Oil Usage - November.....

Now, the house is not perfect, far from it. Due to the passive ventilation within the house, the 2nd floor is persistently about 3 degrees warmer then the main floor. In the summer this can have its difficulties unless the windows are left open on the main floor; as well as, on the 2nd. Through late spring, into the fall, leaving the windows open for a draft is the thing to do. The evening are cool and the house will draw a natural draft..

Getting into the winter months, the question is.... Just how difficult is it to heat this old farmhouse? The two pictures represent the month of November. Just over 1/2 a tank of Oil, picture taken November 1st, 2019. The second picture taken November 30th, 2019 identifies just over 1/4 of a tank remains. So, in simple terms the month of November represents about 1/4 tank of oil.

We've been following Social Media (Facebook Groups) that relate to living in Nova Scotia and often people post about the cost of heating a house for the winter months. The owners of Welshtown Haven are from out of province and not accustom to rural living so, the question of how much will it take to heat this property has always been of concern. Thankfully, of late the property has been occupied and our property manager has been keeping a watchful eye on what's been going on.

What's working in our favor? Our guess is that during the renovation process, insulation and vapor barriers were added to the walls and 2nd floor ceiling (Attic). The windows were preexisting giving they were in good condition. The duct work was moved from the cellar up to the ceiling of the 1st floor. The furnace an oil fired, high efficiency model placed on the 1st floor, not in the cellar.

What's not working in our favor? We can not control what windows / doors that are left open in the winter months (if any). The house also has an Oil fired, high efficiency Hot Water heater that keeps the hot water flowing endlessly! Even during the summer months, the Oil level must be watched due to the Hot Water usage, so, we know the November Oil usage is not due to Heating alone.

Thankfully, due to our dependence on Oil, the Electrical usage has not spiked. The Hydro Bill for a billing cycle in the summer looks to be persistent with winter months.

So, the question is..... for a 1,500 sqft house, using 1/4 tank of oil, is that a lot? I think we've done good? What do you think?

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