Programmable thermostats, air vents and saving water

BY DENNIS CREECH AND ABRAHAM KRUGER

Q. Do setback or programmable thermostats save money?

A. Usually yes, but the amount can vary widely from one home to another. For gas furnaces, setting the thermostat back is fairly straightforward. The more you lower the thermostat, the more you will save. Expect savings of between 5 percent and 10 percent for the typical schedule of lowering the temperature at night to around 55 degrees and after everyone has left during the day for school and work.

For electric heat pumps, the answer is more complicated. While lowering the temperature setting will save energy, the savings may be gobbled up if the electric resistant strip heaters are used to bring the room temperature quickly back to comfortable levels. Heat from the strip heaters can cost nearly three times as much. There are programmable thermostats designed for heat pumps, which minimize the use of the strip heaters.

Q. Should I close off vents in unused rooms to save on cooling costs?

A. Common sense tells us that if we do not use a room, then closing the supply register to prevent cooled air from entering should save money. However, the pennies you save by closing the room off may be lost elsewhere. Closing too many registers can create high air pressures in the system and damage the equipment and increase air leakage through the duct work. Usually closing off one or two registers should not cause harm, but the savings will usually be less than 10 percent. You may notice more air flowing from registers in other rooms.

Q. I would like to use less water in my home. What are some good ways to accomplish this?

A. Two ways to decrease your water consumption are to install low-flow showerheads and low-flow toilets. An average family of four spends about $300 to $400 a year to heat water for bathing, laundry and other domestic uses. Installing low-flow showerheads that use less than 2.5 gallons per minute will save you money by using less water and less energy to heat the water. A good fixture will save water and provide a great shower.

Federal regulations require that all new toilets be water-saving models. These fixtures use 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Older models may use an additional 2 gallons of water or more! For some homes, replacing an old toilet with a new fixture can generate savings of  more than $60 per year. There are new models that use even less water.

Additionally, you can decrease your water-heating costs by lowering the water heater temperature (to approximately 120°F) and insulating the water heater tank. You can buy a jacket from a local hardware or building supply store for less than $20. It will save you many times its costs in energy savings.