We got our natural gas bill yesterday

[catmandu57]

It went up. Not by much 12.00, we're on an average payment plan so we don't have heart attacks when the cold weather bills come in, still it looks like a cold winter coming.
We do all we can to weatherize and I turn the thermostat down when I'm here alone and at night when we don't need the heat.
I think all the cats are going to be getting along to find their place in bed with us this winter.

[NMDemDist2]

1. this may interest you. I bought 6 and am not planning on lighting my

pilot light until we have a snow storm coming -- if and when that happens



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=353&topic_id=279&mesg_id=279


here's a pic of one in my master bath

[SharonAnn]

3. Bought 6 cats? LOL!

[NMDemDist2]

4. you are seeing a cat??

i'm so confused..... :crazy:

[AZCat]

5. We have a Frugal and Energy Efficient Living Group here?

Man, I need to wander DU more - thanks AZDemDist6!

[NMDemDist2]

10. LOL you're welcome! n/t

[Nay]

11. Hey, AZ, have you had to use those panels yet? I'm thinking I want

to order two for my son's small house -- to keep his heating bills down. What's the consensus on how much money they really save?

[NMDemDist2]

17. check the link in the Frugal group since I just got mine

and haven't had cold weather yet BUT I can tell you we left it on accidently when we installed it and the room was definately WARM when we got home LOL

[mod mom]

2. After a $ 650 (highest) and a $500+, and $400+ gas bill last winter, we

ordered a soapstone high efficiency wood stove from Finland. (We live in Ohio and have a lot of windows). I found most of my information at DU's environment/energy forum. This stove (Wittus softline) which is both beautiful and functional, will not burn the kids/dogs as the outer surface only gets to 175 degrees.

[midnight armadillo]

12. There's nothing enviro friendly about that

Soapstone shipped all the way from Finland?! So you had rock mined in Europe, shipped thousands of miles to the US via fossil fuels (jet fuel or bunker fuel if by tanker), then shipped another 1500 miles from the port to Ohio by diesel fuel, and you're patting yourself on the back for making a good environmental choice?

Last I checked, Ohio has no shortage of rocks. Surely there was a more local vendor of soapstone stoves... Depending on the structure of your home you could have had a masonry stove built from stone from your property.

[mod mom]

16. We couldn't have a masonry heater (looked into it-contacted a co, but have

a basement below and couldn't support the weight. We attempted to find a contemporary wood stove produced in the US, but unfortunately not a single company (go ahead and google away if you like.) The company, Wittus, has a New york site, but the stoves as we found out, are made in Finland. Unless you want a traditional look ( I live in a mid century architect's home designed/built by a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright) and even then the pickings are slim and the efficiency goes down.

What we save in gas heat with this stove and be recuperated by it's travel expense of fuel. Unfortunately, the US is behind Europe in this area. (BTW we live in a heavily wooded property so wood is not an issue and a a load of wood holds heat for almost 30 hours with these soapstone stoves.)

[deaniac21]

18. I think the Swedish manufacturers paddle the soapstone

over in ocean-going canoes.

[Gato Moteado]

6. luckily i'm living in a place where i don't need heat or AC.....

.....but to heat my water i have an electric tankless heater. rather than pay to keep a 50 gallon tank of water heated 24 hours a day, these little things hang on the wall in your utility room and click on whenever you turn on a hot water faucet in the house. they heat the water as it passes through and the water gets very hot. i recommend them.

[AZCat]

7. They're nice, but...

if you have the option get the natural gas one - your efficiency is higher. It is important to note also that the water doesn't get that hot, because you don't want it to be. 120 deg. F is a common max delivery temp for handwashing sinks, but most instantaneous (or tankless) heaters are set at 110 deg. F. We use a lot of them in small commercial applications, like offices or stores in strip malls where there might be one or two bathrooms.

[NMDemDist2]

9. i had one in AZ and loved it! they rock! n/t

[gula]

8. I bought woollen socks and polar long pants and

turtle neck. It works like a charm and I keep my heating at max. 18C most of the time in winter even though I live in a ground floor flat with no carpets. Now if I lived in the country or a house in town where it was feasible, I would definitely get a "Swedish" stove. My mother has one and it really works unlike most fireplaces.

[pansypoo53219]

13. even with a new boiler

the 1926 house i live in doesn't get much over 65f in winter. LOTS of huge leaded windows. so as i am cold blooded anyways, i live in many many many layers(up to 50. shit, i just finished a wool sweater. most of it 5 ply mohair/wool. not a sweater but a wool rug with arms.
luckily my one cat likes to sleep on my head in winter.

[catmandu57]

15. Have you tried the shrink plastic window kits?

They are really good and the plastic is so clear you don't know it's there. They pay for themselves in the first bill, 3m makes the best I think, manco sucks I'll never buy them again.
We have to buy packing tape to secure the corners and stress points, but they're great money savers.

[NJCher]

14. thanks for posting that, AZDem

I have to get busy and order a couple for my house. It's nice to see how they actually look once they are installed.

Don't you love your walk-in shower? I have one like that, only it's glass brick. It's so nice not to have to step into a tub.




Cher

[NMDemDist2]

20. we do love it

:bounce:

we thought about glass brick but with the quality of work our contractors did I think it's just as well we didn't spend the $$$ :rofl:

we were concerned about the weight too and when i thought about acyrlic blocks and our hard water i just shuddered. they'd look great for about three days then they'd be a mess for the rest of our lives

[warrens]

19. Here's a hint

Get a fan and aim it at the ceiling. That will knock down all the warm air rising. I thought it sounded fishy but it works like a charm. It just keeps mixing the air up and raises the temp six or seven degrees (my estimate).