Myths & Facts About Saving Heating Costs

Myth: A furnace works harder to reheat space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set-back, resulting in little or no savings.

Fact: The fuel required to reheat your home to a comfortable temperature is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to the lower temperature. You save fuel between the time the temperature stabilizes at the lower level and the next time heat is needed. The longer your home remains at a lower temperature, the more energy you save.

Myth: The higher you raise a thermostat, the faster the temperature will rise.

Fact: Furnaces put out the same amount of heat no matter how high the thermostat is set – the variable is how long it must stay on to reach the set temperature.

Typical savings are about one-percent per degree set-back for each eight-hour period. A five-degree set-back from 10 PM to 6 AM would reduce fuel costs five percent.

Simple Savings!

• When you'll be out for an evening, turn down the thermostats. If you'll be away for a weekend or more, lower the thermostats to 55 F. You'll save on heating without risking a freeze-up of your water pipes.

• Whenever you can lower your thermostat dramatically for a few days or more, you'll save a little on the operation of the refrigerator and freezer, which won't need to work so hard to maintain their cool.

• How low can your thermostats be set? At our house, we're accustomed to 68 F as a comfortable norm. Reduce the heat one degree at a time and try it for a week. Each one-degree drop for an eight-hour period reduces your fuel bill a percent. In time, you might be able to go down three or four degrees comfortably and save money.

• Try turning down the thermostat five to ten degrees at night, and then turn it up again in the morning when the coffee is brewing. If you can get used to that, you'll save 5 to 10 percent of your heating bill. We use an automatic set-back thermostat and have the temperature go back to 68 F about an hour before our alarm goes off – that way, the house is warm when we get up. We sleep with the temperature at 60 F. When we go to work, the automatic set-back thermostat lowers the temperature to 55 F and turns it back up, about a half-hour before we get home, to 68 F again.

One common myth is that when you reduce the thermostat for only a few hours, it will take more heat to bring your home back up to the desired temperature. This is not so. You will save money and fuel because your heating system will not have to keep your home so warm. You will use less energy overall.

• For greater ease and comfort, install a programmable set-back thermostat. They are available for most gas- and oil-fueled central heating systems. That way, you can have the heat turned up before you get up in the morning and lowered just as you get into bed. You may not even notice that you are setting back your thermostat. Most of these thermostats come with seven-day and up to four set-backs a day, so you can also set back the thermostat for the hours when you are at work.

• If you heat with electricity, you can take advantage of individual room thermostats that make it possible to shut off unused rooms and have cool settings in some rooms and warmer settings in others. Using this feature of electric heat will reduce your fuel bills. If you have a thermostat that controls a relatively large area, you should still consider a set-back thermostat. You will need an electrician for this installation.

• Do you need to talk yourself into a lower thermostat setting? Consider this! Your plants are healthier in the cooler air. The health of your plants isn't in the same league with your personal comfort? You'll be healthier in the cooler air. Your body will burn a few more calories keeping you warm, thereby helping you to lose weight and improve your general health. Besides, if you've already insulated and tightened your home, you will probably be just as comfortable at lower temperatures.

• When it's time to open the windows for a little fresh air in the spring, remember to turn down the thermostat. Those cool, refreshing breezes will send your furnace on a fuel-burning rampage unless the thermostats are reset.

• Planning a party? Then turn down the thermostat. Each guest is the equivalent of a 175-watt heater, and a large group will warm up the place without the furnace or the heating units in operation.

• A good web site with heating/cooling savings calculators is www.warmair.com.

• Stop by Home Hardware and we will help you select energy-saving items to save you money.

More Money-Saving Tips!

Run exhaust fans less. Only run exhaust fans when necessary. Exhaust fans will pull a lot of warm air out of the house and replace it with cold air that will need heating.

Humidity in the house. Run a humidifier at 40 to 50 percent humidity. But less is more. You don't want it so moist in your house that you get condensation on your windows. The additional humidity will help eliminate colds, keep static electricity away, and make you feel warmer. Plus, you can lower your thermostat and still feel warm. That's because dry air feels cooler and you will want to turn up the heat.

Maybe a new thermostat location...? Think about the location of your thermostat. Is it really in the right place? A thermostat should be located on an inside wall that doesn't have a heat duct running through it. It should be kept from direct sunlight, and away from a lamp or other source of heat. It should be located around five feet off the floor, away from an exterior door or window. Plug the hole where the control wires come though with a wad of paper or some spackling. This will keep any drafts going through the wall cavity from affecting the thermostat. To save even more money, check out our product catalog for specials on a variety of thermostats.