Keeping my house warm with no reoccurring costs - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

ASU2003 · 12-31-2008, 08:43 PM

I got my natural gas utility bill yesterday, and I am hoping that they just estimated my usage because it was so high. I had my house up to 60 a few times over the last month, and it has been pretty cold for a few days. But I wasn't expecting it to be in the triple digits.

So, I've done the basic stuff like covering my upstairs windows with the clear film, sealing up gaps in doors, insulating the water heater, and turning the temperature down to 55. But I'm trying to think of what I can do to add some heat to my house without paying for it month after month. I am ok budgeting for one time expenses, but I worry about having enough to cover the bills each month (even though I still have money in the bank and earn twice what I spend).

So, the ideas currently are:
1. Build a solar passive heater and bring in warm air when it is sunny outside. It will only work during the spring and fall for the most part and only during the daytime. I'm not sure how much air it could warm or how hot it could get, but it would be something. The weather isn't always sunny enough here either. But, when it is sunny, having a constant stream of warm/hot air coming into the house wouldn't be bad. But there is the issue of where to put it, how to pipe the air into the house and size limitations.

A Solar-Heated Church
http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploa...1_01-01(2).jpg

2. Go crazy with the insulation in my attic. You get a tax refund next year I believe for buying insulation, and I wouldn't need that much. It is a pretty simple thing to add, however I'm not sure how much this would save me. I am probably losing some heat, but there is a decent layer of blown insulation currently. I'll have to look into it.

3. Build a fireplace into the wall. Probably won't be cheap, but it will burn some wood that can be found in the woods for free.

4. Get black curtains. Not really sure if this would do very much though.

5. increase thermal mass inside house, or seal off parts of house when not in use. I have been sealing off the house by closing doors to one unused room with no water pipes. But I'm not sure what I could use to increase the thermal mass for just part of the year.

6. Build a 10x10x8 greenhouse around my garden with two layers of plastic. Kitchen window and house wall would be backside. It would cost something and would have to stand up to the wind. Plus be removable in the summer (or are plants ok with it being warm?) Could add a large passive solar collector and open up the window to bring in warm air.

I kind of wish that we had stricter building codes here in the US to force builders to make more energy efficient homes. my home was built in 2000, they had the technology and knew it gets cold in Ohio. Making better decisions during the construction is a lot cheaper than trying to improve a thin wall house after it is finished. I think that anyplace that sees snow for 3 months out of the year should build these types of homes.

Passive house - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/wo...ewanted=1&_r=1

I thought about small scale micro wind turbines or solar panels, but they wouldn't generate enough power to heat a house. Airbreeze. It's too bad because the wind option would work from Oct through May, day and night. And you would need a 1.5-2kWh system to run an electric space heater, and those cost quite a bit.

Have you ever done anything to lower your heating bills, without lowering the temperature in your house? Do you have any ideas as to what might work?

Willravel · 12-31-2008, 08:47 PM

Cheap and Easy Solar Heater : TreeHugger

This thing is nuts.

ASU2003 · 12-31-2008, 09:22 PM

They got the cheap and easy part down, but it doesn't seem like it would be very effective. I have to think of something on a larger scale to bring the temperature up to 70-75 inside my house from 5pm-10pm. The greenhouse idea seems to have some potential, but still has the cloud and nighttime issues.

Slims · 12-31-2008, 10:07 PM

Rather than a fireplace, a wood burning stove would be easier to install, and much more efficient. I used to heat my house through the winter with one.

Triple pane vinyl windows make a big difference. If your house has a crawlspace you can close some of the vents leading to it. Close the air vents leading to the rooms you have blocked off. Turn down the maximum temp of your water heater and install a low-flow shower head.

12-31-2008, 08:43 PM	#1 (permalink)
ASU2003 immoral minority Location: Back in Ohio	Keeping my house warm with no reoccurring costs I got my natural gas utility bill yesterday, and I am hoping that they just estimated my usage because it was so high. I had my house up to 60 a few times over the last month, and it has been pretty cold for a few days. But I wasn't expecting it to be in the triple digits. So, I've done the basic stuff like covering my upstairs windows with the clear film, sealing up gaps in doors, insulating the water heater, and turning the temperature down to 55. But I'm trying to think of what I can do to add some heat to my house without paying for it month after month. I am ok budgeting for one time expenses, but I worry about having enough to cover the bills each month (even though I still have money in the bank and earn twice what I spend). So, the ideas currently are: 1. Build a solar passive heater and bring in warm air when it is sunny outside. It will only work during the spring and fall for the most part and only during the daytime. I'm not sure how much air it could warm or how hot it could get, but it would be something. The weather isn't always sunny enough here either. But, when it is sunny, having a constant stream of warm/hot air coming into the house wouldn't be bad. But there is the issue of where to put it, how to pipe the air into the house and size limitations. A Solar-Heated Church http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploa...1_01-01(2).jpg 2. Go crazy with the insulation in my attic. You get a tax refund next year I believe for buying insulation, and I wouldn't need that much. It is a pretty simple thing to add, however I'm not sure how much this would save me. I am probably losing some heat, but there is a decent layer of blown insulation currently. I'll have to look into it. 3. Build a fireplace into the wall. Probably won't be cheap, but it will burn some wood that can be found in the woods for free. 4. Get black curtains. Not really sure if this would do very much though. 5. increase thermal mass inside house, or seal off parts of house when not in use. I have been sealing off the house by closing doors to one unused room with no water pipes. But I'm not sure what I could use to increase the thermal mass for just part of the year. 6. Build a 10x10x8 greenhouse around my garden with two layers of plastic. Kitchen window and house wall would be backside. It would cost something and would have to stand up to the wind. Plus be removable in the summer (or are plants ok with it being warm?) Could add a large passive solar collector and open up the window to bring in warm air. I kind of wish that we had stricter building codes here in the US to force builders to make more energy efficient homes. my home was built in 2000, they had the technology and knew it gets cold in Ohio. Making better decisions during the construction is a lot cheaper than trying to improve a thin wall house after it is finished. I think that anyplace that sees snow for 3 months out of the year should build these types of homes. Passive house - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/wo...ewanted=1&_r=1 I thought about small scale micro wind turbines or solar panels, but they wouldn't generate enough power to heat a house. Airbreeze. It's too bad because the wind option would work from Oct through May, day and night. And you would need a 1.5-2kWh system to run an electric space heater, and those cost quite a bit. Have you ever done anything to lower your heating bills, without lowering the temperature in your house? Do you have any ideas as to what might work?

12-31-2008, 10:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
Slims Eccentric insomniac Location: North Carolina	Rather than a fireplace, a wood burning stove would be easier to install, and much more efficient. I used to heat my house through the winter with one. Triple pane vinyl windows make a big difference. If your house has a crawlspace you can close some of the vents leading to it. Close the air vents leading to the rooms you have blocked off. Turn down the maximum temp of your water heater and install a low-flow shower head. __________________ "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

12-31-2008, 08:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	Cheap and Easy Solar Heater : TreeHugger This thing is nuts.

12-31-2008, 09:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
ASU2003 immoral minority Location: Back in Ohio	They got the cheap and easy part down, but it doesn't seem like it would be very effective. I have to think of something on a larger scale to bring the temperature up to 70-75 inside my house from 5pm-10pm. The greenhouse idea seems to have some potential, but still has the cloud and nighttime issues.