Dear tim,
we are using a natural gas heating
machine called Delonghi.
The problem is an extinction
some 10_15 seconds after its ignition
Do you have an explanation.
best
regards.
Home Heating
Summary:
What is the best way to save energy this winter? Programmable thermostats help with energy savings by lowering the temperature while you are working or sleeping. This thermostat lowers the temperature so the furnace does not run all day while you are gone. Savings depend on the temperature set-back, type of furnace or heat pump.
DEAR TIM: My home heating bills are going up faster than a jet at an air show. Settle a debate among my fellow employees. Some say it is better just to leave the thermostat at the same temperature all the time as it costs so much to bring a cold house up to temperature. Others say to use a programmable thermostat. Still others feel you should set the thermostat down to 50F at night and while at work. What is the best way to save money on home heating? Marylyn O., Victoria, British Columbia CA
DEAR MARYLYN: Home heating oil prices as well as many other heating fuel costs are going up with little relief in sight. The smart person like you is starting to think about how they can save as it is insanity to waste money on home heating when it is so easy to save.
The first thing you need to realize is that this is a very complex issue. There is no magic silver bullet or one-size-fits-all spandex solution that will allow you to save lots of money and keep everyone within your home comfortable. I am reminded of a neighbor who wanted to save money. She kept her thermostat so low, I nearly turned blue when my wife and I would visit for dinner.
A programmable thermostat, when used correctly, can save impressive amounts of money on your home heating bills. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter
Here is the science behind this complicated situation. Most homes are very different from one another. Each one losses heat at a different rate, the well-insulated homes being a better bargain. But each home can have a drastically different source of heat and the rate and amount of heat produced can vary significantly. Keep in mind that furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, etc. are like shoes; they come in all different sizes.
To make things even worse, the heat produced at the point where you and I can first feel it, the floor or wall register or radiant source, can be as cool as 98F with a heat pump or as high as 125-130F with an oil furnace. Natural gas heat can also produce high plenum or register temperatures.
So imagine letting a drafty house heated with a marginally-sized heat pump drop down to 55F and the outdoor temperature is at 0F or below. It might take hours and hours for the house to get comfortable with the heat pump running at full throttle. Compare that to what might happen to a super-insulated house that has a slightly oversized oil furnace. The oil furnace might get the house toasty warm in just 15 minutes!
Far and away the best solution to save money and remain comfortable while you are awake and at home are high-quality programmable thermostats. The best ones are outfitted with mini-computers that can figure out how quickly your furnace or boiler can bring your house up to the desired temperature so as to use the minimal amount of fuel but keep peace among those who want the house to be warm.
The trouble is, many people who have programmable thermostats do not extract the full amount of savings from them. You need to set them up to match your schedule and that of your family. The best thermostats have settings for each of the days of the week, vacation settings and temporary override settings. The people who save the most on their home-heating costs are those who make the furnace go up and down in temperature at least four times a day.
Keep in mind when programming the thermostat when you jump in bed each night. Since it takes the average house a while to cool off, you might set the thermostat to setback an hour before you slide under the sheets. There is no need to keep the heat on a higher setting up till the moment you fall asleep.
Do not underestimate how long it can take a heat pump to bring a cool or cold house up to temperature. Many people who have heat pumps complain how they produce a cold or cool heat. That may seem like an oxymoron, but you may agree when and if you place your hand over a heat-pump register as it is working at its best.
Also keep in mind that if you want to save on home heating, take the time to identify any and all air leaks. Air infiltration is a very significant source of heat loss. Caulk exterior cracks that allow cold air to enter your home. Think as if your home was a boat and the air was water. Stop all air leaks so you do not sink from a heating bill that needs a tsunami of cash to pay for it.
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Comments:Welcome! I, Tim
Carter, don't answer questions
here. If you post a question here in the Comments Area,
perhaps another visitor will help you. You need to go to the Ask
Tim page if you want a question answered. Once there, look
closely at how many weeks behind we are. Please be patient as you use
this free service. If you have an emergency and need to talk to me,
there is an option there for you.
jack flint 24 Jan 2008, 10:17
AsktheBuilder 24 Jan 2008, 15:35
Jack,
I do not have an answer. It could be any number of things.
Edward Williams 24 Jan 2008, 19:02
I have a heat pump system. I have two(2) rooms that are not used very
often. I shut the registers in these two rooms in an attempt to get more
heat in the rest of the house. Some one has told me that you are not to
shut off the registers with a heat pump because it could cause some kind of
damage. Could you please clear this up for me. Thanks
AsktheBuilder 24 Jan 2008, 19:27
Edward,
You will not harm the heat pump.
Christopher Racine 28 Jan 2008, 11:41
Hi, I live in a house with a large 2 story glass wall in the front, and
several windows and skylights around the entire house...
I have 2 questions... If thats ok... Would hanging dark colored panels in the windows help hold heat from sunlight and cause a convection air flow? Across the entire length of the house there is a row of windows that are out of reach and fitted with power motors to open and close them... is it possible these windows are not closing as tight as a manual window would? Sometimes it seems like a cold draft is coming down from the ceiling... Also, would it make more sense to keep the thermostat closer to 65 during the day, and 50 at night so that heating the house is easier on the oil furnace? I ask because the entire house is either hard wood or stone flooring, and we have been keeping the thermostat at 60 during the day... We are using 2 electric portable fireplaces and a gas fireplace in the evenings... But im thinking there has got to be a way to take advantage of the large amounts of sunlight that comes thru the front of the house... This house is about 1.5 years old, and this is the 2nd winter... Like a lot of places heating bills here in Provincetown have doubled this year even though we are having a mild winter... Sorry i guess this is more then 2 questions; any info would be very much appreciated... Thank you! Best regards, Chris. Provincetown MA
AsktheBuilder 28 Jan 2008, 12:07
Chris,
Believe it or not, I have answered all of these in any number of past columns. Read all of my Heating and Air Conditioning columns.
Lisa 28 Oct 2008, 18:57
Hi I want to move my heating system hot water rad and I need to now how to
thread the pipe can you help
Kevin Hou 12 Jan 2009, 13:38
Dear Tim, we used around 100 units of gas in the month of Nov and kept the
house at 70'ish. We were leaving for 11 days in December and were only in
the house 19 days during the billing. We put the heat to 64 while we left.
It's a 3000 sq ft home and kept it around 70 while we were home in
December. We just got our bill and it said we used 183 units and a whopper
of a bill. The heating company says, it's because we turned the furnace
down to low. Can this be possible without the reader being broken? Please
help
Steve 05 Apr 2009, 16:14
my old hot water oil boiler is done (we've been in the house since nov 08).
last night the CO detector went off, and i decided to shut it down till we
can buy a new system. after opening windows and thanking god we heard the
alarm, i realized it is futile to throw more money at this piece of junk. i
could get a tech to clean the chamber and put a new nozzle and check the
operation out, but this unit has had dozens of service calls (the tag
hanging from the boiler details most of them). there is NG in the street,
and i'm thinking we should go gas. i have heard gas is pretty simple to
maintain, not requiring annual tune ups like fuel oil units. this alone
could be a real money saver. of course, oil has more btu's than gas, so NG
may be a bit more expensive to operate in the long run. the system2000
seems impressive, but some forums show unhappy owners, just like other
brands i'm sure. my 2400 SF ranch house is well insulated, and we live on
Long Island where winters are not real severe. would you choose gas over
oil?
JW 16 Dec 2010, 05:47
Jack, clean your burner. 10-15 seconds sounds like as the burner is warming
up the air flow is becoming restricted or diverted, probably as a result of
debris or an ill-fitting construction. When the flame goes out can you
still hear the gas flow? Tried changing your bottle? :P Either way get
yourself a GOOD CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR.
Kevin, you probably kept your temperature low enough that the thermostat never switched the boiler off. A strange example; in electronics an AC current is usually more efficient than a DC one, look it up, you'll see what I mean. Chris, if you get a lot of sunlight and it has a nice intensity consider using a panel and good heat exchanger to directly heat water or mineral-oil. From this you can tap the heat directly or even produce electricity. Sounds victorian but steam power has a lot to say for itself. Everyone, get thicker curtains and put up net curtains. Laminate your glass. Put foam strip around the inside of window frames. Foam/foil cover your water pipes. Separate hot and cold water pipes (I've seen enough properties where the hot and cold pipes were basically in contact). For large rooms if its just for winter consider getting a good VALOR parrafin heater. 4 quid of parrafin keeps a large room toasty for a week. Panel heaters are crap as they lack circulation which is vital for heating spaces. For rooms with draughts, hang cloth (like wallhangings) from the ceiling. This stops cold air flow penetrating the whole room quickly (like the plastic strips of the cold room of a butchers but better looking). Askthebuilder, why do you have a website if you look like you can't be bothered to answer peoples q's? It's a fob off to say "I've answered that before" not to mention unprofessional and showing the limits of knowledge and usefulness. If every house and case is different then your earlier answers do not really apply, sorry. Programmable timer is not the answer to all heating problems. View all comments |
