Hot Water Heater Efficiency

Frequently Asked Questions

1. QUESTION:
   At what point in time does a standard hot water heater begin to lose efficiency? About how much efficiency is?
   About how efficiency is lost at that point. It would be presumed that the water heater continues to lose efficiency as it ages and as calcium and sediment begin to attach to and surround the heating coils. If that assumption is correct, how much efficiency would it lose, say, per year? Denny

   • ANSWER:
     depends on your local water conditions. that will cause the sediment to build up. if you really are concerned about efficiency, you should simply flush the sediment out of your water heater every 6 months. use the drain at the bottom of the heater, connect a hose, drain to a proper location, open valve and flush until the water is clear. close drain, repeat 2 more times. if needed there are solutions you can use to descale the water heater before flushing it out. a bit more troublesome to do, but possible. a simple flush will keep the heater operating very close to when new.

2. QUESTION:
   how much money will I save if I buy a new high efficiency hot water heater?

   • ANSWER:
     Around 50 to 100 dollars per year is the average for a 40 gallon gas storage type water heater.

     "U.S. Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy estimate a household’s tankless water heater cost savings at 20% of its annual water heating cost. Since water heating is the second-largest energy expenditure in most households, this is a significant savings, and could quickly pay the cost of an energy efficient water heater."

     IMO, tankless water heaters should last a lot longer too because when a regular water heater has to be replaced, it's usually because of corrosion or rust from the water that is stored in the tank. Plus you get the added benefit of never running out of hot water again.

3. QUESTION:
   Why will my 40 gallon hot water heater not fill a hot bath?
   It's a 5 year old AO Smith ProMax High Efficiency 40-gallon gas hot water heater. I've flushed the tank and it doesn't appear to have a self sacrificing anode in the top. I pulled the cold water line and checked the fill pipe, which feels smooth and free of corrosion. Seems hot water from the drain valve in the bottom.

   Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

   • ANSWER:
     When you checked the fill tube in the cold water line, did you completely remove and inspect it? It should be long enough to extend to the bottom of the tank. Many times these tubes will deteriorate and either break or split. A bad tube will cause this situation.

4. QUESTION:
   Will plumbing a hot water heater backwards affect its efficiency?
   I have a 30 gallon, natural gas water heater and seem to run out of hot water rather quickly. Taking a shower the water starts to go cold after only about 10 minutes. After looking at the water heater one day i noticed that the pipes are switched around. The cold water goes in where the hot water should come out, and vice versa. I recently purchased this home, so this was done before i bought the house. The water heater has the paperwork and sales reciept with it and it is only 5years old. So i don't think that it would be filled up with hard water and lime deposits already.

   • ANSWER:
     Yes. reverse plumbing a water heater will definitely affect the amount of hot water that you get from the heater. The cold water will be entering at the top of the heater and diluting the hot water. the hot supply will be taken from the bottom of the tank where the water is cooler.

     A 30 gal heater is a size small.

     If you have hard water a tank can easily be filled with deposits in 5 years. I have seen tanks completely filled. 3" core of water in the center of the tank. This was an electric heater. With gas I have seen 2' of deposits in a year.

5. QUESTION:
   A household hot water heater has a reservoir of 80 gallons. Assuming water from the municipal supply is 60F?
   A household hot water heater has a reservoir of 80 gallons. Assuming water from the municipal supply is 60F, and a heater efficiency of 80%. Assuming a family of four that uses 50 gallons per person per day of hot water for washing, showers, etc, how much does this family spend on heating hot water per year?

   cost per therm: .07

   • ANSWER:
     50 gal = 0.189 m³
     60F = 15.6ºC
     you are missing the temperature of the heated water. I'll assume 80ºC

     volume used in a year = 4 persons x 0.189 m³/person•day x 365 day/year = 276 m³/year

     density water 998 kg/m³
     mass of water = 276 m³/year x 998 kg/m³ = 276000 kg/year

     Energy needed per year
     specific heat of water is 4.186 kJ/kgC
     E = 4.186 kJ/kgC x 276000 kg/year x (80–15.6) = 7.43e7 kJ per year or 73400 MJ per year
     The therm is equal to about 105.5 MJ
     73400 MJ per year x 1 therm/105.5 MJ = 696 therm/year
     Now factor in the 80%
     696 therm/year / 0.8 = 870 therm/year

     cost per therm: .07
     870 therm/year x .07/therm = 1 per year

     edit,
     80ºc is a bit high, I'll switch to 40ºC
     E = 4.186 kJ/kgC x 276000 kg/year x (40–15.6) = 2.82e7 kJ per year or 28200 MJ per year
     The therm is equal to about 105.5 MJ
     28200 MJ per year x 1 therm/105.5 MJ = 267 therm/year
     Now factor in the 80%
     267 therm/year / 0.8 = 334 therm/year
     cost per therm: .07
     334 therm/year x .07/therm = 7 per year

6. QUESTION:
   2008 Tax Deduction for Highly Energy Efficient Hot Water Heater and Furnace?
   I purchased a highly energy efficient hot water heater as well as a high efficiency furnace in 2008. Is there anywhere to claim a credit for these two items? It looks like federal forms are only giving credits for solar heating and hybrid vehicles. If you know where to claim a credit for new furnaces and hot water heaters, let me know. Thanks for your timely response!

   • ANSWER:
     There is no credit for these items in 2008. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, these are reinstated for the tax years of 2009 and 2010 only.

     Sharon Pierce, HRB Sr Tax Advisor V

     This advice was prepared based on our understanding of the tax law in effect at the time it was written as it applies to the facts that you provided.

7. QUESTION:
   what is the best electric hot water heater for a 3 bedroom house?
   I have a 700 dollar budget from the insurance company to replace my electric hot water heater, and am looking for the best option to increase efficiency and up resale value. My current tank is 50 gal capacity. any ideas out there answer land?

   • ANSWER:
     See if you can get one from your electric company, so it is elibible for the off peak rate for heating water. We get a credit every month, (after having the heater for a couple years) and the hot water heater was free. It looks like the main fuel tank of the space shuttle - very high tech looking! It holds 80 gallons, and the electric company can shut it off for up to 4 hours a day, but the thing is really really insulated.

8. QUESTION:
   how does a solar hot water heater work, with a silver reflector?
   a solar hot water heater using a semi-circular shiny, silvered reflector.

   how does it work? where would you place it for maximum efficiency?

   • ANSWER:
     That "semi-circular" mirror has a focal point.
     Place the object to be heated at the focal point.
     The exact focal point location with depend on whether the mirror is parabolic or spherical, as parabolas and spheres are geometrically different.

     Heating is accomplished by concentrating the incident solar radiation (visible plus infrared light) of the collector onto the focal point. Same concept as burning ants with a magnifying glass.

9. QUESTION:
   Would a tankless "on demand" hot water heater make sense for a family of four in a 3-story house?
   Our considerations are 1) always having hot water available (duh), 2) energy efficiency and 3) cost. What do you think?

   • ANSWER:
     Try this site foreverhotwater.com
     Depending on what you want you can find these here. They are expensive to buy but I can tel you that through experience they do work and can save you money for the traditional hot water heaters that people use every day.
     I installed the wiring for my neighbor for one of these 7 years ago they had 3 kids at home and they never ran out of hot water and they were saving thirty to forty bucks a month in energy on their power bill as well. They come with excellent warranties but like I said they are over a thousand bucks but hey a standard water heater anymore is about 400 - 500 installed. They love it and it is still going strong for them.

10. QUESTION:
    My boiler tries to make hot water still after installing an electric water heater?
    I had an old boiler that heated our water. I installed an electric hot water heater for increased efficiency. However, now even when my thermostat is set low, the boiler kicks on and results in the house being warmer than the thermostat is set (thermostat is new). I'm guessing the boiler is still trying to maintain a minimum temp or something related to its old hot water function. It's resulting in the heat to kick on even when our house is warmer than the thermostat temp. How can i fix this? Thanks!!
    The boiler does not have a hot water tank, but internal coils. It has an 'aquastat' that the electric runs through, but i'm not sure how to bypass it.

    • ANSWER:
      Just simply turn the boiler switch off or turn the breaker off in the summer.
      Back on in the winter.
      The best way would be to disconnect the water heating controls on the boiler but just turning it off is free.

11. QUESTION:
    A household hot water heater has a reservoir of 80 gallons?
    A household hot water heater has a reservoir of 80 gallons. Assuming water from the municipal supply is 60F, and a heater efficiency of 80%.
    a. how many BTU's are required to heat this water to 125F? 150F?
    b. how many therms of gas are required to heat this water? one therm equals 100,000 BTU.
    c. Assuming a family of four that uses 50 gallons per person per day of hot water for washing, showers, etc, how much does this family spend on heating hot water per year?
    All answers should be for both 125F and 150F water.

    • ANSWER:
      Sounds like a math question you should be doing yourself! Check your workbook, find the formula, that applies to this word problem, and figure it out!

      Use your brain or you will lose it!

12. QUESTION:
    High Eff. Hot Water heater shuts off in slight wind?
    I have a high efficiency State Select hot water heater that will shut off every time that is windy outside. The intake and vent pipes have a fairly short run and with out to many bends so they meet spec. State has sent out plumbers over the past 2 years and they have been of little or no help. One plumber told me after partially blocking the exhaust vent that the “Pressure Switch” could be too sensitive and a “Contractors pressure switch” could be installed and adjusted so it would not be as sensitive. Of course without a guarantee and a boat load of money of course. I cannot find one of these sensor anywhere and I cannot find the spec for the sensor my unit has. It is MPL part # MPL-9300-V-1.10-N/O-VS. Does anyone have any ideas on what I could or should do? Please ask if you need any more detail.
    Thank you!

    • ANSWER:
      if you look on the gas valve you will see an adjusting screw for the pilot light just adjust it til you get it where you want it

13. QUESTION:
    Should my exhaust flue be hot?
    The exhaust flue on my hot water heater (poor efficiency model) is very hot. Too hot to the touch even. Should it be that hot? I figured it would because it's a low efficiency model and thus not recovering all of its heat. Can someone please confirm?

    • ANSWER:
      Low efficiency units allow much more of the heat to go up the chimney than into the water, so yes, your flue will be hot to the touch. If it is a safety issue, you can replace the current flue with a double-wall flue or, you could build a metal mesh screen around the outside of the current flue pipe to deter contact with the hot flue.

      The flue is hot so that the steam created from the combustion of the gas can be carried all the way up and out of the flue, so that water does not condense and run back into the unit or cause corrosion in your flue pipe.

      High-efficiency units remove so much of the heat in the exhaust gas that they use PVC pipe for venting so that the condensed water does not rust out the piping. They also have to have a way to remove this condensed water either through a drain in the floor or into a collection reservoir and pump it to the drain.

14. QUESTION:
    Should my hot water heater vent into a 4 inch liner?
    I have a prefab style chimney that used to vent both my gas fired furnace and a gas hot water heater. I recently had the furnace replaced with a high efficiency model that vents directly out of the side of the house, leaving only the hot water heater venting into the chimney. The hot water heater has a 3 inch duct coming directly out of it and venting into an increaser to 5 inches and subsequently into a 5 inch round metal liner. I know in the state of New Jersey you are required to have a 4 inch duct coming out of the appliance as 3 inches is no longer to code. But is the increase to a 5inch liner too big for proper draft? Should it be a 4 inch liner? And is there any documentation I can see to verify this either way?

    • ANSWER:
      A gas fired hot water heater only needs a 3 inch vent. That is how they are designed at the factory.

      When I went to a high efficiency HVAC unit. I also move the water heater vent to the outside and removed the old chimney. You would be surprised how much floor space that gave back.

      Herb

15. QUESTION:
    Efficiency of Hot Water Circulating Pumps?
    I installed a circulating pump in the far bathroom, since the length to the water heater made for a long wait.
    It takes 25 seconds for the hot water to arrive, which means 25 seconds of hot water wasted, once the water is shut off.
    Is it cheaper to, selectively(2 settings on timer) run the pump, or just wait on the hot water? And without the consideration, that time equals money. I imagine the more people that use it, the more efficient it gets.
    Thanks for all your good answers.
    Seems like the only way to know efficiency, would be to do a load calculation of amperage used by each.
    Like: measure amount of water pouring out in 25seconds, multiply by # of times. Then figure out how much electricity is used by heating up that given amount of water. Then compare that # to the wattage of the circulating pump, once all your recomendations are achieved,

    • ANSWER:
      In commercial applications it means hot water is there waiting on you rather than the other way around. It saves on lost time and water. In home use I would install a timer so pump runs only when it is needed.Insulation on the pipes will also lower the load on the hot water heater. So you can save time and money.

16. QUESTION:
    what should i set my water heater at for efficiency?
    i want it hot but not too hot to burn my 1 yearold. is there an efficant temp?

    • ANSWER:
      Why do you want it hot hot? In order to do any kind of germ killing, the water has to be above 140 degrees F. THIS IS A DANGEROUS TEMPERATURE. The maximum recommended temperature is 120, but that is hot enough to immediately cause burns. The lower the better.

      A burn specialist doctor once told me 25% of his patients had tap water scalds, and 25% of them died.

      It is good that you are concerned.

17. QUESTION:
    Need Venting Information Please!! Hot Water Heater?
    Hello, I have a Kenmore Power Miser 6, Model # is 409.734001
    I currently have a Mid Efficiency furnace and am planning to upgrade to a high efficiency model. So My question is... What is the maximum size of vent for that water heater. Currently both the furnace and water heater vent out the same B-Vent chimney, but my worry is that the vent will be too large for just the water heater once I remove the furnace from the equation.
    I can find anything online to help me out, so hopefully there is someone here who can!
    Thanks!!

    • ANSWER:
      Probably a 4" is what would be the largest size to use before condensation occurs but you would need to know the total vent height and BTU input of the appliance. A vent sizing chart from a code book would be used to size with this information.
      If the code in your area allows you may be able to chase a new smaller vent through the existing vent.

18. QUESTION:
    How much should solar hot water and radiant heat cost in Maryland, USA?
    I'm getting quotes for a replacement for our hot water heater. So far I've gotten 22K for materials and installation of a solar hot water heater (3-4 collector panels) with heat rejection and single zone open direct radiant heating to one floor (accessible through drop ceiling underneath). Both quotes include a backup hot water heating system; the expensive one would involve installing a new backup high efficiency heater by converting our propane tank to use for heating. This would be either the Polaris or 2 Takagi Jrs, one for the solar hot water and another to power the radiant heat.

    Another quote is for 12K for only the solar hot water and heat rejection using the Velux system.

    Are these really high? I've already contacted 3 companies but it doesn't look like too many people are installing them in Maryland yet. I'm still waiting on a quote from one final company. Thanks!

    • ANSWER:
      Without information of how big the footprint of the house is, and how many people the domestic hot water (DHW) is for, it is hard to say.

      You said you got a quote for 3 -4 collectors, so I'm going to make some assumptions based on that. Four 4'x8' collectors = 128 sq ft of collector. A general rule of thumb for space heating with solar is 1 sq ft of collector for every 5 -10 sq ft of house footprint (depends on heat storage, heat loss in the house, climate, etc). So, if we say 1200 sq ft house, 1200 / 10 = 120; 128 sq ft of collectors could work (again, depending on above variables). Depending on the brand, each flat plate collector could cost about 00, so 00 for the four collectors (evacuated tubes cost more). You then need a controller, storage tank, pumps, heat exchanger, plus all of the copper pipes and fixtures. Then a couple of days for a plumber to install. ,000 installed seems about right without the backup heater. Here's a heating system that costs that just for the equipment http://www.altestore.com/store/Solar-Water-Heaters/Climate-freezes-Closed-Loop-Systems/Combined-Solar-Hot-Water-Space-Heating/Heliodyne-Solar-Hot-Water-Space-Heat-1500-sqft/p6731/.

      Note, gas on-demand water heaters like the Bosch Aquastar make great backup heaters for solar http://www.houseneeds.com/shop/HeatingProducts/WaterHeating/AquaStar1/aquastar1600psmain.asp. I don't know what size you'd need.

19. QUESTION:
    How long for water to go cold when heater loses power?
    I woke up an had an ice cold shower this morning, because my water heater's circuit breaker had tripped and cut the power. Thinking back, my hot water was only warm on Monday morning, and we had a big lightning storm on Friday that was messing the electricity. Could it really have taken 3 1/2 days for the water to drop to room temperature?
    The heater holds 52 gallons, and of average efficiency/insulation for a 5-year-old heater. How long would one expect in order to lose all the stored heat for that size of tank?

    • ANSWER:
      You have an electric water heater, so there is no draft through it as there would be in a gas heater. The heater is probably in a closet where there is little or no air flow past the outside. The smaller the difference in temperature between the heater and the room, the more slowly it drops. All of these combine to make the drop in temp rather slow. Running cold water in drops it much faster.

20. QUESTION:
    Should you install a solar water heater?
    Should you install a solar water heater? The average home has a 200 liter (50-60 gallon) hot-water tank, which is effectively drained and replenished three times per day. Assume that the entering tap water is 15 degrees C and is heated to 50 degrees C. Given an average energy from sunlight of 1.53 kJ/cm2 per day, how large would the collection area (in m2) of a solar water heater need to be if its efficiency is 28%? Assume that the price of a solar collector is 5/m2. How much would it cost to install this hot water system?

    • ANSWER:
      I don't see how you can go rwong installing it, be it for economic -, environmental reasons or otherwise. In time, the system will undoubtedly pay for itself. There is also the safety factor. Propane can be volatile, something you don't have to worry about with solar. Hot water haeting systems aren't as high tech ( at laest not some) as you might think. You could probaly even install some pretty primitive ones of your own making. You could put a flat rectangular box with a large surface area on you roof, paint it a flat black , and you'll be surpriced at how much it can heat water. And you could just buy the standard hot water heating panels, witha pressure relief valve, and a mechanical heat expansion solar tracking device, or a computer controlled tracking. Pool heating systems , for the most part are pretty primitive, consisting mostly of lots of small rubber tubes bunched together in a mat, all connected to a larger supply , feed and circulation tubes. You could even coil a bunch of metal tubes , and paint them a flat black for maximum absorbtion of solar heat. I'd go solar. All around it's a good idea.

21. QUESTION:
    Does a landlord have a legal right to limit how much hot water his tenants can use?
    Our building manager informed me today that the property owner complained to him about the cost of fuel. He instructed the manager to start going to the basement to turn off the hot water heater at night and then turn it back on each morning. The manager then referenced a couple who used to live in our building, who at one time washed their clothes by hand (he was implying that by doing so, the owners fuel bill skyrocketed).

    First of all, I doubt that a landlord has the right to do this. Secondly, if a tenant wants to wash his/her laundry by hand, the landlord has no legal right to stop them. Everything is going up, inc. gas, food, electric, etc, etc. This is a small efficiency apartment building with one hot water heater that serves all 12 apartments..

    We are in the State of NY if that helps.

    This place is in bad enough shape as it is and I'm desperate to leave. I'm still looking for another home, possibly even a small house, but it will be awhile before I can get out. There are no leases here, nor did I sign any kind of agreement about what I can and cannot do here. We're not even allowed to have our own air conditioners.

    Again, whatever we're forbidden from doing is by word of mouth, not in writing.

    Thoughts, anyone? This place is a dump, it takes forever to get things fixed and it's literally making me sick because of the overabundance of dust, mold, etc, etc. Help!

    • ANSWER:

22. QUESTION:
    How do I to get people in town to check out my website?(www. Thomas and sons home efficiency.com)?
    I live in the small town of Oakland TN(15 min from Memphis) and need to promote my website to generate sales (www.thomas and sons home efficiency .com). We deal with heat and air issues and also upgrade home and small business energy efficiency. Fayette County Tn. is growing very fast and I think my services will be valuabe if I can get them promoted in Oakland,TN and Sommerville TN. We also service Eads, Tn and Arlington, TN areas in Shelby county TN. We do HVAC preventive maintenance contracts, dryer vent cleaning, cfl lighting upgrades, low flow areators for sinks, electrical outlet and switch insulation, hot water heater blankets, refrigerator coil cleanings, a shower start device, sell dryer balls, and more. We are wanting to promote to realtors and home owners in the area to upgrade a homes efficiency. I also would like to work with Fayette and Shelby county builders to sell efficiency upgrade packages to new construction buyers.

    • ANSWER:
      Put ads online and in local papers instead of in Yahoo Answers.

23. QUESTION:
    are smaller tank water heaters more efficient?
    I have a 40 gallon tank that's on it's way out. I'm looking to maximize efficiency in a new water heater without paying for a tankless. Is a 30 gallon water heater more efficient? There are only two of us so there would be enough hot water.
    Thank you.
    it is a natural gas water heater

    • ANSWER:
      Jimmy, while you may be looking to maximize efficiency with your water heater choice, you may be making a choice that will make your home unattractive to prospective buyers should you ever decide to sell for whatever reason. Most folks want at least a 40 gal. water heater, even if there are only two of them, if for no other reason than they really don't want to run out of hot water, like in the middle of a shower. With today's busy lifestyles, children running here and there to activities, as well as your own, a family of four would be hard pressed to get by with a 30 gal. unit. Besides, oftentimes you can find 40 gal. units for the same price as the 30 gal. units. Just something to think about.

24. QUESTION:
    What are the best improvements to make for home energy efficiency?
    I didn't want the question to drag on and on.....
    but what are the most COST EFFECTIVE energy improvements!
    I figured theres gotta be some people out there that can tell me what works and what doesn't!

    And no, i'm not interested in replacing my air conditioning or hot water heater any time soon

    • ANSWER:
      Yeah! I just watched a show yesterday on what you can do.

      I think that you should find this in depth and helpful. Here you go.

      Sealing Your House Envelope: Leaks & Insulation

      Find and seal air leaks
      Hidden air leaks cause some of the largest heat losses in older homes. Common air leakage sites include:
      Plumbing penetrations through insulated floors and ceilings
      Chimney penetrations through insulated ceilings and exterior walls
      Fireplace dampers
      Attic access hatches
      Recessed lights and fans in insulated ceilings
      Wiring penetrations through insulated floors, ceilings, and walls
      Missing plaster
      Electrical outlets and switches, especially on exterior walls
      Window, door, and baseboard moldings
      Dropped ceilings above bathtubs and cabinets
      Sealing Options:
      Caulk is best for cracks and gaps less than about 1/4" wide.
      Expanding foam sealant is an excellent material to use for sealing larger cracks and holes that are protected from sunlight and moisture.
      Use rigid foam insulation for sealing very large openings such as plumbing chases and attic hatch covers.
      Fiberglass insulation can also be used for sealing large holes, but it will work better if wrapped in plastic or stuffed in plastic bags.
      Specialized materials such as metal flashing and high-temperature silicone sealants may be required for sealing around chimneys and flue pipes.
      Upgrade inefficient windows and doors
      About one-third of the home's total heat loss usually occurs through windows and doors. If your existing windows have rotted or damaged wood, cracked glass, missing putty, poorly fitting sashes, or locks that don't work, you may be better off replacing them.
      Windows in generally good condition: Probably more cost-effective to increase their efficiency by weatherstripping, caulking, and fitting them with storm panels rather than undergo the expense of window replacement.
      Increase window energy efficiency by installing insulating curtains or drapes on the interior.
      When replacing your home’s windows, buy new high performance models. Look for the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) label and choose a product with U-factor of 0.40 or less, Solar Heat Gain Coefficient of 0.40 or less, and Visible Light Transmittance of 0.60 or higher.
      Make sure doors are in good shape. Weatherstrip around the whole perimeter to ensure a tight seal when closed. Install quality door sweeps on the bottom of the doors if needed.
      Home Insulation
      Your primary defense against heat loss through the house envelope is insulation. If there isn't any insulation, the best option is to bring in an insulation contractor to blow cellulose or fiberglass into the walls.
      Adding insulation to an unheated attic is usually a lot easier than adding to existing walls. If there is no floor in the attic, simply add more insulation, either loose fill or unfaced fiberglass batts.
      If the basement or crawl space is unheated, insulate between the floor joists instead of around the perimeter walls.
      If the basement is heated and used, you need to insulate the basement walls instead.
      Reduce Home Heating & Cooling Costs

      Add PermaFrost (refrigerant additive) to all of your air conditioning systems (including vehicles), ice machines, food-service related cooling equipment. Patented PermaFrost has been proven to increase heat transfer, reduce compressor run time, save energy, and increase compressor life.
      Keep exterior doors and windows closed when using your HVAC system.
      Set your air conditioner thermostat to 78°F or higher – health permitting – when you’re at home.
      Set our air conditioner thermostat at 85°F (or turn it off), when you’re away from home.
      Install a clock thermostat to set your thermostat back automatically at night.
      Purchase "energy star" air conditioning and other appliances wherever possible.
      Clean or replace filters monthly during operating season. This enhances the performance and efficiency of your equipment.
      Keep your HVAC system clean, lubricated and properly adjusted. This enhances the performance and efficiency of your equipment.
      Use the thermostat factory setpoints. Leave the thermostat settings at 76°F for heating. Each degree of heating or cooling can cost an additional four to five percent in energy costs.
      Check the refrigerant charge and fix leaks if necessary.
      Get your central heating/cooling system’s ducts tested for air leakage. Up to 30% of the heated or cooled air is lost through leaky ducts. Properly sized, installed, and sealed ductwork will make your heating and cooling systems significantly more efficient, and your home more comfortable.
      Replace your central natural gas furnace with a 90-94 Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rated unit.
      Provide shading for your air conditioner. Use deciduous plants or exterior shading devices – shades, awnings or sun screens – to shade your home and windows facing south and/or west to block heat during summer months. Save up to 8% of your cooling costs.
      Lighting

      Replace existing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). These lamps can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescents. The best targets are 60-100W bulbs used several hours a day. New CFLs come in many sizes and styles to fit in most standard fixtures.
      Use hardwired motion sensors for indoor and outdoor lighting.
      Use dimmer switches, timers, or motion sensors on incandescent lights.
      Caulk windows, doors, pipes, and anywhere air leaks in and out. Use weather stripping around windows, doors and pipes.
      Use ENERGY STAR® hardwired indoor and outdoor light fixtures. Low Cost Home Improvement Actions
      Appliances

      Turn off equipment and appliances – such as lights, televisions, stereos, DVD players, and computers – when you’re not using them.
      Refrigerator: Give the unit breathing room, clean the coils, and don’t set the temperature too low. Fresh foods keep at 37 to 42°F, frozen foods at 0 to 5°F. Unplug your second refrigerator and/or freezer. Better yet, recycle it and get in return!
      Purchase a new energy-efficient refrigerator if your model was purchased before 1993. Older models use twice as much energy as new ENERGY STAR-labeled models.
      Clothes washer/dryer: Do only full loads when using your clothes washer and dryer. Wash in cold water, or wash in warm water and rinse in cold water. Clean the dryer lint trap after each use. Check vent for clogging. Or, line-dry your clothes if possible.
      Purchase a qualifying high efficiency ENERGY STAR clothes washer. It uses 50% less energy than a standard washer made before 1994, and less water, too. Rebates are available!
      Water heater: Lower the water heater temperature to 120°F or "low" (140°F or "medium" if you have a dishwasher without its own heating element).
      Replace your water heater if your model was purchased prior to 1994. Buy a gas water heater with an Energy Factor of 0.62 or higher. Buy an electric water heater with an Energy Factor of 0.93 or higher.
      Dishwasher: Wash only full loads. Use the energy saver, air dry cycle, or if possible, open the door and let dishes dry naturally.
      ENERGY STAR-labeled dishwashers save energy by using both improved technology for the primary wash cycle, and by using less hot water. Rebates are available!
      Oven: Don’t preheat your oven. Cook complete meals of several dishes simultaneously in the oven. Use your microwave oven when possible.
      Energy-Saving Tips for Cooking

      When cooking small- to medium-sized meals, it is generally more efficient to use smaller microwave ovens, toaster ovens, or slow-cook crockpots.
      If you have two ovens, use the smaller one whenever possible.
      Crockpot save substantial amounts of energy. Use them for soups and stews that require long cooking periods.
      Cconsider using a pressure-cooker for stove-top cooking. By building up steam pressure, it cooks at a higher temperature, reducing cooking time and energy use considerably.
      Use the smallest pan necessary to do the job. Smaller pans require less energy.
      Keep the burner pans (the metal pans under the burners that catch grease) clean and shiny so they will reflect more heat up to the cookware.
      Use flat-bottomed cookware that rests evenly on the burner surfaces to increase efficiency of the burner elements.
      With electric burners, you can turn off the burner just before the cooking is finished. The burner will continue radiating heat for a short while.
      With gas burners, make sure you're getting a bluish flame; if it is not, have your gas company check it out.
      Reduce cooking time by defrosting frozen foods in the refrigerator before cooking.
      Keep preheat time to a minimum to with conventional ovens. There may be no need to preheat the oven at all unless you're baking breads or pastries.
      Avoid excessive peeking into the oven. Each time the door is opened, a significant amount of heat escapes.
      Food cooks more quickly and more efficiently in ovens when air can circulate freely. Don't lay foil on the racks. If possible, stagger pans on upper and lower racks to improve airflow if you're baking more than one pan at a time.
      Cook double portions when using your oven, and refrigerate or freeze half for another meal. It doesn't take as much energy to reheat the food as it does to cook it-not to mention the saved preparation time!
      Use glass or ceramic pans in ovens. You can turn down the temperature about 25°F and cook foods just as quickly.
      Avoid overcooking meat by using thermometers and timers.
      If you have a self-cleaning oven, use the feature just after you've cooked a meal; the oven will still be hot and cleaning will require less energy.
      Keep the inside surface of microwave ovens clean to allow more efficient cooking. When possible, cook foods in their serving dishes to save time and reduce the amount of hot water needed for dishwashing.
      Swimming Pool Energy Savings Tips

      Use a swimming pool cover when you’re not using the pool. A cover controls water evaporation, keeps the pool warmer, and keeps the pool cleaner so the filter runs less often.
      Swimming pool: Reduce your swimming pool water temperature and the number of months you heat your pool. Keep swimming pool cleaning and heating equipment clean.
      Replace your single-speed pool pump and motor with a new two-speed or variable speed pool pump and motor.
      Other Home Energy Saving Tips

      Schedule an energy audit (ask your utility company or state energy office) for more expert advice on your home as a whole.
      Collect your utility bills. Separate electricity and fuel bills. Target the biggest bill for energy conservation remedies.
      In winter, open window coverings on sunny days to help warm the rooms. In summer, close them to help keep the room cool during the day.
      Close the damper when not using your fireplace. Turn your heating system down when using your fireplace to prevent heated air from escaping outdoors.
      Fix defective plumbing or dripping faucets. Water faucet drips cause water loss up to 212 gallons a month and hot water drips waste energy as well.
      Buy a water-heater blanket, low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators, and compact fluorescents, as needed.

25. QUESTION:
    What volume of water can be heated per hour if the area of the collector is 28.0 m^2.?
    A solar water heater for domestic hot-water supply uses solar collecting panels with a collection efficiency of 46.0 percent in a location where the average solar-energy input is 200 W/m^2.
    If the water comes into the house at 16.0 degrees C and is to be heated to 60.0 degrees C, what volume of water can be heated per hour if the area of the collector is 28.0 m^2.

    • ANSWER:
      The specific heat of water = 4186. joule/kg °C
      Energy required to heat 1kg of water from 16 to 60
      = (60-16) x 4186.joule/kg °C = 184.184 x10^3 joules or watt-sec

      184.184 x10^3watt-sec/ 3600sec/hr = 51 watt-hours/kg

      available energy = area x watt/meter^2 x efficiency
      = 28 meter^2 x 200W/meter^2 x .46
      = 2576 watts

      water heated in 1 hour

      = 2576watts / 51 watt-hours/kg = 50.5 kg/hour

      1 kg water = 1 liter
      answer 50.5 liters /hour

26. QUESTION:
    Is it cheaper to heat a home built on a slab foundation or the same home on an unfinished, unheated basement?
    Looking at overall energy costs, but mainly the cost of heating because cost of electricity, including a/c is probably the same. How about boiler and hot water heater efficiency - is that affected by having these units on the main floor vs. being in the basement?

    What are some other disadvantages of being in a 2 story home on a slab that I might not think of? I know about the plumbing under the slab, and cracking could become a problem. could there also be dampness/mold on the main floor?

    In case anyone is familiar with them, I am considering a Levitt built home built in the early 1970's in the NY/NJ area. They built many different styles of home all on a slab foundation and the one defect many were known for was the aluminum wiring they used.

    • ANSWER:
      Assuming the slab and the foundation were insulated the same, there wouldn't be much difference. If moisture is a problem, the slab will transmit that moisture into your home. With a basement, you can create ventilation to alleviate the moisture. The advantage of a basement is access to wiring/ plumbing that can run under the floors. With a slab, everything is in the walls and you need access points. Utilities coming up through the slab better be correct or you'll be jackhammering to repair.
      A water heater or boiler is better being in an already heated space, since heat loss from it will contribute to heat gain in a living area instead of being lost. Of course in the summer you'd be adding heat you don't want from the water heater (or boiler if it has a domestic loop).
      The aluminum wiring is of course unrelated to your main question, but it definitely is not desireable.

27. QUESTION:
    I purchased a High efficiency washer and dryer in June of 09. They are both energy star appliances?
    Can you claim there as energy credit on taxes? I did not know if washer and dryers qualified. you only hear of hot water heater and such.

    • ANSWER:
      Only benefit is that you will save on your electrictiy bill; you do not get any tax credit on your tax return.
      Nonbusiness energy credit for 2009 and 2010 is thiry percent for water boilers, furnaces, windows, doors, skylight and insulation. Pellet stoves are also qualifying purchase.
      credit received in 2006 or 2007 do not come into play when calculating the credits for 2009 and 2010.

28. QUESTION:
    Our water heater is gushing water all over, what it wrong?
    There is a long pipe that hangs down to the floor from the tank and that is where all the water is gushing out of and it is hot water. I shut off the valve on the pipe that sends water to the tank to prevent anymore from heating up and spewing out. The heater is a high efficiency, it was made in 2006, we keep the water temperature quite low to save money.
    My whole basement is covered in hot water, it's good because it evaporates quick but bad because...well...it's obviously bad!
    What could this be? I am going to try to get someone here to look at it but we can hardly afford that so any good suggestions are appreciated.

    • ANSWER:
      if you follow the pipe to the top of the water heater you will see what is called a pressure Relief valve. It needs to be replaced.If your water heater is electric, turn off the breaker before you replace it, so the elements don't continue to produce heat and fry the water heater. if it's gas turn off the pilot light. If you go to a Home depot and get one also get teflon tape and wrap it around the threading of the new relief valve about 4 times. It seals it. All you need is either a monkey wrench or large channel locks to replace it. You will have to reconnect the drain line. if any of this frightens you, then call a plumber to fix. Probably be about 5

29. QUESTION:
    Price to instal a solar water heater?
    Should you install a solar water heater? The average home has a 200 liter (50-60 gallon) hot-water tank, which is effectively drained and replenished three times per day. Assume that the entering tap water is 13 degrees C and is heated to 55 degrees C. Given an average energy from sunlight of 1.53 kJ/cm2 per day, how large would the collection area (in m2 of a solar water heater need to be if its efficiency is 20%? Assume that the price of a solar collector is 5/m2. How much would it cost to install this hot water system?

    Calculate energy required to heat 1 mL of water. Convert this to tank volume. area=heat required/(solar heat/area)/eff. Installation cost = area x solar collector cost.

    I'm getting 34x10^6 m^2
    12x10^9 dollars to install

    Apparently this is wrong but I can't find my mistakes. Anyone?
    I have 4180 J/Liter giving 837,200 J to heat up 200 Liters of water 1 degree C. I multiplied that by 3 because it's drained and filled 3 times a day giving me 2,511,600J per day. I multiplied that by 42 (55-13) giving me 105x10^6J per day, altering for the change in temperature of the tank. I took that and converted it to kJ = 105x10^3kJ per day. Took 1.53kJ/cm^2 and divided by 1000 to get m^2.

    105x10^3/(.0153kJ/m^2)-----> Divided by .20 for efficiency factor and got 34x10^6 m^2

    34x10^6 m^2 x 375 to get 12x10^9 dollars

    I know this is wrong, but I just can't seem to find the mistake.

    • ANSWER:
      Eyeballing it, about 50 m^2, and 000, which is way out of line with the real world, at least, for Hawaii. Without that 20% efficiency number, the answer would be reasonable for me. I would think 10 m^2 and 00.

      Look up the "specific heat of water", and find out how many joules are needed to heat a gram (= 1 mL) of water by one degree C. That's the same number of kJ needed to heat a liter.

      EDIT:

      "kJ = 105x10^3kJ per day. Took 1.53kJ/cm^2 and divided by 1000 to get m^2."

      105 x 10^3 kJ per day. I agree. But you should take 1.53 kJ/cm^2 and *multiply* by (100 x 100 = 10,000) to get kJ/m^2. So that's 1.53 x 10^4 kJ/m^2.

      Dividing that figure into 105 x 10^3 kJ, you'll get 105/15.3 = about 7 m^2. Then divide by 0.20 to get 35 m^2.

30. QUESTION:
    I have lost pressure in my oil burner tankless water heater.?
    I have a less than two year old Weil Mclain WTGO High Efficiency Oil Boiler - Tankless Heater. Over the last weeks or months ive noticed that my hot water pressure in my shower and around my house has gotten to the point where it is almost pressure less. Just kinda triclking out. it is plenty hot. i went down to check the pressure gauge on the boiler and it read about 20 psi. the manual says its supposed to be 50psi. any ideas or do i just need to call someone? if i do need to call someone do i call a plumber or a water heater specialist or something? thanks alot for any help.
    I live in a single family house with well water. the person who responded stated that the boiler should only be 15-20 psi (which it is currently at). and it should prob be there cause just as he said when i tried to increase the pressure the release valve opened up when i hit about 30psi and spit out a bunch of water on my basement floor which i toweled up. and the pressure went back to 20 psi. (i was playin with a few of the valves and found that one of them started flowing some water that i could hear and the pressure started going up. i prob shouldnt go touching much just yet). it is in fact a hot WATER boiler and not steam as you can see from the link. the cold water pressure is fine. if i run the shower on only cold water there is no problem but when i put it on straight hot water there is much much less pressure comming out of the shower head. it is even more pronounced in the shower on the second floor. it just seems the cold is fine but hot cant keep up with the psis

    • ANSWER:
      While it is true that your hot water system is "tankless," from your description you have a boiler with a "hot water coil" in it. There are stand alone "tankless" water heating systems that are currently being much talked about.

      You have indicated that your boiler is oil fired (rather than gas) but in my neighborhood about every other boiler is to produce steam and not hot water. Within the house are steam radiators instead of hot water radiators or baseboard radiators.

      It is unusual to have a pressure guage on the hot water system. An oil fired hot water boiler may have a guage on it to confirm the pressure in the boiler (usually 12 to 16# factory set on the fill valve but more on a taller building) and a steam boiler would definately have a pressure guage (usually no more than 5# when the boiler is running.) A guage that is suppose to read 50# would have to be part of the supply system and not the boiler system.

      Pressure will be reduced within the hot water system if the supply from the cold water is reduced or if there is a leak in the system. (or both) Pressure for the hot water system is provided by the pressure within the cold water system. This could be reduced by

      water in line valve partially closed (gate or ball valves)
      water line partially collapsed (line is frozen, line is crushed, line is being filled in with deposits. Work in the streets or a pump sucking dirt may have put debris into the lines or clogged a house filter or backflow prevention (double check valve) on the incoming line.)
      a pressure reducer set too low or malfunctioning

      If you are on a municipal supply you could have a leak in the line to the house. There may be a wet spot on the surface or on basement walls. Some supplies will have pressure reducers on the incoming lines. This may go bad. If there is a meter this can also be bad.

      If you have well water you will probably have a pressure guage on or near the controls for the pump. If the pressure is low the pump may be bad or filters clogged.

      If the cold water pressure is fine and all the valves to and from the coil are fully open then you may have a leak within the coil. The boiler pressure would be constantly going up. A steam boiler would be overfilling and the blow off valve on a hot water boiler would be venting water.

      I would like to hear more information about what you find. If you are truely at a loss to trace this down you will have to call in a plumber.

      EDIT:_____________
      So you are on well water. Are you using a water softener to reduce the hardness (mineral level) of the water? Very soft water feels slippery as if it has soap in it. Hard water needs soap to wash anything. Hard water will leave deposits on the inside of pipes reducing the pressure. This is also true when different kinds of metal pipes exist within the system. (you have iron pipes and put in a copper coil... the coil will fill with deposits.) It is referred to as galvanic action.

      Check all of the valves in the system to make sure they are fully open (but not the boiler drain or fill valves). If you have a gate valve in the system it could be closed and you will not be able to see that it is broken. (they are known for breaking closed) Depending upon where a valve might be partially closed hot water will have full flow at at some taps and be restricted at others. Do you have this problem or is poor pressure universal in the house?

      Coils do reduce the pressure. What is your pressure at the well controls? If it was not always like this your coil may have gone bad for reasons that cannot be determined without disassembling it. While a plumber could check out the system they would probably defer to a heating specialist for the coil in the boiler.

31. QUESTION:
    Help on Physics Homework, Efficiency?
    There is a diagram A:immersion heater is a hot water cylinder with two heating elements inside cylinder a lagging jacket around it and a temperature control switch.
    B:Heat pump. a hot water cylinder and a heat pump.
    I have until tomorrow before i go on holiday and to get this done, but i cant remember how to do it!
    It takes 1.2kWh of electrical energy to heat a tank full of water using a heat pump. it takes 5.5kWh if the same amount of water is heated using an immersion heater.
    1)The immersion heater and hot water cylinder has an efficiency of 73%
    a)How much energy is transferred to the water in the cylinder?
    b)What form of energy is wasted?
    c)Suggest why the hot water cylinder has two heating elements in it?
    d)How could the efficiency of the hot water cylinder be increased?
    2a) What forms of wasted energy are transferred by the heat pump?
    b)The heat pump transfers the same amount of useful energy to the water in the tank as the immersion heater. Calculate its efficiency based on the energy used by the motor.
    c)your answer to question 2b is not the true efficiency of the heat pump. Why isn't this the true efficiency? (Hint:think about all the input energies)
    d) would the true efficiency be greater or smaller than the value you calculated?
    e)which value for the efficiency of a heat pump is most useful for a home owner deciding how to heat water?
    f)what else would you need to know before deciding whether to buy and install a heat pump or an immersion heater?
    3 a fridge is standing in the middle of a empty room, and all the doors and windows are closed. The fridge is switched on and its door is open.
    a) will the temperature in the room go down, stay the same, or go up?
    b) explain your answer to part a.

    • ANSWER:
      Efficiency is a very easy concept. The calculations you will be given in your GCSE exam should not give you any problems at all. You just need to be able to calculate percentages.

      You might be asked to calculate the efficiency of a transformer. What you must do is think about how much energy the transformer draws from the mains and how much of this energy is used in a useful way. ie What percentage of the energy is used usefully? It would be nice to say 100% but it is probably only 80% efficient.
      Well nothing is perfectly efficient. If you have a mobile phone, you will have noticed that the charger gets warm when you use it to recharge the battery of your mobile. This means that some of the electrical energy has been wasted ie turned into heat.

      You can actually do the calculation for yourself if you already have a mobile phone and a charger. I hope that it is as cool as my mobile phone.

      On the bottom of my charger it says that it uses 21 mAmps at 230 volts. I can now calculate how much power it draws from the mains. Remember P = VI.

      Power = 230 volts x 21 mAmps = 4.83 watts

      To get the answer in watts I had to divide by 1000 because I started with mAmps instead of Amps.

      The charger also says that it has an output of 355 mAmps at 3.7 volts. So I can calculate how much of the power goes into the battery of my mobile phone.

      Power = 3.7 volts x 355 mAmps = 1.31 watts

      Well that is a bit disappointing. It seems that quite a lot of the energy is being wasted. My mobile is cool, but the charger is not very efficient and does get quite hot when I use it to recharge the phone. So how efficient is it?

      Power is the rate of doing work. So every second it is charging the phone, it uses 4.83 joules of energy, but only puts 1.31 joules into the battery. The other 3.52 joules per second is wasted. Here is the calculation of % efficiency:

      % efficiency = 1.31 x 100 / 4.83 = 27%

      That is not quite the end of the story for my mobile phone. The transformer is only 27% efficient, but there is also a loss of energy in the mobile when it is charging. I know this because the battery also gets hot by the time it is fully charged. Some of the electrical energy is converted into chemical energy in the battery and the rest is wasted as heat.

      You can calculate the % efficiency of any machine provided that you know how much energy has to be put into it and how much useful energy comes out. Here is the equation:

      % efficiency = useful energy produced x 100 / total energy used

32. QUESTION:
    Not enough hot water for a long shower.?
    I moved recently from a 2-bedroom unit to a efficiency unit in the *same* complex. I am confident that the water heater that is in my apartment is the same model that was in the 2-bedroom unit. However, There seem to be less volume, less temperature, and less pressure in hot water. It's not as hot as the hot water in my previous apartment, there are not enough for 2 people to have a shower, and it is coming out weak. I don't think it's the dip...something... Is there any way for me to change any setting of the water heater, so that I can have my good old hot and strong shower back?

    • ANSWER:
      I don't know if you have it in the States,but here in Canada there is a cleaner called CLR (calcium,lime,rust) that can be bought in most hardware stores.If you put some of that in a bowl and soak your shower-head for a couple minutes it should fix the pressure problem.

      Most hot water heaters have a thermostatic control on them,if you turn the temp. up you will use less hot water in your showers

33. QUESTION:
    1040 tax credits ?r=1234649559?
    need a list of tax credits for installation of high efficiency hot water heater

    • ANSWER:
      Sorry, the only credit available this year is for solar water heating property. Congress failed to extend the energy efficient home improvements credits that were available last year.

      Lee, Enrolled Agent

      This advice was prepared based on our understanding of the tax law in effect at the time it was written as it applies to the facts that you provided. Click on my profile to learn more.

34. QUESTION:
    How long does it take for the hot water system to reach 60degrees?
    The initial temp of the water from a "hot" tap is 15 degrees.
    Assuming that heat from the immersion heater is conducted to the water with perfect efficiency, how long do you have to wait for the hot water in the system to reach 60 degrees?

    -The water is heated by a 240V immersion heater with a resistance of 45 ohm.

    You dont have to do the calculations for me. Could you help me with what equations there are for this question?? (I have no physics background so it's kinda like carrying the whole world for me..)
    Oh sorry.. seems like I missed a vital info. The capacity of hot water system is 100L.
    See~!! that's how much i'm balnk in this area..

    • ANSWER:
      power from the heater is P = E²/R in watts
      energy from the heater in one second is E1 = P*(1 sec) in Joules
      specific heat of water is 4186 J/kgC
      note that the weight or mass of the water is missing
      E2 = 4186 J/kgC x M kg x (60-15)K

      Since the first E number is for 1 second, divide E2 by E1 to get number of seconds.

      edit: since the amount of water is by volume not mass, you need to use the density of water to convert.
      1 liter = 0.001 m³ = 0.998 kg at 20C

      watch your units! Always put units into a calculation and check to see that they cancel to give you the correct units in the answer.
      .

35. QUESTION:
    My high efficiency furnace intake pipe (2" abs) is clogging with frost. I have disconnected it at the furnace
    Is this ok as a temporary measure and how can I stop the frost from forming in the pipe.
    The exhaust pipe is located between houses as is the intake. Problem is the neighbours exhasu is there as well as his dryer vent and my hot water heater direct vent exhaust.
    If they are all going at once could be trouble however the neighbors intake does not get clogged...

    • ANSWER:
      sounds to me like your intake is bringing in cold air through a warm pipe creating condensation which is accumulating and then freezing. Try wrapping the last 5 or 6 feet of the intake closest to the outside wall with insulation. If you have your owners manual it should have specs as to where you can and can't locate your exhaust/intake. Local code may vary from this tho.

      Another option may be to contact the manufacturer and tell them what is going on, they may have a better solution.

36. QUESTION:
    What brands are good highly efficient oil-fired boilers?
    Looking to upgrade my home furnace/boiler, and looking for some alternatives that are known for being extremely high efficiency. I've heard of those gas-fired on-demand tankless hot water heaters that are really small. Is there a similar thing for an oil-fired system? What are my options. My boiler heats water year round for hot water. I do not have the big round hot water heater. The furnace/boiler does it all.

    • ANSWER:
      Weil-McLain
      Buderus

      In no particular order for oil-fired high-efficiency boilers, Accept no substitutes. There are cheaper boilers out there but there are no better ones out there.

      Weil-Mclain units are made in Indiana, USA.
      Buderus units are made in Germany.
      Both are state-of-the-art.

      We keep a Weil-McLain gas-fired boiler (Ultra 230) and we have been very happy with its performance. It replaced a boiler 50+ year old boiler of over twice the rated capacity - the house is just as warm, gets warmer faster (34 radiators), and our gas bill is roughly 1/3 of what it was.

37. QUESTION:
    High Efficiency problems?
    I have a very old house with a very old furnace that is on the fritz. This house is a rental and I won't be paying utilities, the tenant does. Still though I was thinking of upgrading to a high efficiency. I have a drain about 5 feet away so the draining aspect should not pose a problem. The problem is I have a gas hot water tank and I heard that since the high efficiency will not be using the chimeney, that has potential to pose problems with the water heater vapour or whatever escaping the chimeney properly. Can someone explain to me the problem, and is there an easy fix or is it not even a big problem? Going to cost alot? Other problems?

    • ANSWER:
      Hi again - I guess I could have given a little more info last time. I was thinking you would get bids from installers and they would be able to see your setup and be able to tell you what you need. Its always good to be informed though so I'll try with a little more info.

      From my recent furnace upgrade one of the bidders explained that a gas water heater by itself should be vented with a 3" stack. It was within our building code to allow a stack as big as 4", but the stack I had was 6". This was acceptable when the furnace was also vented through this same stack, but I would be at risk of not having good chimney action in the winter with just the water heater. Since the gases coming out of the heater contain carbon monoxide this could be quite hazardous. Chimney action is due to heat rising, as I understand it, if the chimney is too large in diameter you can have cold air trying to fall in the same space thereby cooling the exhaust and allowing it to settle back down the stack into your living space.

      The reason I had such a large chimney was because the house was originally fueled with oil and this apparently needed a larger chimney. Your older house may be in the same situation.

      The solution was for the installation team to drop a 3" chimney inside of the existing stack. My existing chimney was a straight shot and made it relatively easy yet, as I recall, for my two story job, it added a couple of hundred dollars (US).

      You must remember that I am giving you this information from memory and that your best bet would be to have professionals who can see your situation and know your local regulations look at the house.

38. QUESTION:
    I am unsure of which steps to take to make my first home buying experience go smoothly?
    I am 26 and after more than 5 years of throwing my money into the wind with renting I am finally ready to buy a home. I have gone to the bank and got my pre-approval, looked at my budget to determine how much I can afford/how much I am willing to spend and I have found the place that I would like to place an offer on. My boyfriend and I have rented a house together for over a year and he will be moving with me so that cuts my costs in half. I have made it clear that he will be living with me as a tenant with myself as the homeowner so I am leaving him out of the financial equation otherwise. I feel I have cut out many of the headaches by choosing a home with a new top of the line high efficiency furnace, hot water heater, windows and newer shingles. My boyfriend is a tradesman in new home construction so he has a good idea of where things can go wrong, therefore what to look for. We have checked for all signs of water damage, any moisture in the basement and any cracks in the basement walls and floor and the home looks to be very solid. It is also encouraging that the elderly couple who live there are original owners. Anyways, what I am getting at is that I seem to have all my ducks in a row but I am still so nervous because I have no idea what I am doing. I don't know what steps to take from here. Any advice? My parents are not of much help because they built and paid for their house outright so I'm not sure they're the best resource. Should I get a professional inspection (for 0 or more) first or rely on the fact that my boyfriend has many years of experience in home building and intends to go back and really take a good assessment of the condition of everything? If anything, do I have this inspection done before or after making an offer? Then what? Also what other costs can I expect to creep up in the process of buying a home? Any advice would be appreciated.

    • ANSWER:

39. QUESTION:
    water heater vent sizing?
    I recently bought a older house. Yesterday I started to install new roof vents. While in the attic I found that the gas water heater was not properly vented, so now that heater is turned off. The previous owner was a little old widow woman who had a 30 gallon heater installed nine years ago. I figure to end up replacing the unit fairly soon. I also want to go with a much larger unit. Maybe a 50 gallon high efficiency unit. After all, it is a 3 bedroom, 2200 sq ft house.

    I went and bought the material to install a totally new stainless steel vent. The water heaters I am looking at use a 4" vent system. However the current heater uses a 3" vent. I really do not want to get a new heater just yet and the old one works fine. But I do not want to put in all new vents just to replace them in 6 months.

    So my question is this-can I use 4" vent for the section that runs through the roof and then reduce it down to 3" for the last 4-6 feet?

    My concern here it the brackets and braces that run through the roof. That section is a total pain in the backside to reach due to very low roof clearance. But I still want the heater to draft properly.

    By the way, as near as I can figure, the heater has been dumping hot flue gasses into a severely under-vented attic for a least 11 years!

    • ANSWER:
      Existing heater vents using 3" vent.
      YES, you can transition that 3" vent to 4" somewhere up the line. Matter of fact, just about anywhere that is most feasable for you. Going from 3 to 4 is no problem. If that were reversed then it would be against code.

40. QUESTION:
    As far as energy efficiency goes?
    When I want to heat a facecloth up hot, I usually use cold water and heat for 20sec in the micro. Isn't this more efficient then running the hot water for 15 sec until it gets hot while wasting water and having the water heater kick on?

    • ANSWER:
      I'm pretty confident that the microwave has the edge in efficiency on this. Even though gas heating is about half the cost of electric heating, you probably run what, say a quart of water or so waiting for it to get hot? When you use the microwave, you're heating only maybe 1/2 a cup plus saving water. A typical 1100 watt microwave running for 20 seconds will consume only about 0.006 kilowatt-hours of energy. If you pay [FAQ-ANSWER].10 per kilowatt-hour (typical rate here in the U.S.), that's only [FAQ-ANSWER].0006 worth of energy.

41. QUESTION:
    Chemistry Help?
    1. What is the boiling point of a single water molecule? Why does this question not make sense?
    2. Suggest why sodium chloride, NaCl, is not soluble in gasoline. Consider the electrical attractions.
    3. How necessary is soap for removing salt from your hands?
    4. Why do hot water heaters lose their efficiency quicker in households with hard water?

    • ANSWER:
      One molecule cannot be defined as solid, liquid or gas. So, you cannot tell which phase it is.

      NaCl is ionic - gasoline is not polar.

      Soap - not so much as water but the saponification of the stuff on your hands doesn't' hurt in the process either

      It's called "scale" Solids (mostly insulators) deposit on the inside surfaces and keep heat from being transferred from the inside out.

42. QUESTION:
    How can I calculate Joules of heat produced from a heater of 240V with resistance of 45W?
    I'm having trouble with the problem below. I've got so far as working out the joules required to heat the water from 15 to 60 degrees. But I can't work out how to calculate how many hours the immersion heater is required to run to reach this amount of joules. Part of my confusion may be as to why resistance is expressed in Watts no ohms.

    Q: A 100 liter hot water tank is heated by a 240V immersion heater with a resistance of 45W.
    The hot water system has been turned off for months. You measure the temperature at 15 degree Celsius. You then turn the hot water system on. How long do you need to wait before the water temperature reaches 60 degrees Celsius?

    Assume the immersion heater conducts heat to water with perfect efficiency. The specific heat of water is 4.186 kJ/kg.°C

    The answer is one of:
    A - 4 hours
    B - 1 hour
    C - 1/2 hour
    D - 7 hours

    Thanks for any guidance!!
    Hi Rick, That's my problem...the question is worded exactly as above with the resistance expressed in Watts which is where my confusion lies. There is no other information given except that I know the answer is 4hours (I just don't know how to get there!). I had considered that there was simply a typo in the question and that resistance was meant to be expressed in ohms, in this case the answer comes out at 4.08 hours.

    Thanks so much for your help

    • ANSWER:
      Resistance should be in ohms, that is a mistake on your part or the teach's. 45 watts is too low for a heater. Assume it's 45 Ω.

      power in the heater is E²/R = 240²/45 = 1280 watts
      density of water varies with temp, an average at 40º is 992 kg/m³
      100 L = 0.1 m³
      0.1 m³ x 992 kg/m³ = 99.2 kg

      Specific heat of water also varies with temperature. At an average temp of 40:
      40°C SH = 4.179 kJ/kgC

      E = 4179 J/kgC x 99.2 kg x (60–15)K = 18.66 MJ

      1280 watts = 1280 J/s
      18.66 MJ / 1280 J/s = 14600 sec or 4.05 hours. (A)

      Edit: I have seen this mistake a lot. But it needs two errors. Symbol for ohms is upper case omega, Ω. Lower case omega, ω is sometimes mistaken as a w. But that means someone still has to get upper and lower case omega confused.

43. QUESTION:
    House renovation finishings and selling?
    Our home has recently been reno'd with moderate end finishings (I.e. maple kitchen, granite bathroom countertops, laminate flooring, higher end faucets, fresh paint, tankless hot water heater, new plumbing, electrical, high efficiency furnace already in place, 2 new full bathrooms with jetted tub, stainless steel appliances, etc). Our home inspection report was good, with only a small handful of minor suggestions (no actual deficiencies). Our electrical, plumbing, etc. was all professionally done.

    Our house is older and smaller but has been completely renovated inside and out. We are priced fairly based on the market. Most of the other comparable homes in our price range have little to no upgrades or renovations. Our agent says we need to be the best in our price range, which confuses me because it looks like we are.

    Overall, our house looks good but there are some minor (cosmetic) issues with drywall finishing, paint, moulding finishing, etc. in some areas.

    My question is, would we be expected to list much lower to get an offer if the problems are minor cosmetic issues? Overall, the house looks very nice.

    We had one person say they hated the house, that it was unprofessional, and that it was priced too high. Another also complained about the finishings, so we tried to do some touch ups. We have had some pretty positive feedback too.

    Do finishings really make or break a sale, or are these people simply trying to get us to lower our price? Based on what we've seen, our house is not perfect, but it's fairly priced and a good value (based on comparable listings).

    What makes more sense, to lower the price, or fix the finishings (which it looks like we will have to save up to hire someone to do)? What is the real problem here and how to fix it?

    Thanks!
    As a buyer, would cosmetic finishings stop you from putting an offer on an otherwise good house?

    Also, our kitchen and bathrooms look pretty professional aside from the minor finishing issues.
    Thanks everyone for the feedback. We've been on the market just over 1 month. The market here is slower(buyer's market) , but not at a stand still. We are priced similar to other comparable houses. The house does show well overall, it is spotless, clutter free, and staged. Our house has decent curb appeal overall, but since it's winter and we have 3 ft snowbanks we can't really stage much outside until spring.

    I guess what I'm really asking is, are people being "picky" about a wall finish, trim that needs to be siliconed, or paint because they are not happy with the price, or would that *really* break a sale if the house was otherwise good? I need to figure out if we should drop the price to "compensate" or if it would be smarter to actually fix the things being complained about.
    The reason why I ask is because we obviously would need to save up and hire someone to touch up the areas that need the work. We obviously are not good enough to do it ourselves. I don't want to lower a fair price either if people are still going to complain about the same things, then we are no better off. But would you still buy a house for the "right" price if you didn't like the finishings? Or not?

    • ANSWER:
      How long has your home been on the market? How does the price compare to other listings in the area and recent sales?

      My personal opinion is that renovations with the purpose of selling are not a good idea. It's better to just fix the things that are broken and then list the house in line with comps. You run too much risk of the people looking not having the same tastes as you if you do a lot of cosmetic work.

      Do some research on other homes for sale and recent sales, then decide to lower the price or not. Keep in mind, that the market is very soft right now, so you've got an uphill battle to sell the house no matter what.

44. QUESTION:
    How many solar panels will I need for my house to make it self sufficient?
    I am in the middle of a complete energy overhaul of my home. I have insulated EVERYTHING in my home, including tearing open the walls to insulate. All the appliances in the home including the hot water heater and furnace are high efficiency electric appliances. The house is a two story 5 bedroom two bath home that is roughly 2200 square feet total, with about 9 foot ceilings. My roof is unobstructed from the sunlight, sunrise to sunset, all year long. I live in Southeastern Wisconsin. I would like to know how many solar panels, or how much energy I must produce to have a self sufficient home. Thanks a bunch for the help. Ciao.

    • ANSWER:
      There are many energy conservation tips the home owner should consider before buying and installing a solar power system. Obtaining an understanding of how appliances, air conditioning, heating, lighting, and electronics use electricity is important to know before buying a solar power system so it can be sized correctly.

45. QUESTION:
    Does a faulty fusebox cause water heating to be insufficient?
    Three of us are renting a maisonette that uses an immersion heater system which relies on off-peak electricity to heat up water for a day's use. The thing is, there seem to be only enough hot water for 1-2 persons to shower. Hot water runs out in the middle of the 2nd person's shower and the 3rd person has to switch on the top up/high rate electricity heater. After lots of phone calls, emails and contractor visits, here's the deal from the property manager: Our storage heaters are faulty, which caused a fuse in the fusebox to melt, and therefore by fixing the fuse and storage heaters all will be fine. So my question is..

    Does a melted fuse actually affect the efficiency of the immersion heater? How come water is still able to be heated up (though not enough in quantity)? And under normal conditions, is a standard immersion hot water cylinder sufficient for 3 persons' usage i.e. showering, laundry, washing dishes etc.?

    We're running out of ideas and sincerely hope the property manager isn't trying to brush us a side with lame excuses.

    Thanks!

    • ANSWER:
      If the immersion heater fuse had melted, the boiler would not work at all, that's the whole point of fuses.If the fuse had blown, then the boiler is faulty and in my opinion ,that's the problem. As with many landlords, they try to cut down on costs and often do not maintain their properties properly. They are trying to get out of replacing the boiler, as this would cost hundreds of pounds and instead are expecting you to put up with it and fobbing you off with nonsense. Get someone independent to come and have a look at it and if it does turn out to be faulty, inform your landlord ,that they would be breaking your tenancy agreement, if they do not maintain the property properly and supply you with an adequate means for heating water.Whether one tank would be sufficient for 3 people, depends on the the size of tank, how long each shower is etc.

46. QUESTION:
    Is it normal for my power bill to tripled from this time last year?
    So my house flooded in August due to hurricane Irene. We ended up having to replace all the electric on the outside to the pole and inside (meter, all wiring to weather head. National Grid replaced the meter and from weather head to pole). We upgraded everything to high efficiency (i.e. boiler, tank less hot water heater, all new appliances) we upgraded our panel box to 200 amp service. Now our bill has tripled. This is the breakdown for what we use a MONTH from April 21st, 2010:
    04/21/2010 441 KWH, 05/19/2010 403 KWH, 6/21/2010 612KWH, 7/21/2010 572 KWH, 8/20/2010 961 KWH, 9/20/2010 568 KWH, 10/19/2010 635 KWH, 11/17/2010 611 KWH, 12/17/2010 583 KWH, 1/19/2011 615 KWH, 2/16/2011 479 KWH, 3/18/2011 515 KWH, 4/19/2011 525 KWH, 5/18/2011 441 KWH, 6/20/2011 580 KWH, 7/20/2011 705 KWH, 8/19/2011 779 KWH, 9/19/2011 848 KWH, 10/18/2011 1281 KWH, 11/17/2011 1226 KWH, 12/19/2011 1370 KWH, 1/19/2012 1770 KWH, 2/16/2012 1685 KWH, 3/21/2012 2353 KWH.
    August 28th 2011 we lost power due to the hurricane. Our billing cycle is from August 19- Sept. 19. We didn't get our power turned back on until September 22nd. This is due to having to replace everything. So National grid is telling us we used 848 kwh in 9 days. Then it jumps once we get a new meter. Now the meter that was on the home wasn't to old, but because it was under water it needed to be replaced. National grid says there must be something wrong inside our home, because there couldn't be anything wrong with their meter. When all the electric was being done, we had a NYS underwriter in the house checking everything. We also had a licensed electrician here twice to check everything. So with all this said, how can our usage go from 515 kwh on 3/18/2011 to 2353 kwh on 3/21/2012?? Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thank You!!
    Well we tested everything inside and the power comapny was here and tested the meter and nothing was found. Even the power guy was shocked as to how much power is being used...any other help would be great!

    • ANSWER:
      I am an electrician and I have seen this type of thing before. Sometimes there is an outlet or something that is wired wrong Usually on a range or dryer outlet where there is four wires. If an inexperienced electrician hooked it up and it was done improperly it could send power through the neutral or ground that just gets wasted. If you have the type of meter that spins you can easily detect the problem by having someone watch it while you turn off all the circuit breakers one at a time to see which one makes it stop spinning so quickly. Good luck. It could be like finding a needle in a haystack,

47. QUESTION:
    Does the speed of a liquid through a heat exchanger influence the efficiency?
    We have a solar water heater with a 300lt tank. To boost the water temperature in Winter we have a wood fire with a heating coil. At the moment the water is circulated naturally by the heated water rising to the tank on the roof and drawing the cold in at the bottom. This is working okay but considering the amount of heat generated by the fire I would have thought it should heat more water.

    If I were to pump the water through the system at a faster rate would we get more hot water or does it all just balance out in the end?

    • ANSWER:
      It would seem to me that if the system is "sufficent" without a circulation pump, using convection currents to move water, then a pump probabily would help transfer heat with more efficency.

48. QUESTION:
    What heat pump is best for my home?
    I recently had a service rep from the number 1 company in my region come out and do an estimate on my home. First of all let me say that my home is in major need of a complete heating and cooling upgrade. I have an oil furnace that is 30 years old and is at 70% efficiency. I am on 15 year old window A/C units and my hot water heater is 20 years old. My home is a row home of roughly 950 square feet and was built in 1944. I live right outside of the Philadelphia area so it gets pretty cold in the winter. Here is what the estimate includes off the top of my head. Please let me know if these seems right for my house. I do not want to be getting ripped off on such a large investment.

    Estimate: ,700
    Includes: Lennox 14HPX 14SEER/7.7 HSPF
    install of central return
    install of electrical box upgrade from 100 AMP to 150AMP
    Removal of old furnace and 275 gal oil tank
    Install of New 50 gal hot water heater
    Install of air filtration system in my ducts
    Install of Honeywell LCD Touchscreen Thermostat
    10 Year Parts AND Warranty

    As you can see I am getting alot of work done but trust me it is much needed. I just want to make sure am getting the right system for my home and the estimate seems accurate. Any advice would be great. Thank You!!

    • ANSWER:
      I would not do anything until I have two more bids from reputable contractors for the same work. I would also want to have them show me the payout for the 14 SEER unit over a 13SEER unit.

49. QUESTION:
    Can these people do this? Please help. ?
    I am going to make this as detailed as possible. I've tried looking things up, but I'm just at a loss.

    My mother and I recently moved to North Carolina after having years of trouble in Arizona. We have very little possessions, and simply planned on moving here with our pets and whatever we could stuff in our car.
    For months my mom looked for a job, to no avail. We have very little money available, and we considered ourselves lucky when we found a low-rent "efficiency" apartment on Craigslist. The ad read as follows:

    "New furnished efficiency apt with all utilities and even Direct TV, - miles to Southern Pines, Pinehurst. - minutes to Fayetteville/Sanford. No smoking indoors, no drugs. 0 plus last months rent of 450., call --- before 8pm only."
    (I've taken some information out; phone numbers and specific locations as they don't apply to the matter.)

    After months of searching, we thought we had finally found someplace to stay in the little town we wanted to live in. Of course it would only be for a few months, as the apartment was supposed to have a small kitchenette and was located in the landlady's garage.
    My mom talked to the woman renting out the apartment on the phone for almost a month before we arrived. They had the money for two weeks before our arrival, and new the date and time we would be there. Everything was supposedly set up (the beds, kitchenette, etc.), and they said it would all be ready when we got there.
    After three days of driving, we came to our new home right on time at about 9PM, tired and dirty, only to find a 20 by 20 foot shed with a small bathroom and cluttered closet, filled with grooming equipment. The landlady and her husband began moving all of their stuff out of the building and putting together the beds when we arrived, as their small children ran around, jumped on the beds, and tried to feed everything they found to our dog. After being there for two hours, we could finally get some rest. We were starving, but unfortunately the kitchenette that they had been telling us about for weeks was no where to be found. My mother cried for most of the night, and woke up crying the next morning as she found that the place was even grubbier in the light.
    We looked over the Craigslist ad and emails that had been sent, seeing that we had seriously been screwed over.
    The situation only seemed to get worse when we realized they had lied to us about how far away we really were from town. It takes thirty minutes to get anywhere, and they had previously told us it only took seven.
    The bathroom is 5 by 9 feet, and has an uncovered hot water heater, a shower "shell", a toilet, a sink that falling off the wall, and their dryer. When we leave the house, they come in and use the dryer without asking (they have a key).
    There are no smoke detectors.
    They never got the kitchenette. We had to buy a small dorm fridge and microwave, and we won't even attempt to buy a stove as the room is too small. It is impossible to cook anything since there is no room, so when we get hungry we often have to drive thirty minutes to eat. This is extremely inconvenient.
    Internet was supposed to be set up, but we had to do that as well. We had to buy two routers because their children broke the first one, and I had to network all the computers. I'm 16, and it's kind of funny that every time this lady now has a problem with her computer, she comes to me. She's also asked me to make her a website, and she even had the nerve to ask me to help her post a Craigslist ad for their old house because she didn't know how!
    They didn't ask us to sign a lease...and now we know why.
    We've been living here for almost three months. My mom still can't find a job, as it is a close knit community and you need connections to get in anywhere.
    They have tons of dogs (at least 16) that are always barking. They have them in cages outside, and they don't feed/water them or clean the cages. When we walk outside we get attacked by flies and the smell of dog poop. It's just not sanitary.
    Living with a single mom can be hard, and we thought things might get better if we moved out of Phoenix since it was getting so congested. Turns out we're in even deeper crud than before.

    I honestly feel this woman manipulated the situation in such a way that she would profit from it. I think it's truly wrong, as she knew we were coming from out of state, had no where else to stay, and couldn't personally come and look at the apartment.

    So my first question is, are they are laws that prohibit this? Can this woman post an ad on Craigslist that is selling one thing yet you get another? Are there federal laws or North Carolina state laws that require a person to have a license to rent-out an apartment? Would they even be allowed to rent this shack out?

    We will hopefully we out of here by the end of August, and we were just wondering if there is anything we can do to stop this from happening again to other people, and to maybe even get back the money we had to pay to live in the awful place.
    Any help or advice is appreciated. I'm sorry this ended up being so long.
    Thank you.
    Actually, we wanted to live in Aberdeen. My father lives there (my mother's ex-husband), and he said it would be easy to find a job at the local hospital since my mother has 10 years experience in the field. He said it was cheaper to live here, and that we would love it.
    We'd been planning for six months, and thought that we had found a decent place to live temporarily.

    I know my mother messed up when she chose this place, and she realizes she did too. She feels terrible for putting us through this.

    They did send pictures. Trust me, the pictures look nothing like what we ended up getting. They even sent a picture of the lake nearby, saying it was part of their property, and later told us it wasn't when we got here.

    Yes, we may sound stupid, but I think what these people are doing is wrong. They are taking advantage of an already sucky situation, and as parents they should not have knowingly rented this place to a single mother and her child.
    Debra, we have called the humane society. The landlady claims to be a "groomer and breeder of dogs", when all she is doing is running a puppy mill. So many of her animals have died in just the few months that we've been here that I don't even want to let her near my dog. She won't give us a straight answer about what the humane society said when they came here.
    They may not be breaking any laws renting this place to us, but they sure are doing something wrong with those dogs. Even the horses are mistreated.

    Thank you all so much for your help.
    Has anyone here seen that movie 'Funny Farm'?
    I feel the same way as they do in that movie. I'm surprised the mail man doesn't throw our mail at us.

    Thanks again for all of your help. And to 'Expert Realtor', I appreciate your answer. You live in NC, have you heard of Ellerbe? That's where this place is. When we tell people that, they look disgusted that we live out this far (it's pretty funny, actually).

    • ANSWER:
      If you still have the add from craigslist (did you print it out?), take pictures of what you are living in. They totally misreprented themselves and the apartment. I would also call the Humane Society due to the dogs in cages not being taken care of properly. Call the health department, call the fire safety inspector, and call the city's Code Enforcement. They may not even have permission to rent it out. Different states and city's have different laws. You may quality for free legal aid where you are, I would find out. It sounds like to me that they may have to pay you all of the money you paid them. Call or visit the Welfare office. Apply for welfare and Section 8 housing, food stamps, free medical and help with utilities. You sound a lot worse off than some of my tenants that get help with all of that stuff. Once you get on your feet again, you can support yourselves again. These people are taking advantage of your desperate situation. Also, they shouldn't enter your dwelling without notice.

50. QUESTION:
    Switching from propane to natural gas?
    We are buying a new (for us) home that is currently ran w/ propane heat, in southwest MI. There is natural gas that is ran down the road, so we plan to switch to natural gas. I tried calling Consumers Energy to get some info on costs, they wont even give me an idea, instead they want to charge me to have a "gas specialist" come out to give me a quote. The house it about 100' from the road. The stove and hot water heater are ran from propane. Any idea of the costs to switch everything over? I know that if we switch to a high efficiency furnace, there is a tax credit, but $ is already tight w/ other projects. Do you feel the high efficiency pays for itself? If so, how long does it take?

    • ANSWER:
      the oven, water heater just need a new gas jet ( orifice) cheap. and maybe a new regulator or adjust the regulator. Same with the furnace.
      look on the back and under the top of your oven to see if the extra jets are there.
      Maybe the jets are there for the heater too.
      they were all prob converted from nat gas to propane.
      It would prob be worth it to switch to nat gas. especially if the price of fuel goes crazy high.
      The stove doesn't use much gas at all unless you use it all day long.
      The water heater ? well that depends on how much you use.
      you should google " diy solar water heater" that would take care of that for half of the year.
      And I would not buy a new furnace just to get high effeciancy, it would take a long time to repay the cost of the new furnace. And you only use it part of the year. Also dont heat the whole house unless you have to.
      I think you should just stick with the propane for now because money is tight and you are just moving in.and you will plenty other things to keep you busy
      Then in a 6 or 12 months you will have had time to learn more about it. There really is no need to git in a big hurry about it.