Replies

1. 
   DanH | Jan 15, 2009 09:45pm | #1

   First check the number of gallons and the price per gallon. Likely the price accounts for a substantial amount of the increase you see. Then consider that this year, so far, has been pretty cold, so gas usage is up in most of the country.

   But if you haven't had your furnace checked in 2-3 years it may be time.

   Do note, however, that it's hard for the inexperienced eye to tell much about burner operation from the color of the flame.

   The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
2. 
   rjw | Jan 16, 2009 12:03am | #2

   Flame color does not give reliable info about combustion efficiency - I've seen "perfect" blue flames with low efficiency and "orange" flames with on-target efficiency, testing with a combustion analyzer.

   You can find a certified combustion analyst at this site: http://www.certaincomfort.org/

   If that doesn't turn one up -(I think their zip code locater is limited give 'em a call.

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   "Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

   Howard Thurman

3. 
   Clewless1 | Jan 16, 2009 08:13am | #3

   Don't compare what you pay ... compare what you consume (gallons). Some weather factors will tend to affect consumption as weather can vary +/- 25% in months of different years. Small weather variations may not show up on your consumption.

   Gererally good flame should be blue .... at least that is what I was taught. Orange tends to mean more air than necessary. I ain't no expert on combustion efficiency, though.

   Check consumption first. If you've been in the house long ... check consumption totals over a long period. Add up 12 months use ... each month have a total of the previous twelve. If you do this for say 2 years (which requires 36 months of data), you can easily tell if you have a problem. This assumes a relatively stable situation as far as occupancy of the house (i.e. no radical changes in occupants or daily periods of heating).

1. 
   DanH | Jan 16, 2009 02:21pm | #4

   Check the bills to see if the utility doesn't include the degree days for each billing period. Heating costs should be roughly proportional to degree days.
   The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith

1. 
   Clewless1 | Jan 16, 2009 03:24pm | #5

   That might be another way to do it. Gallons consumed per HDD for the same period. There are any number of methods to place it in perspective. I've always used the rolling 12 month method. If you do it per sqft of floor area, then you can compare my house roughly w/ yours. The conversation can get complex fast here, so I'm trying to keep it simple. Either method should give him an idea if consumption is unusual.

1. 
   DanH | Jan 16, 2009 05:44pm | #7

   I've always wondered about ratioing it to square feet. Seems to me a better way (though more difficult to calculate) would be the area of exposed surface -- the area of the roof plus the area of all the exposed walls.
   The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith

1. 
   Clewless1 | Jan 17, 2009 04:24am | #8

   Such analyses can get complex fast. You could set up a VERY complex statistical analysis that accounts for energy consumed based on one or a combination of many lifestyle/physical factors of the house.

   But, I like to generally keep energy analysis simple. Lots of precise calculations and analyses provide minimal benefit the vast majority of the time. Energy use variations can occur for a multitude of reasons (e.g. wind speed/directon, cloud cover, number of showers my teenage daughters from hell take a day, number of pies my wife bakes during a particular season (apple harves), etc).

   Btu/SQFT floor area/Year is a common method of 1) assessing your house's gas mileage over time and 2) comparing my residence with yours ... assuming people generally tend to occupy their houses in FAIRLY similar fashions. While there are many significant exceptions to that statement, I'm guessing that the vast majority by far are occupied very similarly (most are kept at 68-75 degF during the heating season). Exceptions are easily accounted for ... if you have lots of windows (a cadilac), your mileage will be poor, if you have a lab for a mad scientist, it will be poor.

   There is a VERY LARGE range of energy use for residential. Again, though to judge my gas mileage over time, I can do a montly plot on a rolling 12 month total that will tell a good story over a 24+ month period (or more). If you ended up with a problem w/ the furnace, it may show up immediately in a graph of that use.

4. 
   junkhound | Jan 16, 2009 04:34pm | #6

   I'd convert to a wshp or gshp and do a DIY install, no more propane $$$$$ ........

   BTW: did you know you can buy a used backhoe to do DIY installs on that type system and be $$ ahead and have a 'free' backhoe when you are finished??

   
   

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   Edited 1/16/2009 8:35 am ET by junkhound