A few years ago we bought a century-old house. It's poorly insulated. There are many windows. There are cracks under the doors. As you might expect, it's cold. To conserve energy, we use a programmable thermostat to keep the temperature at 54 when we're not around, and at 64 when we are. Still, that's chilly. We've gradually been making things snugger but it takes time and money. Meanwhile, we've developed a couple of coping mechanisms.
For one, it's amazing how much difference socks and slippers can make. Our floors are cold. The fiberglass insulation in the basement does little to keep the cold air from chilling our oak floorboards. But in socks and slippers (and especially on an area rug), my feet are toasty.
Other pieces of armor include hats and sweaters. I pick up cheap cardigans at garage sales and thrift stores, and wear them around the house. They're cozy and fashionable. (That's sarcasm, for those who missed it.) Since I wear a lot of hats, there's always a piece of headgear around to help me retain heat.
A final piece in our arsenal is the fleece blanket. We have several scattered throughout the house. Weekday afternoons often find me sitting in the parlor before the sunny windows, cloaked in a cardigan, socks and slippers on my feet, hat on my head, and my lap filled with a blanket, a computer, and a cat (or two).
Very warm, indeed.
My MacBook Pro's built-in camera documents a cozy afternoon
Author: J.D. Roth
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Pets are so good for warmth. I have a lap dog who likes to cuddle under blankets – very warm and cozy!
Looks like my house, cat and all…
Pets are great for warmth if they like to be snuggled. I have 2 cats, 2 dogs, 1 husband, 2 dwarf hamsters, and some fish that don’t really count (that whole living in water thing). 1 dog is snuggly. All the other critters prefer you not touch them much unless there is a very good treat involved.
We also keep our thermostat pretty low in the winter. It saves money, and our heater is really loud.
Another trick is to just use a little space-heater. When I’m home alone during the day, I leave the heater off. A space heater at my desk keeps me real toasty.
I just moved out of a house like this. We shared some techniques (socks and blankets all the time). Another technique we used was drinking hot water to heat ourselves from the inside out. We also got a small electric heater to put in whatever room we were using. Finally, we made up any reason to spend time at friends houses. In our new house I’m finding that a few sit-ups or push-ups goes a long way to keep me warm, not to mention healthy.
For the record, that’s Toto the thirteen-year-old bitchy black cat sitting over my shoulder, and Max (aka Meatball) the nine-month-old sweetheart trying to knock my computer off my lap. We own four cats, which is three too many. But we love each in its own way. It takes great restraint not to mention them more often here, but there are enough cat blogs on the internet. And besides, that’s what my personal site is for! 🙂
Putting on clothes to stay warm when it’s cold…? Genius! I guess that explains why I keep getting frostbite on my ass.
It might seem kind of obvious to wear warmer clothing to save money on heating but I’ve had roommates who wanted to wear shorts and T-shirts in the house while cranking up the heat. That was very frustrating when I had to pay half of the heating bill.
Great tips and a great blog. Q: Did you mean “sarcasm” instead of “irony”? Or is it ironic that thrift store cardigans would be back in style again?
I honestly think some people are more sensitive to cold than others. Even bundled up, if I set my thermostat to 64 I’d be absolutely miserable. I have been using a space heater though to reduce my overall heating expenses – pointed directly at me at all times.
Melsky,
I totally agree. My roommate puts the AC at 60 in the summer and turns the heat to 75 in the winter. Some people just don’t get it.
Great post. I am only surviving this winter thanks to my Slanket (www.theslanket.com) and my LL Bean Wicked Good Slippers. Both are life-savers. I am not affiliated with either company.
Assuming you have at least a modest income and are in charge of such things at your dwelling:
Set the thermostat to whatever you feel is comfortable, wearing whatever you feel is comfortable. If you can’t, then you should move.
I meant that to sound harsh, but we dump huge amounts of money into places in which we ultimately cannot afford to live.
Even though we could afford to heat the house to 80 degrees if we wanted, we’re not interested in spending that kind of money. Even if we *can* afford something doesn’t mean we should spend money on it. We’re gradually making changes to improve our heating situation, but until then we bundle up…
I believe you meant sarcasm not irony.
On a unrelated note my left-brained word facist blog is doing well.
jk
Sheesh! Caleb and J: you guys remind me of me.
I really did mean to use irony. In my mind, sarcasm and irony are roughly equivalent, especially in this instance. A quick check using define: irony and define: sarcasm at Google supports this usage. However, I agree that a better word choice in this instance would have been sarcasm. It’s better to be clear than to be right.
I’ve replaced “irony” with “sarcasm”.
This is hands-down 100% *absolutely* the best thing (possibly the only good thing, but still the best) about living in apartment instead of a house. My mother complains about her gas bill all the time and keeps it down around 60 degrees F in the winter. At that temperature, I’m miserable; my circulation isn’t good, so when it’s cold I start losing feeling in my fingers no matter how well the rest of me is bundled up. My mother, of course, is around That Age where she’d happily have it at 50 year round, so it wasn’t all budget-related. My… Read more »
Some good common sense advice. I used to like wearing shorts and a t-shirt around the house all winter, but trying to keep it around 70-72 in order to feel comfortable was too costly (especially in times like these where it is dropping to -10F at night and only reaching 0F during the day. It is as simple as throwing on a pair of pajama or sweat pants and a pair of socks and 65-66 feels just fine. We currently use propane for our heat and our annual gas bill is usually between 500-600. Not bad to heat a 1600… Read more »
Oh cats. 🙂 They’re so useful in the winter time! I remember when I lived back home in Massachusetts and my dad always kept the house at 65 in the winter, I used to have my cat everywhere with me. On my lap at the computer, curled up under the covers in bed, on my feet when I stretched out on the couch in front of the tv. I even draped him across my shoulders like a shawl when wandering around the house to keep warm, haha! But I moved out to CA and into an apartment and left the… Read more »
I would keep the temp to 64 in our house, but my DW says that it is too cold and the kids will freeze.
Being cold will give them a good reason to move around the house doing chores….:-)
So we compromised. I turn it down when she isn’t looking and she turns it up when I’m not looking.
We keep our house at 60 degrees when we are around during the day. When we go to bed we usually turn it down to about 56 degrees. Sleeping with a fleece hat and a down comforter really helps. We’re all going to be doing this in a few years with natural gas prices rise as Canada (the main US suppier) produces less and less of the stuff – it’s a good idea to practice now. Saves money and helps reduce CO2 emissions.
Oh good, my wife and I aren’t the only people freezing our butts off this winter. We are experiencing the same issues with a condo that is on the ground floor, with nothing but a crawl space underneath. Thanks for the tips…
Reducing energy costs isn’t just about saving money for me. Its also about being environmentally friendly.
I live in a rented accomodation with only electric storage heaters. These are on a timer to come on for a few hours (to save the planet) and at night (to save money, special electricity tariff).
I bundle up in 2 sweatshirts and a blanket if I sitting doing nothing. At the moment I put on extra clothes at night, but I’m considering getting a hot water bottle to warm the bed up before I get in.
In my opinion, this is a good example of frugal vs cheap. You are going to outrageous lengths to save some money each month. While it may add up to be a few hundred dollars, is it really worth not being comfortable in your own home? I guess it depends on who you talk to, but I like to keep my place around 70. I still have to bundle up when I go outside, but I’m comfortable wearing my work clothes when I get home because it’s a comparable temperature.
I have tried this experiment, and have found that cranking the heat way down has a negligible effect (maybe $10-15 per month) on the electric bill and a huge effect on my quality of life (who likes to wear robes, coats, blankets and hoods inside?). I’m willing to pay $15 more not to be bundled up indoors. We make up for it in the summer, because I only turn on the AC at night unless it’s over 90 outside during the day.
I have to agree with Andy… some people believe being comfortable in your own home is worth the extra $$/month. I live in an apartment where the radiators always come on late, after it’s cold enough for extra layers, space heaters, lots of tea. But you know what? Unless you’re wearing a ski mask on your face, can type with gloves on and wear a wetsuit in the shower… at some point you’re going to feel the cold on your bare skin. Frugality should not equal masochism.
Oh, come on, you may as well get used to it. 60 degrees with layers and knit hats is plenty comfortable. And I’m saving more than just $15/month. When someone house sat for us a couple of years ago he kept the temp up at 72 all the time and the gas bill was $150. At 60 degrees when we’re around during the day (otherwise it’s off) and 55 at night my gas bill was $50 last month. And then there are the environmental benefits as well – it’s not just about the money. Better to get used to it… Read more »
Well hold on, I don’t think we all have to “get used” to shivering in sweaters. There’s a difference between energy conservation and energy efficiency. Energy conservation just means using less energy. Energy efficiency means using less energy to do the same work. So in fact if you invest money in improving your home’s insulation and weather-tightness, you could keep the thermostat set at 70 and still pay less for heat than you do now with the thermostat set at 60. Plus your home may be worth more due to the improvements. Personally I like it cool, so I’m very… Read more »
I’m going to have to agree with Andy/Brenda on this one. I keep my tstat set at 70 when I’m home and 60 when I’m away. I would not sacrifice my comfort to save 50-100 bucks a month. I enjoy the ability to lounge around in some summer type clothes inside my home in the winter. Some things I’ve discovered: 1. Socks make a big difference on how warm you feel. 2. Keep your blinds/curtains open during the sunlight hours of the day and keep them shut when it is dark. 3. Turn your heat down when you sleep if… Read more »
Many utilities will provide free energy conservation consulting. Two Saturdays ago a representative came out to my house, and spent 2 hours with me pointing out easily 60+ things I could do to save energy. I specifically asked him to only discuss inexpensive options, so he didn’t even go into things like double paned windows and new doors. I also discovered that insulating my 1922 bungalow wouldn’t be as expensive as I thought – they take a piece of siding off the outside and blow it in, to the tune of around $1500. So anyway – see if your utility… Read more »
this has got to be the most ridiculous conversation. Anyone who sleeps in a coat and a hat needs to reconsider their life. If you cant afford heat you have to either get a cheaper place or get a better job. I suppose that an extra 30-50 a month would mean alot to some, but quite honestly, you have to ask yourself what you are doing wrong with your life if you cant afford heat in your house. And dont forget that the extra cost is only for 3 months (here in the US) so really we are talking about… Read more »
this has got to be the most ridiculous conversation.
I think it’s fun. It points to the different priorities we each have. For some, it’s no big deal to spend a few hundred bucks extra a year to create a comfortable indoor temperature. Others would rather be a little uncomfortable but save the money. I generally fall in the latter camp.
I’ll admit, though, that I’m a huge bath-taker. Every night during the winter I take a hot bath to “warm my inner core”. Without that habit, I’d need to crank the heat, too.
I’m from central TX, so heat isn’t usually a huge issue- its a/c. We’re saving to put in solar panels on our deck roof to save money that way. Eventually we hope to be able to cash in on net metering, but until then, I just adore my programmable thermostat.
And cats are a great heat source.. except when they insist on sitting on the KEYBOARD instead of your lap…
To cut down on drafts: take clear packing tape and cover every window seam…where it the sash meets the window.. use anywhere you feel a daft. We had many UNDER the window where the frame met the wall.
We live in a tiny townhouse in Toronto, and have been setting the thermostat to 62 at night and 66 during the day. Our furnace goes on briefly a couple of times a week at these settings, so our summer and winter gas bills are almost identical. I work at home and I found our first winter to be miserable: I actually wore gloves a few days until my body adjusted. But you do adjust. Even during this bitter winter, I can wander around in a t-shirt, yoga pants and socks for most of the day. When I do feel… Read more »
@Goldenlady You write you are using a space heater to reduce “overall heating expenses”. I guess electricity is for free? To all: Coming from Germany I always wonder how poorly insulated houses are in the US and what antiquated heating systems people have. In Germany there are laws for newly built houses on insulation. And also on heating equipment (CO2 emmissions are being controlled also for private people) Every ratiator has a thermostate so one can control the temperature room by room and not only for the whole house. And heating costs (oil, natural gas) are extremely high, so are… Read more »
I’m a little baffled at those who think these are extreme measures. I guess I just thought this was normal. 65 degrees seems quite warm to me. Except for when we have a freeze warning (I’m in TX) I turn the heat completely off when I’m sleeping or away for the day.
Heavy drapes is another way to help control the drafts in a poorly insulated house or apartment.
Is this conversation over? I can’t resist tossing in my 30cents worth in venting and sharing. I live in a largish leaky 1920’s house in Iowa. I lust incessantly after insulation and new windows, but havent’t taken the plunge, yet. Meantime, we have the thermostat set at 48 degrees at night, usually 55 or even less during the day; but with my kitchen door and a set of pocket doors shut, the worst cold is in the front hall/sitting area (where the thermostat is); living/dining/kitchen is okay, and better with our tiny fireplace insert burning. We use heaters in the… Read more »
I live in a huge all brick 5000sq foot Greek Revival historic home. My thermostat kept at 62 degrees max in winter and 78 in the summer. Last winter max gas bill 400.oo and this summer max electri bill was 246.oo. i have two gas furnaces and two c/a units. I live in indiana. this house built in 1844. i hate freezing in the winter. But i could easily hace 2000.oo gas bill though.
Anyone no what difference in gas bill if i increased my thermostat from 62 to 68 cold months?