Are you making any changes to keep your heating bill down?

[KIN]

We decided to make some changes this year, here is what we are doing different:

 

1. Keeping our heat set much lower than usual - 63 in the day, 58 at night

2. Turning all of our ceiling fans "backwards" and keeping them on low all day to push the hot air down

3. Using a small electric heater in our living room in the evening when we are just sitting around

4. Having many more blankets around to snuggle with

5. Dressing warmer

 

ETA: Do you have any other ideas?

[bumbledeb]

We are just not putting any heating on. We heat the water for 10 minutes twice a day and that's it.

 

Keeping all the doors in the house shut. The room we're all in gets warm(ish) just from sunlight and body heat. Keeping the doors shut makes a big difference.

 

Wearing layers of clothing, wrapping up in blankets and sleeping bags where possible.

 

Doing housework etc. quickly to work up some heat.

[MyBlueLobsters]

Okay, don't laugh at me.....but. My youngest is BAD about leaving on socks and we have our heater set much lower this year too. I didn't want little bare feet running around, so under all my DS's pants, he wears tights. The ones that look like regular sock material. Not only does that force them to stay on his feet, his legs have an extra layer too. DH is okay with it because if you didn't know, you'd just think he had on socks.....but we've gotten a few comments from people in nursery when they change his diaper. ;) However, I bet my heating bill is less than theirs!!! :tongue_smilie:

[KIN]

We are just not putting any heating on. We heat the water for 10 minutes twice a day and that's it.

 

Well, now you are going a little more hard core than we are!! :) I hope that you all stay warm over there!

[MyBlueLobsters]

Oh, and how do you know which setting is 'backwards' on your celing fan? Ours goes both ways....but which direction should it turn to go backwards?

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Hey, once upon a time lots of people used to dress their little boys that way in the winter. My dh's mother put him in tights under his clothes when he was a toddler. When we lived in Sicily in the 80's all the little ones wore nice thick knitted tights in the winter.

[Ria]

We have a coal stove (thank goodness we live in PA where coal is plentiful and still inexpensive!!). We burn that constantly, now through March, and it keeps the family room and the kitchen warm. The oil-hot air heat only comes on if the temp outside drops below 15 degrees. I'm actually considering hanging some type of heavy curtain to separate the family room from the library (large 16 X 24' room w/ cathedral ceiling that's right off the family room)...it might be ugly, but then again, the price of oil is sky-high, and I don't want to turn on the furnace if I can help it.

 

We do keep the ceiling fans in the family room and library (which is next to the family room) on the winter setting. We'll also run the furnace fan (but not the heat) to circulate the warm air before we go up to bed if it's really cold upstairs. Beds have lots of blankets and quilts, and no one goes upstairs unless it's to go to sleep.

 

Ria

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Dh has put felt weather stripping around the doors, plugged the holes to the crawl space, and stuffed foam strips in any gaps in the windows.

 

I'm learning to dress more like my dh- undershirt, regular shirt, then sweater or sweatshirt. Keeping socks and shoes on has really helped.

[CactusPair]

We always put plastic on the windows and seal up cracks around windows and doors.

 

I can't believe people can keep their thermostats so low, though! I'm amazed. I live in an old house and it's very drafty. We have a lot of windows, too. I have a feeling the insulation isn't the greatest.

 

We live in the North. It's really cold in here and it's just October. We're walking around with layers and winter hats on inside. At night the thermostat is at 68 and that's low for us! We blanki-fied, it's just cold.

 

I feel like a wimp.:001_huh:

[Ria]

We always put plastic on the windows and seal up cracks around windows and doors.

 

I can't believe people can keep their thermostats so low, though! I'm amazed. I live in an old house and it's very drafty. We have a lot of windows, too. I have a feeling the insulation isn't the greatest.

 

We live in the North. It's really cold in here and it's just October. We're walking around with layers and winter hats on inside. At night the thermostat is at 68 and that's low for us! We blanki-fied, it's just cold.

 

I feel like a wimp.:001_huh:

 

 

CactusPair, I wish you could see me reading at night. I think you'd understand, lol. I wear my robe, a wool hat, and wool gloves. And I have the covers pulled up to my neck.

 

Quite a visual, eh?

 

LOL.

 

Ria

[Jennifer in MI]

Insulation makes all the difference in the world! In our old house, there was so little insulation and it was VERY cold inside when we kept the heat at 68. There was a breeze!!

 

In our new house (1960s) the insulation is so much better we can keep the temp at 61 or 62 and it's comfortable with a turtleneck, sweater, pants, socks and slippers. And, it costs MUCH less to heat this house and it's a LOT bigger!!

 

Basically, we're keeping the temp down. At night it goes down to 56 or 57. Today I forgot to turn it back up and the house stayed around 60 all day.

[KIN]

Oh, and how do you know which setting is 'backwards' on your celing fan? Ours goes both ways....but which direction should it turn to go backwards?

 

If you are looking at the fan from the bottom it is clockwise. The leading edge of the blade should be down.

[Deidre in GA]

during the day thermostat is at 65 and i wear 4 layers. evenings it moves to 68-70; bedtime down to 58. i bought a kit just the other day to put plastic on my living room windows. those are only ones without storms.

[bumbledeb]

Well, now you are going a little more hard core than we are!! :) I hope that you all stay warm over there!

 

Well, so far we are coping.:001_smile: The real test will be next week I think when there is a real cold snap forecast.

[Jennifer in MI]

Well, so far we are coping.:001_smile: The real test will be next week I think when there is a real cold snap forecast.

 

How do you keep your pipes from freezing? How cold does it get? Keep us updated on how you're doing!! I'm impressed!

[Pamela H in Texas]

We started this week with the determination of not having the heat on until it's under 60. However, we could function quite well at 62 (it hasn't made it lower than that in the house though it's gone into the 30's outside), so NOW I'm thinking we could probably make it to 58, maybe even 56?

 

A couple years ago, we went without heat all except the 3 coldest days (we went to friend's). It was REALLY bad. But I figure if we could handle that, we can handle 50something.

 

I'm a little worried though. There was some mention that this winter was supposed to be particularly cold. YUCK.

 

Anyway, otherwise, we bundle up, have blankies, etc. I'll have to talk to hubby about the fan thing.

[Ann@thebeach]

My Dh and I were arguing about how the fan works in the winter so I got this from the Hunter ceiling fan company site:

 

 

A ceiling fan can help lower energy consumption in the winter by up to 15%. The temperature of the air in a heated room varies in layers; the air near the ceiling is warmer than the air near the floor, because warm air rises. A ceiling fan can help push the warmer air that is trapped near the ceiling back down into the room, thus de-stratifying the layers of warm air. As a result, the warm air is circulated where it is needed, and the heating system does not overwork to warm the room. To properly de-stratify a warmed room, the ceiling fan should be run in a clockwise direction. This pushes the air up against the ceilings and down the walls, to gently re-circulate the warm air without creating a cooling wind chill effect.

 

Thought someone else might find it interesting...

[Tammyla]

This year I caved and put up the clear plastic on the windows. (17 of them.) I'm stunned that the temperature is three degrees higher in out coldest room. I had the thermostat set to 70/71' and the master bath temp (upstairs) was a constant 66'. I feel too warm with my fleece on today:001_smile:. You can call me happily surprised as I didn't think our windows were that bad.

 

We use mini electric heaters for one room heating. Our main heater is gas along with a fireplace. Setting up the humidifier if you have one makes the place feel warmer and cuts down on static electricity.

 

I/We layer up. Silk long-johns, socks, slippers a long sleeve-t or sweater topped with a fleece jacket. I have throws all over the place. My kids seem to be warmer than me, but even they were cold a few days ago. You can do an energy audit of your home. Just look on-line for tips and ideas.

 

Baking indoors heats up my kitchen a bit. We caulked just about every nook and cranny. I open up the window if the sun is out. I'm not looking forward to our first gas bill. Last year it rose a little under 15%. I'm praying for a light winter.

 

PS...I've purchased flannel sheets for every bed today, and can't wait to try them.

Edited October 26, 2008 by Tammyla

[Brigitte]

My Dh and I were arguing about how the fan works in the winter so I got this from the Hunter ceiling fan company site:

 

 

A ceiling fan can help lower energy consumption in the winter by up to 15%. The temperature of the air in a heated room varies in layers; the air near the ceiling is warmer than the air near the floor, because warm air rises. A ceiling fan can help push the warmer air that is trapped near the ceiling back down into the room, thus de-stratifying the layers of warm air. As a result, the warm air is circulated where it is needed, and the heating system does not overwork to warm the room. To properly de-stratify a warmed room, the ceiling fan should be run in a clockwise direction. This pushes the air up against the ceilings and down the walls, to gently re-circulate the warm air without creating a cooling wind chill effect.

 

Thought someone else might find it interesting...

 

That is a rep worthy post, if we still had rep. ;) Now I have to go turn on the fan and see which way it is turning. Should it be turning the wrong way, we will have to figure out a creative way to reach it. :tongue_smilie:

[Mx5]

We decided to make some changes this year, here is what we are doing different:

 

1. Keeping our heat set much lower than usual - 63 in the day, 58 at night

2. Turning all of our ceiling fans "backwards" and keeping them on low all day to push the hot air down

3. Using a small electric heater in our living room in the evening when we are just sitting around

4. Having many more blankets around to snuggle with

5. Dressing warmer

 

ETA: Do you have any other ideas?

 

We had our electric co-op come in and do an energy audit. We increased attic insulation, have a new high efficiency furnace, and put clear plastic on about half of our windows. We're about as energy tight as we can be in a 20 yr old home, in a place where it's what most people would consider to be winter for five months of the year. We live in a 2 story home, so the upstairs bedrooms are always nice and warm, but the main level still seems cold to me.

 

We started needing to use our furnace at night about a month ago. We could start seeing snow flurries by the end of next week. :glare: This is what we get for living here (FWIW I've lived here all my life.)

 

I read that I can save 1% of my heating bill per month for each degree I turn down the furnace. So I can drop my thermostat from 71 to 65 and freeze for 30 days and save about $12 (based on an high estimate of $200/month for my LP gas bill). Not worth it to me.

 

So I use my programmable thermostat to drop down the temp. starting at around 10 pm, then a bit lower at midnight, then about 1/2 hr. before everyone awakens, I have the thermostat bring the temp. back up to a lovely 71 degrees.

 

I've found I can cut electric costs easier than heating costs, so that is something I really work at. But to me life is no fun at all if the kids and I are shivering for months on end.

Edited October 26, 2008 by Mx5
bad grammar

[Mx5]

Dh has put felt weather stripping around the doors, plugged the holes to the crawl space, and stuffed foam strips in any gaps in the windows.

 

I'm learning to dress more like my dh- undershirt, regular shirt, then sweater or sweatshirt. Keeping socks and shoes on has really helped.

 

I am amazed at how much slippers help.

[KIN]

I read that I can save 1% of my heating bill per month for each degree I turn down the furnace. So I can drop my thermostat from 71 to 65 and freeze for 30 days and save about $12 (based on an high estimate of $200/month for my LP gas bill). Not worth it to me.

 

Hmm, I'm going to have to check on that! I don't want to be cold for $12.00/month, I can find other ways to save that much. :) I thought that turning down the heat was a big way to save money!

[Veronica in VA]

We have an old house, but we replaced most of the windows a couple of years ago, so that helps. We keep the heat at 62, but we run the woodstove so the heat rarely turns on - just when I'm too lazy to start the stove. We usually go through 4 cords or so every year. We get the wood free from Craiglist. Last week we ran it all through the logsplitter, then stacked it. They always say winter wood warms you twice, but I counted - I think it is at least 4 times!

 

Veronica

[Alana in Canada]

Changing the thermostat on a high efficiency furnace will not save you that much money at all--it is older, less efficient furnaces where the savings are realised.

 

I've been told this, but I don't know if it is really true or not.

 

I did find this, however from the "American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

 

http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/heating.htm#improve

 

Thermostats. Turn down the thermostat at night and when you're away from home. In most homes, you can save about 2% of your heating bill for each degree that you lower the thermostat for at least 8 hours each day. Contrary to some common myths, it won't take more energy to bring your home back to the desired temperature than it would to leave it at your optimum temperature all day. Turning down the thermostat from 70°F to 65°F, for example, saves about 10% ($100 saved per $1,000 of heating cost).

 

Of course, you can use a good programmable thermostat to automate this process. IF it is programmed properly, to you can expect to recover the cost of the thermostat in the first year or so. If you have a heat pump, be aware that you need a special "adaptive" thermostat that will bring the temperature up from the setback point in winter without calling for the inefficient "emergency" electric resistance heat.

[KIN]

Changing the thermostat on a high efficiency furnace will not save you that much money at all--it is older, less efficient furnaces where the savings are realised.

 

I've been told this, but I don't know if it is really true or not.

 

I did find this, however from the "American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

 

http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/heating.htm#improve

 

Quote:

Thermostats. Turn down the thermostat at night and when you're away from home. In most homes, you can save about 2% of your heating bill for each degree that you lower the thermostat for at least 8 hours each day. Contrary to some common myths, it won't take more energy to bring your home back to the desired temperature than it would to leave it at your optimum temperature all day. Turning down the thermostat from 70°F to 65°F, for example, saves about 10% ($100 saved per $1,000 of heating cost).

 

Of course, you can use a good programmable thermostat to automate this process. IF it is programmed properly, to you can expect to recover the cost of the thermostat in the first year or so. If you have a heat pump, be aware that you need a special "adaptive" thermostat that will bring the temperature up from the setback point in winter without calling for the inefficient "emergency" electric resistance heat.

 

Thanks for this information! If we are cold or really uncomfortable around here, we'll be turning the heat back up. :) We have our heat 5 degrees cooler all day & night than we did last year. So, it will save *some* but not tons.

[Tammyla]

Bump, and update.

 

I'm hot...yippee this is nearly a miracle for me. I'm turning the heat down from 70' to 69'. I hope the window kits and flannel sheets hold up through the temps when they drop below zero.

[Mx5]

Hmm, I'm going to have to check on that! I don't want to be cold for $12.00/month, I can find other ways to save that much. :) I thought that turning down the heat was a big way to save money!

Managing Your Thermostat For Comfort & Energy Savings by Focus on Energy

 

Again, they are saying 1% saving per degree per month.

 

A lot depends on your comfort levels. Honestly, I can't see sitting in an uncomfortably cold home all day homeschooling to save a few dollars. But that's just me, and I can and do certainly respect those who can pull it off and be OK with it. I find other ways to cut costs, and still have some wiggle room in the budget should heating costs rise again.

 

'Hope the article helps.

[Diannab]

Fortunately, we haven't turned our heat on yet! :) Just once, for testing but not for actually heating. We did our testing the first cool wave we had come through. I don't want to be freezing because when we do need it, it won't work. :) KWIM? So far it has dropped to 55 in our house. It isn't uncomfortable though.... :) We just don't wear tank tops and shorts in the winter like we used to! LOL :) We have more blankets as well.

 

Last year we purchased a wood stove/heater and we plan on using it when needed during the day. ;) For 80 dollars I can get two pickup truck loads delivered and stacked. That normally does us for two months or so. :) If the kiddos start shivering, we will turn the heat on. :D I am not going to let them get sick, but oddly enough the cooler we keep the house the less germies we have going around.

 

It works pretty well here. :)

[MommyX8]

I just bought a few pairs of Blackout Hotel drapes (50% deal from Slickdeals) which are supposed to insulate from heat and cold as well as keep out light.

 

My front door gets drafty so I am going to cover it with drapes when we are all tucked in. Plus, my kids get up at the crack of dawn so I decided that if I kept the room darker, they would stay in their beds later, and I wouldn't have to start the heat as early.

[Laura Corin]

The house we are moving into has a wood burning stove, and there is wood to cut on the property. The current owners have the heat on in the morning and evening, then just use the stove during the day.

 

Calvin's a cold body, so he wears long underwear every day. I expect us all to wear at least a turtleneck, sweater, trousers, wool socks and slippers at home.

 

Laura

[bumbledeb]

How do you keep your pipes from freezing? How cold does it get? Keep us updated on how you're doing!! I'm impressed!

 

I have a max/min thermometer in the kitchen. So far, the coldest it's been has been 54F. I'm not sure about the pipes. This is the first time I've done this. I'm thinking that just us all being in the house and having the hot water heated up twice a day will be enough to keep the pipes from freezing.

 

There is a fireplace in my bedroom (it used to be the living room back when the house was built about 50 years ago). If we really just can't stand it anymore we do have some wood cut that we could burn and we could use my bedroom for school etc. We'll see. It may just prove impossible to sustain.:001_smile: