Comments on: Heat cost – Tips for reducing yours

By: Heated Ceiling Fans

Heated Ceiling Fans — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 07:22:41 +0000

[...] Heat cost Home [...]

By: Good Reads - Alliteration Edition — Domestic Cents

Good Reads - Alliteration Edition — Domestic Cents — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 07:10:32 +0000

[...] Heat Cost – Tips For Reducing Yours by Gibble at Gather Little By Little. [...]

By: MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators

MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:20:14 +0000

@ Christy:

There is no length of time, nor temperature low enough for which it is not worth turning your thermostat down. The only thing you need to factor in is how long it will take to return the space to the desired temperature. Think of your house as a bucket and the water inside it is the heat. The level of the water is the temp in the house. The house/bucket is full of holes and heat/water leaks out all the time. The more heat/water, the faster it leaks out. Lowering the temp/level slows the rate at which the leaking occurs. Lowering the level also turns off the furnace/faucet until the temp/level gets to the new setting. Later, you have to put that heat back in to fill the bucket up again, while also fighting against all the leakage from the bucket, but this is still less than what would be used to keep the house at temp while you are gone.

@Glbl & Nicki: Opening the oven door is a zero sum game. The heat is still going to get into the room, it’s just going to take longer with the door open.

Here’s a tip: Turn your vent fans off as soon as you are done with them. Leaving a bathroom or stove vent on longer than necessary takes hot air from your house, dumps it outside, and sucks cold air in from outside to replace it.

By: Mark Framness

Mark Framness — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:53:58 +0000

One of the unintended consequences of sealing up the house real tight is increased levels of humidity which can cause condensation on your windows.

My brother who was in the residential window business (delivery & service) warns that chronic condensation left alone can lead to premature deterioration of the window (I am guessing this is a problem with wood windows and not vinyl). I have cellular shades (which provide an R4 insulation) on our bedroom windows and the guest bedrooms need to be defrosted about every other day especially in really cold weather (near or below zero).

I open the shades, the entry door, and turn the ceiling fans on high. After about one hour the frost is melted & water evaporated. I then wipe the windows down with a paper towel and shut everything back down.

By: Cutting Costs — Broke Wall Streeter

Cutting Costs — Broke Wall Streeter — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:17:53 +0000

[...] Edit: Here’s a nice post from Gather Little By Little on saving on home heating costs. [...]

By: Stacey

Stacey — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:06:50 +0000

We’ve always put up the plastic sheets on our oldest windows. I never really thought it did anything, until one night – woosh! The wind blew the plastic off. (It was an intense snow storm.) I instantly felt a draft, almost like Twinsmom noted. We reapplied the double-sided tape and haven’t had a problem since.

If you buy the insulating plastic packages at the store, it really doesn’t look that bad. We keep ours up for the entire year to keep out both the cold and heat. You use a hairdryer to shrink the plastic, and the curtains cover up the edges. Our house guests don’t even realize the windows are covered until they walk up and attempt to touch the window.

By: Broke

Broke — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:04:48 +0000

I don’t know how much heat a large scented candle gives off, but I like to light one up near me when I’m watching TV. It smells nice and I think it keeps the air around me somewhat warmer. Using a blanket on the couch is a little annoying when you have to grab the hold a drink. Have you seen the Snuggie infomercial? It’s a blanket with arm sleeves. A cheaper way to go is to wear my front-zippered sweatshit/hoodie backwards and use my blanket just to cover my legs. Also stuffing the bottom of the door to your basement with a towel or make a long homemade bean bag. I saw an infomercial for Twin Draft Door Guard which does the same thing. Has anyone tried that window plastic to cover a gas fireplace? The gas bill was so high I turned my pilot off, but the wind comes right in through the flue. Right now I just have some heavy boxes blocking it. Very attractive.

By: Mr. Imperfect

Mr. Imperfect — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:45:08 +0000

All of these are really great ideas and work when executed properly. Two things I would add: a) Humidity levels play an important role in how the air “feels” temperature wise. A cheap humidity gauge will run around $8.00. Instead of buying a professional humidifier, we experimented with water pans on heating units and vents until we got the right combo. b) If you have a central unit (that has duct work and a return air) check your air filter often. A clogged air filter can increase your bill around 20%! Cover your mouth and try to breathe-just like you the unit must work harder causing an increase in electricity use. Have a great day!

By: ryan

ryan — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:46:34 +0000

I am checking out the econo-heat panels that use only 400 watts a piece. I have seen good reviews and lots of folks saying they reduced bills greatly, but still researching. Has anyone heard or tried these?

By: Twinsmom

Twinsmom — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:09:44 +0000

It’s kind of a “duh!” suggestion but here goes. Make sure all your windows and seldom-used exterior doors are completely shut and locked! Two years ago, I had my bed placed under a window and some nights could literally feel the breeze but I knew I had the windows shut. I finally checked them, and yes, the bottoms of two windows were completely shut, but the tops had fallen down just a little, not enough to see if you weren’t looking for them, but definitely enough to let in cold air. When I shut AND LOCKED them, the difference in the room in just a few minutes was amazing. The same thing with our back door. It swells in the winter and is hard to latch without engaging the deadbolt. I have been extra cold the last 2 nights, and come to find my daughter had not shut the door tight AND LOCKED it to keep it closed when she let the cat out before bed. Again, making sure that latch and seal are tight has made a huge difference. Also little things like rolled towels at the bottom of closed interior and exterior doors also help keep the heat where you want it.