How to lower one's gas bill ...

[LuckyTaxi]

So I finally went out and purchased a programmable thermostat.
It's so nice, when we come home @ 5:30 the house is nice and warm.
So, we received our first gas bill. $196 and my friend who's home ALL day and cooks more
often than us received a bill for $129.

Insulation plays a huge role, but I also think my temperature setting is messing us up.

5:00AM - 73 degrees (wake up @ 6:30 - fiance wants the house warm when she gets out of bed)
7:00AM - 58 degrees (when we leave the house)
4:30PM - 73 degrees (an hour before we get home from work)
10:00PM - 60 degrees (when we get ready for bed)

My friend suggested we set the temperature @ 66 when we leave for work. This way, the furnance doesnt have to work hard when 4:30 rolls around. If the room temperature lowered to 64 then it would need to get to 73 before it shuts off. So yea, it'll start @ 4:30 but who knows when it'll shut off once the room gets to 73.

BTW ... we have radiator heat.

 

[DaWhim]

$196 is not that much for gas. I used to pay $300ish a month when shared with other 4 people. things went badly and I ended up paying off the gas bill of $600 myself, because it was under my name. :|

you may want to seal all the windows and make better insolation. that will save you $$$ too.

 

[SpunkyJones]

73 degrees? dam, I don't go above 65, and i have a wife & baby in the house. I'm a cheap bastard I guess.

Do you really need 90 minutes to warm up the house in the morning? Thats a long time.

 

[Quasmo]

eat more beans?

 

[trek]

We pay <$50/month for gas, but then we don't heat with it much. Only use the furnace if the temperature drops below 65. We use wood as our main source of heat.

Also 73 is pretty warm. The temperature here right now is ~68 and I am comfortable.

 

[jadinolf]

My gas bill last month was $19.70.

I dread this month's bill.

 

[njmodi]

Originally posted by: lilcam
My friend suggested we set the temperature @ 66 when we leave for work. This way, the furnance doesnt have to work hard when 4:30 rolls around.

This is true - the energy gains from keeping a lower temp. while you are out are being countered by the extended furnce cycles needed to heat the house back up. I think I read an article on CNN or something that recommended a delta from lowest to highest of no more then 8 degrees... you might find something about that with a quick google.

 

[flamingelephant]

furnace work harder? thats a load of crap...... it will use less gas the lower you set the temperature.
unless you turn your house down really REALLY low, and you have to re-heat the walls (and we are talking
like 40 degrees) it wont cost any more to lower the temp. The key is insulation and draft-proofing.
this is partially dependant on what kind of place you live in....

easiest and cheapest thing to do is draftproofing.... do your doors all have good tight weatherstripping?
do you feel cold air coming from your electrical sockets? do you have decent windows?

weatherstripping on doors, foam gaskets on electrical sockets and sealing windows (around the moulding
and the film over the window kind) are all cheap and easy

Next, but more money is the attic... climb on up there see what kind of insulation you have up there and how
much of it. It should be at least R40.... a 2x6 joist filled with fibreglass insulation is about R20 blow-in kind
i'd have to look up, but maybe R3-5 per inch. Blow in is typically cheaper, and can be a do-it-yourself thing.

next one is the basement... insulating the walls down there can cut down on heat loss as welll.. food framing
and then fibreglass is typically cheapest and easiest and gives you a usable space....

anyone can PM me with questions if they want

 

[SuperTool]

Originally posted by: lilcam
So I finally went out and purchased a programmable thermostat.
It's so nice, when we come home @ 5:30 the house is nice and warm.
So, we received our first gas bill. $196 and my friend who's home ALL day and cooks more
often than us received a bill for $129.

Insulation plays a huge role, but I also think my temperature setting is messing us up.

5:00AM - 73 degrees (wake up @ 6:30 - fiance wants the house warm when she gets out of bed)
7:00AM - 58 degrees (when we leave the house)
4:30PM - 73 degrees (an hour before we get home from work)
10:00PM - 60 degrees (when we get ready for bed)

My friend suggested we set the temperature @ 66 when we leave for work. This way, the furnance doesnt have to work hard when 4:30 rolls around. If the room temperature lowered to 64 then it would need to get to 73 before it shuts off. So yea, it'll start @ 4:30 but who knows when it'll shut off once the room gets to 73.

BTW ... we have radiator heat.

You should chart your room T during the day.
I am guessing you should turn it off at 5:30 am, and just let it naturally cool down, because it should still be warm by 6:30. Then at 4:30 turn it to 60 degrees. Also, keep in mind that heat dissipation is a function of temperature differential and insulation, so if you keep it at 66 when you are not there, it'll just dissipate more heat. It's better to let it cool down and reheat it than to maintain the temperature all day.