money.cnn.com— With winter fast approaching, and the cost of natural gas and oil still far above historic norms, here are six basic steps that could save you big on heating bills.
Nov 28, 2006View in Crawl 4
I grew up in San Diego, people break out the ski jackets and gloves when it drops into the 60s. I moved into a much colder climate and laugh at what I used to think was cold.
We are poor college kids and don't run the heater, and some days we have to "go double" meaning double pants, double socks, and at least two sweaters. Add some gloves and beanie and you can take anything. Not a greenie, I am just a cheapskate.
I installed a fireplace insert. Its an iron box that is a heat exchanger with a small electric blower. It raises the efficiency from a sad 5% to 60%. My wife and I used to load hundreds of pounds of wood a night to barely keep warm. Now three logs will keep the entire house warm for a night. My gas bill last month was $20. That was to heat water.Wood stoves are great too.
I live on the top floor of an apartment building , this gets me some free heat from the apartments below me (heat rises). It saves me a bit in the wintertime but it's hell in the summertime.Some more tips on saving heat that the article missed :1) Wear warmer clothes .. most importantly keep your torso and your feet warm.So wear a sweater and some warm socks and perhaps some slippers too.2) Heat only what you need. Close the doors to rooms you don't use often and turn of the heat in those rooms.3) For some houses or buildings using a heat exchanger in the ventilation can some you a lot. Here's a wiki article on how it works : <a class="user" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_recovery_ventilation">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_recovery_ventilation</a>4) Change your method of heating to a more efficient and cheaper one.Coal and electricity are among the least energy efficient types of heating.Oil is usually average , and natural gas and district heating is among the more efficient types.This all depends on your installation and the price and availability in your area though.Solar can be a good alternative , as ones the system is installed you basically get the heat for free. The initial cost can be high though.Ordinary wood can also be highly efficient with the right installation - worth consider if you have access to some cheap lumber. It's often also best to combine this with a heat exchange to get a more even distribution of the heat throughout the house.
"Get a programmable thermostat - For about $100" - Ha, more like $25. Don't know why anyone would still use the old dial style at all. So much more convenient and very easy to install.
"Also, she recommends getting the furnace tuned up at least once a year by a professional to further boost efficiency."Yeah, because you'll definitely save atleast the $400 it costs to have the guy come to your house and work on it each year."She says the Energy Star windows, which will be either double or triple paned, start at around $300 each."It will only take you 40 years to make up the cost in savings, but what the hell, it's just money right? Not to mention the few thousand in labor it takes to put them in.
proxybot767Nov 29, 2006
move down to the gulf coast. it stays so warm here some places don't have heaters. Its a muggy 70 F tonight
ahawksNov 29, 2006
That was.. just... wrong on so many counts :P
nick0909Nov 29, 2006
I grew up in San Diego, people break out the ski jackets and gloves when it drops into the 60s. I moved into a much colder climate and laugh at what I used to think was cold.
nick0909Nov 29, 2006
We are poor college kids and don't run the heater, and some days we have to "go double" meaning double pants, double socks, and at least two sweaters. Add some gloves and beanie and you can take anything. Not a greenie, I am just a cheapskate.
dattawayNov 29, 2006
I installed a fireplace insert. Its an iron box that is a heat exchanger with a small electric blower. It raises the efficiency from a sad 5% to 60%. My wife and I used to load hundreds of pounds of wood a night to barely keep warm. Now three logs will keep the entire house warm for a night. My gas bill last month was $20. That was to heat water.Wood stoves are great too.
ceejaydkNov 29, 2006
I live on the top floor of an apartment building , this gets me some free heat from the apartments below me (heat rises). It saves me a bit in the wintertime but it's hell in the summertime.Some more tips on saving heat that the article missed :1) Wear warmer clothes .. most importantly keep your torso and your feet warm.So wear a sweater and some warm socks and perhaps some slippers too.2) Heat only what you need. Close the doors to rooms you don't use often and turn of the heat in those rooms.3) For some houses or buildings using a heat exchanger in the ventilation can some you a lot. Here's a wiki article on how it works : <a class="user" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_recovery_ventilation">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_recovery_ventilation</a>4) Change your method of heating to a more efficient and cheaper one.Coal and electricity are among the least energy efficient types of heating.Oil is usually average , and natural gas and district heating is among the more efficient types.This all depends on your installation and the price and availability in your area though.Solar can be a good alternative , as ones the system is installed you basically get the heat for free. The initial cost can be high though.Ordinary wood can also be highly efficient with the right installation - worth consider if you have access to some cheap lumber. It's often also best to combine this with a heat exchange to get a more even distribution of the heat throughout the house.
pron_Nov 29, 2006
"Get a programmable thermostat - For about $100" - Ha, more like $25. Don't know why anyone would still use the old dial style at all. So much more convenient and very easy to install.
gte879pNov 29, 2006
HEAHeohaehoaheaehohehohA!!~11~one!Internetz!
dep01Nov 29, 2006
HOORAY. 6 completely common sense ways to cut heating bills. Whooptie-f**king-Doo. NO DIGG.
bufordtDec 1, 2006
"Also, she recommends getting the furnace tuned up at least once a year by a professional to further boost efficiency."Yeah, because you'll definitely save atleast the $400 it costs to have the guy come to your house and work on it each year."She says the Energy Star windows, which will be either double or triple paned, start at around $300 each."It will only take you 40 years to make up the cost in savings, but what the hell, it's just money right? Not to mention the few thousand in labor it takes to put them in.