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Across the Fence:  Sky high heating costs  |
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Sage
True Blue Farmgirl
207 Posts
Pam
Worland
Wyoming
USA
207 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 09:58:11 AM
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Our governor just announced that the natural gas prices will go up 50% to 70% this winter. Is this happening every where? What will you do to cut the costs of heating your home this winter? I have a few ideas but would welcome any suggestions. Sage :)
Farmgirl sister #140
www.heritagedesigns.etsy.com |
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frannie
True Blue Farmgirl
2246 Posts
fran
bonham
texas
USA
2246 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 10:18:05 AM
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i think we should petition our congress folks to mandate the oil companies to put a cap on their profit and use that money temporarily to bring prices down. you know help the country out during this difficult time.
other than that, i already do things here to keep cost down and dont know how i can improve on that.
in the winter we dress very warmly in the house, and put up layers of curtains to keep the cottage cozy.
i am still having a hard time understanding how oil companies can have record high profits at this time.
it doesnt make sense to me based on what they are reporting, but then i dont really have a history of being very trustful of the petrochemical industry as i grew up in a refinery town.
love
frannie in texas
(http://abunnystale.wordpress.com/) |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 10:26:43 AM
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Mom (Sage) and I already talked about this because I am afraid that our house is going to leak heat like a sieve this winter. I am going to be making insulated curtains for all our windows and I am thinking of making them for the outside walls as well. Especially in my daughter's room and the laundry room. We are very lucky that we have some HUGE windows. I will be making as much use as I can of solar energy during the day and then covering the windows with the insulated curtains.
I will be making a step-by-step tutorial on how to make insulated curtains in about a month or so. I will also include links to where you can buy affordable materials for these curtains/wall quilts as I am going to batt them with wool.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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Sage
True Blue Farmgirl
207 Posts
Pam
Worland
Wyoming
USA
207 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 10:27:26 AM
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Frannie; I like your approach of not just letting this happen. Our country needs to be agressive in developing solar and wind power. These shoild be available to everyone. I'd put solar panels on my house if it didn't cost thousands and thousands of dollars.
We have zone heat in parts of our house and only heat the rooms we use, plus we turn the thermostat way down when we go to work and at night. I'll be making "window quilts" from fleece fabric and painting as many of the walls in our house as I can with an insulating paint. Sage:)
Farmgirl sister #140
www.heritagedesigns.etsy.com |
Edited by - Sage on Aug 06 2008 10:29:22 AM |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 10:27:33 AM
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PS-Don't forget about shrink wrapping windows and making sure you have insulation around your foundation.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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City_Chick
True Blue Farmgirl
509 Posts
Christina
Omaha
Nebraska
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 10:29:53 AM
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Alee I can't wait to see your tutorial. I am thinking I am going to have to make some insulated curtains in several rooms this year.
Christina
Farmgirl Sister #195
http://justacitychick.blogspot.com/
Although no one can go back and make a brand new start; anyone can start from now
and make a brand new end.
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Sage
True Blue Farmgirl
207 Posts
Pam
Worland
Wyoming
USA
207 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 10:33:15 AM
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I've heard of lining the walls of a room with the insulating foam panels wrapped in fabric. You cut the foam so that it fits tight enough to just press it into place - no fasteners needed. This won't work in a damp climate but we are in a very dry area. Has anyone tried this. Sage :)
Farmgirl sister #140
www.heritagedesigns.etsy.com |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 10:33:33 AM
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Our natural gas increased 300% 5 years ago in this area. I have a cottage home with 6 rooms, and only 8 windows. In December, before the increase, I paid $75.00 a month for my gas/electic combined. When I received my bill in January, it was $296.00....I'll never forget standing in the kitchen balling my eyes out, wondering how I was EVER going to pay that bill...and then the next month happened, and it was the same amount and I really thought I was just going to lose it!!!
We have insulated curtains that I bought from Plow & Hearth and I'm happy that I spent the $ to do so. We do dress warmly in the house, because it isn't just the furnace that's gas--the stove, the hotwater heater all run on natural gas as well. I cook in my crockpot more in the winter to save the gas from the range top.
I also bought new windows (only 8 of them, remember) and that has made a significant difference in our bill. However, both our natural gas and our electric face another increase in 2009, so lord only knows what we'll do then.
I've always said, what more can you pair down when you're already doing without? I guess I'll find out 
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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Suzan
True Blue Farmgirl
659 Posts
suzanne
duncannon
pa
USA
659 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 10:42:30 AM
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Our electric is to be de-regulated in either 2009 or 2010, so we expect rates to take a huge jump then. We have electric heat w/thermostat in each room but we primarily use wood, just use the electric as back up. But even the wood is going up! Up until 2 yrs ago we were paying $75-$90 a cord, last year and this year we paid $140.
When I worked for an energy conservation contractor 20 yrs ago we sold Window Quilts, out of Brattleboro VT. They were a little pricey, but boy do they work! It was amazing. If you've got a few extra dollars to spend they are well worth the money and with energy prices the way they are I don't think the payback would take long. (Of course that was 20 yrs ago, I don't know if they are still in business or not...) |
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frannie
True Blue Farmgirl
2246 Posts
fran
bonham
texas
USA
2246 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 10:50:59 AM
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i think it is possible to actually do these projects in a way that is "fun" and challenging.
it might actually be a good time to explore the world of felting woolens, if you havent done that. the felted wool i think would be a great way to make some useful window treatments.
but aside from that, i do think we have to challenge our politicians and the petrochemical folks to be responsible and participate in a helpful way to our country while young men and women have volunteered to fight for us.
please, think about this. if the price of oil is so high, how CAN the profits be so high? it doesnt make sense, unless you want to put pressure on folks to agree to drill in places that we have not wanted drilling in?
and did you know that the places in the gulf of mexico where they want to drill, our president took away the leasing fees several months ago, so even if they drill there they will not have to pay for the priviledge. the country will not benefit financially in any way. interesting dont ya think?
today i called nancy pelosi's officie and was able to leave a message and i posed these questions to her, and actually thanked her for not folding to the oil companies.
i asked her to please ask the oil companies to voluntarily give up at least a portion of their profit for the good of all.
i know that i am not a big money person, i have the check book balance to prove it.
but honestly i dont know how folks take a huge bonus when they know that there are fellow americans who could use a break, and that some of those folks have sons, daughters, moms, dads, etc. in harms way right now so they have the freedom to make these huge profits.
if publicly someone had the nerve to pose the question i think it would at least make folks understand that they (the big oil guys) do have a choice in some of what they are doing.
think about it, why does a law have to be enacted for them to decide to cap their profits and temporarily divert them for the good of all. where is their patriotism, these folks who love to challenge others patriotism.
if ya dont feel like calling your congressman you can go to their web pages and ask them, i think you could also go to the web pages of exxon, and bp and some of the other sites and ask them if they have considered this option.
2 other thing i have wondered.
i keep hearing that we have built no new refinerys here in 30 years, but the oil guys HAVE built then in other countries in the last 30 years, places where standards and labor practices may not be as "high" as ours.
also, did you know that our veterans dont get "free" medical care? that was taken away from them by ronald reagan. veterans must pay for their medical care,either with private insurance of out of pocket, and if you owe them money at the end of the year, the va garnishes the money from your tax refund. just in case ya didnt know.
love
frannie in texas
(http://abunnystale.wordpress.com/) |
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bboopster
True Blue Farmgirl
1140 Posts
Betty Jo
West Bend
Wisconsin
USA
1140 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 10:55:12 AM
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I believe we need to stand united and fight back!!!!!! With fuel and medical costs, along with the lose of good paying jobs (manufacturing) sky rocketing, I am very worried about how we can keep absorbing the cost in our middle class families. I do not know how others are making it with the cost of living raising what seems like hourly. My DH and I are very lucky to be a position not to have a mortgage, car payment or credit card bills. We heat with wood almost solely in the winter. That is not without a cost of huge amounts of time, some fuel and physical work. Lucky my DH works from home and can take the time to get the free wood, sort, cut and feed the boiler. Just buying gas for the lawn mower is a huge expense (we don't have a lawn to cut Lucky again). Even with out the huge everyday expenses it cost us over 1600.00 a month just to live frugally. I know that is what most pay for a mortgage. How do they do it? Along all the other expenses of living. I have found myself in the position to find a job with health insurance as we can not afford it on our own. Hard to swallow as I have to take a job I might not want. The job I would like, at the end of the month I will owe the company money to cover the health insurance. So what should we do? How do we band together to fight this problem. Fight the government, fuel companies and the medical suppliers. The big guys (middle men) who are making profit hand over fist? What will happen when it all falls apart like the great depression? It is scary to say the least. 
http://www.bboopster.blogspot.com
3 Blue Star Mother and Proud of it!
Pray for our troops to come home safe and soon.
Enjoying the road to the simple life :>) |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 12:48:37 PM
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These window quilts sound like a good idea. I wish we could heat with wood, but our house is not laid out well for it. Plus, we both have back problems and I have asthma. So maybe not the best option to rely on...
It's interesting to see that natural gas prices are so different around the country. Jonni, I would cry tears of joy if my gas and electric bill was $296 in January. It's more like $600 now. I wonder what it will be this coming January? |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 2:28:05 PM
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I don't know how you gals could possibly pay $300 or $600 a month just for heat and lights. We heat entirely with wood. We have an electric furnace, but never use it as it would cost $400 or more a month to heat this house that way and can't afford that. Our firewood was $150/cord this year. We burn approximately a cord a month. THAT we can afford. When dh is not on the injured list, it's even cheaper to get it ourselves.
Sage, is a wood stove a viable option for you?
Amie, dd has asthma and heating with wood has never bothered her. Aerosol sprays and certain candle scents bother her but not heating with wood.
Alee, I look forward to your tutorial. We have a few windows that are original with the house and we really don't want to change them out for better windows (we really like the wavy glass). I cover them with crystal clear plastic every year until I can get storm windows made for them.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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iloveprims
True Blue Farmgirl
154 Posts
TRACY
Phillipsburg
NJ
USA
154 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 3:30:20 PM
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We heat with oil but we also have portable heaters (EconoHeat Heaters) that use electric but it's fairly inexpensive. I say with the cost of oil, I might just fill it up once and conserve... that means tons of blankets and cuddling.
~Tracy~
Primitive Lover & Farmgirl Wanna be!
http://wantingtobeme.blogspot.com
http://www.handmadeswap.com
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Beverley
True Blue Farmgirl
2707 Posts
Beverley
atlanta
Michigan
USA
2707 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 3:50:26 PM
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We heat with wood. Our wood stove is great and very pretty cause it has a glass front so you can see the fire. It really does help on not be dependent on the gas company. We never turned our furnace on last year. It does take some extra time cutting the wood and bringing it in and stuff but it heats the house very nicely and we are always toasty!! It really is a good idea if you can. Beverley.
Folks will know how large your soul is by the way you treat a dog....Charles F. Doran
beverley baggett
http://bevsdoggies.googlepages.com/ |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 3:57:45 PM
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I could always pay $75.00 for heat and lights--especially in a house that is under 1000 sq. feet, but when it went up, I was single, making $22K a year and just struggling back from my divorce...it's still about the same now, but with a dual income it's a bit easier, but still not something I love to do. What I couldn't do with that extra $150!! And, now they are estimating another increase, but we don't ever have enough savings to put in a wood stove. We have plenty of trees on our land that we can fall as a supply, but I don't forsee us being able to install a wood stove any time soon. My husband is NOT handy, so there's no help on that end, either :)
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 4:07:25 PM
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Jonni, you could install it yourself if you get a manual! It's really not hard. You just have to make sure you have fireproof material on the floor and wall(s) next to the stove, make sure the floor can support the weight of the stove and fireproof material, avoid elbows in the stove pipe if you can and use triple wall pipe from the ceiling on up. Oh, and the pipe has to be just a bit higher than the peak of your house for the best draft.
I don't know about there in KY, but here you can find wood stoves in the paper, yard sales or Craig's List for really reasonable prices. Our first wood stove we had on layaway. Then we upgraded to a much better stove that somebody was selling dirt cheap just to get rid of it. Just do your research and don't settle for something that won't heat the area you have to heat.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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frannie
True Blue Farmgirl
2246 Posts
fran
bonham
texas
USA
2246 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 4:10:02 PM
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i am proposing that we boycott exxon filing stations the labor day weekend, spread the word.
and i also say send emails to your congress folk expressing your displeasure at any approach other than a temporary cap on their profit until this issue is resolved.
anyone game?
love
frannie in texas
(http://abunnystale.wordpress.com/) |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 4:40:21 PM
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Pam:
How truly said that is. Don't freeze this winter. You and your family come down to Louisiana for a week or two and get warm. I'll put you up in my house. Just turn off the heat and come on down! Really, the government is getting to the point where they are becoming cruel to their own citizens. Stay warm this winter Pam.
Marly |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 5:13:05 PM
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Marly- Can I tag along with Sage? She's my mom so we could share a room! :D
Actually, I love the cold weather as long as we can get the house weather proofed!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2899 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2899 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 8:07:09 PM
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JOnni
I know a great place in Adams Cty that sells the COOLEST wood stoves,all price ranges & my hubby is handy that way. If you feed him till he's full(no small task mind you) he would probably think installing a wood stove would be a cool project.
We heat entirely w/wood & our electric bills still run about $170. We also have central air, but have yet to turn it on this year. |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2008 : 06:19:15 AM
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Used woodstoves truly are cheap. We sold the one my husband's family used to heat with for about $75 last summer. But the pipes have become really expensive: $2-3K for a 2 story house.
Lisa, I don't have any direct experience that living with a woodstove would make my asthma worse. But I've been told it's a bad idea, and I would really hate to go to all the expense and rearrangement of installing a woodstove and then find out I couldn't tolerate it.
We are planning to get a natural gas vent free stove for our fireplace this winter. Our houses in this area all had gas fireplaces when they were new, and they became unusable around 1960 due to legislation (they had some fire issues). Some of our neighbors have these vent free inserts, and they say that it warms the downstairs really nicely and cuts their heating bill (the insert is very efficient and reduces use of the less efficient forced air furnace). It seems that the houses were designed with the intent that the fireplace would be in use, so the furnace doesn't really circulate hot air to the living room very well. If your house was built between 1890-1920 and originally had a gas fireplace, this might help you as well. |
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2008 : 06:38:11 AM
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| No shortage of wood here so we try to heat mainly with wood. We have two wall mounted propane heaters and used one for only a couple of days--our reward for doing this the propane company said we didn't use enough propane and they would either take away our tank and give us a smaller one (it's not that big) or raise the rental for the one we have! They said they expect at least two fills a year. Well we filled it and I don't think they raised the rental but I might spend the winter looking into other companies. JoAnn |
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Suzan
True Blue Farmgirl
659 Posts
suzanne
duncannon
pa
USA
659 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2008 : 07:40:42 AM
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That's like the energy companies that were adding a surcharge one year recently when we had a mild winter because they weren't making as much income as they expected...and they were allowed to do this!
We have bought a couple used wood stoves, one for our house and one for our cabin, for $100 each. The one in our house we have been using 20 years!!! so I guess we have gotten our money out of it! We had a wood-burning insert in our fireplace in the last house we built (also used) and it also heated the whole house. I can't in good conscience use the electric heat! |
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Sage
True Blue Farmgirl
207 Posts
Pam
Worland
Wyoming
USA
207 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2008 : 08:24:06 AM
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Lisa; Thanks for the suggestion. We have an insert with a blower in the living room fireplace and we use it as much as we can in the winter. We will be ok but I just dread the cold and the high prices that are coming for everyone.
Marly; How kind of you,I would love to fly south like a bird to your house. Sage :)
Farmgirl sister #140
www.heritagedesigns.etsy.com |
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Across the Fence: Sky high heating costs |
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Sky high heating costs
