Using Electric Heat to Lower Heating Bill, Increase Comfort
After their three children moved out, Steve and Lisa Capuano had more house than they needed. While they're enjoying more space and privacy, they've also realized that they're paying to heat square footage that they aren't using on a daily basis. Steve and Lisa realized that they spend most of their time in the kitchen, master bedroom, family room and sunroom of their 2,500-square-foot house in Camas, Washington. That means that an entire wing of the house with three bedrooms, a living room, and dining room isn't being used regularly. So with central heating, the couple has to heat the entire house to keep the rooms they do use comfortable.
Central heating vs. electric heat
Steve first heard about using electric room-by-room heating, working as our LEAN Champion here at Cadet. When they decided to transition to Cadet heaters, Steve and Lisa were able to lower the temperature of the central system to 55 degrees and independently warm the rooms they use when they're using them which results in overall savings on the heating bill. Plus, when guests come to visit for the weekend or holidays, they can raise the central air temperature.
Steve and Lisa are still in the process of adding electric heat to their house, but Steve installed a Com-Pak Bath in the master bathroom, a Com-Pak heater in the sunroom. They are also using two plug-in electric space heaters in the family room and master bedroom. "I'm absolutely loving it," Steve said about the Com-Pak Bath. Steve also mentioned that he’s able to set the timer when he gets up for the day. So by the time he's using the bathroom in the morning, it's warm and toasty -- and he points out that the Com-Pak Bath even warms up his bedroom if he leaves the door open. Steve is also looking into installing an Apex72 to replace his portable space heaters. Since the kids moving out had a major effect on their electric bill and that they bought a hot tub, it was hard to say if there was true energy savings or not. However, Steve and his wife are much more comfortable now in their home than before. Oh, and don't worry about how Steve and his wife are coping with the empty nest. Although Steve says he misses his kids, having time to themselves has the two feeling like they did back when they were dating in college.