10 Ways to Save Money on Your Utility Bills (furnaces, water heaters, insulation)

[harry chickpea]

Typical pop ecology drivel, used to fill space and keep writers from having to work or think.


1. Paint Your Roof White
Works in sunny climates, and I agree it extends the life of a roof somewhat BUT... The bigger issue with roof life is the effect on it from ultraviolet. Paint would help more from shielding a roof from ultraviolet than from the heat buildup, which means unless you are painting shingles or roll roofing, the extended life argument is bogus. I started out arguing the other side of that argument (outgassing is more important) but came around to realizing I was wrong. AND... A white roof will have minimal temperature impact IF the attic is properly insulated (which is not mentioned).

2. Install an Irrigation Meter
Not having to pay for water, I save even more. We had a well for irrigation water in Florida. I'd revise this to "stay off municipal systems as much as possible - save rainwater if you can."

3. Do a Nightly Energy Sweep..."It takes about $9 per year to run just one compact fluorescent lightbulb through the night" Really? Do the math. Around here a 23 watt lamp (100 watt equiv) for 9 hours costs for 365 days is about $7.50. A 13 watt lamp (more common) is much less. The idea is fine, generalizations iffy.

4. Set Your Water Heater at 120 Degrees.
This is flat out wrong. I've gone over the flaws in the reasoning so many times that I refuse to do so again. It is urban myth.

5. Use Reusable AC and Furnace Filters
I've used hogshair and expanded aluminum filters. They don't work well at all compared to the disposables. An electronic one is expensive. I've seen more neglected permanent filters than disposable ones. Cleaning a permanent one is messy and gets put off. Systems suffer because of that.

6. Upgrade Your Appliances
"Upgrade?" to save money? How about "replace?" The curve is leveling out on this anyway. The existing refrigerators are likely by now to be recent enough that the gains are minimal. And other appliances like ovens? Not a problem anyway.

7. Don't Let Cash Slip Through the Cracks
Probably the best bit of advice in the article.

8. Do Your Meter and Utility Bill Match Up?
"If the amount on your meter is lower than the one on your bill, that's a dead giveaway that you're being overcharged. " This "money saving" tip is SO idiotic that it incited me to respond to the other points as well. Look. The meter goes in one direction. It gets read every month. The meter reader makes an error one month, it gets re-read the next one and the error gets corrected. The only way you might save money is if your power company has a punitive tiered system of rates and you hit the next rate category. What an IDIOTIC "tip"!

9. Buy Energy-Star Certified Products
Buy to save. My old girlfriend used to do that all the time. Don't buy. Save even more!

10. Buy a Programmable Thermostat
Over-rated and only work in some situations. May end up COSTING money in others, especially if improperly programmed and a heat pump is involved.

Like I said, junk filler.

[Narfcake]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

Buy to save. My old girlfriend used to do that all the time. Don't buy. Save even more!

Folks like to forget about the other two Rs - (R)educe and (R)euse. Problem is that if folks are not buying or buying old items instead, there's no demand for new products and thus no business.

Oh, and for all the HVAC talk and permanent filters ... when I bought my house last year, the "last serviced" sticker for the filter said 1982. It was bad.

[eggalegga]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

Typical pop ecology drivel, used to fill space and keep writers from having to work or think.

....10. Buy a Programmable Thermostat
Over-rated and only work in some situations. May end up COSTING money in others, especially if improperly programmed and a heat pump is involved.

Like I said, junk filler.

Well almost any energy/cost saving effort will be thwarted if not used properly. That's a given. But why do you say a heat pump would not help with saving money on utility bills? I'm curious as to what scenario you are referring to.

[harry chickpea]

I did a major post a while back on how heat pumps work. You'll find it pretty quickly with an advanced search.

In a nutshell, if you program a low overnight temp, then kick it up suddenly in the AM, you force the auxiliary heat mode, which is three or four times more energy intensive. Programming in stages, to keep the variation between demand and actual temps to between two or three degrees resolves the issue.

[eggalegga]

Thanks for your explanation. I considered a dual fuel heat pump when I replaced my furnace and added central a/c in June. I didn't get one but they did appear to be much cheaper to operate than just the natural gas furnace in the cooler months. I'll go look for your post about it.

[BigJon3475]

Originally Posted by eggalegga

Thanks for your explanation. I considered a dual fuel heat pump when I replaced my furnace and added central a/c in June. I didn't get one but they did appear to be much cheaper to operate than just the natural gas furnace in the cooler months. I'll go look for your post about it.

You gotta beware though with heat pumps. In the winter the colder the temp. outside the less heat that can be transferred to your home. You need to look for balance points. It may still be more efficient to operate @ 10 degrees F, but it may not be transferring enough heat to actually keep your home warm.

The absolute best bang for your buck is to attack what cost you the most. In most homes it's the HVAC system which can be 60-80% of your power bill. Anything you can do to the homes structure whether it's spray foams, caulking, windows, doors etc will decrease your homes heat load/loss and its infiltration rates and allow you to buy a smaller HVAC system that still does the job and uses a considerable amount less in power or fuels. After addressing those items proper instillation is absolutely key in not only comfort but running cost.

[suzy_q2010]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

I did a major post a while back on how heat pumps work. You'll find it pretty quickly with an advanced search.

In a nutshell, if you program a low overnight temp, then kick it up suddenly in the AM, you force the auxiliary heat mode, which is three or four times more energy intensive. Programming in stages, to keep the variation between demand and actual temps to between two or three degrees resolves the issue.

Harry, we are practically neighbors; I am in NW Georgia.

We installed ground source heat pumps when we built our home in 1986, and we are still running the original system (thanks to an excellent HVAC guy who considers it his baby!)

We do have a programmable thermostat, though my husband frequently overrides it and sets it on "hold temp". I cannot get him to leave it alone! He is not even there for 12 hours a day during the week. If it is set and running, we do not get the aux heat problem. Is this because of the ground source keeping a more even temp anyway?

Any suggestions to help me convince hubby to leave the thermostat alone? He also wants to run the blower fan constantly. I cannot convince him that is self-defeating when we are cooling in Georgia's high humidity.

[BigJon3475]

Yes it is because you have a GSHP. As far as running the fan in the on position during cooling, you paid to remove the humidity why pay to put it right back?

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by suzy_q2010

Harry, we are practically neighbors; I am in NW Georgia.

We installed ground source heat pumps when we built our home in 1986, and we are still running the original system (thanks to an excellent HVAC guy who considers it his baby!)

We do have a programmable thermostat, though my husband frequently overrides it and sets it on "hold temp". I cannot get him to leave it alone! He is not even there for 12 hours a day during the week. If it is set and running, we do not get the aux heat problem. Is this because of the ground source keeping a more even temp anyway?

Any suggestions to help me convince hubby to leave the thermostat alone? He also wants to run the blower fan constantly. I cannot convince him that is self-defeating when we are cooling in Georgia's high humidity.

Bigjohn is pretty much on target. However, fan costs include the cost of electricity AND the early replacement cost of a fan. Overall, 99.9% of people would LOVE to have problems like yours. I sense a few dinners and mini-vacations in the future for you that should MORE than cover the costs involved.

FWIW, if anything, I'd be more concerned about the REMOTE possibility of a fire from a seized fan.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

10. Buy a Programmable Thermostat
Over-rated and only work in some situations. May end up COSTING money in others, especially if improperly programmed and a heat pump is involved.

These actually work quite well for coal stokers and I'd imagine any solid fuel heating sytem could benefit from one. They have one specifically designed for the different aspect coal brings You prevent overshoots, it will control the combustion air more efficiently and a lot of other things. It's a bit more involved than programing the time the heat comes on or off.