Baby, It's Cold Outside!
Posted on October 12, 2006 by Her and tagged utilities
But you can stay warm for less!
The cold weather is finally upon us, but last winter we tried lots of ways to cut our heating costs after getting hit with a huge heating bill early in the season. Here are some that worked for us:
•Get an electric blanket and turn the thermostat way down at night. You might remember how "bony" electric blankets used to feel, but they really have improved recently. We found one with micro-wires that are literally imperceptible.
•Get a programmable thermostat, and set it to turn the heat on only when you need it. A good one can be had for under $50.
•Cover windows, especially drafty ones, with plastic film. It’s available pretty cheaply at any home improvement store.
•If your heating registers are near the ceiling, direct the heat downward with a directional vent cover. These cost about $3 and stick on with magnets.
•Have a room you seldom use? Cover the heating register with a magnetic panel to seal it off, and then close the door to the room.
•During the day, open the drapes and blinds and let the sunshine in! At night, pull them fully across to stop drafts.
•If you become cold while doing a passive activity like watching TV, get up and do some light exercise for a few minutes to warm up rather than turn up the heat.
•Make your oven do double duty – an oven full of dinner can warm the whole kitchen.
•And dad’s all time favorite… put on a sweater!
We noticed a significant reduction in our heating bills after we implemented these easy tips. No more big bad heating bills for us!
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Sarah | Oct 12, 2006
So true! We did 3 things to our house last winter to help that resulted in our natural gas bill (budget pay) to go down $12/month when everyone else's bill was skyrocketing...
1. Plastic windows
2. Programmable thermostat
3. Install gas fireplace insert in wood-burning fireplace hole. Ok ok... so that wasn't the cheapest option, but if you saw what a heat drain that fireplace was, we had to do something short of cementing in the hole... doesn't quite have the ambience of wood-burning, but it still provides a significant amount of heat so we can lower the thermostat for all other rooms.
All fantastic advice!
Wealthy Geek | Oct 12, 2006
Here’s a tip for singles and DINKs, though admittedly it can be a bit rough after a while: work more overtime during the colder months. The less time you’re actually in your house or apartment, the less fuel you’re burning to keep yourself warm. I had a job a few years ago that required about three to four hours of (thankfully paid) OT every weekday during the month of January. As wretched as all that extra work was, the good thing was my gas bill for the month was quite a bit lower than either December's and February's because my apartment sat empty and unheated for more hours each day.
I keep a down throw on my couch at all times. It's quite easy to snuggle under it and stay warm.
I prefer layering (sheet, bedspread, comforter 1, comforter 2) to electric blankets, personally, but I'll change my mind if it is REALLY cold.
beeble | Oct 15, 2006
I noticed one thing that wasn't mentioned was using draft dodgers. My old chicago apartment with new windows was still cold, but I put on the draft dodgers and it's warmer now.
Which electric blanket did you find with the microwires? I'm in the market for a nice practical gift and I think the blanket might be better than the space heater.
MsMiniducky,
The brand of blanket we purchased is "Chattam & Wells." This is a subdivision of PerfectFit. I purchased it at Marshall Fields (now Macy's) in the loop. It is pricey but feels wonderful - two layers of polarfleece with microwires in between. We have had to replace the controls already but it is under a 5-year warranty, so I'm satisfied.
mapgirl | Oct 12, 2006
My dad's favorite? PUT ON SOCKS! I used to go around barefoot all the time. Now I put on socks, or a hat. Hats indoors really keep you toasty.
Or getting a space heater for the room you actually spend time in and closing up the rooms you don't. I live in a studio and a small space heater is enough for me to raise the temperature up a few degrees before they do the HVAC heating/cooling switchover in the autumn.
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