The Oil Drum

As the shortest day of the year is just ahead, and colder temperatures abound, (at least in the North), I thought I'd edit and repost an analysis on home heating I ran last summer. (That post was followed by quite a good discussion)

A short fifty years ago, people heated their homes in winter with coal. A hundred years ago and before, people living in cold climates largely stayed warm in winter with firewood. Today, in a country (and planet) with vastly more people, we heat homes in northern climates largely with high quality fossil fuels, specifically natural gas, heating oil, and propane. Trees, a less energy-dense form of stored sunlight than oil and gas, have recovered a good part of their former % of landcover in the US, despite being still used for paper, wood, furniture, pulp and some heat. Below is an analysis of how the US residential sector heats its homes, how large are our forests and how much they grow and how much wood we could use for heat, after fossil fuels decline.

US direct fossil fuel use for heating Click to enlarge.

As the longest day of the year is just past, we begin the inexorable annual trajectory towards winter. A short fifty years ago, people heated their homes in winter with coal. A hundred years ago and before, people living in cold climates largely stayed warm in winter with firewood. Today, in a country (and planet) with vastly more people, we heat homes in northern climates largely with high quality fossil fuels, specifically natural gas, heating oil, and propane. Trees, a less energy-dense form of stored sunlight than oil and gas, have recovered a good part of their former % of landcover in the US, despite being still used for paper, wood, furniture, pulp and some heat. Below is an analysis of how the US residential sector heats its homes, how large are our forests and how much they grow and how much wood we could use for heat, after fossil fuels decline.

Vermont - Circa 1860 Where are the Trees?

Well winter has finally arrived in the Northeast after a mostly unseasonablly warm October and November and while heating and natural gas prices have come down since Katrina and Rita, the costs of home heating will probably set new records this year. So what can you do aside from just turning the thermostat down? Get an energy audit.

I read in Crain's (subscription req'd) that New York State is offering energy audits and subsidized loans for homeowners to make home improvements that save energy. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has lots of great tips for reducing energy bills from heating or electric (including compact fluorescent lighting).
The payback on many of these investments can be less than 5 years and you can even apply the $200 fee from the energy audit to improvements suggested in the write-up.