Most people cringe when we tell them the homes they’re looking at have electric heat. Fear not, because there are a few affordable ways to keep the electric heating costs under control.

Thermostats

The most inexpensive way to control your heat bills is to control your thermostats. Almost all homes with electric heat have a thermostat in each room. This thermostat controls how much heat the electric baseboard radiator emits. Now, I’m not saying you need to keep the temperature at 55 all winter long, that wouldn’t be very nice. However, do you need the heat on in a bedroom that isn’t being used? If not, turn the heat for that room down and close the door.

For your bedroom, when you leave in the morning, turn the heat down and shut the door. Before you go to bed at night, reach in and turn the heat up. Only heat the rooms that you’re occupying. By performing this simple step, you’ll be surprised at how much you save. And how much will this cost to implement? Nothing.

Replace the Baseboard Radiators

The typical baseboard radiator uses 100 plus year old technology. When you turn on the electric, a wire which runs the length of the radiator gets heated. When you turn off the electric it stops emitting heat almost immediately. Here’s the solution – replace those old radiators with newer technology. New units which look similar, have a sealed oil tank built in. You’ll never need to refill the oil as it’s sealed. Use your electricity dollars to heat the oil. When the power is turned off, the oil in the radiators continues to produce heat.

In a typical adult community home, you’ll probably spend about $2000 to upgrade to the new technology. People who have done this upgrade tell us that their electric bill was cut in half as opposed to the previous year. You can probably expect a pay back in less than two years.

Solar Panels

If you have a detached, single family adult community home, you can add solar panels. Due to the tax breaks in New Jersey, this is a very affordable way to reduce your electric bills with no up front cost to you. For a referral to a  good solar installer, contact me.

Bottom Line

Don’t be afraid of electric heat homes. By being sensible, the cost difference between gas heat and electric heat is minimal.When you’re ready to look at an adult community home, with either gas or electric heat, contact Bunny and Art Reiman – the Active Adult Community Specialists.

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