Heat

[KYbass1276]

We obviously know that it's going to cost a fortune to heat this year, I was just curious as to what some of you might be doing to curtail this problem.

Me I'm in the middle of a 2nd story remodel on my house.  When it was built it had only one outlet in the whole upstairs and one light in each room.   The entire upstairs was without insulation.   I have since taken care of the electrical and insulation issues and I'm in the drywall stage  and I'm moving on to insulating my Duct work in my basement.  The dept of energy say's that you lose 16% of your heating and cooling through leaky duct work.  

[fishfordollars]

We have the oposite problem here. Foutunes owed and payed to cool things.

[KYbass1276]

We have the oposite problem here. Foutunes owed and payed to cool things.

 

I'll almost trade you.  Right now it's muggy and hot here feels like a sauna<spelling, and I don't even have the air on it's 10 t0 15 degrees cooler in our house than it is outside.    If I do turn on on the air it's only for about an hour.    Heating the house well thats another story

[daviscw]

I have a feeling its going to get really bad this winter with heating bills. There are going to be many problems with people (especially the elderly) affording to heat their houses. It should get interesting.

On anther note, I am a building sciences major and its neat to hear the different ways to build tighter and more efficient houses. All the small things can sure go a long way on your HVAC bills.

[Bassn Blvd]

I don't run the heater here in S. Florida. One extra blanket usually works just fine. The a/c however is a different story. My last bill was $286. I hate to see July and August.

[Glenn]

We're getting a heat pump installed next week.

[KYbass1276]

We're getting a heat pump installed next week.

I'm kinda curious about them and how well they do.

[Olebiker]

We're getting a heat pump installed next week.

I'm kinda curious about them and how well they do.

You don't want one in Kentucky.  I had one in my house in Louisville and my winter electric bills were higher than my mortgage.  Plus, we were still cold all the time.

Here in North Florida they work just fine.

[Aaron]

I believe my parents have a heat pump in their house and my dad is always complaining about it.   They live in KY.

[frogtog]

Yep I had the heat pump and couldn't afford the light bill and switched to a gas pac and can't afford the gas. Now I'm installing a wood burning insert in my fire place.

[Hookemdown.]

Gotta love wood.

[daviscw]

Wood stoves are really big around here.

[fishfordollars]

Wood stoves are really big around here.

There going to be big everywhere if things don't level out soon.

[Hookemdown.]

Making s'mores in your living room is also a plus.

[Long Mike]

I live in Tulsa.  About fifteen years ago I had a heat pump installed in my 1960's era home.  It is backed up by a gas furnace when the heat pump can't keep up on the really cold days.  At the same time as installing the heat pump, I had R-32 insulation blown into my attic.  My house has 2700 sq ft under the roof.  These days my electricity bill averages about $150 a month and my gas bill averages about $50.  To my great good fortune, both my electric and gas companies offer monthly billing based upon three month rolling averages.  In short, I'm a very happy camper as far as my utility bills are concerned.

[FishTank]

I have had the experience of having to get my heat pump and furnace replaced a few years ago with a high effeciency model and I also put new insulation in the attic at the time.  My house is all electric and 4 years ago my bill use to average about $180 a month.  Now with the new furnace, programable thermostat, insulation, a front loading washer/dryer and my house now has all compact flourescents (these have had the biggest impact), my bill is about $110 a month and that is with paying way more per kilowatt than I was 4 years ago.

[Tin]

Love the wood stove, and the 300 pieces of tree length in our yard.