Utility Bills and High Ceilings/Less Walls (condo, construction, kitchen)

[LauraC]

Do high ceilings and less walls impact heating and cooling bills? Did anyone who purchased a home (in the same neighborhood) with cathedral ceilings and an open concept that they didn't have in their previous home, get shocked when they got their first utility bill? I'm trying to figure out how much of an impact, if any, these things have on utility bills. I say "in the same neighborhood" to control for temperatures.

[rational1]

Walls should make no difference at all (assuming single story). High ceilings will be easier to cool and harder to heat. Depending on where you live this might be a wash. It's probably more important to focus on window construction and insulation.

[marksmu]

Originally Posted by LauraC

Do high ceilings and less walls impact heating and cooling bills? Did anyone who purchased a home (in the same neighborhood) with cathedral ceilings and an open concept that they didn't have in their previous home, get shocked when they got their first utility bill? I'm trying to figure out how much of an impact, if any, these things have on utility bills. I say "in the same neighborhood" to control for temperatures.

There are big differences in homes with high ceilings and open concepts when it comes to utilities and comfort. What most people do not realize is that these layouts must utilize a different type of ac/heat utilization.

If you have high or low temperature extremes, no matter what you do your house will have hot/cold spots. Fewer walls and more open concept means that it takes more circulation to get the entire area to the desired temperature. Thermostat placement and air duct balancing is MUCH more important in this situation. Variable speed blowers pay for themselves quickly in these types of houses.1

As to the utility bill - what matters in open concept/high ceiling floor plans is that you do not move your thermostat much. In more divided houses its common to have your house go up to 78 or 80 during the day (cooling season in texas) when you are gone, and then to have it kick on an hour before you get home and cool everything down. This does not work with high temperature extremes and open floor plans with high ceilings.

The more open/high ceiling - the less you are supposed to move your thermostat. There is a point where turning the thermostat up and allowing your house to heat up during the day when you are not there actually costs more than just leaving it set to something like 76. If you allow your house to get too hot or too cold the amount of energy to heat it back up, or cool back it down exceeds what you would have saved by leaving your home comfortable at all times.

My current house can not heat up past 77 or it will cost significantly more to cool back to 74-75 than if I just left it at 76. As an example in August when I did my test I left my house on 76 all day when I was gone (72 at night) with average outside temps of 94-99 and my bill was around $265/month. When I reprogrammed to let the house goto 78 when I was gone and progressively cool down to 76 an hour before I got home, in September (roughly same temperatures) my bill shot up to nearly $400. I put a monitor on the AC unit and the run time for the compressor went up about 3 hours/day to make up for the heat load that 2 degrees made. (my thermostat is programmed not to kick on unless the room temperature is 1 degree past set point - IE a set point of 78 wont retrigger the AC to turn on until it gets to 79 and it will cool two degress past set point 76 before it shuts down)

[davebarnes]

fewer walls
not less walls

[mkarch]

How old is the house and are the ceiling and walls insulated to current code? Are the windows modern? In general an older house with vaulted ceilings and an open floor plan will cost more to heat - but that's because of the poor insulation more than the layout.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

No problem. You just have to manage your heat and cooling a bit differently.

Ceiling fans can be set for "winter" or "summer'. In the winter, they move the warm air, which rises to the ceiling, back down and around.

My house has 16 ft ceilings in the living room and 14 ft ceilings in the kitchen. My electric bills, both summer and winter run $75- $125. But I am a cheapskate and I manage my window coverings for solar gain and open windows for cooling at night in the summer. Heat doesn't even come on in the winter until it is below 32 degrees outside because I am working the window coverings. My air conditioning doesn't come on until about 5 PM, and then off again by 10 PM, when I open windows.

I have a wood stove at one extreme end of the house and it will heat the entire 2600 square feet of house. The ceiling fans keep the heat moving on down to the end of the house instead of pooling in the high part of the rooms.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Also, because this is an area with gorgeous mountain views, many house have very high walls of glass to show off the mountains. Those walls of glass are very efficient greenhouses and will bake you right out of your house in the summer. Without proper window coverings, those houses have astronomical cooling bills in the summer.

Something to think about.

[LauraC]

Thanks to everyone who responded.

[399083453]

Years ago when energy costs were low, high ceilings were not an issue. Now that energy costs are skyrocketing I would never buy a house with cathedral ceilings. Those costs are only going to go higher in the future.

Its much cheaper to heat and cool a home with low ceilings.

[Pama]

You can move into a studio condo and safe a whole lot on your energy cost. If you want a nice, bright and spacious home then you have to pay for it.