NStar Home Energy Report

[notnatalie.livejournal.com]

Does anyone else get those NStar Gas monthly Home Energy Reports? Mine started in July, and I think the letter suggested I was maybe somewhat randomly chosen, although I don't quite recall now. I absolutely applaud NStar's efforts to help people realize their energy usage and suggest efficiency tips, but I wonder how meaningful the reports are.

If you don't get the report, it compares your "gas heat" usage(what about my gas stove?) and charts it against "approx. 100 occupied apartments or condos that have gas heat and are an average of 0.06 miles away" - I live in a 2-unit house and there are multi-unit condo buildings all around me. But I'm struck by some of the figures, which suggest that while I'm no energy hog (I get a GOOD rating, with one smiley face) I was using twice as much heat over the last winter as my most efficient neighbors. Seeing as I live alone, never set the thermostat above 67 at MOST (when my heat-loving sister visits) and had a caulking/foam wrapping/insulating party when I moved in 2 years ago, I just find that hard to believe.
Could it be that my steam radiators are being compared to new condo buildings heating system, and whatever that is is more efficient than steam?

Comments

[withinmywill.livejournal.com]

Well, all I can say is that I definitely know people in the area who do not turn their heat on at all to save money, so they could definitely be throwing off your numbers.

[xuth.livejournal.com]

I've sort of done this in that at times when I've been living alone I'd leave the thermostat set at 55 or so. The fact that I lived above someone meant that I mostly didn't heat my place.

On the other hand people are starting to build houses that don't need furnaces/heaters just by insulating them sufficiently (you and your appliances radiate a fair amount of heat and can more than cover the losses of a very well insulated house). Sadly these aren't yet popular in the US.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I haven't turned on the gas to my boiler for the winter yet. Even when the thermostat is off, the boiler keeps its water at about 120 degrees. So it would use at least $30 of gas per month for this, even in the summer.

When the thermostat is on, the water is heated to 180 degrees.

At some point, I'd like to upgrade the boiler's controller so I can set the baseline water temperature around 80. Can anyone recommend a contractor who does that kind of work?