36 replies to this topic

[Jabsfreelanceworld]

Yes, it's definitely the little things that count. I remember my parents putting towels under the doors like one person mentioned. We plan to put plastic on our windows at our place, and I wouldn't mind having a wood-burning stove. I think an electric toaster oven is the next-best thing. LOL Seriously though, I use the toaster oven alot and I'm assuming it uses less energy than the stove doesn't it?

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Don't forget the nooks and crannies guys. Pipes coming in, electrical sockets. Walk the house room by room,
and address them. It's amazing how much heat loss those little holes/gaps can cause.

[ConservativeGreen]

Setbacks are fine but be aware that with a heatpump the thermostat will kick on the electric heat if the temp difference is more than a few degrees on call for heat.  That eats up your savings quick.  Generally, if you heat with a heatpump, set and forget.  If you use fuel or electric element heat setback what you can stand and it will be ok.

[Organgrinder Johnson]

I have natural gas backup and even at five degrees setback (when I did that) my "emergency heat", i.e. natural gas, did not come on. If after 90 minutes the temp didn't make it to within 2-3 degrees of target temp, then it would kick on.  Electric heat strips with a heat pump will react the way you have described, so, yes, set and forget within a couple degrees is the best policy.

[duffield1]

Lots of nice ideas, but many of them will not work in a rental property.  For example, if we were homeowners, we'd qualify for free loft insulation from our gas provider - not so in a rental property.  Ground source is out - we can't replace the heating system.  I am tempted to replace our very old timer (only allows the same settings for every day) with one I can customise around times when we know we will be in and out, as the cost should be relatively modest.

I think that heavier curtains might be a solution for us - lots of large windows and doors which let out heat - and we're going to get a baby listener so we can keep an ear open for the kids upstairs whilst having the living room door shut.

[luissousa]

It was only my suggestion but at the end decision would be yours.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

duffield1, on 14 November 2011 - 03:23 AM, said:

I think that heavier curtains might be a solution for us - lots of large windows and doors which let out heat - and we're going to get a baby listener so we can keep an ear open for the kids upstairs whilst having the living room door shut.

I know you said you live in a rental, so ask permission from the landlady/landlord but window shrink wrap
will help tremendously. I used to put that up every winter until I finally got my windows upgraded. The cost
is minimal, and will reduce your heat loss.
Food for thought.

[duffield1]

All of our windows are double glazed so, in theory at least, that should keep the warmth in.  The problem is more the size of the glass and plastic door - if you imagine a standard front door, the windows at each side are a width and a half, so we've got three door widths of floor to ceiling glass!  It was lovely in summer, as the building is old stone so tends to keep a fairly constant temperature, but we've noticed a difference in the last few weeks.

[Germs]

Jabsfreelanceworld, on 07 November 2011 - 06:16 PM, said:

Most everyone I know sets their thermostat to a lower level. Ours right now is at 68 degrees F. Some people might set it at 70 degrees F or warmer though.

I rarely have my home heating on anymore, but when i do its around this temperature.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

I keep mine at 60 degrees.



Adding a humidifier helps warm the house too because moist air is warmer than dry air,
but I only run it for an hour or so because of the electrical draw=coal.

[sammilynn]

We had an oil heater for a while before we moved recently, and we would use the amount of heat depending on the temperature outside, and if we were home or not.

We never set it above 20 Celsius, well my dad did, but we always turned it down, and if it was warmer out we turned it down, and colder we would turn it up if we needed to. It would turn on and off, just to keep it at the temperature we set it too, but more was used when it was turned up.

[kat74]

I think if you have kids or people in the house through out, you have no choice but to leave it on. But if there are no people, then I would put it own only when I need it. There are many different types of heaters out there so the best way to conserve energy is to use the best one and the one that uses less power to warm the house.

[MakingCents]

My thought is this ( and this is just me, not anything scientific)  

But if you use a programmable thermostat and vary it say by 3 or 4 degrees, maybe set on 69 when you are home, 65 when you are not.  You might save a little money.  Any more than that as a variance and your house will get so cold when it is off that it will have to run forever just to catch itself back up.

Does that seem to make sense to anyone else?

[Shortpoet-GTD]

MakingCents, on 11 December 2011 - 08:52 PM, said:

My thought is this ( and this is just me, not anything scientific)  

But if you use a programmable thermostat and vary it say by 3 or 4 degrees, maybe set on 69 when you are home, 65 when you are not.  You might save a little money.  Any more than that as a variance and your house will get so cold when it is off that it will have to run forever just to catch itself back up.

Does that seem to make sense to anyone else?

Yes,
It's the same with a/c.
If you let the house get too hot while you're away, it has to run longer to catch up.
65 is a good setting; if you get a bit chilly at that, put on a sweater.

[anEgrahm]

The most efficient way is quite clearly to insulate the walls.

Personally, I prefer strictly setting it at a constant heat and letting it turn off and on a couple times throughout the day. You always, always have to make sure that it's off at night.

Also, for me, the temperatures you choose are pretty high - I have my house heating set at 17 degrees Celsius, and that's turning off and on. So I'm not sure, but I would definitely not recommend that you keep it on all the time.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

anEgrahm, on 15 December 2011 - 12:59 AM, said:

So I'm not sure, but I would definitely not recommend that you keep it on all the time.

It depends on where you live.
Minnesota or Montana for instance can drop down to 20 below or worse in the winter.
If you're in Florida, 40 at night may be the low.

When it's snowing, and the temps hover around 10 with wind chills below zero, the heat stays on.

[MakingCents]

anEgrahm, on 15 December 2011 - 12:59 AM, said:

The most efficient way is quite clearly to insulate the walls.

Personally, I prefer strictly setting it at a constant heat and letting it turn off and on a couple times throughout the day. You always, always have to make sure that it's off at night.

Also, for me, the temperatures you choose are pretty high - I have my house heating set at 17 degrees Celsius, and that's turning off and on. So I'm not sure, but I would definitely not recommend that you keep it on all the time.

Well I'm all for saving money and helping the environment but I am also for being comfortable and 62 degrees is just too cold to keep my house at.   I try to leave it around 68, and think it's more efficient to keep the heat on at a temperature within 3 or 4 degrees of that.