Some experts are predicting that energy prices will double this winter for all sorts of supply-and-demand reasons. And they say the situation could really get grim if the weather turns especially cold as it did this week in the Midwest.
Even if there’s no way to know exactly how horrendous your heating bills will be, there are steps you can take to minimize the effect of this year’s higher fuel costs.
The first step is easy: Lower your thermostat and put on a heavy sweater if you feel cold.
If you already own a warm sweater, this is advice that costs nothing and can save a lot.
“Turning a thermostat down just two or three degrees will lower your heating bill,” said Philadelphia Gas Works spokesman Kevin Boyle. “It’s hard to say exactly how much because it depends on other factors, like how well-insulated your home is and how many rooms you heat. But it does make a difference.”
Two more no-cost suggestions are offered by the Web site OurHouse.com:
Take advantage of sunlight. “During the day open up drapes and blinds and let the sun heat your home. At night, draw the curtains to keep the heat inside.”
Check the arrangement of furniture. Many times people put couches and chairs over air-flow vents and in front of baseboard radiators, decreasing usefulness.
Alas, most other energy-saving suggestions offered by experts involve some upfront investment.
To be sure, over time, many such investments pay for themselves through lowered fuel bills. The U.S. Dept. of Energy calculates that while the average house in Philadelphia runs up energy bills (including heating, cooling, hot water, appliances, lighting and miscellaneous uses) of $1,770 a year, an energy-efficient house here has bills of only $1,149 a year. That’s a savings of $521.
But to save that much, you’d have to replace any older furnace, air conditioner, appliance and TV set with the newer models that carry “Energy Star” labels to testify they are super energy-efficient.
You’d have to upgrade older insulation inside your ceilings to what is called R-38 level, and the insulation in your walls to at least R-11.
You’d have to install storm windows or double-pane windows that have argon gas between the panes.
No doubt, if you are going to remodel or replace or build a house, you’d be wise to do it in an energy-efficient way. But for most people, the answer to the question “What should I do?” lies somewhere between “everything,” which may be too expensive, and “nothing,” which, if energy costs rise as much as predicted, may also be too expensive.
“No matter what kind of heating system you have,” noted Fred Haab of F.C. Haab Inc. of Philadelphia, which specializes in heating oil systems, “the same rules of conserving energy apply.”
So what follows is a list of suggestions from the experts, from which you can pick and choose:
– The thermostat. When you leave your home, you might want to lower the thermostat an additional 4 degrees and then raise it when you return.
“Some people think they will really save money by turning the heating system completely off when they leave–as long as the weather isn’t cold enough to freeze the water pipes,” said Felix Colagioia, owner of Envirotech Heating and Cooling of Philadelphia.
“But actually, that costs them more money because it takes so much more energy to reheat everything. You aren’t just reheating air, you are reheating your furniture, the clothes in your closet.”
Programmable thermostats, which can be set to automatically raise and lower air temperature when you are away or sleeping, cost anywhere from $40 to $200 but can save as much as 10 percent of your fuel bill.
– Plugging leaks. Cold air leaking into your house and warm air leaking out is a major money waster, so even $25 worth of caulking, sealing and weather-stripping windows, doors, vents, cracks, seams and such is helpful.
Leaks can be almost anywhere. Air comes in and out where plumbing pipes and electrical wires enter, through gaps along the baseboard, around window air conditioners and mail slots.
If your windows rattle or you can see daylight around the frame, a leak is likely. If new factory-made windows are too costly, said the Department of Energy, you can install low-cost plastic sheets over the windows.
However, what you want to do is eliminate drafts without eliminating air exchange entirely, said Colagioia. “People who seal up their homes too tightly end up with `sick house syndrome.’ That is, all the pollution from dust, mold, germs, etc., is trapped inside.”
Not good.
He suggests walking through your home when all doors and windows are closed with a lighted candle or smoking incense stick. If the flame or smoke bends over, you’ve got a leak that needs plugging.
You might also want to check to see if the ducts carrying warm air from your furnace are leaking in areas like the basement, where you don’t need it. You can use duct tape to seal holes or sections that have separated.
– Insulation. Most homes built before 1980 are under-insulated, according to Owens Corning, maker of insulation. The Department of Energy agrees and says the easiest place to add insulation is the attic, if you have one. Heat rises and keeps going out through the roof, so if you have less than 11 to 12 inches of attic insulation, you probably need more.
The Energy Department also says that putting an insulating wrap ($10 to $20 at the hardware store) around your water heater will cut your water heating costs.
– A furnace fix. If your furnace is 20 or more years old and you were thinking of replacing it, you’ll find the new models will cut your heating bills considerably. Some new furnaces are as much as 95 percent efficient, which means that 95 percent of the fuel used is converted to heat. Older models convert as little as 50 percent of the fuel.
But getting your heater professionally cleaned and tested before the heating starts will make it as efficient as it can be, said Haab.
According to Owens Corning, you can improve your energy efficiency by as much as 10 percent by cleaning air registers, baseboard heaters and radiators and by changing forced-air heating system air filters monthly.
(At least, look at your air filter. If you hold it up to the light and can’t see through it, it’s clogged, says PGW.)
You can buy disposable replacement filters or use a washable filter (about $20 each) that will last up to five years.
Other suggestions:
If your house is very dry, a humidifier will make 68 degrees feel warmer, says the Energy Department. The relative humidity in your home should be between 20 and 40 percent.
If you have a room in your house that is unused, shut off the vent carrying heat there. You can always open the vent if the room is needed.
If you have a fireplace, keep the damper closed unless a fire is going. An open damper lets out as much warm air as a 48-inch window. When you use the fireplace, open the nearest window about an inch and lower the thermostat to between 50 and 55 degrees.
If you have ceiling fans, run them slowly and in reverse, says OurHouse.com. It will keep the warm air that rises to the ceiling circulating and reduce the effort required by the furnace.
