This is an old page from Rod Begbie's blog.
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Is a $471 gas bill for the month of January just the cost of owning a 3-storey house in Somerville, or is there something seriously FUBARed with our heating system?
348 Therms in 30 days seems like a helluva lot, but is that just what I have to look forward to every winter?
Rod,
Welcome to the real world!!
Critical factors are :
1. Temperature Gradient (difference between ambient outside temperature and your selected inside temperature).
2. Efficiency of insulation
3. Exterior exposure to wind
Tips:
Check thermostat actually results in the desired room temperature in the room you use most. You may be able to save a lot of money by investing $20 in a thick jumper and reducing the temperature from 70 to 65 degrees.
Only have heaters operating in rooms that are regularly used.
Don't waste hot water.
Check windows for leaks. If they are not double-glazed, hang thick curtains.
Keep interior doors closed. (Alternatively, in a 3-storey house, try heating the upper story purely by convection, with no heaters turned on in that storey)
I talk from experience. Since you and Ali left home our gas bill has reduced from about £1300 pa to £800!
btw - Is "storey" the common spelling in New England? I have found them missing the "e" in other parts of USA.
I noticed the discussion about heating bills. So is it ridiculous that our heating bill for our 900 square foot apartment has been over $400 for the past three months and that we have used between 310 and 330 therms each of those months? Is this normal? We keep the thermostat set at between 58 and 60 degrees.
This is an archive of groovmother.com, the old blog run by Rod Begbie — A Scottish geek who lives in San Francisco, CA.
I'm the co-founder of Sōsh, your handy-dandy guide for things to do in San Francisco this weekend.
On Saturday, February 5, 2005, TC commented:
Well, based on how bitter freakin' cold it got in January, I'm completely not surprised and some would say you got off easy. I know people paying in the $300+ range for gas bills for an apartment, never mind an entire house. You might want to check how well insulated your house is, what temperature you're leaving the thermostat set for when you're not around, when you're sleeping, etc.
And when winter passes, sign up for the billing plan that averages out what you spent the previous winter and spreads that cost over 12 months rather than just the winter months. The downside is that your July gas bill with go from $18 to $100 or so. The upside is that your January gas bill next year should go down from $400+ to $100 or so.