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Early Retirement Extreme Forums » Lifestyle Questions

1. 

   nico33
   

   Apprentice
   Joined: Aug '11
   Posts: 34

   I was just wondering, if you have about a 1,500 square foot house, with a basement, how much, on average do you think you could save a year by-

   1. During the winter in a somewhat poorly insulated ranch house in New Jersey, using an electric blanket and/or space heater to heat one room in your house, and then keeping the thermostat for your gas furnace at 55 degrees while you are sleeping and outside of the house for work or recreation.

   2. During the summer in New Jersey, using a room unit air conditioner and a fan to cool the air in one room of the house, instead of using a central air conditioning unit to cool the entire house.

   I know a lot of variables are at play here, I am just trying to get a rough estimate on the annual savings. You can assume that the thermostat for the gas furnace would have been set at 70 and the thermostat for the central air conditioning would have been set at 74.

   Thank you for your advice.

   Posted 1 year ago #
2. 

   m741
   

   Master
   Joined: Jan '11
   Posts: 730

   Personally I like it cold and wouldn't even use a space heater/electric blanket at 55 degrees, I would just wear a sweatshirt and sweatpants in the house and have a few warm blankets.

   What you need is a baseline with no heating/cooling. Try to get a 'clean' month in March/April/May where you keep the heat at 55 and don't turn on any AC. Then see what your expenses are with central air turned on (one month), and then check expenses with just the window unit. I would guess you'd be saving $50-100/month in AC costs and maybe 40-$50/month in heating, but this is just a ballpark.

   Posted 1 year ago #
3. 

   Spartan_Warrior
   

   Master
   Joined: Dec '11
   Posts: 500

   There are too many variables to give an accurate estimate, for instance, the efficiency rating of individual furnaces varies considerably. If it's an older model, it may be grossly inefficient and cheaper to leave at the lowest setting possible and use room heating. If it's a newer, energy efficient model, it might be more efficient to "set it and forget it" at a temperature you can stand (or use a programmable thermostat to adjust it to your schedule) and forget the room units. Some of those space or room heaters can suck a lot of energy too, without as much bang for the buck in terms of distribution of the heat throughout the house courtesy of central ventilation.

   My personal method is as m741 says--heavy clothes and blankets in the winter (though my personal tolerance for cold is limited to 59 degrees at the moment), open windows or A/C at 85 in the summer. I generally don't mess with it (i.e. change the temperature when I'm leaving the house), as my understanding is forcing the unit to work harder to reach the new temperature is less efficient than just maintaining a single temperature. My average electric bill is about $60 for a 1250 sq ft house. I'm also in the northeast (MD).

   Posted 1 year ago #
4. 

   Hoplite
   

   Master
   Joined: Dec '10
   Posts: 489

   For heating, you would have to do a trial to find the savings and comfort level. If you go much below 55 in winter you might risk the pipes freezing. I have had good luck with small ceramic heaters with fans for heating small rooms; they work well with little added cost.

   For air conditioning, I would anticipate savings of 50% of summer bills, as that is what I've found going to room as opposed to central air. This has held even when cooling more than one room with window units; most central air systems are not very efficient. Some power companies, including mine, charge much higher rates in the summer, so the savings can be substantial overall even if the refrigerator has to work a bit harder.

   One other note; the window ac units are much more efficient (though less aesthetically pleasing) than through-the-wall units which only vent out the back.

   Posted 1 year ago #
5. 

   dot_com_vet
   

   Master
   Joined: Jan '11
   Posts: 376

   If I'd turn it below 68 at night, I'd have a mutiny here. I mentioned to the family that people used to wear hats to bed, but it didn't help my cause for turning it down more. :-)

   Posted 1 year ago #
6. 

   Ego
   

   Master
   Joined: Nov '11
   Posts: 746

   Two things:

   Move to Southern California. Our cost of living is higher but I haven't used heat or AC for years.

   Electric blankets are not good for you. Google it.

   Posted 1 year ago #

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