Should my heating bill be this high??? (how much, big house)

[chuyler1]

Hi everyone. My wife and I just moved from Mass to NH. We have a 3,200 sq ft house built in 1997 with a relatively new high-efficiency propane furnace. Forced air. The programmable thermostat is set for 66 when we are home and 62 at night and during the day when we are at work. When we moved in at the beginning of December, we paid $600 for the propane in the tank. 3 weeks later we received 250 gal. for $850. Last week the propane company put another 220 gal. in the tank for $750. Should it be costing this much to heat the house? My coworkers say they only pay $300-400 for heating (oil or natural gas) and they are able to leave their homes at 68-70 degrees. I'm cold and paying a fortune to heat this house!

What should I do to lower the bill? Our windows are decent, we keep the thermostat low, we keep the bedroom doors closed. I have no idea where the heat is going.

[skinut74]

i am not sure how much your heat should be because we do not heat with propane. is it possible that you have a leak ? i would try and find out the avg usage at the house before you moved in.

[BF66389]

Here's a few things to check in regards to trouble-shooting:
1) Get the system checked for leaks...
2) Ensure you've got a clean (or clean-enough) air filter installed in the furnace
3) Check for detached or leaky ductwork where possible
4) Check to make sure your hot water heater is at a reasonable temperature
5) Do you have any noticeable drafts/cold are spots around windows/doors/outlets/other fixtures like downlights
6) Do you have a piano-key pattern of snowmelt on your roof? with areas of high and low melt (in the pattern of your rafters)

Right now you really only know that in 3 weeks time (21 days) you burned 250 gallons; which is about 12 gallons per day. With 91000 BTU per gallon that's about 45,500 BTU per hour of heat input to your home (14 BTU per square foot per hour). By comparison my home built in 1975 (though remodeled in the early 90s) is 2400 square feet with "ok" insulation...and consumes about 20,000 BTU per hour (8.3 BTU per square foot per hour).

The only difference is my "day" temperature is 60, night is 58; and "we're awake/home" is 67...which will probably save me some energy over you- but not that much (and we have electric for cooking & hot water)...

I'd check for leaks and try to figure out where the heat is exiting the building...

Likewise your fuel company (if its the same as the previous owner used); probably has a record of how much they used in prior years time that they could share.

In short- it seems like something is off; but I can't tell you what without more information.

[chuyler1]

I'll replace the air filter right away. It looked pretty clean when we moved in but we have 4 cats. I totally didn't think of checking it again.

I know some air was leaking into the attic space through the drop-down staircase. This weekend I used some scrap 2" thick packing styrofoam to build a canopy that I placed over the staircase. I am hoping this will preven air from escaping into the attic and provide a little extra insulation over the stairs.

I will also check the water heater temperature. I think my wife had me turn it up when we moved in because she thought the hotwater wasn't warm enough. It could have been that she just didn't wait long enough for the hot water to reach the shower.

Another thing I just researched was the furnace fan setting. It was set to always-on when we moved in and I changed it to auto after a few weeks. The house felt drafty. However I did more research and it appears that it is better to keep it on always-on so keep air evenly distributed throughout the house. I think I'll try always-on for the month of February and see how it goes.

[BF66389]

1) That attic stair cover will make a big difference.
2) Sometimes the pipes get cold and it takes even longer for the hot water to reach full temperature at the outlet- especially first thing in the morning since the water and the pipe has to reach full temperature before you get it. Also there is some foam pipe insulation you can get (for cheap) that's pre-cut and you just put it around your hot water pipes- it helps with keeping the water in the pipes warm between uses.
3) If your ducts run up exterior walls you can lose a lot of heat via "always on"; it may feel more comfortable since the air will be better circulated though...so it kind of depends on your exact home, etc.

[steveusaf]

Not sure what the issue is, but 3200 sq feet is a big house. You're paying to heat a lot of square feet of perhaps "code minimum" insulated house. Just because it's built in 1997 doesn't mean it's well insulated, or well air sealed for that matter. If your house feels drafty, then the contractor maybe didn't pay a lot of attention to sealing around doors, windows, and exterior penetrations.

This is why the house I'm building will be extremely well insulated/air sealed and have a blower door test to back it up.

I also recommend all the advice above, and hope the best for you. That seems like a lot of propane, even for a house that size....

[Mac_Muz]

I have no idea how much this should cost, but you sure want to be sure there is no propane leaks. You can do that testing yourself, easy with a spray bottle of soapy water solution and test every single fitting there is. It does appear your running thru a lot of fuel, but that could just be the house lets it out easy.

Do you have ice dams in the roof? If so your insulation is rather lacking.

[GregW]

I suggest having your house inspected for insulation effectiveness and air leaks by a certified home inspection company. Then fix all the problems uncovered by the inspection. If you have a cold attic set up where the insulation is on the attic floor install more insulation. Either batt or loose will work about as well. It is depth that counts.

Realizing that propane is the most expensive source of heat besides electricity consider switching to oil. You might, if your house is an open plan with lots of natural circulation, consider having a small wood or coal (my preference) stove added. A good stove run during the day when you are home and banked for over night can cut your normal fuel bill considerably.

There are several books on improving your home’s energy efficiency. Check your library, bookstore or Fine Homebuilding’s website. Direct message me for reference to a friend of mine in the business.

[sgthoskins]

Do you have large icicles hanging from your roof line?

[TimeMachine]

I'm in a similar boat, I am seriously considering a home energy audit.