Staying Warm Frugally In Bitter Cold Weather
Here in the midwest, it is cold. Very very cold. Colder than I remember it being in a very long time.
Maybe as I get older, I forget the past and it is only a slightly colder than average winter. But with temperatures in the low single digits (F) and wind chills dipping to the -20 degree F range, there is no arguing that it is cold. And as I shudder about what my natural gas bill might be next month, here are a few do’s and don’t about saving money on your heating bill this winter.
Do: Find drafts and stop them
Cold air leaking into your home through improperly sealed windows and doors can add significantly to your heating bill. Check your doors and windows for drafts (on a cold, windy day this can be done just by feeling along the edges) and seal them up in an appropriate manner. Permanent leaks outside the mechanism of the door or window can be caulked, within the structure itself weatherstripping may be the appropriate solution. Doorjambs can be blocked with a simple rolled up towel as a temporary solution.
Don’t: Try to heat your home with a standard “recreational” fireplace.
Fireplaces can be a source of warmth, but most of the standard ones put in houses in recent history are for looks, not comfort. A fireplace may provide temporary, supplemental heat, but don’t expect it to provide the majority of heat for your home unless it was specifically designed for that purpose.
Do: Use selective heating of used areas, if possible
Do you use one floor of the home during the day and not another? Are there rooms in your home that are not in general use? Close off unused rooms, including vents that supply heat to the space. If the area is used at night but not during the day, a short term closure may be useful. Our home is older and has trouble heating the top floors efficiently (our ductwork leaves lots to be desired), so we close off our upstairs during the day so that the furnace doesn’t work quite as hard (the temperature gauge is on the bottom floor).
Don’t: Leave space heaters unattended
Space heaters are a great way to add additional warmth to heavily used areas, but make sure they do not run unattended. They can quickly become a fire hazard. Turn them off if you are leaving the area for an extended period of time, and don’t run them overnight when you aren’t paying attention to them. In some cases, you should have a carbon monoxide detector in the same room with a space heater, depending on the method of heating.
Do: Layer Layer Layer
Winter is not the time to spend all day running about inside in your underwear. Enough said. Wear layers and keep toasty warm. Especially socks! (And yes, I have been known to layer socks!)
Don’t: Expect your house to be heated by your oven
Sure, take advantage of the heat supplied by your oven when you cook. I’ve been known to stand in front of the oven while baking on a cold winter day. But don’t expect the oven to significantly affect your heating bill.
Be mindful of the ways your heat is being conserved and may be escaping, and where you need your heat to go. It is hard to use energy frugally when the temperatures outside are so low, but it can be done. But be smart about it – frugal, not cheap. Don’t put your family or home at risk to save a few dollars.
January 15th, 2009 at 7:50 am
That reminds me that one time our heat broke and we literally had to heat the house using the oven temporarily. I am sure it cost more, but it did create at least one nice warm area of the house.
January 15th, 2009 at 7:56 am
I can identify. We’ve been in a cold snap for a couple of days here in New Hampshire. It’s F -21 degrees this morning and I’m actively doing pretty much all the “Do’s” on your list. Another thing to add is keep moving. Your body will stay warm if you keep busy.
January 15th, 2009 at 9:33 am
It’s Gene at http://www.kitchentablenomics.com here. When I wrote recently about looking for cheap heats, one of my readers reminded me of a hint I forgot — humidity. Adding a humidifier to your heating system helps make the same BTUs feel warmer. And if you want to be really thrifty, you can get the same effect by parking a small pan of water near the heat register. Just keep an eye on small kids and pets that might want to play in it.
Separately, I empathize with your Saturn dilemma. We pulled the plug on our ’96 at 150,000 miles. Now I have a Subaru, made in Indiana.
All the best
January 15th, 2009 at 9:49 am
On the farm we had a cold drafty turn of the century huge old farmhouse. We put plastic up over all the windows, and hung blankets over the doors for added draft protection. Then the kids camped out/slept temporarily on the living room floor nearer to the heat, as there was no heat upstairs at all! Sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do!
January 15th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Those are great tips, we are outside of Toronto, Canada and are experiencing -20 +windchill which is quite chilly. Another thing you may want to look into is the temporary plastic film for your window- it acts as insulation. It has made a significant difference in our house. Our bathroom and family room were freezing and now they feel just right and we didn’t have to change the temperature in the house to accomplish this. We also sealed an exterior door that isn’t used for the winter- as there was a huge draft coming in.
January 15th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Having lived in Arizona since 6 months of age (I was born in California!) I can’t really imagine the bitter coldness you are experiencing. I’m home from work today, sick with a cold that has me on the verge of bronchitis (had to actually see my asthma specialist for help managing the coughing and wheezing) but it is beautiful outside. I have the front door open to let in fresh air, and it’s 71°F according to the thermostat. We have gotten down to as low as 8°F but that is very uncommon. Wish I could send some of our sunshine and warmth your way!
January 15th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
There is an interesting article on the No Impact Man blog dated January 6 (How to cut out home heating oil Japanese style) that I found rather heartwarming for these chilly times. Naturally, as a Canadian, I’m not in favour of going without heat but I think it’s the sort of message that makes coping a little easier. Actually, I think the “gaman” idea could also apply to that impatient feeling you get while paying down debt.
January 15th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I would also add to to leave the blinds open during the day. May be cold outside but still a bit warmer during the day and the light coming in may help heat the apt just a bit more so it can help at night.
January 15th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I’ve heard time and time again that closing vents and shutting off rooms is NOT the way to go. It actually makes your system work harder and ups your energy bill.
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/vents.html
Does it make a difference between homes with furnaces and those with HVAC systems?
January 15th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
@ Christine – I think it depends on the type of system and how it is set up. For us, the ones shut off are the ones furthest from the air handler. Also – we close off our upstairs (physically, not the vents) during the day because our temp meter is downstairs, and the upstairs in our house is *always* colder than downstairs (because the air has to go through more vents to get there. Opposite of what you are taught but heat rises and we don’t want it rising away from where we need it.
Your mileage may vary
January 15th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Like Mrs. A., I’m in Arizona, thank goodness. Not nuts about 115-degree summer days, but I doubt if I could survive the kind of cold you describe.
That said, a number of your leads for saving winter energy work in hot weather, too.
Because our winter has been milder than usual, I’ve managed to leave the central heating off for the entire season (so far…), relying on a space heater in the morning and a heating pad to preheat the bed at night. It’s smart, BTW, not only to turn the space heater off but to UNPLUG it. I don’t put it in the bedroom at all, so as to keep it away from sheets, rugs, draperies, and reading material (paper! flammable!).
January 15th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
I love baking in the winter. Not only do I make tasty treats but my house is warm as well!
January 15th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Don’t forget to keep moving. Clean the house, do an exercise video… get your heart pumping and you’ll feel warmer!
Also, when we lived in our old house, we had radiators, and one of the things we did was wrap cardboard with aluminum foil and place it between the radiator and the wall. It helped reflect the heat back into the room.
January 16th, 2009 at 12:21 am
I am glad that you aren’t actually closing the vents. I read somewhere that you aren’t supposed to do that as the system is designed to flow into all the vents, and supposedly you can blow out your furnace by closing off vents.
I don’t know if that’s true as we were closing off some vents before that happened and never had a problem. But I wouldn’t recommend it.
January 16th, 2009 at 1:55 am
With some installed heating systems the ducts have a damper in them which can be adjusted manually to control airflow. I’d get a pro to first show you where and how.
January 16th, 2009 at 9:13 am
You are right about not putting yourself or family at risk in a cold climate. Elderly people, especially, need to be checked on regularly. I remember my father, living alone in the northeast had his furnace go out one winter and he slept in front of the fireplace with a winter jacket on for quite a few nights.
So, if you live near an elderly person, please check in and make sure they are OK.
January 16th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I have been writing on fireplaces a lot lately.
You need to clarify about fireplaces. We have a Kozy Heat high efficiency zero clearance fireplace. Our furnace is used to establish and keep a base temperature (55 F) and then we rely on wood burning, and passive solar (we have a lot of glass to the south). Even on a day like today when the temp is -9 at 12:30 pm we get solar heat gain.
However, my fireplace is started & getting heated up. When it is going our fireplace will peak the upstairs temp at 75 degrees and downstairs we can expect 80 degrees. In addition, we can sit down and get the romantic warmth of viewing a fire. You need to know what you have and educate yourself on the ins & outs of wood burning. The key thing is to burn seasoned wood. If your wood is not seasoned you get cold smokey fires that are laying down creosote in your flue leading to chimney fires.
In our old house of 800 sq. feet, 8 ft. ceilings, and a non-living basement we had heating bills of about a max of $200 at this time of year. Our last heating bill in a house of 2x the square footage, a finished basement, and a open concept living room we had a bill very equivalent to our old place despite colder weather. Wood heat is a viable option.
Also, if you have wood windows make sure you are monitoring them for condensation. Do not allow frost & moisture to build up on them. That means from time to time I open up the shades (cellular shades) crank up ceiling fans and wipe them down. If you don’t stay on top of the moisture your windows will deteriorate faster.
I do close down rooms we do not regularly use, but as I say above I pay attention to them.
January 16th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
@Mark – but that is exactly my point. If you want to heat a home with your fireplace, know what you are doing and that you have a fireplace *meant* to do that. I know too many people with fireplaces that are more for decoration than anything else that expect to be able to use their fireplace for significant warmth.
It is not that fireplaces can’t be used for warmth. But you can’t expect a fireplace put in just to make things pretty to do so for you. Not all fireplaces are equal. That’s why I wrote “recreational” fireplaces. I have a gas insert fireplace that is just there for decoration.
January 18th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I keep it pretty cold in my house. Right now I am wearing a shirt, fleece and coat, along with socks and slippers.
I have heard some people who have heating/cooling bills of $600/mo. I think that is just insane. Very good tips, I do most of those things.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I agree completely about moving around to stay warm. I find that if we stop & watch a movie, I’m suddenly cold, where I was quite warm just a few minutes before.