The ice in the freezer would definitely help. Water (ice) has a much higher heat capacity than air. When you open the freezer door, it lets in a given amount of heat. Without the ice, the temperature in the freezer would go up by some amount, which would raise the temperature of the items in the freezer, and cause the compressor to turn on.

But with the ice, the temperature increase of items (and air) in the freezer is much lower, as the ice you have sitting around takes on a lot of the heat without increasing its temperature very much (the definition of “higher heat capacity”).

However, the rush of warm air will cause the compressor to turn on anyway, but it will stay on a shorter time. You might try putting the ice close to the sensor so it is less subject to temperature changes… this could, of course, cause the freezer to be warmer than it should be.

Going to make ice outdoors when the freezing temps come and continually through ice into a couple pots/kettles into the fridge… And I’ll rotate the ice as it melts. He got that tip from a reader. She actually turned her fridge off and the ice was enough to maintain the 45degree temperature. I am not brave enough to turn it off but at least the compressor won’t be needed as much.

I wonder if adding more ice to the freezer would help it or hurt it. It doesn’t get opened nearly as much but I wonder if having more ice to keep frozen is more work than the help the extra ice gives to keep the temperature freezing. Any physicists out there have a thought?

So, we began using a space heater to heat the one room we were in at the time. When we went to another room, we took the space heater with us. We only run the space heater long enough to be comfortable in the one room and then we shut it off until the room becomes too cool and then we turn it back on. We wear a few sweaters. If I am sitting on the couch, I use a throw blanket.

Even though we live in the Midwest, we never had our central heating on once last winter….and our heating bills were much lower than prior years when we ran the centalized furnace. Interestingly, I am much more comfortable temperature wise with our space heating method than with the centralized heating –which never was warm enough to me.

‘Not sure if space heaters are okay for others, but it works very well for us.

As far as space heaters go, the thought of running them 24/7 shocks me. I also live in a mild climate and I live alone. I hardly ever turn on my central heat use a space heater whenever I need it. I have never done the math but I think it saves over running the central heat. I also bundle up at night with no heat what-so ever.

i’m an electric miser elsewhere though. i cut electric costs all i can. i could go lower by unplugging everything when i’m not using it, but i’m forgetful.

During the winter, we tend to use just two rooms most of the time. Last month when we had our wiring replaced, we actually had a special circuit installed just for space heaters. We use the oil-filled radiator type.

But we haven’t actually experienced a winter where I was working from home yet, so I’m not sure how things will pan out.

I’ve worked for an electric company for about a year. As a result, I’m no expert or electrician, but have noticed a few trends. One thing we noticed this winter is that a lot of peoples bills were taking a serious jump. What was happening is they ran out of oil, couldn’t afford to buy any more and started running space heaters 24/7. Space heaters, although very efficient, really aren’t mean to be a primary source of heat. They’re only really meant as a secondary sources, so you can turn the heat down and heat up something little, say a person. Not to mention, like any high watt item, they are going to impact your bill. Power’s now 15.5 cents per kwh in Maine (where I live) so it’s pretty pricey to heat your house that way.

I don’t mean to sounds like a know it all, but I saw a lot of customers fall into this trap this winter and are having problems catching up with their large balances. I can’t help but feel bad for them. I suspect that places with shorter, more moderate winters and smaller electricity costs may have different experiences.

http://richerandbetter.blogspot.com/2008/06/is-it-time-to-switch-to-cfls.html

You need to know your price per kWh, the cost of bulbs, how many of each type and the average number of hours you have each type of light on in your home.

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We’ve been using fans a lot this year. Last year we almost only used the AC. We’re trying hard to save money where we can!

This was very useful, thanks for the link. It’s time to insist that all light bulbs become the energy efficent bulbs in my house. I guess when it all comes down to it, you have to decide whether you want to be cool during the summer or if you can stand the heat. Vice versa for winter.