Conduct this experiment to determine the heat loss coefficient of your house or apartment in W/°C or Btu/h.°F. First make sure that the conditions in the house are steady and the house is at the set temperature of the thermostat. Use an outdoor thermometer to monitor outdoor temperature. One evening, using a watch or timer, determine how long the heater was on during a 3-h period and the average outdoor temperature during that period. Then using the heat output rating of your heater, determine the amount of heat supplied. Also, estimate the amount of heat generation in the house during that period by noting the number of people, the total wattage of lights that were on, and the heat generated by the appliances and equipment. Using that information, calculate the average rate of heat loss from the house and the heat loss coefficient.
