How to Get Rid of Things ©2004 Jonathan Hatch

Home \| Homemaking \| how to get rid of high heating bills	blog \| sitemap \| forums
Heating Bill Note: A lot of energy companies are now allowing energy price speculation manage your heating bills by formulating an estimate of costs over peak heating months and then billing you a small percentage of the estimated total every month. So instead of paying $200 a month for heat from October through March, you pay $80 a month, every month, for 12 months.	Get Rid of High Heating Bills	Heat Loss Reduction Dryer exhaust ducts are a major source of heat loss. There are seals available for dryer ducts either online, or at your local home improvement store. They work by allowing the dryer air to go out and not letting cold air come in, via a small plastic flap with a hinge. Fireplaces are another major source of heat loss. There is a clever device called a fireplace draftstopper that can be installed to complement the average fireplace damper by further eliminating air leaks. It should, of course, be removed each time you use the fireplace.
Heating bills are something they forget to tell you about before you graduate from high school and find your own apartment. I can't count the number of years in a row that the gas companies have found it in their interest to pound me and my roommates in the—ahem—our wallets. Every year, around Fall, it seems there are threats of high heating bills spewing out of the mouths of each and every Minnesotan. Basically we're at the mercy of gas companies and electric companies for 9 months of the year. So, if there's something I've learned from paying rent up North, it's that there are two types of rent; there's rent rent, and then there's the rectum hemorrhaging heating bill. Below are some tips about how to get rid of high heating bills or at least how to reduce your engorged heating bill to a tolerable diameter.
Questions or suggestions? Check out our Homemaking Forum.
Reducing a high heating bill starts with proper insulation. Insulating your attic is a primary concern. If you're a renter, you should always make certain that the attic of a house is properly insulated. If you're a home owner, you'll want to get on this right away. Screw storage space and get some of that new foam or fiber glass insulation installed immediately. Besides, basements are for storage. Everyone knows that.
Another space that needs to be insulated in order to reduce your heating bill is any floor above an unheated area. For renters, this should be less of a concern, unless you're living in sub-par housing, in which case you should move—right now. I've lived above unheated floors and the only fun part was getting drunk to stay warm. Homeowners: if you have a heated basement, just worry about insulating those walls.
My grade school used to reduce heating bills by taping transparent plastic sheets across each and every window. Storm windows are great for keeping heat in, but windows and window frames in old houses eventually loosen and allow drafts of cold air in. Get rid of cold air drafts by going to your local Home “Despot” and ask a person there where you can find plastic sheets suitable for insulating windows. Renters use tape. Homeowners use staples.
Doors are your next focus if you're going to reduce heating bills. We've all suffered because of drafts coming in through doors that are not properly sealed. Renters can help get rid of high heating bills by going to the store, buying some foam rubber tubes (otherwise known as weather stripping), and then lining those parts of the doorframe where the door doesn't meet the frame. Weather stripping can also be applied to drafty window frames.
If you are serious about reducing heating bills, you're going to stop turning your thermostat to 80 degrees. Yes, it is nice to live like a Jamaican in the winter, but there are higher energy losses at greater temperatures, which multiply almost geometrically for each degree of heat over 65-70 degrees. Keep your heating bill low by keeping your thermostat at a casual 65 degrees and wear more sweaters.
Questions or suggestions? Check out our Homemaking Forum.
Heating Assistance For those of us who are lucky enough to be poor, there is the possibility of applying for heating assistance. Many states provide this to make sure that impoverished students and underprivileged people don't starve to death because of their heating bill or freeze to death because of their grocery bill. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, about $2 billion dollars has been allocated to federal heating assistance programs, not including heating assistance that may be provided by either your county or your state. So, if you think you're going to have trouble paying the heat bill this year, get down to your local social services building and start the paperwork for heating assistance. Generally speaking, the sooner you do this, the better assistance you get. Apparently it's a first come, first serve deal.
Home \| Homemaking \| how to get rid of high heating bills

Saint Paul Media, Inc. cannot be held responsible for any injury or damage that you may cause to yourself, others, or property when following any advice presented on this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

Home | Homemaking | how to get rid of high heating bills

Heating Bill Note:

A lot of energy companies are now allowing energy price speculation manage your heating bills by formulating an estimate of costs over peak heating months and then billing you a small percentage of the estimated total every month. So instead of paying $200 a month for heat from October through March, you pay $80 a month, every month, for 12 months.

Get Rid of High Heating Bills

Heat Loss Reduction

Dryer exhaust ducts are a major source of heat loss. There are seals available for dryer ducts either online, or at your local home improvement store. They work by allowing the dryer air to go out and not letting cold air come in, via a small plastic flap with a hinge.

Fireplaces are another major source of heat loss. There is a clever device called a fireplace draftstopper that can be installed to complement the average fireplace damper by further eliminating air leaks. It should, of course, be removed each time you use the fireplace.

Heating bills are something they forget to tell you about before you graduate from high school and find your own apartment. I can't count the number of years in a row that the gas companies have found it in their interest to pound me and my roommates in the—ahem—our wallets. Every year, around Fall, it seems there are threats of high heating bills spewing out of the mouths of each and every Minnesotan. Basically we're at the mercy of gas companies and electric companies for 9 months of the year. So, if there's something I've learned from paying rent up North, it's that there are two types of rent; there's rent rent, and then there's the rectum hemorrhaging heating bill. Below are some tips about how to get rid of high heating bills or at least how to reduce your engorged heating bill to a tolerable diameter.

Questions or suggestions? Check out our Homemaking Forum.

Reducing a high heating bill starts with proper insulation. Insulating your attic is a primary concern. If you're a renter, you should always make certain that the attic of a house is properly insulated. If you're a home owner, you'll want to get on this right away. Screw storage space and get some of that new foam or fiber glass insulation installed immediately. Besides, basements are for storage. Everyone knows that.

Another space that needs to be insulated in order to reduce your heating bill is any floor above an unheated area. For renters, this should be less of a concern, unless you're living in sub-par housing, in which case you should move—right now. I've lived above unheated floors and the only fun part was getting drunk to stay warm. Homeowners: if you have a heated basement, just worry about insulating those walls.

My grade school used to reduce heating bills by taping transparent plastic sheets across each and every window. Storm windows are great for keeping heat in, but windows and window frames in old houses eventually loosen and allow drafts of cold air in. Get rid of cold air drafts by going to your local Home “Despot” and ask a person there where you can find plastic sheets suitable for insulating windows. Renters use tape. Homeowners use staples.

Doors are your next focus if you're going to reduce heating bills. We've all suffered because of drafts coming in through doors that are not properly sealed. Renters can help get rid of high heating bills by going to the store, buying some foam rubber tubes (otherwise known as weather stripping), and then lining those parts of the doorframe where the door doesn't meet the frame. Weather stripping can also be applied to drafty window frames.

If you are serious about reducing heating bills, you're going to stop turning your thermostat to 80 degrees. Yes, it is nice to live like a Jamaican in the winter, but there are higher energy losses at greater temperatures, which multiply almost geometrically for each degree of heat over 65-70 degrees. Keep your heating bill low by keeping your thermostat at a casual 65 degrees and wear more sweaters.

Questions or suggestions? Check out our Homemaking Forum.

Heating Assistance

For those of us who are lucky enough to be poor, there is the possibility of applying for heating assistance. Many states provide this to make sure that impoverished students and underprivileged people don't starve to death because of their heating bill or freeze to death because of their grocery bill. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, about $2 billion dollars has been allocated to federal heating assistance programs, not including heating assistance that may be provided by either your county or your state. So, if you think you're going to have trouble paying the heat bill this year, get down to your local social services building and start the paperwork for heating assistance. Generally speaking, the sooner you do this, the better assistance you get. Apparently it's a first come, first serve deal.

Home | Homemaking | how to get rid of high heating bills

Saint Paul Media, Inc. cannot be held responsible for any injury or damage that you may cause to yourself, others, or property when following any advice presented on this website.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.