How to Clock a Furnace
The amount of energy your gas or electric furnace uses is calculated by your utility company and billed to you. While weather patterns mean you'll almost certainly have higher utility bills at certain times of the year, you still may want to make sure your gas or electric furnace is operating efficiently and not using excessive amounts of energy. Clocking your furnace is a method for determining the exact amount of electricity or gas your furnace consumes while operating. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Locate your dial meter for your gas or electricity. This meter is typically attached to the outside of your home or in the ground on your property. If the meter is underground, look for a metal utility cover with finger holes. Lift the metal cover to find a series of meter dials. If you are having difficulty locating the utility dial meter, contact your utility company and inquire about its location.
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Turn off all other appliances that utilize gas except for the furnace if you have a gas furnace. This ensures you receive an accurate reading.
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Gather a notepad and a pen and return to the utility meter. For a gas meter, locate the 1- or 2-cubic-foot clock, which will have a “1” or “2” displayed either above or below the clock face. Wait until the dial is at the 6 or 12 o'clock position to receive the most accurate reading. Using a stopwatch, see how long it takes for the dials to complete two rotations. Write down the total number of seconds.
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Divide the total number of seconds into 3,672,000 for readings from the 1-cubic-foot dial, or 7,344,000 for the 2-cubic-foot dial. The resulting number is the total usage of your gas furnace.
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Locate the utility meter, grab a notepad and pen and turn off all electric appliances except for your furnace if the furnace runs on electricity. An electric utility meter features five dials. To clock an electric furnace, write down the numbers the dial hand is pointing to from right to left. To obtain an accurate reading, if the pointer is directly over a number use the number to the pointer's right. If the pointer rests between two numbers, use the lowest of the numbers. Once you have written down all the numbers, you have the kilowatts per hour being used by the furnace.
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Tips & Warnings
Modern electricity utility meters use a digital display. To clock this type of meter, turn off all other appliances and review the updated reading.
Do not guestimate if you are unsure of your meter’s readings. Contact your utility company to obtain further information about the readings.
References
Resources
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