Cost to heat house in winter? (Indianapolis, Bloomington: renting, appliances, how much)

[citybun]

I'm moving from a warm climate to Indianapolis. How much does heating a 3000 sq ft house cost in winter? Is gas furnace cheaper than electric heat pump in terms of gas vs electricity cost. Or if you could share the size of your house and cost that would be great too. Thanks in advance!

[MortonR]

Lots and lots of variables here. How big is a the house, how old, what's the efficiency rating of the furnace, how well insulated is the house, is it one or two stories, does it have southern/western exposure with windows, what temperature do you keep it set at, is it heated all day (setback thermostat?) etc., etc., etc.

I had a 4,000 sf house built in the early 2000s in Avon that was two stories with a basement and had a 90% efficient gas furnace. It cost in the neighborhood of $250/month to heat in the winter.

RM

[sheerbliss]

Gas charges were $87 for my house (1000 sf of which is heated) last January.

[Kluch]

I'm not sure about 3000 square feet but we live in an 1800 sq ft house that's completely electric. This past winter I think our average bill was between $200 and $250 (now granted, that's not just to run the furnace, it's for all appliances in the house). I would certainly opt for a gas furnace in a house if you have gas running to the house. Gas is almost always significantly cheaper. We're just renting so I don't really have a choice for now.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by citybun

I'm moving from a warm climate to Indianapolis. How much does heating a 3000 sq ft house cost in winter? Is gas furnace cheaper than electric heat pump in terms of gas vs electricity cost. Or if you could share the size of your house and cost that would be great too. Thanks in advance!

I would add that heat pumps are less than desirable in this climate, mainly because when outside temperatures drop below around 30F or so, they don't work efficiently. At that point "heat strips", which are nothing more than electric elements in the air handler, are used to raise the temperature of the air. They're horribly inefficient and quite costly to operate.

So yes, gas furnaces are, generally speaking, less expensive to operate than a heat pump.

Just as an aside, the temperature rise for the air in a heat pump system is much lower, meaning that air coming out of the vents is "cooler" than that of a gas furnace, too.

I've lived in houses with both systems. Given the choice I would prefer gas heat.

RM

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by MortonR

I would add that heat pumps are less than desirable in this climate, mainly because when outside temperatures drop below around 30F or so, they don't work efficiently. At that point "heat strips", which are nothing more than electric elements in the air handler, are used to raise the temperature of the air. They're horribly inefficient and quite costly to operate.

So yes, gas furnaces are, generally speaking, less expensive to operate than a heat pump.

Just as an aside, the temperature rise for the air in a heat pump system is much lower, meaning that air coming out of the vents is "cooler" than that of a gas furnace, too.

I've lived in houses with both systems. Given the choice I would prefer gas heat.

RM

Modern dual stage heat pumps are far more efficient and advanced than the older systems, and also work better with colder temperatures outside. The single stage setting will often run even down to around 30F with the dual stage setting coming on after that. Climate zone is still a factor, though, and insulation and window quality is still huge. I had the new system installed before last winter and it was quite fine with temperatures down to around 0F in southern Indiana (at a higher elevation similar to Bloomington). My average electric bill is almost always under $150 a month (all electric house) for a 1,600 sq ft property. I do use one small room space heater, but only use that on the absolute coldest days as I keep the thermostat at 63F all winter long.

[Kluch]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Modern dual stage heat pumps are far more efficient and advanced than the older systems, and also work better with colder temperatures outside. The single stage setting will often run even down to around 30F with the dual stage setting coming on after that. Climate zone is still a factor, though, and insulation and window quality is still huge. I had the new system installed before last winter and it was quite fine with temperatures down to around 0F in southern Indiana (at a higher elevation similar to Bloomington). My average electric bill is almost always under $150 a month (all electric house) for a 1,600 sq ft property. I do use one small room space heater, but only use that on the absolute coldest days as I keep the thermostat at 63F all winter long.

63F in the winter (in the midwest) sounds freezing to me. I think we normally run our thermostat closer to 68 or 69. It generally feels colder than the thermostat says though.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Kluch

63F in the winter (in the midwest) sounds freezing to me. I think we normally run our thermostat closer to 68 or 69. It generally feels colder than the thermostat says though.

I wouldn't want it much warmer than 63F, I prefer it cooler and it saves a good amount of money. I also have a supplemental heat source (fireplace with wood stove insert). My cooling costs in the summer are hardly anything as trees shade my roof, I do keep them well trimmed.