TUNE UP THE HEAT
If each U.S. household lowered its average heating
temperatures by 6 degrees F over a
24 hour Period, we'd save the energy equivalent of 500,000 barrels of oil every
day.
BACKGROUND
How important is it for you to heat your home efficiently?
An expert from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy puts it
this way: "The single most important thing people can do to save energy in
their homes is to make sure their furnaces are running efficiently. More.
energy is used for heating than for any other purpose in American apartments
and houses."
FURNACE FACTS
¥ According
to Worldwatch, home heating is responsible for spewÂing 350 million tons of
carbon into the atmosphere every year which means over a billion tons of the
most prevalent greenhouse
¥ gas,
C02.
¥ About
12% of U.S. emissions of sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide both key causes of
acid rain come from home heating.
¥ An
estimated 40% of the energy you use in your home is for heat
Horne Energy magazine, 2124 Kittredge St. #95, Berkeley, CA
94704. The best magazine in America on home energy. Write for subscription
info; send $2 for their excellent "Consumer Guide to Energy. Saq~ing
Lights," a highly recommended first resource.
Rising Sun Enterprises, PO Box 586, Snowmass, CO 81654. Mail
orders energy saving lightbulbs, including some compact fluorescents. Send $5
for their consumer guide / catalog.
TUNE UP THE HEAT
If each U.S. household
lowered its average heating temperatures by 6 degrees F over a 24‑hour Period, we'd save the energy equivalent of 500,000
barrels of oil every day.
BACKGROUND
How important is it for you to heat your home
efficiently? An expert from the American Council for an Energy Efficient
Economy puts it this way: "The single most important thing people can do
to save energy in their homes is to make sure their furnaces are running
efficiently. More. energy is used for heating than for any other purpose in
American apartments and houses."
FURNACE FACTS
SIMPLE THINGS TO DO
Get a Furnace Tune‑Up:
This means testing it
(for combustion efficiency and pollutants), cleaning it (e.g., dirt on the
nozzle, sediment in the boiler, soot in the combustion chamber), and adjusting
it (calibrating thermostats, etc.) ‑
Gas furnaces should be
tuned every two years, oil furnaces should be tuned up annually.
The easiest way to get a
tune‑up is to call a heating
technician. He or she should do the whole job for around $40‑$60.
If
you want to do it yourself or just want to know more about the process, write
to the Massachusetts Aububon Society to order the superb booklet listed below.
It's extremely informative.
RESULTS
A simple tune up can increase a furnace's
heating efficiency by 5 degrees F with a corresponding reduction in destructive
emissions.
In a gas furnace, a 5% rise in efficiency means
an annual savings of 8,000 cubic feet of gas. So if 100,000 families only a
tenth of a percent of U.S. households
get tune ups, we'll save over half a
billion cubic feet a year.
For an oil furnace: the annual savings is about
60 gallons of oil per tune up. If only 100,000 families get tune ups, it's a
savings of about 6 million gallons.
A FEW HEATING TIPS
If You Have a Forced Air System: Insulate ducts
wherever they pass through unheated spaces.
During heating season, change your air filters
once a month. Your heater uses more energy when the filters get full of dust.
Common myth: Many people believe it's better to
keep the furnace running at an even temperature than to lower it drastically
when no one's around. Not true. Even if you go out of a room for a little
while, it's better to turn down the heat.
If You Have an Electric Resistance Heating
System: Consider installing a heat pump, which "uses thermal energy from
outside air for both heating and cooling." Initial cost may seem high (as
much as $2,000 for a whole,house unit, about $400 for a single room), but it
can cut your heating bill by 60% a year.
If You Have a Hot Water / Steam System:
Put a reflector behind your radiator (you can
buy one or make it by
taping aluminum foil on cardboard). This saves
energy and cash by
throwing back heat you'd normally lose through
the wall.
SOURCES * The best booklet we've found is called
"Heating Systems." It's available from: Educational Resources,
Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln, MA 01773. Write for info on ordering
it.