Frigid Weather, Rising Heating Costs Prompting Consumers to Seek Energy Efficiency Again

Direct-vent heating systems, 'tankless' water heaters are the most fuel efficient on the market

Rising fuel prices and frigid temperatures have caused heating bills to skyrocket this winter in homes and businesses across New England. And with the prospect of a protracted war in Iraq and political unrest in Venezuela, fuel prices are expected to continue to remain unstable well into the future.

As a result of the uncertainty, heating experts say, consumers now more than ever will be seeking fuel efficiency in heating their homes and businesses as a way to cut costs and conserve fuel use.


Direct-vent heating systems made by Monitor and other top brands offer both energy-efficiency and cost savings, according to Nelson & Small, Inc., a New England-based company that is one of the country's largest wholesale distributors of energy-saving heaters and appliances.

"Nearly 100,000 families in the Northeast already use these safe, reliable and highly efficient direct-vent heating systems, which are saving them thousands of dollars annually in heating costs," said Mark Hellen, the Service Director at Nelson & Small and a nationally recognized expert on direct-vent heating systems. "Direct-vent systems can heat a whole 2,000-square-foot home for $600 or so annually, even at the current high fuel prices."

Hellen pointed to the Maine State Planning Office's recent survey of home heating-oil prices that showed No. 2 heating oil prices are 29 cents per gallon higher than during the same period last year - a 26 percent increase. Inventories also are 22 percent lower than a year ago, especially on the East Coast, where most of the nation's heating oil is consumed.

"For all of these reasons, we're finding that more and more consumers are looking for ways to conserve energy and save money without compromising comfort," said Hellen, a mechanical engineer who holds a Maine Master Oil Burnerman's license and is licensed to install and service gas products.

Sealed combustion, direct-vent heating systems fulfill both desires.

"These heating systems generate the most heat with the most efficiency," said Hellen, who has installed more than 6,500 direct-vent systems and trained hundreds of licensed service technicians in seven states.

For example, a 40,000 BTU Monitor system - adequate to heat a 2,000-square-foot home - uses about a gallon and a half to two gallons of K-1 (kerosene) a day, he said. Similarly low operational costs are realized in using the Toyotomi brand or the natural gas and LP (propane) gas versions manufactured by Rinnai and Monitor.

"We're finding that as little as $500 to $600 a year keeps most families toasty warm," Hellen added.

Also, in addition to the K-1 and gas direct-vent systems, Toyostove has recently introduced an equally efficient direct-vent heating system that uses conventional No. 2 heating oil.

Sealed direct-vent heating systems use what is sometimes called the "pipe-within-a-pipe technology" - oxygen for fuel combustion is brought directly from the outside, through the outer double pipe vent, to a heater's sealed combustion chamber. After combustion, the exhaust gas is vented back outdoors through the inner pipe.

Direct-vent heating systems are becoming a logical choice in new home construction and among business owners who are seeing their bottom lines skewed by escalating heating costs. Dealers of direct-vent systems also are hearing from homeowners who have ended up with a fuel truck practically parked outside their homes during the recent frigid weather.

"Consumers are saying they've had enough," Hellen said. "I expect 15,000 to 25,000 homeowners will convert to direct-vent heating this year just in our region - a move that will save them a ton of money in the long run."

Another way for consumers to conserve fuel use and save money is to heat their water with "continuous flow" water heating systems. The systems provide an endless supply of hot water instantaneously by heating water only when needed - rather than the traditional method of storing it in a tank and paying to keep it hot.

Home and business owners can cut as much as 50 to 70 percent off energy bills each month, said Hellen. Nelson & Small distributes continuous flow water heating systems that operate using propane or natural gas (made by Rinnai) as well as oil or kerosene (Toyotomi).

"These systems are commonplace in most parts of the world except the U.S.," said Hellen, pointing out that energy-efficient water heaters make up just 3 percent of the U.S. market. "But a new reality is setting in and I think we're going to see a significant shift toward energy conservation in this long-overlooked area, too."

Founded in 1936, Nelson & Small is a second-generation family-owned business with a long history of distributing some of the world's most trusted brands throughout the region. The company has pioneered any number of new products into the marketplace in a broad array of industries, always with a focus on high quality and energy efficiency. In addition to its headquarters and a distribution center in Portland, Maine, the company has sales offices/showrooms in Manchester, N.H. and Burlington, Vt.

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