Comments on: Kyle’s Coupons: Frugal Ways to Lower Your Heating Bills This Winter

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:35:03 +0000

I keep my heat set at 60 degrees all winter. I find if I turn down the heat and turn up the heat I use more. At 62 degrees the furnace comes on more often so at 60 it comes on about every hour when it is really cold out. I also open all my south facing cutains and the heat will not come on for most of the day when it is sunny(about 9 hours).I wear a sweater and slippers all winter inside. When it gets too cold for me I put on a hat and another shirt. My bedrooms are not heated and on the second floor, One has a floor vent, One does not. I sleep in the smaller one(easier to warm up) with a few comforters and flannel sheets(the best!) The bedrooms stay around 45 degrees when it is below zero. I also use cfl’s and plan to install a new chimney and wood funace this coming summer. As it is now I use 275 gallons of oil per year in a 1500sqft house. That is in upstate NY. I find if I am cold inside the house I go for a walk and when I get back the house feels much warmer! I also have a dog that supplies me with 110 degrees of heat!

By: {This Everyday Life} » Blog Archive » {RAiny SUNday}

{This Everyday Life} » Blog Archive » {RAiny SUNday} — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:17:32 +0000

[...] Save Money on your Heating Bill I’m not sure how well we will do, but we are going to attempt to accomplish the Get Tough! idea. And, it will give me an {excuse to visit Aeropostale or American Eagle for some new sweaters} [...]

By: Jess

Jess — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:51:53 +0000

Thank you for the Great coupons. I’m always ok with saving a little bit. I just need to learn when not to spend on a sale! :)

By: Denise E.

Denise E. — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:40:23 +0000

Cuddle with those you love and wear long underwear while eating chili.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:04:52 +0000

We live in a small apartment that has electric heating units on the baseboards. During the day, we only heat the living room (very low…just to keep a chill out of the air), bathroom and kitchen (both also very low just to ensure the pipes do not freeze). We do not heat the bedroom until 2 hours before getting bed, at which point we turn it back down to just keep the chill out of the air. During the night the living room heat goes OFF and we keep just keep the kitchen heat on, very low.

By: Mr. CC

Mr. CC — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:32:24 +0000

I have always heard that turning your heat (pr air) off and on uses more energy not less?

By: Jane Smith

Jane Smith — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:34:56 +0000

One more…

I have electric heat so for me this works well…

Close off/turn off the heat to any rooms not being used during the day. The heat in my bedroom is never on, my boys’ rooms have a low level heat continuously, but the doors are closed during the day to allow the heat to accumulate during the day.

We have vents from the downstairs to the upstairs, so the heat from the family room drifts up to warm my upstairs. My daughter lives in the family room, and she keeps it WARM.

By: Kyle @ Rather-Be-Shopping

Kyle @ Rather-Be-Shopping — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:33:35 +0000

Michelle, we have a Fireplace Xtrordinair wood burning insert w/ the Catalytic Combustor which cleans the smoke before emitting it. It is great! Our house is 2600 sq ft and I can get heat all the way down the hall to the kids’ bedrooms. It has a fan on it that really does a great job blowing the heat throughout our home.

By: Jane Smith

Jane Smith — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:31:59 +0000

Plastic on the windows…. if you have windows you don’t open at all during the winter, you can put a heavier grade plastic on the outside.

Electrical outlet insulation. You can buy them at any hardware store, just take of the plug cover on all outside walls, and pop in the insulation to add that extra protection.

If you’re not using your fireplace, not only keeping the damper shut but also plastic over the front of it, or stuff it with extra paper to buffer any wind coming down the chimney (worked well for my basement fireplace)

And… strategically placed space heaters. I have a hall that doesn’t have any heat going to it, a space heater in that area keeps the warm air circulating.

By: Marci

Marci — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:24:38 +0000

Remember to close the ventilation vents under the house also if you live in a house without a basement and have ventilation vents.

And if you’ve opened up the attic window in summer to let the heat out, remember to close the window in winter.

Attic stairwell… I have a small attic with permanent (if small) open steps going up to it. I hang plastic up along the stairwell in winter to keep the heat from rushing up the stairs.