Worried. First cold night in the east (cash, budget, Oregon)

[Shuffler]

what have you done to reduce the costs to heat your place?

When energy was cheap, one could assume that builders didn't give much thought to properly insulating houses back in the day...and homeowners didn't really care until recently when one sees dollars wafting through the ceiling every time they bump the thermostat up a degree or two

Insulation isn't expensive...you might think about getting your attic blown in with cellulose insulation, and seeing if your exterior walls are wrapped with a vapor barrier and then overlaid with any kind of insulation under the siding. Good windows are also key.

If you plan on being in the same place a few more years, it'd be worth undertaking a project like that to keep heat inside.

[mommytotwo]

Originally Posted by HappyTexan

Wood stoves folks..wood stoves.

The price of a cord of wood has increased from $180 last year to $250 this year

Originally Posted by Mircea

It isn't like you guys didn't have adequate warning, I mean you've only had the last several years to switch over to natural gas, coal, electric or steam (by natural gas, coal or electric).

Natural Gas isn't available for me, and Electric? That has always cost just as much as oil or natural gas, at least around here. And Coal? that doesn't seem economical either. My cousin uses propane and that has gone up too. I am going to look into it though, it may be cheaper in the long run and then I can get a gas stove (I HATE electric).

Originally Posted by Shuffler

what have you done to reduce the costs to heat your place?

When energy was cheap, one could assume that builders didn't give much thought to properly insulating houses back in the day...and homeowners didn't really care until recently when one sees dollars wafting through the ceiling every time they bump the thermostat up a degree or two

Insulation isn't expensive...you might think about getting your attic blown in with cellulose insulation, and seeing if your exterior walls are wrapped with a vapor barrier and then overlaid with any kind of insulation under the siding. Good windows are also key.

If you plan on being in the same place a few more years, it'd be worth undertaking a project like that to keep heat inside.

I am going to insulate my attic this year, which my dad recommended because I don't have a thick enough layer of insulation down. He says it's going to cost around $500 but will pay off down the line.

[f_m]

Get one of those little ceramic space heaters and only heat the room you are in and close the doors to trap the heat.

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by Mircea

It isn't like you guys didn't have adequate warning, I mean you've only had the last several years to switch over to natural gas, coal, electric or steam (by natural gas, coal or electric).

The evidence is piling up fast and furious that we're in a Maunder Minimum.

Wanna guess what happened the last time there was a Maunder Minimum?

People died of starvation.

That's right. At one point they only had 6 weeks to grow crops during the whole year. All of the colonial governments in New England got overthrown during a revolution by starving scarecrows and a new power, the Dominion of New England emerged for a brief period.

Can you imagine what it will be like when there's only 6 weeks to grow crops in Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New England and most of Canada? You need more than 6 weeks to grow corn and wheat.

Less than 18 months from now we'll be on the Ethanol Fuel Standard and I don't even want to guess how much fuel and food prices will be. And if there's a Maunder Minimum on top of that? I can't wait for the fun.

Damn, you are cold as ice




Factual though.

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by mommytotwo

The price of a cord of wood has increased from $180 last year to $250 this year

Nothing is free but wood is still cheaper than oil.

[SandyCo]

Good advice, but I'd like to add a warning: Please don't leave a running space heater unattended! They can cause fires.

Originally Posted by f_m

Get one of those little ceramic space heaters and only heat the room you are in and close the doors to trap the heat.

[neekah18]

Originally Posted by mommytotwo

I agree with you. I think this winter is going to bring people to a new low.

I got a notice from my oil company.

something to the effect of, "if you had to pay cash for your oil, say 600gal at $5 per gallon, that would be $3000. But, if you budget it out over 10 months, it would ONLY be $300 per month,

I thought it was a joke. ONLY $300! For 10 months!

There are going to be some cold hungry folks this winter.

I am going to try to remember to pick up extra food in the next couple of months to donate to the local food pantry. People are sure going to need it.

For a minute I thought we had the same oil company except I'm in Jersey!!! $298 a month as an installment plan this winter. I woke up this morning freezing (I sleep with the AC on). Usually when I walk out of my bedroom the rest of the house is a little warmer. Not today!!! I have on my sweats and bf's socks!!! As if that wasn't punishment enough I had to go grocery shopping this morning as well

[neekah18]

Originally Posted by Mircea

It isn't like you guys didn't have adequate warning, I mean you've only had the last several years to switch over to natural gas, coal, electric or steam (by natural gas, coal or electric).

The evidence is piling up fast and furious that we're in a Maunder Minimum.

Wanna guess what happened the last time there was a Maunder Minimum?

People died of starvation.

That's right. At one point they only had 6 weeks to grow crops during the whole year. All of the colonial governments in New England got overthrown during a revolution by starving scarecrows and a new power, the Dominion of New England emerged for a brief period.

Can you imagine what it will be like when there's only 6 weeks to grow crops in Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New England and most of Canada? You need more than 6 weeks to grow corn and wheat.

Less than 18 months from now we'll be on the Ethanol Fuel Standard and I don't even want to guess how much fuel and food prices will be. And if there's a Maunder Minimum on top of that? I can't wait for the fun.

I don't think switching will help. For years my friend's monthly PSE&G bill has been almost $300 a month in the winter even when we only paid about $900-$1200 to fill up our boiler for the entire winter and even that gave us an extra month of heat without worry the following winter.

[f_m]

Originally Posted by SandyCo

Good advice, but I'd like to add a warning: Please don't leave a running space heater unattended! They can cause fires.

Yes, I'm paranoid about that part, but I'd suggest getting a stepping stone or large bricks and putting the heater on that so it isn't directly on the floor (but the bricks are low enough it shouldn't fall over), unless it has its own stand. Also, I would probably connect the heater to a power strip with a circuit breaker, so the breaker might trip in some instances in case of certain electrical problems.

[Donn2390]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

what have you done to reduce the costs to heat your place?

Last summer, I spent $10K to remove my oil tank and antique furnace in Oregon. I had a natural gas meter dropped and purchased a new, hi efficiency furnace and had it installed, along with doing a lot of insulation and replaced a few windows with modern double pane windows.
Filling my 685 gallon oil tank, at $5 a gallon, made spending that money a no brainer.
My other home, I had the "For looks only" builder installed fireplace removed and installed a high efficiency natural gas insert. That was another well spend $5k , because I am expecting to not have to run the two forced air units this winter, saving me a lot of money.
It will take a few years to break even on the investment, but in the mean time, I'll be warm, comfortable, and efficient... Planning ahead is a good thing...