Use a Gas Furnace? Understand Terms on Your Heating Bill for Added Savings

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If you’re looking for ways to save money when using your gas furnace, look no further than your own heating bills.

Many homeowners don’t realize that one key to lowering energy usage in their greater Cincinnati home arrives in the mail every month. The secret to saving both energy and money is to know the terms on this bill.

  • Baseline allowance – For many, this will be the most useful piece of information. On each bill, you’ll notice an energy threshold, and once you pass that amount, the price you pay for gas will increase exponentially. This threshold is determined by the gas company itself and is based on the average energy usage in your surrounding area and for similar-sized homes. It’s representative of what the utility company believes will allow you to meet your basic heating needs.
  • Gas usage terms – Whereas the baseline allowance is a standard indicator on your bill, the same may not be true when it comes to gas usage terms. The most common of these is BTU (British thermal unit), but you may see the simple use of therm, or the shortened version, thm. In some areas, though, measurement is done in volume via the use of CCF and MCF. Regardless of which one you see, the important part is that each represents the amount of gas that’s been used.

How to save money with this information

The best way to start saving money with your gas furnace is by learning how it’s being used. Comparing your gas usage between months, or even between certain days of the week, will illustrate how and when energy’s being used. A big spike in energy use or an increase in cost despite more controlled use may even clue you in to a loss of efficiency in your gas furnace.

For more advice about making your gas furnace more efficient, or for concerns about home comfort, please contact the experts at Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We’ve been proudly serving the HVAC needs of greater Cincinnati since 1910.

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"Ernie & Mike did a superb job on my new furnace and A/C installation. Despite having more than a day’s work to do, they came in and stayed until the job was done. They were organized, efficient, and protected the rest of the house well. Got both furnace and A/C installed the same day. Ernie was courteous, informative, and clearly knew his job better than anyone I’ve encountered before. The units look so good guests now get The Tour of our new system. Apollo is clearly not a fly-by-night company. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a new furnace and/or A/C."
- Jerry A.
"I called Apollo because of a water leak I thought I had in our upstairs shower going into the kitchen. Robbie came and assured me everything was fine & looked at all the other plumbing. He ended up changing a few pipes for our washer & clearing a drain. He was very nice & knowledgeable with all my questions. I ended up signing up for the care plan & was very happy with my service."
- Cassandra B.
"The team at Apollo exceeded my expectations. As a business owner, my attention to the details and commitment to providing excellent service is high. From the sales rep. to the installation team, everyone’s performance was outstanding. For example, the installation team went to great lengths to protect our floors, placing floor runners and across the wood floors and up the stairs. They even were spot washing walls upon their departure. I highly recommend this company."
- Randy B.
"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
- Sarah B.
"Apollo is an excellent company. I always receive great service. Alex A. was professional and friendly. He kept me informed during the process of checking my furnace and heat pump to make sure they were working properly. The company makes sure you are notified who is coming and when they are on the way. All my interactions with the company have been wonderful."
- Beverly S.
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