our first winter paying utilities, help me keep cost down

[meg-momto2]

every home we've lived in since i moved in with DH has had someone else paying the utilities. we now live in an 1600sq ft home and i'm trying my best to be frugal with our heat/ac. i'd love some ideas on ways to cut our heat/water bills for the winter. some things i've done so far

-both kids have p.j.s and wool booties for day time
-extra blankets on all beds
-thermostat set at 63. i will turn the heat on for 10mins when taking the family shower so the kids aren't freezing when they get out.
-washing all clothes on cold except diapers. they get 2 cold rinses and one hot wash
-run all laundry and dishwasher after 9pm. hang dry diapers when weather allows

some things i'd like to do

-get at least 2 pairs of wool socks for everyone.
-i need some warmer pants for around the house
-figure out the program features on thermostat to warm the house in the morning to help us get out of bed.
-get a few fleece or wool throws for around the house and beds.

we're renting and i'm still trying to figure out if the heater is gas or electric. i do know our water heater is gas and would like to turn the water temp down but it's blocked by the washer. we also have a gas fireplace that i'm not sure if it would be cost effective to use to heat the house instead of the heater. do you see anywhere i can trim some cost? am i going about this all wrong? anyone want to share your cost cutting winter tips?

[mtm]

maybe plastic wrap around the windows? A blanket for the hot water heater?

[PGTlatte]

How well are the windows sealed ? And does the glass feel cold ?

The windows in our house leak terribly, and last winter, even with keeping the thermostat at 64 F, we had a couple gas bills close to $500 !!!!!!!! DH had attempted to wrap the windows in plastic but did not get them sealed completely and obviously it did not work !!!!!!!

This year I decided to handle it myself. I've been replacing the flexible gasket weatherstripping at the top, bottom and interface (ours are double hung) of the sashes on all our windows. The way ours are made I cannot do the spring weatherseal up the sides of the windows. I also bought some of this:

http://lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pr...548&lpage=none

for just a few dollars at Home Depot and it is really easy to put in...no tools, no adhesive, just use your fingers...I called the company to ask about taking it out in the spring and they said it will not get hard, just peel it off or scrape out of tight spots with a plastic putty knife - whether or not it lifts paint will depend on the condition of the paint, but it does not harden and stick to it. I am using this stuff to seal the last leaks that the weatherstripping did not take care of. If some paint does come off when I take it off in the spring it will be a very easy touch up anyway.

Also because our window glass is not blocking heat from escaping, I am making insulated blinds from blankets and other fabric I am getting from thrift stores. I am just sewing a rod pocket at the top and putting in a cheap tension rod so the blind hangs right next to the glass, and our other blinds hold it there. I am considering taping the edges of the insulated blinds down with blue painters' tape as well to block more heat in. I am not doing all of our windows because I want some light, but I am doing all the bedrooms upstairs because it is very cold up there and a couple windows downstairs that are against the side of the house that gets all the wind.

Also for our basement windows that do not have blinds mounted on the trim so I have access to the entire outside of the window trim, I am using the kits to seal them in heat-shrink plastic.

[gentlemango]

Find out what the lowest possible temp you can stand a shower is and set your water heater to that. For us it's about 100 degrees F. Showers feel tepid but not miserable or anything. Saves a LOT of money over keeping the water at 120 or higher all the time.

[PGTlatte]

I have thought about doing this myself...I can't wash diapers well at a lower temp, but I could just turn it up the morning I want to wash diapers and wash them later that day and then turn it back down, right ?

Originally Posted by gentlemango

Find out what the lowest possible temp you can stand a shower is and set your water heater to that. For us it's about 100 degrees F. Showers feel tepid but not miserable or anything. Saves a LOT of money over keeping the water at 120 or higher all the time.

[gentlemango]

Most people I know wash diapers on cold anyway. It's better for the diapers, better for the environment, and washing on hot in the US doesn't do anything wrt germs or bacteria anyway. In Europe the washers get hot enough to sterilize, but again that's bad for the environment.

There was even a recent article about a study showing that disposables are "greener" than cloth washed in hot.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle4969413.ece

[meg-momto2]

the windows. i knew i was forgetting something. i'm pretty sure we have the original(30+ yrs) single pane windows with aluminum framing. they are cold to the touch and also have condensation on them every morning. how would i plastic wrap them? tape plastic wrap to the molding? i don't want to block the light. the bedrooms get the morning light and warmth and the living room and kitchen get it in the evening.

i'm going to see if i can get to the water heater this week. it's blocked in by the washer. the storage room was converted into a laundry space and the washer and dryer are in strange places.

i didn't know about the cold water on diapers. our washer is bottom of the line and the temps. are set to certain cycles. i'm sure they'll do fine on a shorter, cooler wash though.

[Tradd]

Originally Posted by meg-momto2

the windows. i knew i was forgetting something. i'm pretty sure we have the original(30+ yrs) single pane windows with aluminum framing. they are cold to the touch and also have condensation on them every morning. how would i plastic wrap them? tape plastic wrap to the molding? i don't want to block the light. the bedrooms get the morning light and warmth and the living room and kitchen get it in the evening.

i'm going to see if i can get to the water heater this week. it's blocked in by the washer. the storage room was converted into a laundry space and the washer and dryer are in strange places.

i didn't know about the cold water on diapers. our washer is bottom of the line and the temps. are set to certain cycles. i'm sure they'll do fine on a shorter, cooler wash though.

You go to the home improvement store/hardware and get the kits that are made for covering your windows. Anyone there can point you to them if you can't find them. Should be in the weatherstripping section.

How you can tell if water heater is gas - if you see a narrow metal corrugated flexible pipe going from wall to heater - most likely gas. Do you know if your dryer is gas?

I can sympathize about this being the first winter paying utilities. My previous apartment where I was for three years included everything. Now I pay electric (W/D, stove, dishwasher) and gas (heat/hot water).

[Denvergirlie]

Gas Fireplace
Is it just an open fireplace or does it have doors on it with a blower? If it's normal open fireplace, I would not recommend you use it for heat purposes. The way fireplaces work is that they draw air from inside the house and shoot it out through the chimmney. There have been numerous studies that show it actually makes the whole house cooler in the long run due to this sucking out of the heated air in the house.

use with caution, you can try your own test but know that it can coole the house more than heat it with an open fireplace.

If you shrink wrap the windows, do it to the very edge of the frame, if not to the wall itself. Being metal the frame will leach just as much heat as the window itself. We shrink wrap and put bubble wrap in there as well and still get lots of light in the house. Might not get as much solar gain "heat" as well as no window coverings, but you will get the light.

Instead of heating up the whole house for a shower, get a small space heater for the bathroom and just turn that one when you get ready to shower. In a small room like a bathroom, the space heater will make a big difference and fast. Just unplaug between use. We have one ourselves that lives in the bathroom during the winter.

Furance - you can change your filters monthly for better air flow which will make the furance not work as hard.


I notice you are in GA, so hopefully that will be able to make enough of a difference for you. We are in Colorado and keep the house around 60 or so, it's cold in here, but even with that our combined electric/ gas bills reach up to $250 - $290 a month in the winter. ( gas furance & gas water heater)

[sunflower.mama]

The best advice I can suggest is get a programmable thermostat - ours is still set at 60 from 8-5 as a holdover from my working days. Often times I will go out for most of the morning, come in, and forget to goose the heat. My kids have never minded or complained. It churns on at 5 and is such a treat. : Don't get me wrong - I'll turn it up if I am freezing - but usually in the rush of getting everyone inside and busy I forget. We have by far the lowest heating bill of any of anyone I know - last year we did budget pay $100 a month for the year and broke even (1800 sf house in MA). This year of course we're upping it. But make sure you're on a budget plan w/your heating co. Since it's your first year, they will look to see how much was used last year and base it on that usage. Then if you are more efficient they will credit your account or refund it if you're moving. But I'd hate to get a $500 bill out of the blue. Actually - my neighbors got a $1000 oil bill once. Yikes!

[Rebecca]

Does it really get that cold in Georgia? I'm in NH with a house built in 1670... with antique single-paned windows that rattle in the frames... Anyway, i second the plastic window weatherstripping (shrinkwrap). And buy some warm clothes.

Many states (like mine) don't have different rates for later hours (uncoupled), so it costs me the same to run my dishwasher late at night or in the middle of the day. Check to see if your rates are uncoupled or not, before making the extra effort to burn electricity at night.

It may be more cost effective for you to use a small, safe space heater than to burn your oil or gas, though prices are low right now. Open your drapes in the daytime, close them at night to keep the heat inside. Use rugs on the floor and keep a couple blankets on the couch. Let your dishes air-dry if you use the dishwasher, rather than using the heated dry option. Unplug your TV and other power-suckers at night if you can.

[gentlemango]

Originally Posted by Rebecca

Does it really get that cold in Georgia? I'm in NH with a house built in 1670... with antique single-paned windows that rattle in the frames...

Do you mind if I ask how much heating oil you use for how much sq ft? I'm also in NH in an 1810 house, huge and drafty. It helps me set realistic expectations to know how others in similar circumstances are budgeting. I want to cry when I hear about people who spend $200/mo for heat.

[Rebecca]

Originally Posted by gentlemango

Do you mind if I ask how much heating oil you use for how much sq ft? I'm also in NH in an 1810 house, huge and drafty. It helps me set realistic expectations to know how others in similar circumstances are budgeting. I want to cry when I hear about people who spend $200/mo for heat.

Our house is a tiny 900-1000 sq ft, very drafty as well, we used less than one 250 gal tank of oil (forced hot water) in the entire year, so very cheap to heat. It's a cape with southern exposure and no 'rooms' downstairs (the previous owner took out all the walls to open it up, leaving one room with a staircase basically up the middle). Upstairs is just 2 bedrooms and a bathroom with an electric wall heater. We don't heat the upstairs, the heat travels up the big staircase. Oh, and the ceilings are so low dh has to duck under a couple of the beams...so the heat stays lower than in houses with cathedral ceilings. We put weatherstripping on the windows upstairs and the old fashioned exterior storms that hook onto the outside of the windows, and they work really well. And we keep the heat at 62 and dress for winter. Cooking really heats this place up. Next year we'd like to put a tiny woodstove in the LR where the fireplace used to be. Historic chimney is still there, but would need a liner. Then we coudl heat this place for $200/winter. We're building a carriage house which will be heated using our existing furnace and piped underground to it, so our heating costs will go up next year.

My parents have a big old 1850's colonial (about 5 br) that even has an attached solarium and they still burn almost a whole tank of oil A MONTH. Now that sucks.

[gentlemango]

We use a tank of oil a month, too. At least oil isn't $5/gallon anymore, eh?