heat produced at the point where you and I can first feel it, the floor or wall register or radiant source, can be as cool as 98 degrees with a heat pump or as high as 125 to 130 degrees with an oil furnace. Natural gas heat can also produce high plenum or register temperatures.
Imagine letting a drafty house heated with a marginally sized heat pump drop down to 55 degrees when the outdoor temperature is at zero degrees or below. It might take hours for the house to get comfortable again with the heat pump running at full throttle.
Compare that to what might happen to a super-insulated house that has a slightly oversized oil furnace. The oil furnace might get the house toasty warm in just 15 minutes.
Far and away the best way to save money and remain comfortable while you’re awake and at home is a high-quality programmable thermostat. The best ones are outfitted with mini computers that can figure out how quickly your furnace or boiler can bring your house up to the desired temperature, so as to use the minimal amount of fuel but also keep peace among those who want the house to be warm.
The trouble is, many people who have programmable thermostats do not extract the full amount of savings from them. You need to set them up to match your family’s schedule.
The best thermostats have settings for each day of the week, as well as vacation settings and temporary override settings.
The people who save the most on their home-heating costs are those who make the furnace go up and down in temperature at least four times a day.
When programming the thermostat, keep in mind what time you jump in bed each night. Since it takes the average house a while to cool off, you might program the thermostat to set back an hour before you slide under the sheets. There is no need to keep the heat on a higher setting up to the moment you fall asleep.