I lived in a drafty old house in MA, right on the Mystic River. When the wind blew our hair moved! It was oil heat and some years we would pay $600 for heat for a month. Ridiculous! We put that plastic stuff on the windows to keep out the drafts and put those electric radiators in our bedrooms. Basically we froze all winter and it was miserable, but we were all in our early 20s. It's probably something of a right of passage, much like eating ramen and PBJs all the time.
Right now, I have a house about the same size as yours and it is older. Luckily, the windows are newer double-paned and the house has insulation. There are electric heaters in every room, but I've never used them except for in the bathroom on the coldest mornings. My house is outfitted with a natural gas wood stove. It's actually a furnace and the furnace guy said that it could heat a 1,200 sf house easily. So, I'm assuming that the person who purchased it years ago probably got a good deal or someone gave it to them because it's way more than the house needs. I set it on 68 all winter and it heats the house beautifully to the point where I wear pj pants and t-shirts inside and am very comfortable. The first year I had it on 70 but Sam would beg to go outside and lay in the wet grass to cool off and I would sweat while sleeping. In April or May I turn off the gas source as the pilot light keeps the unit way too warm in the summer. I do the equal pay at $50 per month 12 months of the year, but I think it will go down since this year I turned it off the first week of April and won't turn it back on until October.
I know you don't have a lot of control, but if you already have a gas line in the house, the investment is minimal.
You got some really good suggestions for keeping warm(er), hopefully something helps you. Last Winter was extremely cold, hopefully this year will not be as extreme. Just be careful turning all sources of heat off when you are not at home, frozen pipes are no fun. I am not sure I would leave most electric space heater on when you are away either. If you can talk the grandparents in to a wood stove it would certainly be worth the investment in the long run.
Hidden Content
Tammy
Maxx and Emma Jean
Ozzy - 10/2002 - 06/2011 - Rest well my sweet boy. You are forever remembered, forever missed, forever in my heart.
Oh, I also saw on Facebook the other day that you can tape bubble wrap on the inside of your windows to help them better insulate.
I actually have been hearing about an El Nino and how this winter is supposed to be absolutely brutal. Record breaking snow!Originally Posted by Maxx&Emma
And I keep forgetting about the pipes.. I wonder if keeping just one thermostat on like 50 will be okay for them with the space heater doing the rest..
definitely do the shrink-film stuff on the windows, after stuffing the cracks as best you can. it really really helps, takes some time to do, but it cuts out the drafts entirely (make sure the film goes past the windows to the trim on the sides before your walls start). I do it in my trailer for the last couple of trials of the year in Oct and Nov, and leave it on for the early spring trials- big difference!
check out your doors too, you can get new foam or compressed rubber that you stick on so the doors seal much better.
If the house has a crawl space but no basement, see if you can find some straw bales cheap, and stack them up all around the outside walls. Many of the old stone farmhouses around here start sporting straw bales all around their outsides this time of year. Its amazing how much heat is lost out through the basement/crawl space walls that are above ground. caveat with the straw bales - be prepared to deal with more than the usual number of rodents taking up residence in your now much-warmer basement. That will also help with the water and drainage pipe situation if they run under the house.
Quite a few good suggestions here.
Our ~860 square house has a wall furnace which very efficiently heats . . . the living room. We have utilized several tactics to improve the livability of our living spaces.
I don't know how much latitude and energy you have. I put this foam backer rod around all our window frames. Doing that noticeably decreased the draftiness we felt. there are different sizes for different-sized gaps. The thing is you have to remove window trim, push the backer rod into the gap, then *carefully* reinstall the trim.
We do a lot of cooking and baking during the cold season so that naturally heats the kitchen.
We use a small electric space heater in the bathroom, turning it on ~1/2 hour before actually bathing.
An oil radiator in the room formerly known as the man cave warms it up nicely . . . but needs a while to warm it up nicely.
Get a down duvet. It's expensive but I've discovered it's worth every penny.
Get flannelette sheets. Ditto.
We use a mattress pad heater instead of an electric blanket. Dual zone heaters are great since almost every couple has a different internal thermostat. I tend to run a little cool yet need to turn my side off.
Andrew, Faye, Fitzi, and Lucy
Not gone, only gone on ahead - Bruno, Rex, BoJo, Kendal, Kingsley, Moonpie, Avis, Corndog, Stella, and now Achilles
I invite you to visit my blog, Hidden Content .
You can also guy and install clear plastic window covers. They are held in place by double stick tape. They don't keep out the cold but do keep out the drafts.
Opps: Thought I was at the end of the thread and notice the plastic window covers have been mentioned.
Nooooo, not another one! The thought exhausts me.
Keeping just one thermostat on to help avoid frozen pipes will depend on where the thermostat and heat source are located in relation to your pipes. Keep in mind when there are wind chills it will affect how fast pipes freeze as well. Even with a thermostat set that low I would leave the faucets open to a trickle.
Hidden Content
Tammy
Maxx and Emma Jean
Ozzy - 10/2002 - 06/2011 - Rest well my sweet boy. You are forever remembered, forever missed, forever in my heart.
We have a wood stove in our house and it does a great job however we have plenty of trees and a wood splitter so it doesn't cost us anything. If you have to pay for split wood then it probably wouldn't be worth it. Split wood costs some money here in NJ and I imagine it is similar to MA prices. You get a good deal in the rent because it is family? If so, maybe it would be worth it to replace a couple windows in the room you use the most so you are more comfortable. Also, they have proven that the old wood windows with a storm window are almost as efficient as the newer double paned windows if the glazing is in good shape and cracks around the storm framing are caulked, etc. You can get tracks to replace window weights and then fill in the void from the weights.
My dad use to bag up leaves and stack the bags around the exposed foundation and crawlspace to block the cold wind. Really helped a lot.
How about contacting Mass Save | Energy Audit | Home Energy Audit | Energy Assessment
they will do a free audit and last I heard some free improvements to save energy.
Although being your 2nd winter there you may want to look into other options. Consider your utility costs for the year and rent, can you find better options?
-- Ken, owned by:
Max - Black Lab mix gotcha 4/23/2012 Born 12/2011
Scarlett - Yellow Lab gotcha 4/19/2013 Born 2008? 2007?
Lizzy - Terrier mix gotcha 6/29/2014 Born 2006?
Zeus - Papillon mix gotcha 1/30/2015 Born 3/26/2014
Avatar: Ziggy, my kitty who crossed the bridge a few years ago.
He slept in the sink for years, silly boy.
Hidden Content
Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet? | |
| |
Posting Permissions
|
|
Reply With Quote