Saving Money on Energy- heat, etc.

[Diva]

When my Dad passed away, there was money left to bring the house up to snuff in case I wanted to sell it (which I didn't).

One of the things I did was have new windows installed.....energy efficient, of course! The difference it's made in my heating/cooling bills is substantial. I went from a nearly-$500 summer bill to a little less than $200. I know. Heating went from $200-ish to just over $100. It has blown me away!

I really wanted to put in a tankless water heater, but couldn't justify the cost. I did wind up getting a new water heater which was more energy efficient.

My space heater is amazing and I use that until I just can't stay warm. I've used my heat only 2 times so far.

My dream would be to put solar panels on my roof.....we have a lot of sun here in Austin! But Diva will have to win the lottery to do that! (And yes....I'd stay in this house if that ever happened! I'd just buy an island somewhere, too! )

[Sachita]

I definitely want to change the windows and doors. I know that will help a lot. I've checked people to install and there are no deals yet.

Electric blankets use a lot of power. I also bought a twin.

I just ordered coats for my dogs to wear inside. lol- I'm actually contracting a lady to make coats and beds for dogs using crypton fabric. I have a few designs I'm working on. If I can get them warm I'll be ok. I'll be reselling the beds and coats btw & a portion is going towards helping people that are struggling and need help with their pets until they get settled.
Most dog coats never stay on when playing. Mine will stay on.

I did purchase a fireplace blower but it seemed like it put more smoke in the room. I had a wood stove insert but for that small room it was just too hot.

[DomnNC]

I don't know how many have ceiling fans but there is a switch on your ceiling fan, in the winter time you want to set the switch so your fans turn in a clockwise fashion, that way it forces the warm air that has risen back down towards the floor. In the summertime you set them to run counterclockwise, it will pull the cool air from the floor upwards helping to cool your house as well.

As for those pesky outlets hidden behind furniture and what not, buy some timers from your local Lowes or hardware stores and set the timer to turn your surge protector on and off at designated times during the day.

Also, caulking those old windows and around old door frames will help keep your warm or cool air inside during the day and night.

Also, your power outlets and light switches are a source or heat/cool air loss as well, they make foam rubber backings that you can put behind those outlets and light switches to keep your air loss to a minimal.

Also, they have foam wraps for your pipes as well.

One other thing, the vents on the outside of your house. You should open those in the summer time allowing hot air to escape from under your home. You should close them in the wintertime to keep cold air from circulating under your house and keeping your floors cold.

[bright_arrow]

Most of our windows are only about 2 ft tall, just the long, short ones up near the ceiling. Our only two normal windows are in the living room. We still need to put up the plastic lining, but we have invested in the eclipse curtains (and put up blinds this summer) to help block out some of the cold.

Since we have one space heater and spend a lot of time in the living room, we decided to put up heavy curtains across our living room doorway. It has helped to keep a lot of the heat in, and on really cold nights we sleep on the pull-out couch bed as opposed to relying on each other for warmth in bed

Our electric bill hasn't been too bad - last month was $140 - but I still am thinking that we should unplug stuff when it's not in use.. I just need to work around the plug in's for the aquarium, and the Christmas tree.. Because I like it on 24/7 when I am in the living room. It might also help I suppose if my laptop didn't stay turned on and plugged in 24/7.. LOL

Thank you for this thread!

[Sachita]

the outlet insulators are great and cheap. I couldn't believe the cold air blowing from them.

[Glenn]

Originally Posted by Sachita

the outlet insulators are great and cheap. I couldn't believe the cold air blowing from them.

I know they're cheap, but why buy em? I'll just take off the plate and trace and cutout the outline over those thin foam trays that hold meat and dfferent food. As for window insulation, I have over 100 windows in my house, and I bought those 8x10 2 inch thick styrofoam insulation sheets for less than 10 dollars. No nails or screws, easy to cut to fit in the window snug, easy to store, can be reused year after year.

i have large, old windows in my house, no centrl AC or heat. i have winow Ac's in two of the rooms and several ciling fans. in the summer, i run only one window AC, depending upon which room i'm in. in the winter, i keep the termostat turned way down and pile the blankets on when i'm in bed and waer laots of layers when i'm not! plus, my heating bill has been outrageously low, prob. due to the fact that the meter readers couldn't get the termotstat! *grin* however, my mother jus had the bushes trimmed and the trimmers trimmed a nice walkway to the meter, so i'm expecting the gas bill to go way up this month! we shall see!
pres

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by popcorninthesofa

I know they're cheap, but why buy em? I'll just take off the plate and trace and cutout the outline over those thin foam trays that hold meat and dfferent food. As for window insulation, I have over 100 windows in my house, and I bought those 8x10 2 inch thick styrofoam insulation sheets for less than 10 dollars. No nails or screws, easy to cut to fit in the window snug, easy to store, can be reused year after year.

lol- have at it! They are cheap enough, save enough, cost effective enough for me. The time I spend tracing, cutting and such I can make three times that working and I'm giving someone else a job. Maybe IF I ate meats and such that had Styrofoam I might be so inclined to recycle but I purposely try not to purchase products that use it.

The sheets of thick Styrofoam you put in the window, doesnt that block the light? I'm lucky that I dont have a lot of windows, I guess, when it comes to winter. I'm going to install some sliding glass doors to let more light in but I'm waiting to save and get the super duper double argon pane doors.