Insulated pet door and other cold home issues

In My Humble Opinion
1

This is my first winter in a one-story house that dates to the 1940s. I fear the gas bill this winter. There is a crawlspace underneath the house and an attic.

  1. The pet door goes directly from the kitchen into the garage, which is very cold. The floor next to the pet door in the kitchen is very cold. I can only imagine how much heat is being wasted out that pet door. We have a steel sheet that we can use to close off the pet door, but the kitty litter box is in the garage. Is there a good way to insulate the pet door or should we pull the litter box in for the winter?

  2. Our initial home inspection showed one of the bedrooms had no insulation in the attic overhead. Is this the equivalent of having all the windows open in terms of wasted heat?

  3. I spend most of my day in one bedroom (home-office). Is it better to use an electric space heater for that one room instead of using the central heat all day? I’m sure the pets will complain about being a bit cold, but they aren’t paying the bill.

  4. If I use a space heater in that one room and turn the central heat down, how low should I set the central heater during the day for maximum efficiency?

  5. Is there a way to detect areas of significant heat loss in the house?

  6. Any other tips?

2

[QUOTE=Bearflag70]

  1. The pet door goes directly from the kitchen into the garage, which is very cold. The floor next to the pet door in the kitchen is very cold. I can only imagine how much heat is being wasted out that pet door. We have a steel sheet that we can use to close off the pet door, but the kitty litter box is in the garage. Is there a good way to insulate the pet door or should we pull the litter box in for the winter?
    [/quote]

It would make the most sense to find another place inside to put the litter box. Hale Pet Door makes an insulated pet door that is easy to install if you really want to keep the pet door, though. It’s got two flaps on each side with weatherstripping to trap air inside the flaps.

[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
2. Our initial home inspection showed one of the bedrooms had no insulation in the attic overhead. Is this the equivalent of having all the windows open in terms of wasted heat?
[/quote]

No, but it is definitely Ungood, and should be taken care of as soon as you can manage it.

[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
3. I spend most of my day in one bedroom (home-office). Is it better to use an electric space heater for that one room instead of using the central heat all day? I’m sure the pets will complain about being a bit cold, but they aren’t paying the bill.
[/quote]

Electric space heaters tend to use a lot of electricity, so it may not save you a lot of money, particularly if you use a fuel other than electricity for your central heat. Insulating well and plugging cracks would probably be a better idea. You could use a kerosene or propane heater, which would be cheaper, but they can be more dangerous. Also, all space heaters get hot and if you have pets or little kids, there’s always the danger of burns.

If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, that can help too. Since it sounds like you work from home, you wouldn’t get as much benefit as if you worked elsewhere (since you’d set it to turn down the heat some while you are gone), but it is still worth looking into - you can still set different temperatures for when you are awake and when you are sleeping.

[QUOTE=Bearflag70]
4. If I use a space heater in that one room and turn the central heat down, how low should I set the central heater during the day for maximum efficiency?

  1. Is there a way to detect areas of significant heat loss in the house?

  2. Any other tips?
    [/QUOTE]

See if your electric company has an online energy audit you can fill out. If not, I know our company, Duke Energy, does. You have to put in your zip code, so I don’t know if it will let you complete one if you are not in their service area, but you can give it a try. The audit comes up with some good tips and suggestions for conserving energy.

3

  1. Pull the litter box in for the winter–best solution would be to find a new permanent place for the litter box and replace the door.

  2. It’s easy to insulate and you should do it–that room will be noticable colder and will cost you extra money unless you close it off from the rest of the house.

  3. If you have a central system, you should get a programmable thermostat. A space heater will waste more energy than doing what we do–close the vents and doors in the rooms that are used less and heat them up when we need them.

  4. See three–space heaters are not a solution.

  5. Your utility company may offer you a home energy audit; there are also private contractor that will do these.

  6. Fill and cracks around your windows and wiring boxes. Put plastic on drafty windows. Wear more clothes.

4

Another possible solution is zoned heating. You can have your home office as one zone, set at a warmer temp, and the rest of the house as another zone, at a cooler temp.

Weather this is feasable will depend on they type of furnace you have, and the way the ductwork in the house goes. You might need to install a separate duct to this room from the furnace. If your crawl space is accessible, that may not be too hard. Ask a heating contractor to look at the house and give you an estimate for this.

P.S. How can you be cold in your home office, with a cat in the house? Mine are always in the office when I’m there, laying in my lap, curled up atop my desk chair, or laying on top of my hands on the keyboard or mousepad. Rather in the way, but nice and warm.