Cost Saving- Furnace & Central A/C v. Room Heater/Electric Blanket & Room A/CUnit-Fan

[nico08]

Cost Saving- Furnace & Central A/C v. Room Heater/Electric Blanket & Room A/CUnit-Fan

I was just wondering, if you have about a 1,500 square foot house, with a basement, how much, on average do you think you could save a year by-

1. During the winter in a somewhat poorly insulated ranch house in New Jersey, using an electric blanket and/or space heater to heat one room in your house, and then keeping the thermostat for your gas furnace at 55 degrees while you are sleeping and outside of the house for work or recreation.

2. During the summer in New Jersey, using a room unit air conditioner and a fan to cool the air in one room of the house, instead of using a central air conditioning unit to cool the entire house.

I know a lot of variables are at play here, I am just trying to get a rough estimate on the annual savings. You can assume that the thermostat for the gas furnace would have been set at 70 and the thermostat for the central air conditioning would have been set at 74.

Thank you for your advice.

 

[Khan]

I haven't worked out the dollar amount.
Personally: house at 50F while at sleep or at work; 60F while home and awake; A/C is set at 80F.

electric blanket and/or space heater to heat one room sounds like very good idea.

using a room unit air conditioner and a fan to cool the air in one room of the house also sounds like good idea.

Do be aware of possible damage to pipes from freezing.

 

[target2019]

Use this calculator to calculate potential savings.

Then add in the cost of the space heater.

Then consider the risk of fire if your house wiring is sub-standard.

Then consider the cost of water damage if a pipe breaks in the poorly insulated house.

Today I inspected wiring at in-laws and was surprised at what can happen with a space heater and 50-year old wiring in NJ.

 

[W2R]

I was just wondering, if you have about a 1,500 square foot house, with a basement, how much, on average do you think you could save a year by-

1. During the winter in a somewhat poorly insulated ranch house in New Jersey, using an electric blanket and/or space heater to heat one room in your house, and then keeping the thermostat for your gas furnace at 55 degrees while you are sleeping and outside of the house for work or recreation.

2. During the summer in New Jersey, using a room unit air conditioner and a fan to cool the air in one room of the house, instead of using a central air conditioning unit to cool the entire house.

I know a lot of variables are at play here, I am just trying to get a rough estimate on the annual savings. You can assume that the thermostat for the gas furnace would have been set at 70 and the thermostat for the central air conditioning would have been set at 74.

Thank you for your advice.

I don't know about the winter situation, but I went without A/C one entire summer here in New Orleans when my AC broke at the height of my LBYM efforts. I used a ceiling fan, dressed very skimpily, drank ice water, and took frequent cool showers. My electric bills were way down, to about as low as they were during the wintertime (when I was heating with gas). Much to my surprise, after the first few weeks without AC I got used to it and it wasn't even that uncomfortable.

I don't have a room air conditioner, though; it should be cheaper than central air, but by how much? I am not sure at all. (Edited to add: maybe reduced by half or more??)

 

[wolf]

I was just wondering, if you have about a 1,500 square foot house, with a basement, how much, on average do you think you could save a year by-

1. During the winter in a somewhat poorly insulated ranch house in New Jersey, using an electric blanket and/or space heater to heat one room in your house, and then keeping the thermostat for your gas furnace at 55 degrees while you are sleeping and outside of the house for work or recreation.

2. During the summer in New Jersey, using a room unit air conditioner and a fan to cool the air in one room of the house, instead of using a central air conditioning unit to cool the entire house.

I know a lot of variables are at play here, I am just trying to get a rough estimate on the annual savings. You can assume that the thermostat for the gas furnace would have been set at 70 and the thermostat for the central air conditioning would have been set at 74.

Thank you for your advice.

When I was young and single. Living alone in my house. Very easy to save.

Heated one room, portable electric heater. Kept thermostat 55 at night.
Really only used the house gas furnace when company came over.

Things changed when I married and had a family. No way would they go along. Right now, at night, 62 degrees. (forget 55), Day's, 69 degrees.

California, bay area, weather is not very drastic...