Thanks, all! Never heard of a "nest thermostat" -- will need to look into it. Anyone know who much it costs to have the form insulation done in an crawlspace (flat roof) -- Any recommendations on who does is good job is appreciated.

Just an FYI... I have heard that cable boxes are incredible energy consumers because they basically stay on even if you use the remote to turn it off. They are improving new ones to conserve more energy. But if you have an older one (especially if you have mulitiple boxes), buy one of the on/off plugs (you can get them in the 99 cents stores) and use it for your cable box. Turn the switch on the plug off which will then totally turn off the cable box. You'll need to turn on the switch on both at the plug and at the cable box and it will take a minute for the cable box to restart. Also, don't turn off the switch on the plug if you want to record anything (if DVR cable box). Admittedly, it can be an inconvenience if you want immediate reception (not wait a minute). But we have 3 boxes in our house and our electric portion of the bill is usually around $65 (when not using air conditioning, etc..).
Quote:

The flippant answer is "less than electric." I got my bill last month and wept. It equalled a car payment, and by car I mean something like a Passat.

When I had gas I paid about $80/month in winter for a sturdy one bedroom in downtown JC... I kept the thermostat at 68.

Note on the gas bills:


PSE&G gave a special rate on gas for a couple months.

Newark, NJ ? October 23, 2013) Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) announced today that it is providing a two-month bill credit for its residential gas customers that will cut the typical monthly bill by about 33 percent in both November and December.

The bill credit of 35 cents per therm, including NJ Sales and Use Tax (SUT), will reduce the current supply rate of approximately 54 cents to 19 cents per therm including SUT for usage in November and December.

With the bill credit factored in, a typical residential heating customer using 106 therms in November and 160 therms in December would see a reduction in their two-month bill to $188.65 from $281.75 for a savings of $93.10. Depending on meter reading schedules, many customers will see some of the credit in November and December, with the remainder in January.

This latest action by the utility is in addition to nine decreases in a row for residential customers since January 2009 that saves the typical customer about $674 per year. A 15-cent per therm bill credit for February 2012 usage provided an additional $24 in savings.


That rate is going bye-bye. Natural gas prices hit a three year high this week (broke the $6 per MMBtu barrier). During the summer it was in the $2 range.

Quote:


A comprehensive insulation job (I am talking comprehensive re-work of the building envelope) for say a downtown brownstone you are talking $10,000 to $15,000.

Typically you will get your money back in 5 years, though paybacks might be longer because gas has been so cheap the past couple years.

Retrofitting a non / badly insulated home will generally reduce the heating load 40% to 60% and can reduce the A/C size needed by as much as 70%.

Note: A re-work is a major construction job (lots of mess). You can do minor upgrades like adding insulation to the attic / cockloft.. but you won't get the same scale in reduction in your heating bills.

We're in a 3-story (one is a basement) single-family, 2-bedroom, 1500 sq feet house; it's attached. The bill for last month was $156 for gas.

How much does it cost to have a house properly insulated? Is it a lot of work (meaning, do they need to break down much of the current walls)?

Quote:

I am paying about $120 to $160 a month from Dec to March for a 3 bedroom detached house. I did have my home professionally insulated which helped. Also I use the nest thermostat which is great, if you are away it turns itself off and I can control it from my iPhone and iPad.

May be a stupid question and I know a lot has to do with size of house, whether attached or detached, thermostat settings, etc..., but was curious how much it cost to heat different types of houses. We're spending around $200/month (total gas bill) for small, attached 2 bedroom house. Have been looking for something detached that is larger -- wasn't sure what the increased heating costs may be. Friends in CT. with a very large house are spending $500/month.