The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-11-12
SAVING OF COAL
DURING THE WINTER
FUEL ADMINISTRATION TELLS
HOW BIG SAVING CAN BE
MADE IN ALL HOMES

WASHINGTON, D. C.-With tn
wintry weather coming on, the bureat
of mines, department of interior. offer
novel scheme to householders using
hot-air furnaces to not only Obtain
greater heat from their furnaces, bu
also to save from 20 to 80 per cent O
their coal.
The bureau suggests that it is extreme
" wasteful of coal and also comfort tc
follow the almost universal plan i'll hot
air furnaces of having the cold-air duct
connecting with the outside of the house
during severe weather 1t is of the
opinion that when the outside air is down
to nearly zero, it will be profitable to
close the cold-air duct, shutting off the
air from the outside and substituting
another air duct from the inside of the
house where the air has been somewhat
heated
With most hot-air layouts it is possible,
by simple and inexpensive change, to
effect a saving of 20 to 80 per cent in
the coal required to heat the building
in severe weather, and the building can
be kept far more comfortable. In fact,
it is easy to change hot-air house heat
ing from a system markedly inferior to
steam or hot-water apparatus to sys-
TEN that compares with them most favor
ably in nearly all respects.
The plan here recommended is merely
the addition of an auxiliary cOld-air
duct by which the air supply to the fur
mace may be taken from inside the house.
instead of from outdoors, during very
cold or windy weather.
There is. of course nothing novel in
this proposal Hot-air furnaces have
been installed on this plan for many
years: and the only surprising feature is
that all furnaces are not installed in this
way. instead of an occasional one The
saving in coal made possible by such an
arrangement is obvious when one con-
siders the difference between heating air
taken from outdoors, which may be at
zero temperature or below, and air taken
from inside the house entering the fur
mace at temperature averaging perhaps
90 degrees F.
The saving in fuel is especially great,
of course, where hot-air furnace is
designed and installed, as all hot-air
furnaces should be, to deliver a large
volume of warm air instead of small
volume of very highly heated air. It is,
in fact, material advantage of the aux
iliary cold-air inlet from inside the
house that it enables furnace to be in
stalled which will deliver warm air in
stead of hot air-a thing which is diff |
cult or impossible when the entire air
supply is taken from outdoors.
One might suppose that all hot-air
furnaces would be built according to
he plan here recommended; but for the
ordinary dwelling the heating apparatus
Usually receives only such thought and
attention as the plumber or builder cares
o give it. It is question of putting in
equipment that will cost the least and
'e1l the best, rather than what will give
he best results in operation.
In these times, however, when econ-
on,y at every point is demanded as
patriotic duty. it is surely the duty and
he opportunity of engineers to under
axe leadership in this reform No argu-
nent whatever is necessary to convince
engineers of the practical advantages Of