To the editor:

I read with great interest the Jan. 16 article concerning the heating bills of our county courthouse. I don’t know its square footage, but I can tell you mine is a whole lot smaller. It is a modest slab home of 1,730 square feet.

Here is my beef: My heating bills are outrageous! Last March my gas bill was a grand total of $300.82. This past December it was $250.85. I really dreaded getting my January 2008 bill because it was a much colder month. With anticipation, it finally came. I ripped it open to find a grand total of $289.57!! I keep my thermostat set at a cool 68 degrees. For extra warmth, I keep an electric heater in my bathroom, one in the kitchen and another in my office.

I don’t know how old the heating equipment is in the courthouse but my system is only 2 1/2 years old. I have an 80 percent efficient furnace BUT it does not operate as such. It runs almost continuously. In a simple statement, I can’t afford to continue paying these horrible heating bills!

Although I realize the city recently made some code changes regarding more efficient systems, I’m still not convinced that these changes will protect future home owners from the same issues I face.

I suppose the only alternative I have, is to replace my current furnace with a higher efficiency model and also add more insulation in my attic. Of course, this would be at my own expense!

Bea Brien,

Lawrence