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High Heating Costs
Overview
In order to understand how to lower heating costs it is important to understand what affects them.
- Weather
- Energy Prices
- Heating System Efficiency
- Building Thermal Envelope Efficiency
High heating costs are first and foremost a result of weather, which can not be influenced: homes in colder climates will have higher heating needs.
Know Heating Systems and Fuel Types
High heating costs arise from a combination of high energy costs, and inefficient homes that are not performing as a system. Unfortunately people cannot control energy prices. Common energy sources for residential heating include:
| Source | Units | Price Volatility | Common Heating System |
| Electricity | KWH | low - medium | electric radiators, electric furnace, heat pump |
| Natural Gas | therms or mmBtu | medium | forced air furnace |
| Heating Fuel Oil | gallons | high | boiler and hydronic radiators |
| Propane or LP | therms or mmBtu | high | forced air furnace |
Ways to Improve the Heating System
Six things that influence heating costs and which can be controlled are:
| What can be controlled | Influenced by | Lowers Heating Costs by |
| set temperature and setbacks | programmable thermostat | turning on the heating system less often |
| air sealing | plugging gaps and cracks with caulk and sealant | stopping cold air from coming in |
| insulation | adding insulation to walls, floors, ceilings | retaining heat inside the house |
| heating system efficiency | upgrdade heating system efficiency rating (AFUE) | providing more heat for the same amount of fuel |
| duct sealing | sealing existing ducts or replacing the system | avoiding loss of conditioned air to crawlspace or attic |
| duct balancing | adjusting airflow to each room so they are all within 4 degrees of each other | reducing the time the system must run to reach set temperature, especially when the thermostat in in a cool part of the house |
These components work together as a system to heat the home. When the whole system is working better, less energy will be needed to heat the house, lowering costs.
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Ways to Improve Water Heater Efficiency
Gas or oil water heaters also consume heating energy year round. More efficient options include:
To boost the heating efficiency and water efficiency of your existing water heater:
- wrap a thermal blanket (available in hardware stores) around the tank to increase insulation value, reducing standby heat loss
- insulate hot water pipes, especially the first 10 feet from the tank
- turn the hot water tank thermostat down to 120°F
- install low flow shower heads: using less hot water means using less energy