Crank it up. Something in human nature leads homeowners who walk into a frigid house to believe that cranking the thermostat to 85 degrees will somehow heat the home quicker. “It is a common misconception,” Sherman said. It doesn’t work that way. Think of furnaces like light switches, not dimmers. They are either on or off. The only result of your thermostat cranking will be heating your house beyond a desirable temperature and wasting energy — and money.
Leave it up. Another common refrain is that it’s cheaper to keep your home at a constant temperature, even when you’re not home. “Almost never true,” Sherman said, noting again that homes with heat pumps can be an exception. “If the system is running less, it means it’s using less energy,” he said. Says the U.S. Department of Energy on energy.gov, “You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to 68 degrees while you’re awake and setting it lower while you’re asleep or away from home.” Figure you save up to 1 percent per year on your heating bill for each degree you set back the thermostat for eight hours, such as when you’re sleeping or at work. A 10-degree drop could be 10 percent savings.
Windows warning. Marketers of window replacements have the story half right. Replacing drafty windows with energy-efficient ones will save on energy use. But windows are so expensive, often thousands of dollars, that the break-even will be measured in decades. Among energy upgrades aimed at saving money, replacing windows might rank dead last.
“On the cost-benefit priority list, windows are usually behind air sealing, insulation and system efficiency improvements,” Sherman said. That said, if you have decided to replace windows for a different reason — perhaps cosmetic reasons or to eliminate drafts — you might as well pay for highly efficient ones.
“While replacing them just for energy may be quite costly, moving to high-efficiency windows when they need to be replaced anyway is almost always a good idea,” Sherman said. “The marginal difference is small.”
What should you do? It’s not rocket science. Sealing gaps and cracks around windows, doors, ducts, pipe cutouts and other areas is among the most cost-effective moves.
Consumer Reports says blowing sealant into ductwork, called aerosealing, is effective, albeit expensive upfront, $1,500 to $2,500 with promised savings of $250 to $850 per year. See aeroseal.com. It also says a professional energy audit can be worthwhile too, although it costs $250 to $800.
And consider changes that allow you to lower the thermostat a few degrees, including dressing for winter, which might mean wearing a sweater and slippers around the house. Electric blankets use little energy and can make it easier to lower the thermostat a few more degrees at night.
For more information and suggestions on cost-effective home energy improvements, see energystar.gov and homeenergysaver.lbl.gov. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers offers tips at tinyurl.com/ashraetips.
©2014 Chicago Tribune
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
