Saving gas (heating)

[USAmma]

We live in the Phoenix area but it still gets chilly at night, sometimes below freezing. Our average winter temp last month was 52 degrees. I decided to try to cut down on heating costs and also cut down on our use of gas in the process. It worked!

I set the thermostat at 60 degrees (last year was at 68-72!). During the nights we have electric blankets and we can always put on more clothes, too. In the morning I would turn up the heat for 1 hour to 68 so we could be comfortable during showers and dressing. Also to raise the daytime heat just a little bit for more comfort. I closed off two of our three bedrooms so the heat only went to the greatroom and one bedroom of my dd who has the most health issues.

Just got our bill. This time last year we used 107 therms. Last month we only used 29 therms! Our bill was $59.77, down from more than $200 last year for the same payment period! Wow!!! We are cold wimps but this was really doable. I want to encourage you all to try to do something similar.

In the summer I'm going to close off all the rooms during the day and just a/c the greatroom. Our a/c bills are usually around $250 in the summer.

[bjorker]

Wow, perfect timing for me to find this post. So thank-you for that. I've been battling somewhat with dp about the heating issue. He keeps turning it up, and I keep turning it back down. It really does not to be 68+, I'm sorry. Hell, that's too warm for me anyway. I turned it off entirely this morning (even though it's cold enough that it snowed a bit last night...) and I'm only just now starting to really feel cold. I keep telling him that that's what sweatshirts & blankets are for. It's also a good motivator to get up and jump/dance around, do jumping jacks, whatever. That warms me right up. I don't think that dp gets the concept of layering. Or at least he pretty much refuses to do it.

I do have what might be a silly question. I've heard to "close off" rooms before, but what exactly does that mean? I mean, I'd assume to shut the doors because then the rest of the house will get warmer a little faster, but is that all there is to it? If I shut the vents in those rooms, does that make a difference too? I guess I'm not understanding how that helps.

This is good, though. I'll write down these figures of yours and see if that helps persuade him. Thanks!

Edit: Forgot to mention, for us I think it's more of an electric issue than a gas issue. We have got to find as many ways as possible to cut down on our electric bill-- it's been at least around $300 every 2 months. Gas is always at least half that. Utility-gouging makes me .

[USAmma]

I've heard to "close off" rooms before, but what exactly does that mean? I mean, I'd assume to shut the doors because then the rest of the house will get warmer a little faster, but is that all there is to it? If I shut the vents in those rooms, does that make a difference too? I guess I'm not understanding how that helps.

Yep, we have central heat and air, so we close the vents in the rooms we don't want heated or cooled. To do it properly we should block the gaps under the doors, too. Maybe we'll find something at the hardware store to help, but rolled up towels work too. It is noticeably cooler in the shut off rooms during the day (at night we keep them open to hear the children). Also, when I have the vents shut in all but the greatroom, when the heat gets turned on the AM it really blasts hot air into the room and often heats it up very quickly. It's like standing near a fireplace to be under those open vents.

Do you have electric or gas heat? What about the water heater?

[excitedtobeamom]

We live not far from you (down south) and we have turned down our heat as well this year. We keep it at 60 at night and 65 from 7am to 9pm. Our last bill was $50 something! Yeah! We have a 2200 one story house. I am amazed at the savings as well. We also use gas for the dryer, hot water heater and stove/oven. By the afternoon in Arizona it really warms up so it hasn't been bad. This summer we also cut way back on the AC but we have a horrible AC unit. The savings really depends on the amount of SEERS that your AC is. We kept the house at 78 at night during the summer and 82/83 during the day. When it got too hot in the afternoon we jumped in the pool and it really cooled us down. We saved some but boy I wish the previous owners had sprung for a nicer AC unit when they built the house! Our AC bill was only $212 at the highest this summer and in the past it was over $300!

[normajean]

We started closing our vents upstairs during the day, and its definitely cooler up there so I'm interested in seeing how that reflects in my bill.

When DH isn't home, I've started dropping the heat by another degree. I read the other day that it actually uses more electricity to change the temperature frequently, unless you keep it at each temp for at least 4 hours. So it may actually save you to keep it at 68 for 4 hours instead of heating the house up for just one hour.

[lmonter]

Yay for you!

It's so neat when things you try work out well.

[bjorker]

Originally Posted by USAmma

Yep, we have central heat and air, so we close the vents in the rooms we don't want heated or cooled. To do it properly we should block the gaps under the doors, too. Maybe we'll find something at the hardware store to help, but rolled up towels work too. It is noticeably cooler in the shut off rooms during the day (at night we keep them open to hear the children). Also, when I have the vents shut in all but the greatroom, when the heat gets turned on the AM it really blasts hot air into the room and often heats it up very quickly. It's like standing near a fireplace to be under those open vents.

Do you have electric or gas heat? What about the water heater?

We do have gas, and that's a concern too-- I'm just zero-ing in on the electric, because $300 bi-monthly is too too high for my liking. I believe the water heater is turned down already due to toddler safety, but I'm going to check on that, because I remember being concerned about hot enough water to sterilize rags and such in the washing machine. So I can't remember for sure if DP turned it way down or not. I should know that!

I guess I have trouble seeing why closing the vent in the closed-off rooms would help. I just assumed that with the force of the heater blowing through there, it would find its way through the cracks and not really help anything. But I don't really know what I'm talking about, obviously. We only really have one room that we could do that in, but I'll give it a go. Thanks again. I told dp about your savings tonight, and I think it made an impression on him.

[Usually Curious]

I'm always jealous when I read about the electric bills some of you have. $300 in summer would be a dream to me!

My mentally disabled cousin does CRAZY things like run the heater and AC at the same time(if he gets cold in winter or hot in summer) and runs our bills up. The only choice I have is to cut off his breaker and I'm not willing to do that. He also runs EVERYTHING, TV/VCR, game system, hobby radio station & stereo and computer - ALL DAY. Grrrrr.

[USAmma]

It might depend on what kind of vents you have. In my dad's older home closing the vents wouldn't do a thing because they are so leaky. In our home they close off quite well with just a little leakage around the edges. The air is blowing a lot stronger out of the non-closed-off vents, and in the close-off ones I put my hand near them and don't feel anything coming out. Maybe if you have leaky vents just remove them, put a plastic bag around them to seal the holes, and reinstall. Also make sure to block the gaps under the doors if they are large.

Our summer a/c bill is usually around $250/month and that's with me keeping the thermostat at around 82-84! I am going to make some changes this summer to hopefully lower the bill more, mostly just blocking off rooms and maybe turning it up higher at night.

[snugglebutter]

We've started a baby steps version of this. lol After spending 5 days shivering at SIL/BIL's house in Ohio where they keep it at 62 (and their wood burning fp is near the thermostat so it doesn't click on as often) we decided we don't need 70-72 in TX anymore. We moved it to 68 and are experimenting with 67.

It's less drastic, but I will admit that I am a cold wimp and it feels colder in this house too. We moved last year from a pier and beam rental to buy this house that is on a slab. With mostly laminate flooring you can really feel the cold of the concrete. Plus two sliding doors that aren't very airtight. Our bedroom (where everyone sleeps) seems especially cold.

[USAmma]

Originally Posted by snugglebutter

We've started a baby steps version of this. lol After spending 5 days shivering at SIL/BIL's house in Ohio where they keep it at 62 (and their wood burning fp is near the thermostat so it doesn't click on as often) we decided we don't need 70-72 in TX anymore. We moved it to 68 and are experimenting with 67.

It's less drastic, but I will admit that I am a cold wimp and it feels colder in this house too. We moved last year from a pier and beam rental to buy this house that is on a slab. With mostly laminate flooring you can really feel the cold of the concrete. Plus two sliding doors that aren't very airtight. Our bedroom (where everyone sleeps) seems especially cold.

Congrats!! I think it was easiest for us because I just never turned it that hot once winter came, so we were able to get used to it gradually. We have all ceramic tile in our home (no carpets except one small area rug!) on a concrete slab. It IS cold sometimes. We wear double-socks, sometimes slippers, and have learned to layer our clothes. I have a down-filled vest that helps a lot.

The good thing about slab houses with hard flooring is in the summer it's a lot cooler.