Ok...I've owned a home for 1 year in October. The winter gas bills
killed me last year and already am seeing an increase for this year's
bills. Anyone have any tips on how to save on heating costs during
the winter?

It's a new construction home if that matters, with a full unfinished
basement that's just for storage. First floor has 9 ft. ceilings and
huge foyer where all the heat seems to rise up to. We have dual zone
heating and we can actually turn off the upstairs thermostat and it'll
still be warmer then the 1st floor.

Would insulating the basement ceiling help? Thermal curtains? Any
other ideas?

On Tue, 16 Nov 2004 14:02:25 -0500, someone wrote:

Ok...I've owned a home for 1 year in October. The winter gas bills
killed me last year ..... First floor has 9 ft. ceilings and
huge foyer where all the heat seems to rise up to.

Those supposedly impressive features have a cost. More people should
think of them BEFORE they buy houses that they have a hard time
affording over the winter.

You got 9 foot ceilings and a "huge" (you said it) 2-story foyer, and
yet didn't even have the basement ceiling insulated???? Don't blame
the builder, they just sell people what they want. Yeah, get some
insulation, it will keep your first floor warmer and that will help
all around.

-v.


Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

The other Mike wrote:

Would insulating the basement ceiling help? Thermal curtains? Any
other ideas?

Heat rises. Assuming you aren't heating the basement, insulating the floor is
not going to buy you much other than a bit of personal comfort in the morning.

You can knock around doing easy stuff like caulking door & window frames,
sticking foam pads in outlet boxes, etc, but you really need someone to come out
and do a survey of your house. Many utilities will do this for free or less than
$20. Those types of surveys are helpful, but an even better (expensive) solution
is to get someone with a thermal scanner to check the house.

v wrote:
Those supposedly impressive features have a cost. More people should
think of them BEFORE they buy houses that they have a hard time
affording over the winter.

You got 9 foot ceilings and a "huge" (you said it) 2-story foyer, and
yet didn't even have the basement ceiling insulated???? Don't blame
the builder, they just sell people what they want. Yeah, get some
insulation, it will keep your first floor warmer and that will help
all around.

I won't take the same tone, but basically I agree with this statement.
We have 19' ceilings in our family room and foyer that are open to a
hallway above. The cost of heating such a large space isn't our major
concern but it definitely adds to our heating and cooling bills. The
real annoyance is the temperature differentials which ceiling fans, zone
heating, and other tactics can never fully mitigate. We are moving next
month and our next house won't have this feature, however impressive it
may be.

Experience homeowner,
Victor

On Tue, 16 Nov 2004 14:02:25 -0500, The other Mike wrote:

Ok...I've owned a home for 1 year in October. The winter gas bills
killed me last year and already am seeing an increase for this year's
bills. Anyone have any tips on how to save on heating costs during
the winter?

It's a new construction home if that matters, with a full unfinished
basement that's just for storage. First floor has 9 ft. ceilings and
huge foyer where all the heat seems to rise up to. We have dual zone
heating and we can actually turn off the upstairs thermostat and it'll
still be warmer then the 1st floor.

Would insulating the basement ceiling help? Thermal curtains? Any
other ideas?

The BIG problem with multi-floor houses is that (obviously) the heat
goes up. Stop that uncontrolled airflow and you are way ahead. If you
can use curtains or folding wood partitions or doors to block the
airflow so it doesn't escape to the next higher zone, your thermostats
will do a much better job of maintaining the desired zone temps. Then
you can program them to shut down the bedroom heat during the day and
the main floor heat at night.

My house has a 300 sq ft "bonus room" over the garage which is very
pleasant year round because it has its own zone control and air
return, and there's a door at the base of the stairs. Since there is
no uncontrolled air flow the temp is stable and easily managed.

It amazes me that designers leave out doors at stairwells - doors
really help to stabilize the interior climate. I guess it's looks over
functionality. Your "huge foyer" looks especially nice to you and your
guests, but it's _killing_ you with high heating bills. I'll bet your
realtor never mentioned that This is one reason ranchers are so
nice - one floor with nowhere else for the heat to go..

The basement isn't hurting your situation all that much - I think
insulating the basement ceiling wouldn't be worth the expense.
Consider installing some ceiling fans - they are very useful in moving
the hot air off the ceiling and back down to floor level. And they can
reduce your air conditioning costs in summer. A large one in your
foyer might look quite nice.

Also consider your cold air returns. If you can add additional returns
(or enlarge the existing ones) on the top floor and block off some of
the ones downstairs (during the winter only), then run the furnace fan
continuously, your air handler will distribute that excess warm air to
the rest of the house.

I think if it were my home I would consider a folding full-height wood
partition at the upper floor stair landing, and a couple of ceiling
fans on the main floor. You can get the partitions in dual or single
style, so a single would work if your stairs are next to a wall.

http://www.panelfold.com/productsub....=1&productID=1

http://doors.tradeworlds.com/web_category_3790.html

Finally, figure the payback on this project!! If you are going to move
in 3 or 4 years it might be best to grin and bear it. And buy a
rancher next time

Good luck.

John


John Davies TLCA 14732
http://home.comcast.net/~johnedavies/
'96 Lexus LX450
'00 Audi A4 1.8T quattro
Spokane WA USA

I didn't know this was so shocking...I don't know anyone in our
development who had this done. We were given a list of options to
choose from and we did...insulating the basement ceiling wasn't one of
them. This is my first home...I'm sure you were a newbie at one point
in time.

Now there's another poster who said that it wouldn't be much help
since hot air rises. So who's right??


On Tue, 16 Nov 2004 19:24:06 GMT, (v) wrote:

You got 9 foot ceilings and a "huge" (you said it) 2-story foyer, and
yet didn't even have the basement ceiling insulated????

The other Mike wrote in :

Ok...I've owned a home for 1 year in October. The winter gas bills
killed me last year and already am seeing an increase for this year's
bills. Anyone have any tips on how to save on heating costs during
the winter?

It's a new construction home if that matters, with a full unfinished
basement that's just for storage. First floor has 9 ft. ceilings and
huge foyer where all the heat seems to rise up to. We have dual zone
heating and we can actually turn off the upstairs thermostat and it'll
still be warmer then the 1st floor.

Would insulating the basement ceiling help? Thermal curtains? Any
other ideas?

Aside from things to improve insulation, turn down the heat and wear a
sweater! Our local gas company let's us pay the bills averaged out over the
year so you pay the same every month. This takes the bite out of the big
bills during the winter.

From: "Victor"
Subject: Winter bills
Date: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 2:39 PM

v wrote:
Those supposedly impressive features have a cost. More people should
think of them BEFORE they buy houses that they have a hard time
affording over the winter.

You got 9 foot ceilings and a "huge" (you said it) 2-story foyer, and
yet didn't even have the basement ceiling insulated???? Don't blame
the builder, they just sell people what they want. Yeah, get some
insulation, it will keep your first floor warmer and that will help
all around.

I won't take the same tone, but basically I agree with this statement.
We have 19' ceilings in our family room and foyer that are open to a
hallway above. The cost of heating such a large space isn't our major
concern but it definitely adds to our heating and cooling bills. The
real annoyance is the temperature differentials which ceiling fans, zone
heating, and other tactics can never fully mitigate. We are moving next
month and our next house won't have this feature, however impressive it
may be.

Experience homeowner,
Victor

One day, these stylistic architectural details will be regarded as classic
examples of the wastefulness of humans.

Fuzzy Logic wrote in
:

The other Mike wrote in
:

Ok...I've owned a home for 1 year in October. The winter gas bills
killed me last year and already am seeing an increase for this year's
bills. Anyone have any tips on how to save on heating costs during
the winter?

It's a new construction home if that matters, with a full unfinished
basement that's just for storage. First floor has 9 ft. ceilings and
huge foyer where all the heat seems to rise up to. We have dual zone
heating and we can actually turn off the upstairs thermostat and it'll
still be warmer then the 1st floor.

Would insulating the basement ceiling help? Thermal curtains? Any
other ideas?

Aside from things to improve insulation, turn down the heat and wear a
sweater! Our local gas company let's us pay the bills averaged out over
the year so you pay the same every month. This takes the bite out of the
big bills during the winter.

PS get a setback thermostat if you don't already have one.

"v" wrote in message
...
You got 9 foot ceilings and a "huge" (you said it) 2-story foyer, and
yet didn't even have the basement ceiling insulated???? Don't blame
the builder, they just sell people what they want. Yeah, get some
insulation, it will keep your first floor warmer and that will help
all around.


Would putting in a ceiling fan that directs air downwards help?

Rich

If you're planning on living there a long time, may want to spend some $$
now to reduce your future heating costs.

- I placed insulation in the first floor ceiling and have a door at the
bottom of my stairs. My upstairs is *cold* unless I open the door and turn
on heating upstairs. I sleep downstairs and only heat the downstairs
bedroom at night with electric heating. Turn heating in rest of house *way*
down.

- I would suggest adding more insulation if possible anywhere you can.
Basement ceiling, 1st floor ceiling, attic (1 ft. thick if possible!).

- Add door to stairway or if on a budget, curtains, plastic or whatever.

- You should have "Energy Star" windows for a new house. If you don't, get
double or triple pane Energy Star windows. Install thick heavy curtains.
http://www.energystar.gov/

- Add storm doors and storm windows.

- You can add a false ceiling with insulation to bring down the height of
the 9ft. ceilings.

Also you could make a "night room" which has insulation in the inside
walls, heat just that room with electric heat, close door, and keep the
rest of the house above freezing.

Some of this stuff is expensive and would mean tearing your house apart to
make modifications, but may be glad you did it after retirement, etc.

Some utilities or agencies can come to your house and do an energy audit,
see where all the heat is leaking out, make recommendations, etc. May want
to ask around your area to see if anyone can do this for you.

Keep in mind that the big shots at the energy companies need every cent to
buy more yachts, estates, jewelry, and acquire other companies - or
whatever it is they need all that money for. Don't expect energy rates to
go down any time soon...

The other Mike wrote in message
Ok...I've owned a home for 1 year in October. The winter gas bills
killed me last year and already am seeing an increase for this year's
bills. Anyone have any tips on how to save on heating costs during
the winter?

It's a new construction home if that matters, with a full unfinished
basement that's just for storage. First floor has 9 ft. ceilings and
huge foyer where all the heat seems to rise up to. We have dual zone
heating and we can actually turn off the upstairs thermostat and it'll
still be warmer then the 1st floor.

Would insulating the basement ceiling help? Thermal curtains? Any
other ideas?

The other Mike wrote in message
...

Ok...I've owned a home for 1 year in October. The winter gas bills
killed me last year and already am seeing an increase for this year's
bills. Anyone have any tips on how to save on heating costs during
the winter?
It's a new construction home if that matters, with a full unfinished
basement that's just for storage. First floor has 9 ft. ceilings and
huge foyer where all the heat seems to rise up to. We have dual zone

Most city and state governments have checklists
(insulation, caulking, etc.) customized for the climate
where you live.
Your first question should be the R-factor of the house's
insulation in roof and walls. Was this shown on your
house inspector's report.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

How old is the house?

My list:

1) Verify no air leaks from flexiducts in the attic
2) Check attic insulation, add some, make sure ductwork is covered
3) Insulate attic ductwork.
4) Check basement hvac for air leaks, get mastic and seal aluminum ducts
5) Check all windows and doors for leaks
6) Garage door should have rubber seal.
7) Curtains on all windows

Brian

The other Mike wrote in message
...
Ok...I've owned a home for 1 year in October. The winter gas bills
killed me last year and already am seeing an increase for this year's
bills. Anyone have any tips on how to save on heating costs during
the winter?

It's a new construction home if that matters, with a full unfinished
basement that's just for storage. First floor has 9 ft. ceilings and
huge foyer where all the heat seems to rise up to. We have dual zone
heating and we can actually turn off the upstairs thermostat and it'll
still be warmer then the 1st floor.

Would insulating the basement ceiling help? Thermal curtains? Any
other ideas?