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Helen
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| Posted: Sept 20 2008 at 8:51pm | IP Logged
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I wanted to share with you my energy saving tip. For years I've kept my thermostat set very low during the winter. I remember turning up the heat for some company and I thought I really was going all out for them...I set the thermostat to 67.  The company remarked about my Franciscan feeling home.  Meanwhile, we were all rosy cheeked and sweating to death not noticing the chill at all.
What's worked for me is to start getting used to the temperatures dropping during the Fall. I just made an entry at my blog. If you get used to the temperature change a little at a time, by winter you'll be ready to keep the thermostat in the 60's.
Now...what about air conditioning in the summer? I have no idea what is the best way to save money with AC. Maybe some of you Ladies from the South can give me some tips on that!
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Ave Maria!
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Helen
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| Posted: Sept 22 2008 at 11:46am | IP Logged
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Was this tip *totally* obvious?
I didn't mean it to be. Last winter, in January, when people were talking about dropping their thermostats, I thought it was too late to start to get used to having the house colder.
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Ave Maria!
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Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: Sept 22 2008 at 11:59am | IP Logged
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I found it a good reminder! I'm trying to get my family back to a point where, for the most point, the outside temperature is just acceptable (for the MOST part!). I remember living in Alabama (I'm from Michigan) for two years, from age 13-15. We had central air and I NEVER left the house in the summertime. I just wouldn't. But my littlest sisters did - they'd run all over town, doing whatever they did, never caring about the heat. They drank a lot of water and did just fine.
So often these days, our environment-controlled buildings and such spoil us so that we can't handle things when the power goes out!
In our household, we always use a lot less lights - turning them on only when absolutely necessary; trying to cut back on the water usage (this is a tough one for us!) and definitely minimizing use of the heat and a/c - only turning it on when reaching the miserable state.
Somehow, the cold is easier to handle - just bundle up and snuggle up! Summer heat is the problem: I open it all up during the coolest times, covering up windows with the sun shining directly inside... a/c for minimal times during the hottest days - just enough to cool it off and turn it off before the outside cool down (if one comes!) so that we really maximize what we're paying for and using.
Sometimes we just splurge though!
Now my maternal grandparents did it right: they lived in Michigan of course - they built their house with south facing windows. There were windows in all the other directions, but those ones had wide balconies and awnings and such so that the sun didn't shine directly in. They kept the house warm in the winter with the south-facing (huge) windows - I think they invested in some type of particular glass/design too to really maximize it (this was during the 50s/60s - and I'm sure they updated in the meantime???). I just remember not using the heating system as much - and even then, they'd use the fireplace when they could first. And they had a HUGE house in the end - 5-7 bedrooms depending on how you defined/used them, with 3 of the rooms being more like dormitories (They had 9 boys and a girl, and several nieces, nephews and grandchildren live with them over the years), large every other room, a music room even! and a large basement with a separate apartment set up in it....
In the summers, it just stayed dimmer, and with all the doors open and screens closed, they had a nice breeze most of the time and no light shining directly into the windows.
WIsh I could build my own house from scratch!
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juststartn
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| Posted: Sept 22 2008 at 12:49pm | IP Logged
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We've got our A/c off now--have for more than a week (it would still get hot enough with the windows shut for DH to need it on, lol)...
I wish we'd turned it off sooner.
Once we get the VA money (soon, I pray), we're getting a couple of things: Filling the propane tank, getting a bigger tank, buying some wood for the fireplace, and getting DH a chainsaw, so he can cut some for us...
I'm dreading heating bills this winter. We've never had a propane furnace before...ugh...
Rachel
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folklaur
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| Posted: Sept 22 2008 at 1:45pm | IP Logged
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Using the heater isn't usually my problem....I LOVE it cold (though my family walks around complaining all Winter.  ) But it is the A/C in the summer that clobbers us. I don't do heat well. at. all. And it is still getting close to (or a little above) 100 degrees right now. So we still have the A/C going. In AZ, it was common to run the A/C well into October...I remember one Halloween when Sarah was dressed up like a genie (short sleeved dance leotard and gauzy pants), and she was soaked in sweat because it was still so hot out, even in the dark.
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organiclilac
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It is not the heat that gets me in the summer, it is the humidity. When everything feels damp, I worry about mold. I feel like we need the AC just to dry things out, although I would love to go without.
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Kristie 4
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I am anemic (partly my own problem as I am so bad at remembering my supplements) and so when the cold hits I start with my cozy sweater, slippers, and a cup of tea. Next comes the long johns. At this point if I am still cold I usually turn the thermostat up a bit (it gets VERY cold here in Manitoba). But you have inspired me. Maybe my third step will be the toque and just getting a little used to feeling a little chilly . FYI, the kids run around with bare feet and t-shirts with no issues at all about the temperature, which is usually at 67 for the winter 
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Molly Smith
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My husband bought a little meter that hooks into the basement somewhere with a display in the kitchen that shows us our current kwh usage. We input our rates here and can push a button to see exactly how much we've spent on electricity since midnight.
It's been fun to go around and see what boosts the kwh. By far, air conditioning is the biggest culprit. We'll jump 10+ kwh while the air is running. The microwave, toaster, garbage disposal are some surprising biggies, but the boost is short-lived. The oven is surprisingly low. I can't wait to get my next bill (did I just say that??), because if we've input our charges correctly our bill should be significantly lower simply by paying attention to what we're doing, and the meter will have paid for itself.
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Molly Smith in VA
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RamFam
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| Posted: Sept 22 2008 at 5:40pm | IP Logged
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Molly Smith wrote:
| My husband bought a little meter that hooks into the basement somewhere with a display in the kitchen that shows us our current kwh usage. We input our rates here and can push a button to see exactly how much we've spent on electricity since midnight. |
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That sounds really cool! What is it called and how much did it cost?
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teachingmyown
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| Posted: Sept 22 2008 at 8:25pm | IP Logged
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Helen wrote:
Was this tip *totally* obvious?
I didn't mean it to be. Last winter, in January, when people were talking about dropping their thermostats, I thought it was too late to start to get used to having the house colder. |
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Actually Helen, it's a great tip! My dh said the other night that he was going to start turning the heat on at night and I suggested that we should just pull out the big blankets and socks and ease into the whole "freeze yer buns" thing. We didn't even try it last year. I hate being cold!
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Sept 22 2008 at 8:42pm | IP Logged
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Well, I really enjoyed the tip, and it wasn't obvious to me at all.  I'm so spoiled, I feel.
Dh and I have been discussing how we can cut back in various little ways here and there. Everyone is on board, and I like the idea of just slowly acclimating to the cooler temps until you reached the agreed upon threshold.
Here's my question Helen...and those of you that have adjusted the thermostat way back...what about the babies?
How are you dressing your little littles? What about in the evenings and overnight? Katie has just started sleeping in her own crib overnight - she's about 7 months old. So, of course still scooting too much for any covers or blanket really. Do you just bundle in heavy sleepers??? What do you clothe the baby in, Helen?
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happymama
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Molly, I just copied your post & emailed it to dh! I want him to get us one, too!
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Helen
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| Posted: Sept 22 2008 at 10:37pm | IP Logged
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Mackfam wrote:
Here's my question Helen...and those of you that have adjusted the thermostat way back...what about the babies?
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Layers work well for the babies and a hat if necessary.
I also like to put the baby in one of those fleece, all in one coats. It's not quite a winter coat but almost.I usually sleep with my babies.
For the older children, footed pajamas with other pajamas underneath and a sweatshirt on top. Lots of layers.
I also think the lower temperatures in the house cut down on our colds. The children are dressed better for outdoor excursions. (For example, it doesn't matter as much, if they run out of the house with their coats unzipped.) Also, they haven't worked up a sweat in their clothes before going out.
Personal opinion here but... I think the nasal passages are less dried out with the lower indoor temps helping us to stay healthy.
Usually when a child says, "I'm cold." He's usually standing in front of me, fresh out of the shower, dripping hair, a short sleeve t shirt and bare feet. As soon as socks and shoes and a sweater go on, I don't hear any more complaining.
My first year of really keeping the thermostat low, I used a hat inside.  I picked up a bunch of headband, ear warmer things...but no one wanted to use them.
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Ave Maria!
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Molly Smith
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RamFam wrote:
Molly Smith wrote:
| My husband bought a little meter that hooks into the basement somewhere with a display in the kitchen that shows us our current kwh usage. We input our rates here and can push a button to see exactly how much we've spent on electricity since midnight. |
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That sounds really cool! What is it called and how much did it cost? |
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Here it is. I know it's not cheap, but you'd have to see my electric bills to see how easily we could justify it! We run a home business (heavy on the electronics) and have a secondary building that houses our garage and office (with separate a/c unit).
I will let you know our savings when the bill comes. If the bill is significantly reduced, I will pass along more details of what we've been doing--I'll wait and see if they work first!
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Molly Smith in VA
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chrisv664
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Molly,
I am going to talk to my husband about this meter. I have been on a one-woman campmaign to get the electric bill down for the past six months. Actually, we are on a budget plan and did see a slight drop, but with the a/c and pool filter this summer, we went up again  . I am interested to see how individual appliances effect the kwh. It actually sounds kind of fun! (well, if this is my idea of fun, I think I need to get out more! )
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Sept 23 2008 at 11:09am | IP Logged
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we heat with a wood stove exclusively when we're home.. only running the electric heaters when we're out of town to keep the house from freezing. And we don't have A/C.
Now we live where it gets cold in winter (we can have weeks in single digit temps) but not so hot in summer and summer is short.. really only have hot temps from mid-June to mid-August.. and then only a couple weeks in the upper 90's to very low 100's. And nights almost always cool down significantly.
And I would have to say that Helen is very right about getting used to the temps. But even when you live with the outdoor temp it varies during the year. I find it quite amusing that we're shivering in the fall when the daytime temps drop below 50 but running around outside in the spring saying how warm those same temps are.
One thing that will help in summer.. is to plan your day so that during the hottest time you're not having to do real active things. It's much easier to handle the heat when I'm not up and working.. so you can have your a/c set to a warmer temp during the hottest part of the day that way.
Our winter bill is simply whatever we pay for wood. At this point it's honestly cheaper for us to buy the firewood.. unless we get a trailer that can haul 3+ cords of wood at once.. we'd spend just as much on gas getting the wood as we do for buying it.. and we'd have to spend all that time getting the wood. So we get 2-3 cords of wood each winter.. last winter we got 3.. this year we only got 2. We rarely use more than 2 cords but middle of winter is not when you want to run out so we're basically spending $300-450 on heating costs for ALL WINTER.
I feel VERY spoiled with my wood stove.. sure it's some work.. but to be able to get as warm as you want and not have to consider the cost (a couple extra pieces of wood isn't a big deal).. ahhhh.. now that's spoiling.
But we do keep the house quite cool for sleeping. I love the carter's fleece sleep sacks for tiny babies.. very easy to layer and their legs are together so that they stay warm better than in the snowsuit type (with legs) And they can't kick it off.
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juststartn
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We've moved this year, so this will be our first winterin this house. THe former owners were gone during the day, and I don't know how they set the temps during the day...
But we've got a wood burning fireplace, which we will be using once we A)get some wood, and B)get the chimney cleaned out. I don't know how well it will heat, but its got the whole blower thing/insert in there, so I'm hoping it works better than the usual fireplace chimney...
Got to figure out how to save $$. I may be hooking up clotheslines inside the sun room/someday schoolroom for when there is inclement weather. I really want DH to fix the clothesline outside...but it will have to wait until we get the VA $$.
Rachel
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Kathryn UK
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Funny! We have our thermostat set in winter to about 17deg centigrade (63F) and I thought that was quite warm. It is warm enough that my dds wear t-shirts around the house. We never turn on the heating at night unless it is below freezing outside or we have a very small baby. The daytime temps are currently low 60s, and we have only turned on the heating a couple of times so far this year, when the rain made it feel colder. Our house is significantly warmer than my mother's - I always need to wear a sweater there - and she never turns on the heat in her bedroom, whatever the weather. She is in her eighties .
So I'm sure Helen is right. It is what you are used to.
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: energy saving tip
