Todd H. wrote:
Tony Sivori writes:
I plan to buy a house in the next 12 months. I'm looking for a modest
three bedroom brick ranch.
Most of the homes around here (Louisville KY) have natural gas heat. In
recent years, at least locally, natural gas has become much more
expensive than electric heat.
First, are you sure about that? Electric is shown in these 2005 numbers
over 2x as expensive as even a lame 80% efficient gas furnace. Numbers
based on 6.2cents/kW-h and $0.7414 per therm of natural gas with 750
therms usage with an traditional 80% furnace. What are you paying for
gas and electric in your area?
http://www.mudomaha.com/naturalgas/p...s.electric.pdf
Those who heat with gas in Louisville saw a 140% increase in heating bills
last year, and the year before was a lot higher than the year previous to
that. Combined with the low kilowatt rate in Louisville (this month I paid
$30.29 for 419 KW) gas is no longer cheaper than electric in my location.
Since I'm currently on all electric, my bill doesn't mention the gas rate.
I tried to search for local new articles, but the local paper has become
like the New York Times - they want to sell access to older news items.
But here are a few excerpts from the Louisville news paper:
March 16, 2006 462 words ID: lou27645540
Funding drained a month early. By Wayne Tompkins.
. The Courier-Journal. A program that helps
low-income Kentuckians pay their heating bills has run out of money a
month early because of record demand and soaring energy costs.
February 7, 2006 702 words ID: lou26119166
Thermostats set lower to cut costs. By Chris Kenning.
. bThe Courier-Journal. Slammed with high
heating bills, St. Leonard Elementary on Zorn Avenue has turned down the
heat and asked students to wear extra clothing to keep warm..
January 27, 2006 883 words ID: lou2006012713148696
Mark David Goss, Teresa Hill and Greg Coker Special to The
Courier-Journal. Kentuckians who heat their homes and businesses with
natural gas already are aware that it is costing more to stay warm this
winter.. Now many are asking why and how natural gas became so expensive,
and what role the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) plays in
regulating gas costs..
January 8, 2006 1013 words ID: lou2006010913226178
Efficiency saves cash for some customers, alone or in hybrid 'dual-fuel'
systems Bill Wolfe. . The Courier-Journal. Heat
pumps, once scorned as an uncomfortable alternative to natural gas
furnaces, are getting a lot more attention with this winter's record-high
gas bills..
Last winter, I paid what appears to be $1.28/therm (total) for gas, and
$0.12/kW-h for electricity in the Chicago area.
If I did the math right, I'm paying .07/kW.
You may want to look instead at wood pellet stoves, geothermal systems,
and heat pumps vs pure electric furnaces. Gievn that you're not THAT
cold in the winter in Louisville, heat pump may be a good alternative
for you. The things to keep in mind though is that if natural gas
prices fall back down, your calculations will be differnt. You may be
better off in the future with a 96% efficient gas furnace, for instance.
The switch however should be relative straightforward. It's just the
furnace you need to swap out. You will probably need an additional 220
line run from your breaker box, or perhaps an upgraded breaker box
installed.
So might we be talking about between two and four thousand dollars?
--
Tony Sivori