# Heating Bills



## onyx (Mar 31, 2006)

I know this is nothing new, but the last few months I am getting _ripped_ on my natural gas heating bills. 
$400-600/month for a 3000 sq ft ranch seems like alot.   I have 2 complete heating systems and I think the problem is I am running them both.
I have an older 219kbtu boiler system with baseboard heat, plus a newer 80% efficient 120kbtu  forced air system installed with the central air.  my thought was to use the boiler system to maintain a comfortable low heat, and use the Forced air for quick warm-ups like first thing in the morning when you get up and the house is cold.
I would kill the boiler completely, but there are a few areas that the forced air just does not cover well, and I don't want the water in the zones to freeze.
I would kill the forced air completely, but there are also areas like the master bedroom that do not warm up well.
Can I add a mixture of antifreeze to the boiler to prevent line freezes?
Or should I go the other way and just use boiler heat?
Do the newer high efficiency boilers help much on fuel cost?
Thanks -


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## glennjanie (Jun 9, 2006)

Hello Onyx:
You might check the baseboard unit in that bedroom to be sure it is getting a full flow of water. Listen to it closely and if you can hear water splashing and running, it has air in it. My experience with baseboard heat was wonderful and the new boilers may cut  your gas use in half. I just didn't have central a/c and knew gas was going to jump; so, about 10 years ago I put in a geothermal unit. I can't complain about the geo for cost; it has paid for itself very well. Only thing is, when we had the hot water heat we had really warm floors because the hot water loop was all around the basement.
Glenn


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