D.B.
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A year ago we moved to the East Coast from the mid-west and rented a townhome until our old house sold. We finally purchased a home this past spring and are having some heating concerns with the winter months approaching. After home inspection we found out that our furnace is extremely old, but in excellent condition. I told my husband that maybe we needed to keep looking or at least we should ask to have the price of the house reduced. My husband didn't think it was that big of a deal, especially after losing a house last fall because the sale of our mid-west home fell through. My husband said we could put an insert in the fireplace that would help heat our house and reduce stress on the furnace. I asked if the fireplace worked. The previous owners had used it a couple of times, and the inspector said the firebox was in good shape. Okay, so we just had a chimeny sweep here to clean the fireplace. He said the firebox is cracked and there were other structural problems as well. A second opinion confirmed this. He suggested that after making repairs, we get a wood burning stove and insert, which, even with a tax rebate, we cannot afford. We also had our furnace inspected by an expert - he says it's in great shape, but not as energy efficient as newer models. In the spring we will receive a tax credit from the purchase of our home, which will go towards a new furnace. The fireplace will have to wait. I'm a little frustrated with myself because I wish I had spoken up more after our home inspection. What would be some low cost ways to add warmth to our house? Do solar curtains really work? I'm really scared that the furnace will break and we won't have the money to buy a new one.
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Rita,
The chances of a furnace just breaking is rare, they generally just become less efficient with time, so don't worry about that. I have an older home with older windows and I have solar curtains on two of the rooms. It helps keep the drafts down, but it does not add warmth. Your local energy company might do free energy audits, you should give them a call. For us, the best thing we did to save on energy costs was insulating our attic properly and sealing the house sill in the basement with spray foam. As for creating warmth, it seems to me that a portable electric heater might be the best solution for the short term.
C.
If you are not planning on using your fireplace, be sure to close that thing up tight so heat does not escape. We have a 2000+ sq home with electric as the heat source - OUCH. We had a vented kerosene heater installed on the first floor with a 250 gallon tank. It is our primary source of heat during the winter. The up sides are that you can program the unit so when the house is vacant, it will run at a lower temp and then increase the temp before you get home so your home is warmer. There is no kero smell in the house as it is vented and can choose which rooms you want heated by simply closing or opening a door. The heat does make its way upstairs and we have not put fans or vents in the floors. Kerosene prices fluctuate, so you do need to call around and "time" your deliveries for better prices. The down side is privacy. We turn the heat on in the bedrooms at night so we can close the doors, but I turn it off in the morning after the kids are gone. Our electric bill last February was 250 dollars because we had run out of kero, but on the average, it runs about 150 each month during the winter. We also have insulated curtains in the living, dining and kitchen areas.
BTW, my son is asthmatic and he has no problems with the vented kero heater.
I dread winter. We recently moved so things may be different for us this year, but staying warm was a challenge for us in our old house. It was a newer home that had a gas "wood" stove in the living room. The living room and upstairs got warm, but the back of the house where my bedroom and bathroom were never got warm at all. It was terrible. I got a small electric heater and ran it with my door closed to take the chill off and put it in the bathroom in the morning to warm things up before getting in the shower. Fortunately it didn't raise the bill too much.
Last year, I just stayed upstairs with my son. It was just the two of us and it was much easier just to heat one part of the house.
You can contact your local energy provider and ask them about their free weatherization programs to make sure the house is well sealed, etc.
It sounds like even though your furnace is old, it's still in good condition. It may not be as energy efficient as newer models, but it sounds like it should get you through the winter.
Space heaters can work surprisingly well too. I got mine on sale for $20 and it was the best $20 I ever spent. It had a thermostat on it and turned itself off when the room hit a certain temp. Like I said, it barely raised my bill and was well worth it.
Our new place has central heating so I think this winter we'll have an easier time staying warm.
I think you'll be okay.
Best wishes!
Insulate everything - it's cheap and it's easy AND it saves you money in the end. Make sure your windows and storms are closed and locked. Make sure your attic has plenty of insulation. Put the little insulation things in the plugs that are on outside walls...
Close your drapes at night when the sun is gone - open them during the day to let the heat in from the sun... solar gain works!!
YMMV
LBC
