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Show U. S. Home Owners Preparing for Winter Housing, Fuel Experts Point Out How Heat and Money Losses Can Be Checked JOHN DOE, the boss with four secretaries, together with the "Colonel's Lady and Judy O'Grady," are knitting their brows and looking with considerable con-siderable unease toward that section of the calendar marked "winter." It is quite probable that both the Colonel's Lady and Miss Judy are wondering inwardly what red flannel underwear will do to the feminine ill t -i i silhouette, while John Doe and Mr. Big Shot are wearing down pencils and using reams of paper to devise new ways of keeping the home fires burning. For, that great Ievelcr "war" is beginning to pinch in another and what may prove to be an exceptionally painful spot where Mr. Big Shot's bank account and John Doe's careful savings toward the winter fuel bill will both be powerless to help the wherewithal to buy fuel may be there but the fuel will not. Some 13,500,000 John Does, Jim Smiths and Mr. Big Shots, whose homes have central heating plants, share much the same worries currently cur-rently regarding keeping the coal bin or the oil tank full this winter. "Heat thieves" sneak out anywhere any-where from 5 to 50 per cent of the warm air generated by the central heating system, the fireplace or the stove, as the case may be, and the householder is none the wiser. Astronomical Figures on Fuel Savings. From the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers - . ton of coal and cubic foot of gas saved this year can be diverted to the war production effort to turn out more planes, more tanks, more guns and more of the thousands of items needed to bring an early victory. Cars needed to carry fuel can be released to carry essential war materials. ma-terials. On the basis of the fuel saving already cited, the maximum reduction reduc-tion in fuel consumption effected by devices to keep cold air out and warm air in would mean that 356,258 coal cars and 81,812 tank cars would not be needed for fuel transportation this winter, and, therefore, could be used in furthering the war effort. Now, facing a war that Washington Washing-ton experts declare may last three and even five years longer, Americans Ameri-cans who do their part to save fuel are effecting a double barreled economy econ-omy whereby both the war effort and their own pocket books benefit. An examination of the ten points of the fuel conservation campaign being sponsored by the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Insulating homes, as shown here, is another important fuel conservation conserva-tion order. It will reduce fuel consumption con-sumption from 10 to 20 per cent. temperature to 200 pounds at a 70-degree 70-degree differential. Compared to this, the test without storm sashings revealed that fuel consumption was 41 pounds an hour at a low degree temperature differential ' and increased in-creased to 260 pounds of fuel used in a 70-degree differential. In other words, at a 70-degree differential in outdoor-indoor j temperatures, the house, when equipped with storm sashing, saved 60 pounds of coal every hour over the house when not equipped with storm sashing. The test also revealed that it was unnecessary to turn on the furnace in the storm sash-equipped sash-equipped house until it was at least 6 degrees colder outside than when it was turned on for the unequipped house. This represents an actual fuel saving sav-ing of 19 per cent directly attributable attribut-able to storm sashes on doors and windows, as the house chosen for the test was not insulated. The saving sav-ing in more severe weather was increased to 21 per cent and was slightly less in mild weather. The mean, or average, saving in a season, sea-son, according to figures announced by the society, came to 20 per cent. Insulation Helps, Too. Another fuel saving measure strongly advocated by the American Society is insulation. Tests have disclosed that ceiling insulation will save from 10 to 15 per cent of the normal fuel consumption, while wall insulation will save from 12 to 20 per cent. As long ago as March, 1942, the Federal Housing administration adminis-tration pointed out the fact that fuel conservation might well become necessary as a part of the war effort ef-fort and urged home owners to show leadership by the installation of fuel saving devices, one of which was insulation. B. M. Woods, chairman of the war service committee of the American Society, also proposes ...... Junior here is having a good time for himself playing In the oil paint which his mother is using to coat the radiator. This winter the increased efficiency of the radiator because of the oil paint coating will keep Junior, and the rest of the family, warmer than they otherwise would have been. come some astronomical figures regarding re-garding fuel savings that can be effected by adoption of but two of the ten conservation measures this body is advocating. "If," says the society, "window "win-dow conditioning and weather stripping were installed in the ltya million single-family dwellings dwell-ings which have central heating systems and which burn coal, oil and gas, the savings would be something like this 6,902,112 Engineers reveals that the measures are all of a practical nature and of interest to small householders as well as to those in the larger income brackets. Citing window conditioning ;s the first and most important of its ten fuel saving points, the society discloses dis-closes interesting results obtained in tests with a three-story frame house in Urbana, 111. One test of the house was made in a series of tons of coal, 262,799,160 gallons of oil and 40,688,200,000 cubic feet of gas." Even though accustomed to the 9 and 12 figure sums of wartime spending, the average American's brain may still reel under the impact im-pact of figures like these. However, translated into terms of the individual individ-ual pocket book they boil down to something like this. The average small home having a central heating system burning, oil uses approximately 2,000 gallons a season. Tests have proved that storm sashes save up to 20 per cent of fuel consumption. Therefore, on this basis installation of storm sashes alone would result in a fuel saving of 400 gallons of oil annuaUy. Using eight cents a gaUon as the cost of oil, the saving would amount to $32 a year. The same sized house using a central cen-tral heating system that burned coal would need approximately 10 tons a year and on the basis of coal at $13 a ton, the savings would amount to about $26. Patriotic Aspect of Fuel Saving. There is also a patriotic connotation connota-tion to these fuel savings. We must not forget that every gallon of oil, Heading the list of the ten commandments for fuel saving, as mentioned men-tioned In this article, is window conditioning or fitting storm sashes. This, too, will save on the winter's fuel bill. NOT DANGEROUS IF . . . Even though the 65-degree temperature tem-perature recommended by the OPA as a fuel savings measure might not be too comfortable, "it is not likely to be detrimental to health," according to the opinion of the Bureau of Health Education Educa-tion of the American Medical association. as-sociation. The burean further pointed out that reduced temperatures are not dangerous "if chilling is avoided and the resistance is kept high by sensible hygienic living ... the use of additional clothing, especially a sweater, and woolen hose may be advisable." 24-hour periods, with storm sash and without, to determine the difference in fuel consumption. The type of heating plant used was anthracite coal with forced air drafts. During the test the differential in outdoor temperature and indoor temperature tempera-ture ranged from 12 degrees to 72 degrees. Storm Sashes Cut Fuel Bills. Using storm windows and doors, the fuel consumption ranged from 45 pounds of coal used at an 18 degree de-gree differential of indoor-outdoor that unused rooms be locked up fo the winter without heat, the heat turned off in the garage for the duration of the war, and sun rooms, usually difficult to heat, should be shut off from the rest of the house and left without heat if possible. Doors to attics and unused rooms should be tightly closed and when fireplaces are not in use the dampers should be tightly tight-ly closed to prevent heat from escaping up the chimney. Installation of thermostatic con- T 'iTr ot!B! nmtem trol is the only adequate means of maintaining uniform temperatures, according to authorities on heat control, con-trol, and, therefore, is placed fourth on the American Society's 10-point fuel saving program. Tests with "clock control" of heating plants have revealed that fuel is saved at the rate of 3.2 per cent a degree of lowered temperature. Therefore, if the temperature control point is lowered 10 degrees during the night or when temperature at the highest point is not needed, 32 per cent of the fuel will be saved. j Weather Stripping Like That Being Set Here, Saves Fuel, Too. |