Wasn’t you who said cheap ones and replace often? That’s the logic I have been following
🏡 Better Homes Utility bill pity party.
- Thread starter OffshoreDrilling
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If all you have is a 1” filter, yea. A 5” filter has something like 5x the surface area to not only capture particulate but distribute the pressure drop across the filter.
We do 68 during the day and 66 at night (have a Nest, so its automatic). I like it colder when I'm in bed, which is why I have it set to drop 2 degrees at night, doubt it makes much of a money difference.
I work from home most days in shorts and a t-shirt and 68 degrees feels very comfortable.
I work from home most days in shorts and a t-shirt and 68 degrees feels very comfortable.
Only paying $.38/therm to Nicor and rate is fixed for 4 more years. The last 12 months has seen Nicor go from $.28/them to $.68. It’s been a crazy year.
ComEd I’m still on their normal rate but I signed up for community solar since I’m not qualified for rooftop. Wont save much but it will be about 10% cheaper than ComEd once the project goes live.
ComEd I’m still on their normal rate but I signed up for community solar since I’m not qualified for rooftop. Wont save much but it will be about 10% cheaper than ComEd once the project goes live.
That is a delivery charge (which Nicor has also increased).
If you don’t have a supplier your cost per therm is listed on the left side of the bill and will say gas cost rate under the delivery charges. Should be $.61 for January. Also the bar graph shows Nicor’s price per therm for each month.
If you have a supplier it will be on the right hand side like mine.
Here’s an example of shitty house insulation and air infiltration:
Thermostat is in great room, set to 68. We are sleeping in the “front room” because master is torn up for remodel. I walked into the room last night and grabbed my IR camera. It was 55* on the surface of our bed.
Thermostat is in great room, set to 68. We are sleeping in the “front room” because master is torn up for remodel. I walked into the room last night and grabbed my IR camera. It was 55* on the surface of our bed.
I set mine at 73 or 74 during the day. At night it's set to 69. I don't do it to save money or anything (although that helps), but so that my kids sleep harder. They tend to sleep better when it's a little colder in the house, and having a kid who has sleeping issues, we make sure to do what we can so she can possibly get a good night's sleep.
$198 gas
$182 water and electric
3,100 sq ft of conditioned space. Single furnace, Lennox Elite with advertised up to 98% efficiency.
The house is, I think, too big for a single furnace because even in winter the upstairs is cooler than downstairs, or it’s inefficient ducting. The farthest room (our master) is constantly a few degrees cooler than the rest of the house. Much better, though, after going R60 in the attic and playing with the ducting dampers, which made a huge difference. And also using the low-speed fan to keep air circulating. Im using fewer therms than last winter, though I haven’t looked into avg temps yet.
$182 water and electric
3,100 sq ft of conditioned space. Single furnace, Lennox Elite with advertised up to 98% efficiency.
The house is, I think, too big for a single furnace because even in winter the upstairs is cooler than downstairs, or it’s inefficient ducting. The farthest room (our master) is constantly a few degrees cooler than the rest of the house. Much better, though, after going R60 in the attic and playing with the ducting dampers, which made a huge difference. And also using the low-speed fan to keep air circulating. Im using fewer therms than last winter, though I haven’t looked into avg temps yet.
Definitely not too big for a single furnace, moreso a limitation of duct design. Residential duct systems are seldom optimal for the reason of expense, proper sizing cuts into too much living space, and the residential side of the industry is very stuck in their antiquated ways of rules of thumb. “I’ve been doing it like this for 35 years with no problem” crap.
You’re doing a great job at adding insulation, balancing and keeping the fan running. 100% what any pro would recommend.
Same sq ft here. I have a single unit but my floor plan is open main floor with vaulted ceilings. Once I got the ecobee I monitored the sensors for which of the rooms ran hotter. Just two. I also prioritized the sensors in terms of which ones participate. Using them all for an average temp will lead to increased variation.
Main floor master and the center of 3 bedrooms upstair were my the ones mostly off. I added flair vents to those rooms. My temp variation is perfect now.
The flair vents and integration with ecobee is great along with the data it provides.
Yeah, I did the same with Nest sensors. And also a handheld anemometer on the vents while playing with the dampers; not sure if that was useful (pressure vs volume), but I’m at a point now where I don’t have to set the temp to the kids’ rooms to make it comfortable.
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