If the weather is unusually cold or stays cold for a prolonged amount of time, your home heating bills can increase significantly. For example, it is less expensive to keep your home at 70 degrees if the outside temperature is 50 degrees, than if it were 30 degrees. Being energy-wise with your use of heat will help reduce winter energy bills. Your heating solution can be one of the most potent sources of savings in your home.

• General Heating Tips
• Home Improvements
• Energy Efficient Heat Pumps
• Portable Heaters
• Heating FAQs

• Keep the thermostat on your heating system at the lowest comfortable setting.  We recommend 68-70 degrees.  Every degree above 70 increases your cost by 7 percent to 10 percent.
• Check filters in heating and cooling equipment every month and clean or change as needed.  Dirty filters may increase operating costs up to 20 percent or more and may damage equipment.
• Have your heating system and ductwork inspected annually by a professional to ensure your equipment is operating safely and at peak efficiency.
• Close the fireplace damper tightly when you are not using it.  A good chimney can draw up to 20 percent of the air out of the house every hour.  Heat from the heating system goes up the chimney even when you have a fire burning.
• Ceiling fans are not only good for cooling your home in the summer.  In winter, the direction of the blades can be reversed to push warmer air on the ceiling down to the living space.
• Caulk, seal and weather strip all openings from your home to the outside.  Install plastic sheeting or storm windows over old or leaking windows.  Eliminating air leaks in your home can save you up to 10 percent in energy costs.
• Unless you have a gas or oil furnace, which needs air for combustion – keep crawl space vents closed in the winter.
• If you plan to be away for several days, turn the thermostat down to the lowest setting, but not off (to help limit the possibility of freezing pipes).
• Using a portable heater for “spot” heating lets you lower the temperature in the rest of the house, but using it too much can be costly.  Always be sure to keep portable heaters away from unsupervised children and flammable objects.
• Keep doors and windows closed when heat is on.
• If you have a heat pump, adjust your thermostat in small increments to avoid the operation of the supplemental heat strip in your system. Energy consumption is much higher when the heat strip is in use. A steady setting on your heat pump thermostat produces constant comfort and minimizes the use of the less efficient resistance heat strip. 
• Don't block the outside unit. Never stack anything against the heat pump or drape anything over it.  
• Hose down the outside unit from time to time to remove dust, dirt, lint, leaves and grass clippings.   
• Open drapes and shades on the sunny side of your house to help warm the home during the day. Close drapes and shades at night to cut heat loss.
• If the indoor unit seems to have excess water around it, check the condensate drain and pan for blockage.
• Make sure drapes and furniture are not blocking air registers or returns.    
• Keep the fan on your central heating unit on "auto" position.  Leaving the fan on "on" can add $15 a month to your heating costs.
• Don't close off more than 10 percent of the unused rooms in your home. Your heat pump works best with free airflow throughout the house. 

You can use energy more wisely and also reduce your energy costs by making home improvements that can pay back your efforts. Many of these energy saving investments can be accomplished with do-it-yourself projects around your house. Others will require labor, materials and services that maybe offered by your Progress Energy representative. Your efforts will help save energy, provide comfort and promote a safer environment.

• Energy Saving Investments:
  • Install programmable clock thermostat   
  • Have heating/cooling system checked annually
  • Replace heating system with a high efficiency heat pump   
  • Add reflecting or heat-absorbing treatment to glass area       
  • Replace electric resistance heat with a heat pump    
  • Insulate ducts in unconditioned spaces    
  • Have duct system tested and repaired if necessary

There are basically two categories of electric heat pumps: those that use water as their heat source and those that use air. Watersource electric heat pumps extract heat from water contained in wells, deep lakes, rivers or closed-loop systems buried in the ground. Watersource electric heat pumps are usually slightly more efficient than their airsource counterparts. This site focuses on airsource electric heat pumps, the most popular type in our region. Airsource electric heat pumps are suited for any well-insulated structure, and their heat source, outside air, is always readily available. Electric heat pumps can be either split or package systems. Both have two sets of heat exchanger coils; however, the split system separates these sets into outdoor and indoor units. The two cabinets are connected by piping. The package system is self-contained. However, the one-cabinet unit is mainly suited for smaller one-story structures.

How Heat Pumps Work and Cost
  772 Kb

How Much Can It Cost
To Heat My Home With A Gas Furnace Vs. A Heat Pump?*

House Built To State Energy Code

House Built To Progress Energy’s Energy Efficient Home Program/Energy Star**

*This is an estimate only. Actual results may vary depending on house type, location, occupant behavior and other factors.
**Energy Star heating estimates include the Progress Energy 5 percent discount. For more information about the Energy Star program, visit the website at www.energystar.gov/homes.

• How does an electric heat pump work in the summer?
  When it's hot outside, the electric heat pump functions as a central air conditioner. The coil inside your home is the evaporator coil. The result? The air circulating in your home is cooled and dehumidified.    
  • Heat is extracted from the home's air by the indoor coil    
  • Refrigerant liquid carries heat to the outdoor unit   
  • Heat is transferred outdoors
    
    
• How does an electric heat pump work in the winter?
  The heating cycle is the exact reversal of the cooling cycle. The electric heat pump can extract heat from the outside air even in extremely cold temperatures. It may be hard to believe, but air at zero degrees contains almost 90 percent of the heat it contains at 70 degrees. But when the outside temperature is very low, there may not be sufficient heat in the supply air to keep your home warm. Supplemental heat may be needed about five percent of the time in our area.
  • Heat is extracted from air by the outdoor coil    
  • Refrigerant gas carries heat to the indoor unit    
  • Circulating indoor air picks up heat and carries it throughout the house
    
    
• Is an electric heat pump always enough?
  When the outdoor temperature causes the heating capacity of the electric heat pump to equal the heating requirements of the home, this is known as the balance point. If the outdoor temperature is extremely low, falling below the balance point, supplemental heat is required. Although supplemental heat is rarely needed, less than 5 percent of the year, it is best to be prepared.
  
  To provide this additional power, heaters are installed in the indoor unit. These electric heat strips are sized to supplement the difference between the output of the electric heat pump and the heating requirement of your home. You can also add a heat pump to an existing fossil fuel furnace and use the furnace as the supplemental heat.
  
  
• Built-in defrost keeps your system running.
  During especially cold winter days, you may notice that your outdoor electric heat pump unit looks like it is smoking or steaming. Don't worry. It's not a fire, not a problem. In fact, it's normal.
  
  When low temperatures and high humidity conditions exist together, frost and ice may build up on the outdoor coil, similar to the frost that collects in your freezer. Since ice acts as an insulator on this coil, it needs to be removed. So the electric heat pump automatically defrosts by switching to the cooling cycle. Hot gas travels to the outdoor coil and melts the frost and ice, resulting in billowing steam.
  
  Defrost usually occurs when the outdoor temperature is between 30 to 40 degrees and when the humidity is above 60 percent. When defrost is complete, the unit returns to normal operation. The whole cycle only lasts a few moments, so you may never even notice it occurring. But to make sure you and your family stay warm and comfortable, supplemental heat is energized while the coil defrosts.
  
  
• Your thermostat: the key to continuous comfort.
  
  Like any climate control device, the electric heat pump is operated by a thermostat. You probably understand how a thermostat works and are used to adjusting it up and down to fire up your furnace or crank up your air conditioner. An electric heat pump's thermostat works a little differently; it's most effective when it's set at one comfortable temperature and left alone. Here's why:
  
  The indoor thermostat is a two-stage device used to control the electric heat pump during the heating and cooling seasons. In winter, the first stage of the thermostat is in control. The second stage, which is normally preset at one or two degrees below the first stage, energizes the supplemental heat. Many thermostats have an indicator light that comes on when supplemental heat is used.
  
  These types of thermostats may also have emergency heat selectors and a light to indicate that this backup is engaged. In the event the electric heat pump becomes inoperative, this selection allows you to heat your home by supplemental heat until the problem can be corrected. During the summer, the thermostat functions just as it would with a central air conditioner. You can also purchase programmable thermostats, which work well with electric heat pump systems, so that different temperature levels can be maintained while gaining efficiency and maximizing savings.
  
  Before you have your indoor thermostat installed, think carefully about its location. It should be mounted on an interior wall in the central portion of your home, approximately five feet above the floor. It must be level. The location should be free from drafts, vibrations and any interior heat sources such as a lamp, television set or fireplace. Care should be taken to seal behind the wall where the thermostat wire or mounting box penetrates the wall.
  
  Electric heat pumps can also have outdoor thermostats, to increase the efficiency of the electric heat pump by keeping the supplemental heat off until the outdoor temperature falls below the balance point. This thermostat helps by controlling supplemental heaters in preset stages so that you don't get more heat than you need. 
  

A wide variety of portable space heaters, or "people heaters," are available today to help hold the line on winter heating costs. But many factors should be considered in selecting the portable heater that best suits your needs.

Some of the more common types of portable heaters include electric resistance space heaters. In general, they provide heat to a specific area of the home and can provide supplemental heat when needed.

A convective heater is that which heats primarily the air in a room. This form of portable heater has a metal strip resistance element, and some models have a built-in fan to force out warm air. These heaters can be used conveniently along the baseboard or centrally located in living areas. They usually range in size from 750 to 1500 watts and retail from $30 to $100. By concentrating heat where it is needed, these heaters can help you save up to 15 percent, including operating costs, on seasonal heating bills by permitting a central system thermostat reduction of 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The savings will be even greater if the central system can be turned off.

Another type of portable electric heater is a radiant heater. That is, they heat objects – people – that are near them rather than heating the air. The warming effect of the radiant heater is much like that of the sun on a cold, clear day. The heated filament casts a beam of heat that, in turn, heats those objects that it strikes.

Used properly, radiant heaters may be slightly less expensive to operate than electric convective heaters since the heat effect can be felt more quickly. However, keep in mind that radiant heaters will heat only the side of an object or person that is nearest the heater.

An addition to the radiant heater line is the quartz heater. This type contains a quartz-enclosed filament that, when energized with electricity, produces concentrated heat. The quartz heater possesses the same qualities of other radiant heaters but, in addition, emits a bright light that may sometimes be distracting. These heaters can be purchased in 750 to 1500 watt sizes with a price tag that ranges from $30 to $100.

• Please remember these safety tips when using a portable heater:
  • Make sure the heater you buy is UL listed or safety approved.  
  • The heater you select should have a cut-off device for safety in case the heater is tipped over.  
  • Select a heater with a thermostatic control to avoid overheating.  
  • Check with your insurance agent and local fire authorities to make sure the heater you buy is not illegal or doesn't invalidate your fire insurance.  
  • Be sure to read and understand the owner's manual before you buy any portable heater and follow manufacturer's instructions for operation.  
  • Never leave any space heater unattended.  
  • Keep all portable heaters at least three feet from drapes, furniture and other combustible surfaces and operate them only in areas where children and pets cannot touch them.  
  • Never attempt to move any portable heater while it is operating or still hot.  
  • Install a smoke detector and check it regularly.  
  • Never use portable electric heaters in damp areas and make sure you are perfectly dry and wearing shoes when in contact with them.  
  • Never place the heater where children or pets are likely to come in contact and make certain that all wiring is in good repair.  
  • Never use a portable electric heater near or while touching pipes, radiators, water faucets or other metal objects that form a ground connection.  
  • Don't place electrical cords under rugs, in doorjambs or under table legs where the wire insulation may be damaged.  
  • Portable heaters should be turned off and unplugged when not in use or when being cleaned.  
  • Disconnect electric heaters by grasping the plug, not the cord.
    

• Can home temperature be controlled automatically?
  For convenience in controlling home temperature, many have turned to mechanically operated clock thermostats, which work well with most conventional heating systems. These conventional clock thermostats usually allow the programming of two control periods per day and are available at most hardware stores and home centers at a cost of $50 to $150. To get the most out of your investment in a clock thermostat, the home should be well-insulated and free of drafts.
  
  
• Will these clock thermostats work with a heat pump?
  Until recently, night setback was not recommended for heat pump systems, whether done manually or with a clock thermostat. The abrupt temperature increase needed in the morning triggered built-in auxiliary resistance heat. This expensive backup heat reduced or eliminated any savings accumulated during the setback period and increased peak demand on power plants.
  
  
• Are there any alternatives for controlling heat pumps?
  Computerized thermostats have now been developed specifically for heat pumps that have increased the potential for savings through night setback. The new microelectronic clock thermostats reduce or eliminate the use of auxiliary resistance heat for recovery, permitting money-saving control of temperatures during the heating season. They can also reduce peak electrical demand to acceptable levels by gradually stepping up home temperature before occupants arise and use energy for showers, lighting and appliances.
  
  
• Where can computerized thermostats be obtained?
  Programmable heat pump thermostats are currently available through heating contractors and builders supply outlets at a cost of approximately $100 to $250. Information pertaining to the compatibility of computerized controls with specific heating systems may be obtained from heat pump dealers or installers. An experienced heat pump contractor should install these thermostats.
  
  
• Do computer controls work for conventional heating systems?
  Computerized temperature control can also be quite effective for conventional heating systems fueled by electricity, oil or gas. The microelectronic clock thermostat permits automatic raising and lowering of temperature several times a day and variations for different days of the week.
  
  
• Does temperature control work only at night?
  In addition to night setback savings, annual energy costs for both heating and cooling can be reduced even more by constantly maintaining the highest comfortable home temperature in summer and the lowest possible in winter. For each degree higher temperature you maintain in summer, you can save 7 percent to 10 percent in annual cooling costs. And each degree reduction in winter home temperature saves approximately 7 percent to 10 percent on your annual heating bill.