University of Wisconsin - Extension

MADISON, Wis. — While supplies of natural gas are reported to be ample, prices are already higher than they were last year at this time and are expected to rise further this winter, according to the staff at the Wisconsin State Energy Bureau. Since most of us heat with natural gas, that means that we are likely to see higher heating costs this year unless we have an unusually mild winter or we take actions to reduce our energy use.

There are several logical possibilities for reducing your heating energy use.

1. You can improve the efficiency of your heating system so you get as much useful heat out of the fuel you use as possible.

2. You can invest in insulating and tightening your home so you use the heat produced as efficiently as possible.

3. You can reduce your demand for heat.

If you have an older furnace that still sends its exhaust products up a chimney you can significantly reduce your energy use by replacing it with a high efficiency model that vents out the wall. Your older furnace sends much of the heat it produces up the chimney with the combustion products. Newer furnaces capture much of this heat. Evidence of this is that the exhaust is cool enough so that it is safe to vent through plastic pipes out the side of your home.

If you already have a high efficiency furnace it is important to keep it operating at peak efficiency. This means keeping the filters clean. Dirty filters slow the movement of heat through the system and mean that the furnace has to operate longer to provide the same amount of heat to the home. It also means having the furnace tuned up regularly by a technician.

If your attic does not already have about 12 inches of insulation, upgrading your attic insulation will probably pay back in energy savings in just a few years. Adding insulation to your walls and improving the energy efficiency of your windows and doors will also help the heat you pay for go further. However, unlike attic insulation, the payback can take many years.

All of the suggestions above cost at least some money. It costs nothing to reduce your demand for heat -- you simply turn your thermostat down. This is frequently criticized as calling for a sacrifice in comfort. Let's look at the benefits before dealing with the sacrifice issue. The rule of thumb is that if you drop the thermostat setting by one degree for eight hours a day over the month you will save one percent on your heating bill. If you turn the thermostat down five degrees before you go to bed, and turn it up the next morning when you get up eight hours later, you will save five percent over the month. If you do the same for the period when your family is away at work or school you can save another five percent. Some people argue that the savings will be lost because the furnace will have to work much harder to reheat the house. The need to reheat the house is figured into the savings estimate. Much of the savings come during the period when the house has settled at the lower temperature and it is usually more efficient for the furnace to run continually to reheat the house than to run for short periods to maintain a higher temperature.

Are you sacrificing comfort? Many people who have dialed down would say no. They report enjoying sleeping in a cooler environment, that the house is less dry and that they quickly adapting to a slightly cooler living space. The process becomes even less painful if you install and use a setback thermostat. With a setback thermostat the house can be warm when you get out of bed or come home from work. The house may actually feel warmer when you get up because the furnace is running longer, circulating heat as it reheats the house.

For more information on saving energy in your home, visit Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program at http://www.focusonenergy.org .