Posted by J.E.A. on January 30, 2000 at 08:40:30:
In August 2000, I had a new natural gas fired steam boiler (Dunkirk, I think 115,000 btu) installed in my 1926 two-story, 1400 sq ft home in Connecticut. Before winter arrived, we blew cellulose insulation into the walls and supplemented the attic insulation too.
Our recent gas bills have been outrageous ($350 per month, usage of around 300 cu. ft.). Granted, it is an older house, this has been a colder winter than usual and gas prices have jumped. But the usage seems very high. I spent some time reading through postings on this site and realized that the cut-out pressure on the new boiler may be set too high - high fuel usage, hissing radiators and one spurting vent. I called the follks who installed it and asked if that might be a possibility. Their response - "residential steam systems are not based on pressure... the thermostat is the only thing that determines when the system turns on and off." Are they full of it, or is there something else I should be looking for?