What's the Difference?

A little over a year ago, our heating went kaput and Dan helped install our new system.

My question: was it worth it?

From a "we had negative wind chills and lots of snow this year and were able to keep the house heated" perspective, the answer is "yes."

Last year, when the system went we couldn't keep the house up above 60. The system sounded like a dying thing and our January electric bill was over $300.

This year, we kept the system at about 64 through most of January. When 'polar vortex' and negative wind chills hit, we kept the house set at 62. At that level, the system didn't need to kick on the electric auxiliary to keep up the house's heat loss. February has still been cold, but the temperature has risen to wear we keep our thermostat at a balmy 66.

With increased demand, the new system held up whereas the old one kicked the bucket.

Family not freezing? Check.

The second hope for the new system was that it would be more efficient and translate to lower energy bills.

Bill for January 2013: $319
Bill for January 2014: $298
                Difference: $21

It wasn't as big of a difference as I'd hoped. I decided to dig a little deeper and compare numbers month for month for the past seven months.

Average saved per month: $38.14

The biggest savings were in the fall. It makes sense, because we weren't running the system as much and we have spent some money weatherizing the house, as well. The rate of return ($38 per month) won't match everything we spent for over a decade, but if we hadn't replaced it when we did I can't imagine spending all of our recent snow days without effective heating. Both the new HVAC and weather-proofing of our sun-room can add value to the house if we ever sell it, too.

If the rest of the winter turns milder, the average rate saved could increase. I don't have a year's worth of data yet.

It was a fun mental exercise. I enjoyed looking up the numbers, making the spread sheet, and doing a quick analysis. If money wasn't involved, more people might think I was weird for having fun with it. It was a convenient excuse to use my brain.