Preps/hints for keeping the house warm

[kadee79]

Since winter will be here before we know it and a lot of the posters are in cold areas....

What do you do to get the house ready to keep that warm air inside...or what hints do you have for helping keep the heating bills down?

A couple of hints...

If you have a water heater closet inside the house, crack the door and let that heat help with the rest of the house.

If you take a bath (not a shower), leave the water until it gets cool, then let it out. And close the shower curtain so that some of that cold (tub) air stays in there.

[The Captain]

Make sure you attic is properly insulated.  It's amazing to me that people will spend tens of thousands of dollars on pretty cosmetics but won't invest a few thousand to make sure they have sufficient insulation.

The industry guidelines were upgraded a few years back.  It used to be recommended you insulate to an Rvalue of 30.  Now that's been increased from R49 to R60 in my area.

I had neighbors last winter tell me of $400-500 monthly heating bills.  Ours never went above $200.  I think attic insulation is something that pays itself off in less than 5 years. 

www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_sealing.hm_improvement_insulation_table

We are having additional insulation blown in the attic in the new house in two weeks.  Right now there is almost nothing up there.  We're going up to at least R55.

No, I am not a spokesperson for the insulation council.

[msventoux]

I have more cats than doors so I've been trying to teach them to lay in front of the doors to catch any drafts that may be coming in.  It's been a spectacular failure.  I guess I'll just have to be happy with them laying on my feet and head.

[busymom]

On a sunny day, open the blinds/drapes on the South side of the house. It's amazing, even in Winter, how much sunlight can help to heat the house.

Also, if I have any baking to do, I tend to do it on the coldest days. My oven heats up the kitchen, diningroom AND livingroom, just based on it's location.

If you don't own a programmable thermostat, remember to turn the heat down when you leave the house, & turn it back up when you arrive home.

[The Captain]

For houses with drafty windows the 3M insulation film is pretty amazing stuff.

[TheOtherMe]

This house came with programmable thermostats.  It's been below freezing here already so I've used the gas fireplace to take the chill off in the morning.  I use a space heater while I take a shower.  

I do the open curtains thing on the south side of the house.  If I am home, I need the sun as I am one of those people who gets SAD in the winter.  

My cat lays in front of the front door now, but she won't when it gets cold.  Then she will lay on me.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Oct 6, 2014 20:09:22 GMT -5 msventoux said:

I have more cats than doors so I've been trying to teach them to lay in front of the doors to catch any drafts that may be coming in.  It's been a spectacular failure.  I guess I'll just have to be happy with them laying on my feet and head.

Get draft dodgers ~ those long fabric thingies that you put along doors and windows and ADD CATNIP.

=^..^=

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Since I'm both fat and going through menopause, I radiate heat like a generator and if I sit or lay down for a moment, I'm swarmed by heat-seeking cats. I don't expect to be especially chilly this winter, as I've got plenty of furry friends to follow me around.

For those of you who DO get chilly (like my wonderful DH ~ since we do not turn the heat on in the winter since I'm already too hot) I recommend warm fuzzy slippers, switching those energy efficient low-heat light bulbs for the old-fashioned ones that are WARM, and wearing a soft and fuzzy hat around the house

[Tiny]

What do you do to get the house ready to keep that warm air inside...or what hints do you have for helping keep the heating bills down?

Well, I make sure all my windows are closed tightly... I have storm windows with screens and then old fashion double hung windows. I often open the windows during nice weather. So, it pays to do a final 'window check' to make sure the windows are truely/tightly closed (top and bottom panes) when I'm ready to have the heat on.

I also use a small space heater in the bathroom in the mornings (cost me $10.00 on sale at the hardware store and I use it for about 15 to 20 minutes if I feel the need in the mornings. The space heater for short period of time each day is not particularly expensive. Running it for hours on end - OMG!! expensive.

I bought heated catbeds for the cats (they were expensive and probably don't really help me save money). The beds make me feel better about leaving the cats in a 65 (or a little lower) temp house while I'm gone. They LOVE their beds. And I haven't noticed a spike in electric use with them.

[Iggy aka IG]

Oct 7, 2014 1:43:50 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

Since I'm both fat and going through menopause, I radiate heat like a generator and if I sit or lay down for a moment, I'm swarmed by heat-seeking cats. I don't expect to be especially chilly this winter, as I've got plenty of furry friends to follow me around.

For those of you who DO get chilly (like my wonderful DH ~ since we do not turn the heat on in the winter since I'm already too hot) I recommend warm fuzzy slippers, switching those energy efficient low-heat light bulbs for the old-fashioned ones that are WARM, and wearing a soft and fuzzy hat around the house

Thank you for the giggle, Molly. 

[kadee79]

Oct 6, 2014 19:58:59 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

Winter... it was 103 yesterday. We're still more worried about trying not to melt or spontaneously combust.

We will be in the 80's for the rest of this week and most of next. But now is the time to get things prepared.

My DH will be splitting some firewood next week. He has cut it all summer as the opportunity found us...when a tree came down or one needed to be brought down.

I'll be putting my porch plants in my little garden/green house soon too. I keep it around 40º in there during really cold weather by using 3 - 100 watt 'old style' light bulbs in reflector holders. If it gets too cold, I use one heat lamp bulb.

Make sure any crawl space vents have been closed for the winter and we close our attic vents too. There is still a tiny bit of circulation up there but not near as much.

A good way to tell if you need more attic insulation is to go outside when there is a good frost. If it has melted off your roof....you NEED insulation...and you need to do that before the sun gets up to melt anything.

[Deleted]

I would think that if opening blinds and curtains gets the sun to heat up your house, then it means your windows aren't very efficient and I would cover them with that plastic stuff. 

[Iggy aka IG]

Things I do to keep heating costs down:

~Keep the heat setting low at night, and during workdays
~Bake something
~If I'm starting to feel chilly, I'll get up and do something such as dishes, sweep, etc.
~Put on layers and blanket while watching TV and/or reading
~Pin up blankets on our large living room windows (they have double sided blinds, but the blankets help), and French doors
~I keep the closet doors closed, especially the entryway hall closet, where the crawlspace "door" is located.  You can feel the cool air through the cracks.  I should probably put a throw rug on top of it for coverage. 

Our bill for September is $60.  I appreciate spring and fall, when the AC or heat isn't running more frequently.  The bill will max out at just over $200 this winter.  Compared to our local friends, this is low.

[Deleted]

Oct 8, 2014 7:57:15 GMT -5 @singlemominmd said:

I would think that if opening blinds and curtains gets the sun to heat up your house, then it means your windows aren't very efficient and I would cover them with that plastic stuff. 

 Why? Because the sun enters through gaps in the windows?

[TheOtherMe]

Oct 7, 2014 10:26:11 GMT -5 Tiny said:

What do you do to get the house ready to keep that warm air inside...or what hints do you have for helping keep the heating bills down?

I bought heated catbeds for the cats (they were expensive and probably don't really help me save money). The beds make me feel better about leaving the cats in a 65 (or a little lower) temp house while I'm gone. They LOVE their beds. And I haven't noticed a spike in electric use with them.

I bought one for Lucy and she refused to use it.  She wouldn't sniff it or anything.  All my other cats loved their heated beds.  They don't get hot, so I don't think they use a lot of electricity.

[kadee79]

Since I don't care for mini blinds or vertical blinds, I have the old roll up shades at nearly all of my windows. I pull those in the evenings to help keep that cooler air from the glass out of the rooms.

And someone made a remark about windows....glass will conduct both heat & cold no matter how "good" they are....that is how green houses work.

[nittanycheme]

Oct 18, 2014 22:23:06 GMT -5 @patstab said:

Wonder if I could put something over the glass back door. It's an insulated steel door with dual pane glass so likely don't need it.

I have a steel door with glass windows.  I actually got magnetic rod holders and hung an insulated curtain on it.  With that holder, it doesn't damage the door and you can still use the door.  I noticed that it helped.  The door definitely feels much colder than the room when I move the curtain to the side.  If the bottom moves too much, you can just put another rod holder at the bottom.

[Pants]

Our house needs insulating desperately - but we live in a Cape Cod house, so insulating the roofline means we need to punch holes in all of our upstairs bedroom walls, the ceiling of the stairway, the closets, the bathroom... I just can't bring myself to do it yet.

[Pants]

Nov 14, 2014 16:42:26 GMT -5 @patstab said:

If the outside is vinyl you can do it from the outside and put plugs in and paint them. I don't like it but that's likely what we will have to do at the rental. I'm wanting to see what the heat bill will be for

this one month, I may die when I see it. But like I said I am not hearing it run.

The walls in the living room of that house are drywall, looks like horsehair plaster over lathe under it.. It's possible there has been insulation added but don't know, we are assuming no. Hubby and I will

blow it in the sidewalls and the attic.

Once I get the shelf area of the basement painted will put insulation down the basement sidewall

area and I know that will make a big difference.

The outside is the roof. I feel like maybe drilling holes in the roof is a bad idea?

The house looks like this:
cdn2.blog-media.zillowstatic.com/3/CapeCod-1f3a1c.jpg

[Artemis Windsong]

-12 F this morning.

Check all the windows to make sure they are properly closed.

I put plastic over most windows, close the drapes and put a blanket under the drapes against the baseboard.  I cover my front door with a blanket.  It's steel and a heat vampire but much better than the wooden door we used to have.

I got one of those radiant heat heaters for the living room. It's always cold in there.

I shut the doors to rooms we do not use.  There is a definite temperature difference in those rooms.

We try to keep the humidity between 30% and 35%.  That is more for nasal passage and eye comfort.

Drinking warm drinks helps even hot water.

Other than that, it's going to be long, cold and harsh.

[Shooby]

Electric blanket. I can't live without mine.

[NoNamePerson]

Nov 14, 2014 17:13:21 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

-12 F this morning.

Check all the windows to make sure they are properly closed.

I put plastic over most windows, close the drapes and put a blanket under the drapes against the baseboard.  I cover my front door with a blanket.  It's steel and a heat vampire but much better than the wooden door we used to have.

I got one of those radiant heat heaters for the living room. It's always cold in there.

I shut the doors to rooms we do not use.  There is a definite temperature difference in those rooms.

We try to keep the humidity between 30% and 35%.  That is more for nasal passage and eye comfort.

Drinking warm drinks helps even hot water.

Other than that, it's going to be long, cold and harsh.

I would just curl up and die knowing it was -12 outside

[Artemis Windsong]

We do but we have to keep going.  The coping with the cold takes an emotional toll where it's difficult to cope in other areas causing moodiness and repressed anger.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Nov 14, 2014 10:12:10 GMT -5 Pants said:

Our house needs insulating desperately - but we live in a Cape Cod house, so insulating the roofline means we need to punch holes in all of our upstairs bedroom walls, the ceiling of the stairway, the closets, the bathroom... I just can't bring myself to do it yet.

Pants:  We live in the same style house.  :-)

Do you have access to the "attic" (crawl space really as there is not enough room to stand to call it an attic)?  I have a hatch in my upstairs hallway to get up in there.  If so, can the insulation people use that to spray?  Or, can you put one in (ours holds a whole house fan)?

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Thanks to the tree falling on my house, I am getting a complete new roof (frame and shingles) and new attic and exterior wall insulation.  I always thought my little house was snug and warm.  It will be interesting to see how it feels once all of the work is done.

[Blonde Granny]

How much longer until your house is ready for occupancy?

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Nov 17, 2014 15:26:09 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

How much longer until your house is ready for occupancy?

Not sure.  The roof is done.  Waiting on insulation, then interior walls and ceilings, redo the wood floors, paint, redo the upstairs bathroom, paint the basement floor, more electrical work, paint the exterior, new gutters, new fascia and soffits, re-grade and re-seed the lawn, new driveway...(GRG takes a deep breath)...sigh.  I am sure I am forgetting some tasks.  But, it is ALL good.  It's just stuff.  We weren't home so are safe and we have good insurance.  It's just an enormous project that was suddenly dropped on an already full plate.  I feel a HUGE pressure to make smart, long-term decisions without time to really research and/or weigh all of the options.  I just hope I don't do something stupid that ends up costing us in the long run, kwim?  I am totally out of my element with it all.  Still, I DO know how truly blessed I am.  So many suffer catastrophic damage in storms and have no insurance -- I really have nothing to complain about.  

[Blonde Granny]

Thanks for the update!  No one could ever be prepared for what you have gone through, but eventually the end result will be an almost new house for you and your family to enjoy for years to come.

[motherto2]

A couple of years ago I slowly put thermal curtains in my house. That is a huge help. Weird thing is that for some reason I have yet to put thermal curtains in my daughter's old bedroom, to include the curtains I made for it after she moved out in August. And her room is over the old garage that we had turned into a kid's family room when they were younger. Now that it is rarely used, I don't heat or cool it. My son actually moved into that room the same weekend my daughter moved out so he would have a pretty large area to live in, so I did air condition it this August, September and October. I have base board heaters in there, but luckily he moved out and into his own place a few weeks ago before it got really cold, so I don't need to worry about turning heat on out there. I also put a compression rod and thermal curtain at the top of the stairs, because I don't keep it as warm upstairs, and the cold air just whooshes down to the great room where people sit. Since I basically go up there to sleep (with my electric blanket and 400 blankets) and shower in the morning (with a small space heater on for about 10 minutes) I don't see any reason to keep it very warm in the winter. My electric bill went up to $233/mo a couple of months ago (I'm on the payment plan) due to the crazy winter earlier this year, and having kids and puppies in the house this year. I'm so hoping it will go down soon, because it had been at $153/mo for the last year and a half!

[kadee79]

Yes Pat, having arthritis in my hands and my right hip really bad, if I get too cold I can hardly move! And my hands just won't work!

We keep our thermostat at 77º year round. That way the heat/air is not constantly going up & down. The guy from our electric co-op said that doing that actually saved money in the long run cause your heat/air didn't have to constantly re-cool or reheat the walls and furniture, etc. either!

We have been using our fireplace for the last week or so since our nighttime temps have been down into the 30's and day times in the 50's-60's, but we are supposed to start warming up just a little after tonight....so I'll let it burn out tomorrow and give it a good cleaning until we get colder again.

I might even hang out laundry tomorrow too since we are supposed to hit 70º!