Zonal heating systems — including baseboard heat, wall heaters and radiant heat (such as ceiling heat) — are affordable to install and can heat your home efficiently. Because you can heat each zone or room of your home to the temperature you want, you can be comfortable and save energy by not heating unoccupied areas. Many of these tips apply to portable electric space heaters, too.

Operation Tips
Check mechanical thermostats for accuracy
It’s very common for mechanical thermostats (dial or sliding lever styles) to become inaccurate over time. Sometimes they can be off by as much as 25 degrees! If you have a faulty thermostat, you might actually be heating to a much higher temperature than you realize and not saving energy. If you are unable to upgrade to an electronic thermostat, you should check your mechanical thermostat against the actual room temperature. Here’s how to check thermostat accuracy:

• First, place a separate digital room thermometer (available at hardware and home stores) on the wall next to the thermostat, and check the actual room temperature. Next, turn your thermostat until you hear a click. This indicates the heat has turned on. That point at which the heat clicks on equals your room temperature — even if the thermostat reflects a different temperature than the thermometer. For example, let’s say your digital thermometer tells you the actual room temperature is 70 degrees but you adjust the thermostat and your heat clicks on at the 60-degree mark. That means your thermostat is miscalibrated by 10 degrees. So when turning on your heat, keep the difference in mind and use the digital thermometer for reference.

Set for energy savings
Don’t just reach for the thermostat and turn until you hear it click on. Choose an energy-efficient setting. For cooler months, 68 degrees is a good setting for comfort and energy savings. At bedtime or when you’re away, drop it to 60 degrees to save more energy. (Exception: For ceiling cable heat, the maximum setback is 2 to 3 degrees.) Ask everyone in your household to stick to these settings.

Save with each degree
As a rule, for every degree you lower the temperature, your electricity use drops by 2 percent. In order to achieve these savings, you must lower the setting in all zones in your home.*

Set the thermostat to the desired temperature — no higher
A room will heat up just as fast with the thermostat set at 70 degrees as it will set at 80 degrees. Setting it higher overheats your home and wastes energy.

Upgrade to an electronic programmable thermostat
If your situation permits, an electronic thermostat is highly recommended. They are more precise than mechanical thermostats and help improve comfort and economy. Look for a model with a programmable setback feature to automatically lower temperatures at bedtime, or when you’re away.

Close doors
Turn the heat down or off in unused rooms and close the doors to keep heat where you want it. But watch for mold or mildew problems. Also remember that most zonal heat thermostats do not have an actual “off” setting, just a “low” setting — and the low temperature can vary depending on the accuracy or settings of your thermostat. With a “low” setting, the zonal heater might still cycle on and off, wasting energy, unless you turn it off completely at your electrical breaker panel.

Vacuum heater grills regularly
This keeps fans running efficiently and quietly, and it extends the life of the heater. Turn off power to the heater before vacuuming the grill or fins.

Allow air to circulate
Never place anything in front of a heating unit with a fan. If you have baseboard heat and need to place furniture in front of it, place the furniture at least a foot away from the wall so warm air can rise from the baseboard and circulate throughout the room.

Avoid cool drafts
Keep thermostats at the same setting in rooms that connect to each other to prevent drafts. Drafts naturally flow from a cooler space to a warmer space.

Weatherize to maximize comfort and savings
Insulating your home and sealing air leaks will make your home more comfortable. You’ll save energy because your heating system won’t have to work as hard. If you rent, discuss weatherization steps with your landlord. Consider using caulk, weatherstripping and spray-on insulating foam to seal around the doors, windows (not the moving parts) and holes where pipes exit the wall.

Checking Zonal Heating Costs
For most people, heating is usually the biggest energy cost during cooler months. This chart gives a general idea of how much it may cost to operate different zonal heating systems. Your actual costs will vary depending on the size of your home, number of heating units, wattage, hours of operation and other circumstances.

Note: No estimate is given for ceiling heat or other types of radiant heat because systems vary widely; contact the PGE Energy Experts for more information.

*Individual circumstances will vary. Contact the PGE Energy Experts for more information.