>
> Electric meter must just about spin off the building when you turn those
> heaters on.
We have electric heat (forced air, central heating and cooling) in our condo
and I thought that it would be an electric bill nightmare. Alas, it has
turned out to be quite the opposite. It has actually lowered our utility
bills in several ways:
1. No gas bill--even when you don't use any, you still have a monthly
minimum that needs to be paid.
2. No pilot lights on the furnace or hot-water heater. Although, this is
less of an issue than it used to be.
3. Lower installed costs. No gas lines or exhaust vents to install.
4. No heating lag after furnace kicks in. (this one is somewhat debatable,
but it is true that you don't get that two-minute lag after the furnace
turns on before the fans start running).
5. 100% efficiency. (I'm not making any comments about the line-loss in the
distribution system or electricity generation itself).
6. Most importantly: Time-based billing. We opted for the
daytime/nighttime rates. During the coldest month, we saved in the
neighborhood of $100. Summer cooling is more expensive, but that's minimal
compared to the heating costs. The furnace runs mostly at night in our
house, and we go into serious conservation mode during the day.
When compared to our house which we moved from 16 months ago, (and it was
extremely efficient and partial solar in design, and about the same square
footage as our drafty in spots condo), we've saved in excess of $200 per
month in wintertime utilities and an overall average of about $100. At no
time--even in the depths of the hottest summer did we ever have a gas bill
under $30.
So, based on my own personal experience, I'd have no qualms about forced-air
electric heat. However, electric baseboard heat and/or radiant is
definitely not the most efficient way to go.
Just for points of comparison:
Our highest consumption meter reading was in January and it was 3981 kWh.
Electric bill was $282. That was horrid for us, but that was a result of a
severe cold spell with well below zero temperatures. For baseline
comparison, our lowest billed month was October when there was little
heating or cooling, just cooking, lights, television, hot-water, and it was
747 kWh.
Our electric bill would be lower, but we contribute to the "Green Energy
Fund" which means that a portion of our electricity is mandated to originate
from wind-farms. Wind-energy is BIG BUSINESS here in Iowa now. Those former
Maytag employees? They're building towers, nacelles and blades for those
monster wind turbines right here in Newton. (The blade manufacturer did
build a new MONSTER building, but all three manufacturers are right next to
the railroad tracks).
AG
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