Homes with Electric Heat
In Monmouth County, some of the older active adult communities feature homes homes which are heated with electric heat. This is because they were built before natural gas was in the streets. We deal a lot in active adult communities. Many people cringe when they learn that the home are heated by electric. They automatically assume that the heating costs will be extremely high.
It’s Not Necessarily True
If you don’t pay attention to how you’re handling a home with electric heat, yes it can get expensive. However, newer technology can help keep the costs inline, without sacrificing your comfort. Read on to learn how to keep those costs under control.
Use Your Thermostats Wisely
Typically, Homes With Electric Heat have a thermostat in each room. Common sense tells me that I should only heat the rooms that I’m in. When you leave your bedroom in the morning, turn down the heat and close the door. A few minutes before going to bed, turn the heat up. And don’t forget to turn the heat in the other rooms down. Do use use a second bedroom? Of not, why heat it? Keep the thermostat set at 55 and keep the door closed.
You may also want to invest in programmable thermostats that use timers to determine when to turn the heat, in each room, up or down.
Upgrade the Baseboard Heaters
Most homes With Electric Heat use baseboard heaters which utilize 100+ year old technology. The thermostat turns on the power to the units, which causes a short circuit on a wire inside the baseboard. This wire then produces heat. When power is turned off from the thermostat, the heat which is produced will cease .
Newer technology has a sealed oil tank, which never needs to be refilled, built into the baseboard heater. The oil is heated by electric. When power is turned off, the oil tanks will continue to emit heat for quite some time. We’ve spoken will people who have installed these units. In fact, we’ve been told that their electric bill for the year was reduced by half!
This could easily result in an investment that pays for itself in two years, or less.
Heat Pump
One of the best possible solutions is to install a heat pump. Essentially a heat pump is a two-way air conditioning system. When the weather is warm, a heat pump works like any other AC unit, in that it removes heat from the air inside while it pushes cooled air back into the room. Then, during the cooler months, they do the opposite by drawing heat energy from the air outside and moving it into your home. The process is especially efficient, using much less energy than other electric home-heating sources. You see, heat pumps don’t generate heat, they simply move heat to where you want it. As a result, it’s the most efficient way to heat and cool your home.
Go Solar
You hear about solar all the time. And that’s because it works to reduce your electric bill. However, the only active adult communities in Monmouth County that we’re aware of which use electric heat are Covered Bridge in Manalapan, The Villages in Howell, and Shadow Lake Village in Middletown. All of these communities are condo ownership, and the association won’t allow solar panels to be installed on their roof.
Bottom Line
By using the first two suggestions, you should be able to control the cost to Heat Homes With Electric. And, by adding either (or both) of the other methods. you can increase your saving s even more.
If you’re ready to either buy or sell an adult community home, call us. Call Bunny and Art Reiman – The Active Adult Community Specialists. We can help you, even if the home isn’t heated with electric.