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It May Be Time For A New Heating System
With fall’s chill in the air, we’ll soon be calling on our home heating systems to keep us warm. Because heating equipment is typically one of the largest energy users in a home, I recommend an annual cleaning and inspection before the coldest weather is upon us.
If your furnace or boiler is more than 20 years old, it’s probably inefficient compared to today's models. One way to help offset the rising cost of energy and significantly reduce heating costs is to replace your old heating system with a new, high-efficiency unit.
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If your furnace or boiler is more than
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Along with a new heating system, further savings can be achieved if you also upgrade to a high-efficiency, indirect water heater. This combination can produce one of the most efficient ways of heating hot water.
NSTAR offers customers generous rebates on high-efficiency heating and domestic hot water equipment, whether it’s natural gas, oil or propane. Taking advantage of one of these rebates will make the work more affordable and reduce the payback time.
Rebates of up to $1,000 are available for customers who heat with natural gas, with rebates of up to $500 available for those who heat with oil or propane. An additional $300 is available for qualified installations of high-efficiency, indirect water heaters.
For customers with forced-hot-water heating systems fueled by oil or propane, a $100 rebate is available for installing a weather-responsive control. Know as a boiler reset or boiler water temperature control, it adjusts your heating system water temperature in relation to the outdoor temperature. These controls can reduce heating fuel usage by 10 – 20 percent.
For more information about heating system rebates, or for additional energy saving tips, click on "Energy Efficiency" in the left-hand side menu above. In my next column, I’ll discuss the benefits and proper use of programmable thermostats.
Bill Stack is NSTAR's energy efficiency spokesman. He can be reached by emailing brightideas@nstar.com. If you're a member of the media and would like to arrange an interview with Bill, please call Caroline Allen (617-424-2460) or Mike Durand (508-441-5831).
