[gagesmommy]

My DH and I installed a programable thermostat so when we weren't home or were in bed the heat was set to go down. But, if your schedule is different for a day or whatever you can still turn it up or down.
We also try to keep every light we can turned off.
Any other ideas?

[kandikid82]

Unplug everything your not currently using. Especially cell phone chargers. We unplug our toaster oven, can opener, TVs, radios, printers, hair dryers, curling irons, etc. When I need to open a can I plug in my can opener, open the can and then unplug the can opener again. Saves a ton of $$$$.

Put all Christmas lights on a timer.

We keep our heat at 60, yes 60 durring the winter. We have tons of sweaters and blankets that are free.

Ceiling fans can save money as long as you have them spinning in the appropriate direction for the season. I always forget which way is correct. That's hubbys job!

We rarely use our gas fireplace. I love it, but I never like the bill after using it and it doesn't really heat up our house. We haven't ever had a wood burning fireplace.

When I have to use the oven I try to cook as many items at the same time as possible. For example I might cook three cakes at the same time and freeze two until we need them. Heating up your oven costs a fortune. I will also do this with dinners. I will make a double batch of baked ziti and cook them at the same time, then freeze half of it. This also saves me cooking time later on.

Get a toaster oven and use it instead of your stove whenever possible. It has less space to heat up so it costs less money.

Pre-cook all of your hamburger meat at one time. I can cook up 5-10 pounds at one time and then section them out and freeze the dinner portions cooked verses cooking 1 pound of hamburger meat at a time and using a lot more energy. Bonus is the time it save me!

Switch all of your bulbs to the new curly ones. I think they are called floresent bulbs. They will pay for themselves in a year and you'll keep saving for years to come.

Buy a simple $20 water heater blanket. You can get them at any home store. Easy to install and keeps the heat in your water heater, where it should be.

Okay that's all I can think of right now. Can you tell that I'm a nut about this stuff?

[Kmchamplin]

We keep our heat down to 62 degrees in the daytime and 60 degrees at night.

We also try to start a fire in the fireplace in the afternoon/evening.

[Kmchamplin]

Originally Posted by kandikid82

When I have to use the oven I try to cook as many items at the same time as possible. For example I might cook three cakes at the same time and freeze two until we need them. Heating up your oven costs a fortune. I will also do this with dinners. I will make a double batch of baked ziti and cook them at the same time, then freeze half of it. This also saves me cooking time later on.

Get a toaster oven and use it instead of your stove whenever possible. It has less space to heat up so it costs less money.

Pre-cook all of your hamburger meat at one time. I can cook up 5-10 pounds at one time and then section them out and freeze the dinner portions cooked verses cooking 1 pound of hamburger meat at a time and using a lot more energy. Bonus is the time it save me!

Buy a simple $20 water heater blanket. You can get them at any home store. Easy to install and keeps the heat in your water heater, where it should be.

I tend to also do most of what you said above. When I am cooking supper, I will bake cookies or brownies...they never make it to the freezer.

Never thought about the water heater blanket. WIll have to look into it.

Where do you live that you can handle the 60 degrees for a temp in your house? People think I am completely nuts in my area of MN. I just saw that you live in GA. Duh! I can do that temp at night, but not during the day unless the sun is shining through the bay window.

[djcullen]

We also have a programable thermostat. Easy to install and will save $$. Great post.

We also installed attic fans for the summer time heat. They come on when the attic reaches a certian temp. and blows the hot air out of the attic.

[Dianaj64]

Anyone switch over to a waterless hot water tank? I've been thinking about doing that. Was wondering what your thoughts are. Do you really save enough money to justify the switch?

[mcdlady1]

Plastic on windows in the winter. roll up old towels and place by doors or windows if you feel an air leak. My youngest never takes a bath by himself either with hubby or one of his brothers. Use those spiral lightbulbs. Also look into an energy audit thru your electric company mine is $100 dollars but you can split it up and they give you the water heater blanket and 4 of those light bulbs.

[GrannyGodley]

If you cook soup or other liquid items, you are "steaming" up the place and that moisture helps the lower temp in your house feel warmer. So as you cook your dinner meal, you can do it one pot at a time so that you have one "boiling" at a time. When the first is finished, turn it off and beging "boiling" the second.

After you bake in your oven, remember to leave the door ajar until the heat all dissapates into your room.

If you don't already have storm windows and you can't afford them, you can apply sheets of plastic to the inside of your windows and it really cuts down on heat loss and that creepy/chilly feeling from cold windows. (I know it doesn't look pretty, but it saves and feels real good.) You can save some of these from year to year if you are careful and have a spot you can stash them.

Remember, very young children and older folks can not take the temp down as low as others. Don't let it get too cold for them.

A very hot, dry house is not good for your nasal passages and can actually cause illnesses. So lower the temp to an acceptable level and keep the air as moist as possible without creating a mildew forming situation. (sometimes a humidifier is good)

[kandikid82]

Originally Posted by Kmchamplin

I tend to also do most of what you said above. When I am cooking supper, I will bake cookies or brownies...they never make it to the freezer.

Never thought about the water heater blanket. WIll have to look into it.

Where do you live that you can handle the 60 degrees for a temp in your house? People think I am completely nuts in my area of MN. I just saw that you live in GA. Duh! I can do that temp at night, but not during the day unless the sun is shining through the bay window.

I grew up in Maine so the cold doesn't bother me a bit. My son is 15 so we bought him an electric throw since he gets chilled. And how do I put this, neither me or hubby are exactly "thin" so our extra fat layers keep us warm. ;-)

The water heater blanket is super easy and cheap. You show check it out!

[JudyJoy]

Hubby installed a extra water heater. The reason for this was so we always have hot water. First tank pre heats and then second tank is what we use from. I dont believe it cost any mor in energy but no matter how many showers we would use or dish waser running always have hot water. Had 3 teen Girls at the time.

[mpayne]

Great tips everyone!

[grace.maddie]

we started burning wood last year and it has made a huge diffrence in our gas bill. i also use cast iron and cook on our earth stove from time to time.

[newmommy]

Ok so I got a good one for you ladies. I just moved into an older duplex this summer. The landlord told me the average gas bill is about $80 in the winter. Mine was $202 this month!!! The thing is we have an old space heater with no thermostat. The thing is huge and has an electric blower on it to circulate but there are no heater vents. We use the ceiling fan in the room to circulate as well but my dd's room has no vents at all so I don't even leave the door open its so chilly. To top it off the other day i was sorting through my spare blankets behind my couch and found frost on my inside walls!! Any ideas how to warm this place up efficiently? I did plastic the windows too. I think I may also write my landlord a letter advising her of this. Thanks

[mjloves2shop]

Our electric bill gets outragious. We are in FL and don't have gas so it is only electric.

We had the electric lady come out and for free she did a breakdown of your costs and gave us lots of money saving tips!

~ceiling fans running 24/7 cost $7 a month

~microwave or toaster oven recommentded for AC homes

~the pump on our waterfall pond is costing us $75 a month to run ($2.50 a day!) ~ she recommended a timer so it doesn't run all night.

[IluvCoupons]

Originally Posted by GrannyGodley

If you cook soup or other liquid items, you are "steaming" up the place and that moisture helps the lower temp in your house feel warmer. So as you cook your dinner meal, you can do it one pot at a time so that you have one "boiling" at a time. When the first is finished, turn it off and beging "boiling" the second.

After you bake in your oven, remember to leave the door ajar until the heat all dissapates into your room.

If you don't already have storm windows and you can't afford them, you can apply sheets of plastic to the inside of your windows and it really cuts down on heat loss and that creepy/chilly feeling from cold windows. (I know it doesn't look pretty, but it saves and feels real good.) You can save some of these from year to year if you are careful and have a spot you can stash them.

Remember, very young children and older folks can not take the temp down as low as others. Don't let it get too cold for them.

A very hot, dry house is not good for your nasal passages and can actually cause illnesses. So lower the temp to an acceptable level and keep the air as moist as possible without creating a mildew forming situation. (sometimes a humidifier is good)

Where do you buy the plastic and how do you hang it? Just use tape? When the wind blows hard I can definitely feel a chill in the office that I'd like to cut back on!

[SLance68]

If you have a heat pump a/c system you can install a ECU - energy conservation unit and what it does is takes the hot water your heat pump creates and puts it in your water heater. So free hot water. Those insta-hot water heaters are not that great of a deal and do cost about the same to run as a electric water heater. If you have natural gas or propane available to your home switch to a gas water heater, dryer and stove it will save tons.

[Kmchamplin]

Originally Posted by IluvCoupons

Where do you buy the plastic and how do you hang it? Just use tape? When the wind blows hard I can definitely feel a chill in the office that I'd like to cut back on!

Go to any home fix it store or even target or walmart and you can get kits to use. You use double sided tape to stick to the window edge and then put the plastic over it. Once done with that, you take a blow dryer and blow over it. It shrinks causing another layer of protection against the cold.

[GrannyGodley]

KMchamp... they are doing it differently now - wow. We used plastic sheets and card board strips for top & bottom which you rolled the plastic around and tacked it in place. These were tiny tacks and didn't mess up things too much. The "shrink-wrap" effect you describe sounds very good.

Regardless of the method of installation, they do help cut the chill.

Newmommy - I really feel for you. I never had it that cold that we had frost on the walls, but we did have ice forming on the inside of the windows where the moisture condensation froze up on us - and we live in North Carolina! Please get some help with your heat from your landlord. Surely something can be done to help.

Keep warm folks.

[Wednesday]

I wash most of my clothes in cold water.

[GrannyGodley]

I wash my clothes in cold water as well. Unless you have a specific need to use hot water, cold water works very well especially with today's good detergents. Actually, if you have well water, some of the minerals will yellow your clothes if you use hot water. I don't know what causes this, but it happens. I guess over the longhaul they will eventually grow yellow/dingy looking even with cold water, but hot speeds it up.

Hang up as many of your clothes in the house as possible to dry them. It will:

(1) Put moisture into the air which you need during the heating season
(2) Save some money on your clothes dryer cost of operation (gas or electric).

Put them on hangers and hang them over the shower rod. The heat will help them dry quickly and then you can hang more up.

If you are long of arm and leg, you will appreciate having your clothes hung up to dry as opposed to being dried in the dryer which tends to shorten the arms and legs.

[CarolynC]

We use an old crock pot upstairs and downstairs to put moisture in the air. We just set it on the floor in a corner and fill it once a day. We breathe better with the moist air. We have 2 heat pumps, one for up and one for down. Our house is only 4 y.o. so not a lot of window leaks, etc. We also do not heat the upstairs at all, so that thermostat is off! You use less water for showers cause you get in and out very quick, and of course heat rises. Temp stays at 60 downstairs, but DH did install gas logs this fall so that helps with the electric bill. I have always believed quilts, natural fibers like cotton and wool, held in more heat and body warmth than synthetic fibers for blankets. Just old fashioned, I guess!! DH and I are both very hot natured, so that helps. I always tell everyone when you come to my house, dress warm because it's a whole lot prettier for you to put on a sweater than for me to start taking off clothes!!

[lou12341]

My laundry room is in the basement and I would forget to take clothes out of the dryer and they would get wrinkled. Now I set the timer on my dryer and the range in the kitchen and take the clothes out immediately. I haven't had to iron anything in MONTHS!

[kandikid82]

Originally Posted by c1cooper1

I always tell everyone when you come to my house, dress warm because it's a whole lot prettier for you to put on a sweater than for me to start taking off clothes!!

My hubby love the cold and he tells me that I can always put on more clothes but he can only take off so many!

[2vette2camaro]

I have actually installed fluorescent lights in most of my rooms. In the kitchen I find that it makes way more light than when I just had an ordinary light fixture in there. They are about $16.00 at Wal- Mart and come with the two long bulbs it takes to use them. I think they look very distinguished. I have a couple more rooms that I need to get them in.

I only wash in cold water. Be sure to change the dryer filter often and don't fill the dryer too full. The parts room,as we call it where I am on the computer, we don't heat at all, just have the vent closed and covered up.

[michjoh]

Dh and I bought and outside wood burning furnace. It not only heats our house but also our hot water. We have been able to turn the pilot off on our gas hot water heater. We live on a farm and have tons of fallen trees that need to be cut up and burnt in the spring, now we just burn them in our furnace. In just 3 years we will have it paid off and right now the payment is the same amount of what our gas bill was. The best part is I never have to worry about being cold. It doesn't cost us any more to hea the house to 80 as it does to 60 so we generally have it set at 74.