TUNE UP THEHEAT

 

If each U.S. household lowered its average heating temperatures by 6 degrees F. over a 24hour 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 spew­ ing 350 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year­ which means over a billion tons of the most prevalent greenhouse gas, C02. 9 About 12% of U.S. emissions of sulfur oxide and nitrogen ox~ ideboth key causes of acid rain‑‑come from home heating.

 

An estimated 40% of the energy you use in your home is for heat.  

 

If your heating system is running inefficiently, 3050% of the energy it uses is wasted.  

 

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO

 

Get a Furnace TuneUp:

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 thermo­ stats, 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. 9 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 tuneup 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 familiesonly a tenth of a percent of U.S. households‑‑get tuneups, 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 tuneup. If only 100,000 families get tuneups, it's a savings of about 6 million gallons.

 

A FEW HEATING TIPS If You Have a ForcedAir 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. 9 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.