[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

We don't spend anymore in the winter than we do in the summer. Oh I am sorry. I am in California and this is the Conneticut Forum. I was at the pool yesterday with my kids working on my tan.

I prefer enjoying Christmas and New Years with snow, a real Christmas tree, hot chocolate and a fire burning in the fireplace. I love FL and CA, but xmas lights on a Palm Tree is just unnatural!

[redhand11]

Thanks so much for your info. everyone, I appreciate knowing what others do. We seem to have found a happy medium with our current set up and I didn't have to move to California - lucky me.
In case anyone is interested, I did get an Edenpur space heater for our kids' room, so we can keep the heat at 58 upstairs (bedrooms) 24/7 and at 64 downstairs (living area) during the day. It is GREAT - kid and pet safe, and keeps their room at 68-70 all day and night. Our electric bill only went up by about $40 a month using it every day.

[Snowman27]

A subject I love talking about and a subject that continues to be the Topic at family and social gatherings with me.

No Nat Gas available so I had to rely on oil to heat my 2000 sq ft home.

I'll make this simple: Moved here June 2007.
January 2008 filled half tank.
June 2008 filled half tank again.

Haven't needed a fill since and still got over 1/2 tank left.

18 months $1100 in oil costs.

How?

• Last winter air temp was 49 when not home, 58 when home, 64 when relaxing.
• This winter as I type I got a wood stove burning. Thermostat has been off for paat 5 days and its 29 outside right now, 73 inside my house. WOOD STOVE! FREE HEAT!!

People don't understand its easier to stay warmer than cooler. BUNDLE UP! Keep your money!

You're not supposed to stay inside your house with shorts in the winter.

The best is seeing some of my neighbors fill their tanks each month in the winter.

Get a wood stove and enjoy it. Email me if you want to chat about it more.

[car54]

I was born and raised in Virginia (DC 'burbs) and still reside here, but both parents were New Haven natives.

I have many fond memories of our annual Christmas trips to New Haven to visit Grandpa and Grandma...they lived in a big beautiful old house in Westville.

I also remember freezing my arse off in that house! The grandparents were far from poor (Grandpa was a City Court judge) but Grandma was quite "frugal" and apparently didn't want to buy any more oil than was necessary to keep the pipes from bursting.

And this was the 1950's.....what did heating oil cost back then? 20 cents a gallon or less? LOL

Y'all stay warm up there and Happy Holidays!

[Snowman27]

Thanks for posting car54. Its only for 3-4 months. People need to suck it up. It's not about how much money you have, it's about learning how to keep it. And I just love it when I hear people get sick and its mostly the ones who love it warm in the house.

Wood Stove solves all your heating problems.

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by CTHere

The best is seeing some of my neighbors fill their tanks each month in the winter.

You must have a very large tank to only fill it up twice a year. Don't automatically laugh at all your neighbors getting their tanks filled every month, for instance our tank is a strangely-sized 188 gallon tank the previous owner put in, he was a strange one. And if we let the oil fall below 1/4 of that tank the sludge clogs the lines when we get it re-filled, so we get 100-125 gallons of oil every month during the coldest three months of the winter. Hopefully our neighbors aren't laughing at us.

[wavehunter007]

Originally Posted by car54

I was born and raised in Virginia (DC 'burbs) and still reside here, but both parents were New Haven natives.

I have many fond memories of our annual Christmas trips to New Haven to visit Grandpa and Grandma...they lived in a big beautiful old house in Westville.

I also remember freezing my arse off in that house! The grandparents were far from poor (Grandpa was a City Court judge) but Grandma was quite "frugal" and apparently didn't want to buy any more oil than was necessary to keep the pipes from bursting.

And this was the 1950's.....what did heating oil cost back then? 20 cents a gallon or less? LOL

Y'all stay warm up there and Happy Holidays!

Since I work for a company that creates climate/social data…I though I would just mention something.

Despite the media and marketing of winter (yea, they even market winter now too), there is little difference in heating bills along the East Coast from Virginia to southern Connecticut. Only up in New England, the Great Lakes, and the Midwest is the heating season noticeably longer and significantly more expensive

Here is a map of heating degree-days (HDD). A HDD is based on a daily mean temperature of 65 F inside our homes. You add 1 HDD for every degree below 65 F. So if the average daily mean temperature is 55 F - we add 10 HDD…. if the average daily mean temperature is 45 F – we add 20 HDD. The number on the map represents the total HDD for the year across the central and Eastern US. As you can see by the map, most of Connecticut averages about 6000 HDD (5600 in coastal CT/6300 northern CT). HDD averages range from above 9000 in places like Minnesota or North Dakota…to 2000- 3000 along the Gulf coast into the subtropical southeast (South Carolina, Georgia). Miami by the way, averages 500 HDD a year.

As you can see in the Eastern US, although the Great Lakes/ Midwest and New England have HDD above 7000…..most places from the Tri-State area(NYC/CT/NJ) south have about 6500 HDD or less. Most of the southern CT has less than 6000 HDD (New Haven, CT for example averages 5701 HDD). The Virginia suburbs of Washington DC average about 4800 HDD (Manassas, VA for example averages 4808 HDD). Most places on the East Coast from central Virginia to southern Connecticut have less than a 1500 HDD difference.




Put another way, you only use about 20% more energy in New Haven to stay warm than in northern Virginia. Also, since most of northern Virgina has one of the highest home heating oil prices in the USA …there is even less of a difference. In the end, its not much cheaper to stay warm in the winter months in VA than in CT.

So far this heating season (November 1 to March 30th)…I have only spent $265.000 for oil to heat a 1500 sq. foot house built in 1977.

[car54]

Originally Posted by wavehunter007

Since I work for a company that creates climate/social data…I though I would just mention something.

Despite the media and marketing of winter (yea, they even market winter now too), there is little difference in heating bills along the East Coast from Virginia to southern Connecticut. Only up in New England, the Great Lakes, and the Midwest is the heating season noticeably longer and significantly more expensive

Here is a map of heating degree-days (HDD). A HDD is based on a daily mean temperature of 65 F inside our homes. You add 1 HDD for every degree below 65 F. So if the average daily mean temperature is 55 F - we add 10 HDD…. if the average daily mean temperature is 45 F – we add 20 HDD. The number on the map represents the total HDD for the year across the central and Eastern US. As you can see by the map, most of Connecticut averages about 6000 HDD (5600 in coastal CT/6300 northern CT). HDD averages range from above 9000 in places like Minnesota or North Dakota…to 2000- 3000 along the Gulf coast into the subtropical southeast (South Carolina, Georgia). Miami by the way, averages 500 HDD a year.

As you can see in the Eastern US, although the Great Lakes/ Midwest and New England have HDD above 7000…..most places from the Tri-State area(NYC/CT/NJ) south have about 6500 HDD or less. Most of the southern CT has less than 6000 HDD (New Haven, CT for example averages 5701 HDD). The Virginia suburbs of Washington DC average about 4800 HDD (Manassas, VA for example averages 4808 HDD). Most places on the East Coast from central Virginia to southern Connecticut have less than a 1500 HDD difference.




Put another way, you only use about 20% more energy in New Haven to stay warm than in northern Virginia. Also, since most of northern Virgina has one of the highest home heating oil prices in the USA …there is even less of a difference. In the end, its not much cheaper to stay warm in the winter months in VA than in CT.

So far this heating season (November 1 to March 30th)…I have only spent $265.000 for oil to heat a 1500 sq. foot house built in 1977.

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that it's balmy in the winter here in NOVA....it hasn't been above freezing for a couple days now!

One thing though, oil heat is very rare around here...I can only remember one friend in Arlington (an older DC suburb) that had it. And he converted to natural gas years ago.

Natural gas and electricity (both relatively cheap here) are far more common heating fuels.

[Snowman27]

andthentherewere3, - I have 2, 275 gallon tanks but like I said, I only use about 400 gallons per year. Every situation will be different, ie: kids, age of home, drafts, quickness in shower, furnace efficiency, ect.

But I see people not practicing conserving and then they complain about the costs. My sister in law was spending $300 a month on oil. I almost dropped when I heard that. She couldn't figure out why. I gave up telling her that her house was 75 degrees when nobody was home for 8 hours.

wavehunter007, - I'll check out your posts, looks interesting.

[Cruikshl]

We keep ours at 66 on the first floor and 64 upstairs. We are comfortable at what we consider to be the minimum level for us. New house, 3700 sq ft, 300 gallon tank just filled @ 2.59 a gallon took 222 gallons equals 576.98 will last about six to eight weeks. Our builder on the other hand has a older home that they keep at 56 (brrrrrr) burn wood and she carries around a portable heater. What the heck quality of life is that?