heating costs

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2002
heating costs
14
Sun, 10-05-2008 - 10:13am

How is everyone preparing for the impending cost of heating their home?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2008
In reply to: faeriewings
Sun, 10-05-2008 - 10:44am
Our house is all electric and, honestly, our electric bill is cheaper in the Winter than in the Summer. However, we are in Georgia. If you have neighbors that you are friends with, I would consider asking them what the difference is in the bill between summer and winter. I don't think anyone would take offense to that question. It certainly wouldn't hurt to squirrel some extra money away just in case. You can always put it towards debt repayment after you get the electric bill.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-1999
In reply to: faeriewings
Sun, 10-05-2008 - 10:49am
Last year I used small area heaters and I had very heavy drapes over all the windows. I made sure everything had weather stripping. I went to the laundromat because I figured it was cheaper to use the dryers there than the ancient one in my rental unit. The place I lived in had no insulation and it was very miserable. You might want to have area rugs on the floors to increase warmth. A friend last year told me to prepare for my electric bill to triple or quadruple through the winter, and it more than quadrupled from the one I had in the summer...It would have been okay if I was warm, but I was always very freezing cold in there and I never had a view to outside as the windows were always covered over. Just be mentally prepared for the increase and figure out where you can cut your other spending to make up the difference. Good luck!
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-17-2007
In reply to: faeriewings
Sun, 10-05-2008 - 1:55pm

In some cities if you call your electric company and give them the address where you live they will tell you the average bill for last year. So won't because of the private

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
In reply to: faeriewings
Sun, 10-05-2008 - 8:36pm

We run our a/c all summer and run the furnace all winter -- our bills are very close to the same amount year round. Unless we have an especially cold month -- ours pretty much stay the same. Now, if you're someone who doesn't have central air/doesn't use it you'll notice a HUGE difference in your bills winter and summer. Also, what floor do you live on? If you are on the bottom floor your heating bill be significantly more than someone living on the second or third floors. We used to live in a bottom floor apartment and when we moved to the third floor our bill dropped about $80/month. However, summer made up for the lower winter bill because our a/c ran ALL the time.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-12-2007
In reply to: faeriewings
Mon, 10-06-2008 - 11:05am

Erin,


I personally love the budget billing systems offered by both our power company and our gas company.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-20-2008
In reply to: faeriewings
Mon, 10-06-2008 - 11:46am
We have window AC's in the summer and then we use oil to heat our home in the winter. I keep our budget for Electric at $120/month year round.

Schmoopy

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-06-2008
In reply to: faeriewings
Mon, 10-06-2008 - 5:33pm

I have gas heat, and it's HUGELY expensive. I turn the heat down at night and use an electric blanket. In the mornings, I have a space heater by my desk and there is also a space heater in the bathroom. We dress warmer in the house, and try to keep the furnace set for as low as we and our pets can tolerate. In the summer, it's sweet. We have a swamp cooler that cools our whole house and keeps it nice and you can run those for about $40 a month continuously.

Homegirl
MT
http://www.homeworkers-training.com/

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
In reply to: faeriewings
Mon, 10-06-2008 - 7:43pm
I am praying I will be pleasantly pleased by costs this winter!
Avatar for earnhardt_jr_fan
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
In reply to: faeriewings
Mon, 10-06-2008 - 11:12pm

We have natural gas heat -- always have. We pay basically the same year round. We live in a manufactured home and keep our central air turned pretty low in the summer. We keep our heat turned to a comfortable temperature in the winter months.


We budget a large amt for electricity/gas (which are a combined bill here) because I refuse to be uncomfortable in my own home. I grew up in a home where heat was kept VERY low and air was kept VERY high -- meaning you were rarely comfortable in the house. I swore I wouldn't be uncomfortable in my own home. I will give up something else in order achieve that goal. I can't imagine turning my heat to 55* at night like my dad did. Brrr. I can't imagine keeping my a/c at 82* like my dad did.


This is just something that dh and I have decided. I don't tell anyone else they have to do it -- it's our choice. :0)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2002
In reply to: faeriewings
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 8:49am

I agree with you, because I grew up in a house where it was always either way too cold or way too hot.

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