How much will my gas bill go up if I raise the thermostat????

[dfchelbay]

Hi all. We have a gas furnace that is less than four years old. I'm trying to figure out if it will cost a lot more money to raise the temperature in my house 5 or 10 degrees. Our home is VERY costly to heat and cool...walls of windows on two full sides of the house, facing south and east, etc. I've looked online for information and am coming up with nothing. All I have basically seen was to turn the heat down at night, keep the thermostat at or near 68, etc. That much I already know. What I'm wondering is:

Currently we have the thermostat set at 50 overnight and when no one is home. In the evening when we are here it is set at 55. We have a parabolic heater in the family room when we are in there for extra heat if needed. If I turn up the thermostat to 60, or maybe 65, how much might that increase the gas bill? I know no one can give me a dollar amount, and there are many factors with each house to be considered, but there has to be some kind of percentage/formula that can be used to figure this out. Like, for example, if I increase the heat 5 degrees, will it figure to be a 20% increase to the bill, etc. Is there any kind of formula that anyone knows of? Or, even better is there a heating/cooling professional that knows how much a bill might go up.

TIA

 

[Alexander]

I'm sorry I can't help with your question, but I can't believe how cold you keep you house! We set our thermostat to 55 when we go on vacation, I don't know how you can actually live in that temp!

We heat our home with a pellet stove and it is never below 72 in our house. We use the electric heat when we are away.

 

[bdcp]

That's extremely low temperatures to keep a house at. We have a 5800 sq ft house (3 levels) with 3 zones that is 7 years old. We keep the thermostat at 68-69 all the time and our gas bill runs about $160/month year round (we have budget billing). We also have gas hot water and a gas range. It's just DH and I since our boys are grown and live on their own.

As for a formula, I've never seen one. The only real way to find out is to try it for a billing cycle. If your house is fairly new, then it should be insulated well and the number of windows shouldn't make any difference. If it's an older house then that's an entirely different story and no formula can figure the cost of heating since there's so many variables.

One benefit to keeping a house at 68 or so degrees is that viruses and bacteria have a more difficult time living at that temp. You'll actually be sick less often if you keep your home at 68.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I thought it was something like 2% for every degree, but I very well could be wrong. We have 6800 sq feet and two heaing systems, so our bills are pretty pricey. It is also 112 years old. We keep it at 60 overnight and during the day when no one is home. It is 68 during the evening and on the weekends. Right now it is 68 all day too as our kids are home from college. With the cold temps we are having (20's) I am not looking forward to our January bill. I am impressed you can function at 55 degrees. I think I would be cuddled under multiple blankets and not able to come out.

 

[Donnainnj]

Based on this http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/energy/how-much-money-can-saved-by-lowering-setting-home I would guess 2% per degree increased. But that makes a lot of assumptions.
Donna

 

[QVCshopper]

I keep my house at 62 during the day and had it at 56 at night, but it was getting too cold. Now it's up to 59 at night, but still 62 during the day. You actually get used to it after a while. And, we have a gas fireplace in our living room to warm up that room a little.

We open the windows on sunny days and that warms up the house some. But as far as a formula, I think you really just have to play with the temperatures and see what happens to your bill.

I also have pillows in my basement and laundry room windows to block some cold. We are in a 12 year old, 1800 sf (+ basement) home, but I've had bills close to $300 with electric/gas, even at these temperatures. We're in PA and it gets cold here; I try to save electric and sometimes have bills during the nicer months that are less than $50.

BTW - are people's houses really 6800 and 5800 sf? That's a HUGE house!

 

[dfchelbay]

Just wanted to mention that even though we keep the thermostat at 55, the level we actually live in mostly is between 5-8 degrees warmer/cooler year round. So, we are not freezing to death here... But, I would like it a little warmer.

 

[quentina]

We have a 2200 SF home, we keep it at 72 in the winter, 74 in summer. I pay budget of 180 month, in NE PA. Right now, it is 13 degrees outside.....we are freezing!

 

[js]

Just wanted to mention that even though we keep the thermostat at 55, the level we actually live in mostly is between 5-8 degrees warmer/cooler year round. So, we are not freezing to death here... But, I would like it a little warmer.

My dh would LOVE to be married to you.
My house is at 68 during the day and I am ALWAYS cold (and complaining). If I didn't complain, the thermostat would definately be lower. If I always wanted to be intimate, I could get the heat put higher but I rather just add another pair of socks HAHAHHAA
My dh and ds don't mind but my dd and I do. We live in NY.
I am on the couch, fireplace is on, and I have on sweat pants, two sweat shirts and 2 pairs of socks...no action tonight

 

[crazelion]

I keep ours set to 68 degrees most days. Since it has bee cold last week and this week. I have cut up to 75 degrees. It was 25 degrees for the high and snow on the ground. Does not get this cold here at all. Now I can go for weeks now sometimes with out the heat being because it decide it 65 degrees in winter. Okay live in the South what do expect.

I am dress the kids and myself in layers tomorrow because be 29 degrees in the wind chill 7. I am glad bought those cheap 10.00 coats when I did.

I can't wait until warm up.

 

[SandrA9810]

I would be a freakin popsicle at 55 degrees. I'm cold at anything below 70. My feet are always freezing, socks, shoes, slippers, doesn't matter... they're still cold as ice.

Electric is way more costly for cooling, so in the summer time, it's like a 5-10% increase for every couple of degrees below 78.

 

[Tony P. IL.]

Do you have a humidifier? It helps if you do. Here is a website that shows how much humidity is needed for the temperature you set. This makes it feel more like that temperature. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001412.html

 

[crl]

I don't know about the heating costs, but I do know some ways to keep warm with your clothing. I wear flannel lined jeans and merino wool socks with shoes/slippers. That seems to be helping this year. I use the merino wool because it is softer and warmer than most wool socks.

 

[Darcy03231]

We installed a new gas furnace three years ago. At the time the tech told us to pick a temperature we were comfortable with and leave it there. By varying your temperature a lot he said you make your furnace work harder (thereby reducing its life span) and you actually use more gas brining your house up in temperature. We picked 68 (although on really cold days I've been known to bump it to 70). We have 3,300 square feet and three levels. We live in Southern NH. My gas bill is $154/mo (budget plan). This also includes the gas hot water heater, gas stove and gas dryer.

 

[stich1fan]

We are a solid 70-75 family. At night I might let it go to 65 but rarely. Our DD is a cover tosser so if the house is a bit colder and she has no covers on she is very cold in the am.

We are in NJ and it is pretty cold here now and snowy.

Not sure what would change in cost. maybe try it and see for a month. I can't imagine it would be such a high difference....

 

[antmaril]

My thermostat is set at 68 degrees. I never change it. My house is only 1400 square feet and my gas bill on the budget plan is $85 a month year round. I live in the Detroit area and the current temperature is 9 degrees. I'm very comfortable.

 

[FINFAN]

does your bill break down gas therms used each month? If so you can get an idea if you increase that about 20-25%. I guess better to ever-guesstimate and be prepared. If you are cold, and if you are in chance of getting sick, turn the heat up...the increase in the heat bill will probably be less than the doctor bill One trick I do if home alone is a heating pad, under my feet or behind my back...that way I am warm even if the house isn't.

 

[mrodgers]

We are in a 12 year old, 1800 sf....

BTW - are people's houses really 6800 and 5800 sf? That's a HUGE house!

Your house is 1800SF? That is HUGE, LOL. (I'm 1000 SF and don't even have a dining room, nor room in the kitchen for a table.)

I am dress the kids and myself in layers tomorrow because be 29 degrees in the wind chill 7. I am glad bought those cheap 10.00 coats when I did.

I can't wait until warm up.

I can't wait until it warms up here either. This weekend is suppose to be warmer, a high of 29! Can't wait!

We leave ours at 67 at all times (183 in the summer, wish we had AC other than the crappy window unit that only cools a 5 foot area....)

 

[princessbride6205]

I would try the 5 degree increase at the start of a billing cycle, see what your bill is and then decide if you want to pay for the 10 degree increase.

If you were to raise the temperature 5 degrees all the time, I'd budget for a 20% increase. If you're just doing the 5 degree increase when you're home and awake, then budget for 10%. It should be less, but at least you'll be on the safe side.

Also, our monthly service charge is $10 and has nothing to do with the amount we use. Then we pay for actual gas used on top of that. If this is the case for you, you'll only need to figure the 10 or 20% increase on the energy cost. Example: if your service charge is $10 and your energy currently costs an additional $30, you're paying $40 total. If we do a 10% increase on the $30 energy portion, it adds $3 to your bill, making the total $43.

And it does make sense to have the temp lower at night and when you're not home, as you've been doing.

From the US Dept of Energy website:
A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. In fact, as soon as your house drops below its normal temperature, it will lose energy to the surrounding environment more slowly. The lower the interior temperature, the slower the heat loss. So the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save, because your house has lost less energy than it would have at the higher temperature. The same concept applies to raising your thermostat setting in the summer; a higher interior temperature will slow the flow of heat into your house, saving energy on air conditioning.

 

[dzorn]

I just cannot image setting it a 55. We do set ours lower at night. I would sweat to death with the covers if I didn't.

Denise in MI