Monday, February 10, 2014

10 Ways to Reduce Heating Cost

Living on a homestead means trying, to the best of a person's ability, to use as little as possible while remaining debt free and yet still having a fulfilling life.. With bitter temperatures this year and only one wood stove to heat our entire 1900 square foot home I have had to come up with ways to help the wood stove along without adding a huge dollar amount to our electric bill.

All of these are pretty simple things but not something I even figured out until I put some brain power into thinking about it. 

1. Humidify--The very thing that drives us crazy in the Oklahoma summer is the thing that will help keep us warm in the winter. In the summer I run a dehumidifier to help keep the house cooler. I was setting around thinking one day about why it is so much cooler in the winter and a light bulb went off. I got the cast iron kettle, threw some water in it, and set it on top of the wood stove. In about 10 minutes I had a pretty good stream of steam coming from the kettle. This was a completely free way of adding to the heat. With a sinus infection I added a  humidifier...I actually had to open the flew to let some of the heat out because it got too warm in the house. The cost of running a humidifier is very small in comparison to buying an extra rick of wood per season. Every small thing helps. Even if you do not have a wood stove you can use humidity to raise the temperature in your home. Set a pan of water on or near whatever heat source you use and it will add humidity into the air. The cost of running a humidifier is roughly $1.40 a month For other appliances look here 

2. Feet Warming Fire Bricks--We had to replace some fire bricks in the wood stove last year when we purchased the wood stove used. The fire bricks come in a box of 12. We only needed 4 for the replacement. I set the rest of the fire bricks to the side just waiting to use them. One day I had the brilliant idea that if, in the old times, people placed irons at the feet of the bed to warm them then why couldn't fire bricks be used as "feet warmers". I set 2 on the wood stove and allowed them to warm. I placed a towel around them and put them on the floor in front of my chair. I set my socked feet right down on top of the towel covering and walla...warm feet. The warmth lasted about an hour. I had come inside from feeding and just needed a little extra warmth on my feet. This did the trick. 

3. Fans--put those summer necessities back to use in the winter. I have a fan blowing across the top of the wood stove. It blows the heat around and helps to heat the house. I also use the ceiling fans to help push warm air around. A ceiling fan costs roughly 70 cents per month to run. I have 2 running at all times.

4. Open Curtains/Drapes--during the summer we want to keep the sun out to help the air conditioner cool the house. In the winter you want to do the opposite and open them so sun can help to heat the room. The only downfall to this is that you must remember to close them early enough to not let the cool air come in with the darkness. Set an alarm on your cell phone or timer on your TV to remind you to close the drapes.

5. Socks--These are one of the items I despise. When I have socks on I feel like I cannot breathe, however,  won't wear shoes without socks...so in this aspect I am lucky. I put socks on as I am getting out of bed in the morning times. Then I slide on my fuzzy slippers. In order to make this a force of habit I get a clean pair of socks out at night and place them on top of my slippers next to my bed. If I get over warm I can just slide my slippers off if need be. During the summer you will never catch me wearing socks...in the winter you won't catch me without them.

6. Clothes Dryer--Electricity costs different amounts at different times during the day. The laundry room is right near my bedroom. I wash a load of clothes at night. As I walk past the laundry room in the morning the clothes are transferred to the dryer which helps to knock the chill off the house while I am getting a fire going in the wood stove. 

7. Eat--I am not saying this is an excuse to go gaining weight. It is a fact that food in your belly causes you to be warmer. Eat a warm bowl of oatmeal in the morning to get some extra heat inside...in the evening drink a cup of hot tea or cocoa, or eat a bowl of hot soup to help warm you from the inside out. 

8. Throw Blankets--Walmart has them. They cost $19.88. They cost about 30 cents to run for 8 hours. The ones I bought at Walmart have a 2 hour shut off. Just enough time to get a person plenty warm. I use these on the beds at night as well as in the living room during the day if I get extra chilly.

9 Warm Shower/Bath--A warm bath or shower can raise body temperature and get you all warmed up. I tend to be more cold in the evening after coming in from feeding animals so I will take my shower after dinner and that allows me to get plenty warm for the evening. Although this can get expensive if done several times per day if it is done just once daily during the coldest part of the day then it won't raise your bill much at all.

10. Cover Vents--Our house originally had central heat/air. Since we have gone all electric we no longer buy propane that is needed to power the heat part. This leaves vents open in the floor during winter. We close the vents off with the switch on each one and then cover them with either a throw rug (in the living room and other areas that are seen) or cardboard (in areas that aren't seen by others when visiting). This helps cut down on the cold air entering the house. 

These few things have allowed me to stay warm this winter without having to buy extra wood for the stove. Anyone adding these things to frugal living will dramatically cut costs and help to keep you warm in the winter time. 

Can you think of other things that help you stay warm in the winter time? 

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