Maybe you should look into upgrading...

This year, along with all of the other economic peril to worry about, oil prices (used to heat the home in oil-based furnaces) are also expected to rise. Also, look at: http://greenecon.net/home-heating-concerns/energy_economics.html for more information about how these rising costs could affect you. Newer furnaces are more economical. The government has placed increased efficiency standards on most units and so they use less energy and fuel than in previous years. This can be especially helpful in saving money. Other options to ask about are geo-thermal heat models or the use of other fuels rather than gas or oil.

What do I set my thermostat to in Winter?

Well, rhetorical question: wonder no longer. Technically, you set your thermostat to where you are most comfortable. However, to best save energy (and money) Energy Star recommends at 70 or above (and 78 while you are away or asleep). Energy Star has a wealth of information on their website, but it can be a bit difficult to wade through all of it. Here are their suggestions for the use of your programmable thermostat. (See the original on their website: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=thermostats.pr_thermostats_guidelines)

Proper Use Guidelines for Programmable Thermostats

Through proper use of a programmable thermostat (using the 4 pre-programmed settings) you can save about $180* every year in energy costs.

Rules of Thumb for Proper Use:

Keep the temperature set at its energy savings set-points for long periods of time (at least eight hours), for example, during the day, when no one is at home, and through the night, after bedtime.

1. All thermostats let you temporarily make an area warmer or cooler, without erasing the pre-set programming. This override is cancelled automatically at the next program period. You use more energy (and end up paying more on energy bills) if you consistently “hold” or over-ride the pre-programmed settings.
2. Units typically have 2 types of hold features: (a) hold/permanent/vacation; (b) temporary. Avoid using the hold/permanent/vacation feature to manage day to day temperature settings. “Hold” or “vacation” features are best when you're planning to be away for an extended period. Set this feature at a constant, efficient temperature (i.e. several degrees warmer temperature in summer, several degrees cooler during winter), when going away for the weekend or on vacation. You'll waste energy and money if you leave the “hold” feature at the comfort setting while you're away.
3. Cranking your unit up to 90 degrees or down to 40 degrees, for example, will not heat or cool your house any faster. Most thermostats, including ENERGY STAR qualified units, begin to hear or cool at a set time, to reach setpoint temperatures sometime thereafter. Units with adaptive (smart/intelligent) recovery features are an exception to this rule — Adaptive recovery units are constantly calculating the amount of time required to heat or cool the house, so that it reaches that temperature when the homeowner programmed it. By “examining” the performance of the past few days the thermostat can keep track of the seasons. In this way, your house is always at the comfort levels when occupied, but saving the most energy when unoccupied.
4. Many homes use just one thermostat to control the whole house. If your home has multiple heating or cooling zones, you'll need a programmed setback thermostat for each zone to maximize comfort, convenience and energy savings throughout the house. If your programmable thermostat runs on batteries, don't forget to change the batteries each year. Some units will indicate when batteries must be changed.

*The $180 savings assumes a typical, single-family home with a 10 hour daytime setback of 8° F in winter and setup of 7° F in summer, and an 8 hour nighttime setback of 8° F in winter and a setup of 4° F in summer.

It is very important to utilize your programmable thermostat if you have one. The heating unit works much harder trying to warm a freezing house than it does trying to bring the temperature up a few degrees. Plus, if your furnace is used constantly, it is less likely that it will be on for a prolonged period of time - which costs you more money. If you do not have a programmable thermostat, it might be in your interest to look into getting one. If thermostats are used properly, they can save both time and money - as well as keeping your home SUPER Comfortable!

Air Conditioning as Preservation

Climate control - as far as humidity, as well as temperature - is one of the main reasons for upgrading to a central air and heating system. A unit attached to a thermostat allows for a comfortable home, with a maintained constant temperature and humidity level. In the summer, it's the humidity that makes life unbearable, so being able to take the moisture out of the air is very helpful in an air conditioning system. Air units may also be used to maintain more specific temperatures and humidity levels for a variety of things. For example, light and moisture are the enemies of old paper products (books (first edition copies - Gutenberg Bible), manuscripts (Declaration of Independence), and photos (Spanish American War correspondent documentation photos)...etc.) So a library like the Huntington library close to us needs to work with their air and heating to provide the optimum temperature. At the Huntington, some collections are also kept in the dark. (More information than you ever wanted to know? probably...) So, how does this tie in with my blog post? Well, on the Carrier website, they have a list of places that required special heating or cooling needs - and I found it interesting the differences and spectrum between the examples. They range from cooling at the Alexandria Library in Egypt to National Geographic needing to encase the 'ice maiden.' The Carrier project showcase tells all about these and many other examples: http://www.corp.carrier.com/www/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=54c87afdef677010VgnVCM100000cb890b80RCRD Not that most of us will ever need that much cooling or heating capacity, but it is interesting to see how the technology is changing to meet new needs. Hopefully as research improves, some of these technologies will be applied to our houses too.

Explaining Electricity

Prepare: More than you ever wanted to know about electricity... The department of energy puts out these nifty little brochures that explain electricity or gas, or oil and other things. So, what better to learn about as it starts to get cold and the furnace kicks in...adding to that electricity bill than electricity pricing? Visit: http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/brochure/electricity/electricity.html to see the brochure on electricity. The brochure explains where electricity comes from, the percentages of the total of each source - coal, nuclear, gas etc. And then how much electricity the average home uses, broken down into the various appliances. If you are unsure about what the "grid" is, or how high of a percentage of electricity your refrigerator is eating up, this brochure is a good idea. It's an easy read, with lots of pictures. go forth, and inform...

Inspected?

If you aren't planning on having your heating and air conditioning equipment inspected this year, you might want to consider having a whole house inspection. These inspections aren't just for possible home buyers anymore. If you have lived in your house for awhile, it is a good idea to have your equipment checked out. That way you can avoid costly repairs of things you didn't even know were wrong. This video explains the benefits of having a home inspection as well as possible resources. It's better to be prepared than to be scrambling to fix something.