Comments on: With record oil prices is it time to buy winter clothes?

By: HSpencer

HSpencer — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:21:29 +0000

I have a Country Flame wood stove for heating my home, and it does the whole house of 2200 sq feet, and I have it ducted into my central heating fan where I can run that on “fan only” and spread the woodstove heat throughout the house. Delivered firewood is $75.00 a rick so I dont buy any. I have land and chain saw so I fetch my own. We had an ice storm last January, which caused loss of trees, and though my labor I netted about two cords of firewood. However I live in an apartment through the week, so I have to keep the thermostat at 55 degrees F so I dont risk freezeups. My apartment utilities are free so that is not any factor in my heating costs, as I manage the complex and get that as part of my compensation. If I were at home 24/7, in winter months, I would only incur labor costs for my heating. Many people have no options but to lower their thermostats and put on warm layers to hold down costs. This is cutting into their fixed costs of living heavily and there is not a good answer for someone in a city home or apartment where alternative heating process cannot be installed. That is one reason (just one of many) I would never live where I could adjust my surroundings to save money, especially in some urban setting.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:16:52 +0000

@Derek – But if your neighbors did that too, rents would be higher. But wait, maybe yours neighbors are doing that already.

By: Derek

Derek — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:13:22 +0000

My rent includes all utilities, so I keep my apt at 83 in the winter and 70 in the summer, and dont pay a cent for it.

By: The Executioner

The Executioner — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:13:56 +0000

Living in New Hampshire, my wife and I made a similar but opposite decision: we have not used our central air conditioner since moving into our house in 2006. We get by using fans (window fans are amazing at night) and wearing next to nothing during the few weeks when the temperature can climb into the 90s. The finished basement is another great way to escape from the heat when the second floor gets stuffy.

We also keep our thermostat set to 55F when at home during the cold months (November through March/April). This draws complaints from my mom when she comes to visit at Xmas, but that’s the way it goes around here. My favorite in-home attire during the winter months is a long-sleeved T-shirt covered with a thick hooded sweatshirt (hood up), plus thick fleece pants and nice warm socks. If it gets too cold inside, I can always go outside and shovel some snow, or strap on the snowshoes and take the dogs for a stroll to get the blood moving. Then the 55F house feels like an oven upon returning!

By: Farmwife

Farmwife — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:27:29 +0000

We too heat with wood. Our electric bill is generally under $150 in the winter — but keep in mind that I often have 4-5 250W heat lamps running and 4 1500W stock tank heaters!

We pay for the wood heat with physical labor — not a bad thing We have gone to having a load of logs delivered here for us to cut and split rather than going up into the woods and getting it ourselves. We help our neighbors who sell the logs, and we save the gas and time running back and forth getting loads.

Our summer bill is low — in the $50-60 range. Especially if I keep up on hanging my laundry

By: FHR

FHR — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:37:13 +0000

There is a cheap and warm winter spot: Texas. While the summers here necessitate air conditioning (3-4 months of consistent 98-102 days), the winters are fantastic. We seldom get freezing weather and if we do, you only need to turn the heat on enough to ensure the pipes don’t freeze. Last year, I turned the heat on for only 1 day (wifey was REALLY cold) and the year before for 3 days (snowed us in). NOTE: When I put the heat “on” it’s at 60-63 tops, so the house is not exactly toasty.

Our electric/gas bill is enormously higher in the summers than in the winters. We can cruise along with $40-$60 electric/gas in the winter but it spikes to $200+ from May – September.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:39:24 +0000

Have you considered using a wood stove and sustaining a woodlot for your heating? Seems up your alley. I ran the numbers and it seemed like making traditional income investments to cover energy bills would require less capital. But it’s a lot easier to accurately calculate how much woodlot to buy than predict future energy costs and investment returns.

Since you’re looking at RVs you might consider relocating every season to stay in an area where you don’t need climate control. I grew up near ski resorts and their summers were cheap (off season) and cool (mountains). I bet there’s an equivalently cheap and warm winter spot.

By: fitwallet

fitwallet — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:14:06 +0000

We live in the mid-Atlantic and have an old twin-style home with poor insulation. I’m terrified of our heating bill this winter. Despite leaving our thermostat at 55-60 through the dead of winter last year and using space heaters whenever possible, our gas bill was still outrageous. Our gas prices are set to go way up this year, too.