Heating Costs

[jackellis]

One of my fears when we built our Lake Tahoe house was heating costs. This house has about twice as much conditioned space as the one we moved out of (well, almost moved out of) and winters are about three times colder as measured by heating degree days. I was fussy about insulation, sealing and other design and construction methods that would minimize heat loss in winter.

In spite of the fact that we have no window coverings (blinds or curtains) yet and the supply water temp is about 20 degrees colder and the house is larger and it's generally colder here, so far the gas bills have been pretty modest. In October, we used 40 therms. In November, we used 59 therms. It helps that we keep unused rooms cooler and that we're comfortable with the thermostats set about three degrees cooler here than in Silicon Valley. We can't use the wood stove much because all it requires is about three or four small logs to take the morning chill off the great room. Any more and we bake!

For comparison's sake, average heating season temps here are a bit higher than Minneapolis and lower than New York City.

[Kristofor]

In my experience home construction/insulation quality makes HUGE impact on heating costs (much more than cooling costs).

Three friends and I rented a 100+ year old house near the U when I was younger. It would burn through a $600 tank of propane (don't recall the size, just the crazy expensive bill...) in less than 2 months.

In my current house which is twice the size, more window area, etc. my monthly gas bill stays under $100 in the winter... Some of that may be the difference between propane and natural gas, but the amount of energy needed to heat the house must be way lower.

[jackellis]

Kristofor,

I'm interested in comparing my usage with how much energy homes in other climates with big heating loads actually use. Do you know how many therms you use in winter?

BTW, we hired someone to estimate energy usage and his figure was $2500 per year (about 2,000 therms at 2007 prices) if we did not do anything exceptional to seal leaks and with insulation required by code.

[dbhost]

FWIW, I agree on the value of proper insulation. My old white fiber insulation (actual material remains a mystery, I know asbestos, and that ain't it. Looks like a polyester / fiberglass blend...) was deteriorating, and had lost over half of its loft. Instead of packing new insulation on top of the old (I am decking up there too!) I am removing the bad insulation, and rolling brand new R-19 in its place. So far I have rolled 4 25 foot rolls of R-19 Kraft faced pink fiberglass in place, so I have effectively insulated what HAD been the leakiest room in the house, and the closet of the next room over. Mind you, LOML is looking for work from home, and my BIL is staying with us (health care reasons) so unlike last year, we have the heat / AC going pretty much all day. I don't have the program turn it off any more... My electric bill for the last 2 cycles that I have had the insulation in place in, was down $50.00 ish from the previous year...

My house is all electric (not going to do THAT again...)

[cgallery]

My electric bill for the last 2 cycles that I have had the insulation in place in, was down $50.00 ish from the previous year...

My house is all electric (not going to do THAT again...)

Wow, I have the same type of insulation (white stuff) as you're replacing. I better get on that.

[dbhost]

Wow, I have the same type of insulation (white stuff) as you're replacing. I better get on that.

Check on it. When I bought my house almost 10 years ago, it was full and fluffy. No longer, it really fell apart...

[Mr__Bill]

Check on it. When I bought my house almost 10 years ago, it was full and fluffy. No longer, it really fell apart...

Oh Lord, something else to go wrong with this place.

I know in my attic if I step or otherwise pack it down it never recovers and I haven't found a way to fluff it up again. I am considering getting more and topping it off. It's the blown in stuff that comes in hard bails and a chopper blower is required to put it in.


Bill

[twistsol]

Here in southern MN last winter was one of the coldest and longest since we moved to this house. We used 828 therms, 900 gallons LP at .92 therms/gallon. A couple of years ago with the north wing essentially uninsulated due to remodeling and a mild winter, we used 1500 gallons of propane or 1380 therms.

For comparison, The main floor of the house is 2300 sq ft and we heat 1250 sq ft of the walkout basement. 2/3 of the walls are R35 Urethane closed cell foam the other 1/3 are R19 fiberglass batts. The attic is R54 blown loose fiberglass.

[Kristofor]

I haven't seen the November bill yet.

For Sept 30 - Oct 29 (September and November were warm, but October was one of the 10 coldest here) we used 27 therms @$0.59309/therm for a total of $16.01 for the gas or $25.44 with fees/taxes and such.

The total bill (don't have it in front of me for details) for September was $13.83 which covers water heating, stove/oven, and maybe a heat on a day or two...

This is for a 2-story ~2400ft^2 house plus a mostly below ground basement.

I'll try and remember to post a Dec-Feb bill for a more representative sample of winter heating costs.