tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203077889905915553.post6357589578256992406..comments2023-10-30T04:06:45.798-07:00Comments on arduous blog: Freezing Yer Buns?ruchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17043512641324366469noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203077889905915553.post-45001379952183543522010-12-29T09:16:01.989-08:002010-12-29T09:16:01.989-08:00I like it cold. I grew up in an old house (we ofte...I like it cold. I grew up in an old house (we often had squirels and birds in the house because the coupelo (sp?) was never put back on. We het with wood and (gasp) coal. The woodstove was red hot during the day (we still needed socks/slippers, long sleves and warm pants) but it went out at night. We slept under many blankets in warm jammies. My Dad was always first up (4am) and he would stuff and stoke the fire to get the house warm. We always played in the playroom (which ironically was where the wood stove was). So I am used to living in 60 degree winter weather (hey when its 20 below out 60 feels good). I actually sweat at work becuase its so warm and I sweat at night. I often joke I am always cold (and my feet are always ice) I am less cold in the winter when the temp is low, if we heat the house to 65 or greater I will sweat when the heat is on and be chilled all night.<br />So no even if I had a more energy efficient method (and I will this summer replace my 20 year old furnace) I would still participate in the challenge. $300 heating bill vs $600 heating bill..Tree Huggin Mommahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08473115182978929738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203077889905915553.post-24419538496557459632010-12-22T07:20:48.957-08:002010-12-22T07:20:48.957-08:00I was thinking about this yesterday: what I would ...I was thinking about this yesterday: what I would really spend power on, if we had 100% green power, is air filtration. Because we don't have AC, and our heat is radiators, there's no filtration at all - we're breathing the exact same air as outside. And since we live in a (small) city we do get bad air warning days, plus right now we're getting everyone's wood smoke. I really worry about asthma and other particulate risks.<br /><br />Also as we continue to insulate and fix up the windows, we are going to eventually have to have some sort of formal air exchange system (our new boiler does bring in fresh air and exhaust outside, instead of just relying on the leakiness of the house like the old one did - but at the cost of using electricity instead of just heat and gravity to run). So a filter to pull out soem of the particulates would be nice, but it will be a big electricity drain.Rosanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203077889905915553.post-72266954872436442102010-12-21T11:08:11.084-08:002010-12-21T11:08:11.084-08:00What it should come down to is trying to reduce th...What it should come down to is trying to reduce the number of KWH (or BTU if you are using gas)/ per person. <br /><br />In our old house with just a gas floor heater in the living room, there is no other way to heat our peripheral rooms except with electric space heaters. BUT we only heat one room at a time, and turn everything off at night. (We are in temperate San Jose so the house seldom drops below 55 between heating sessions)<br /><br />So, I can justify 150 square feet of my house at 70 degrees for 2 people for 6 hours vs trying to get the whole house (1200 sf) to 60 deg 24/7. And, yes that is warm, but my husband is disabled and it is harder for him to take cold. <br /><br />At work, I put on extra layers and my office is at 60. But I move around a lot so it's not bad.cbbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11424450978348604141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203077889905915553.post-58058665450215812282010-12-21T10:00:24.502-08:002010-12-21T10:00:24.502-08:00We have a really efficient EPA certified fireplace...We have a really efficient EPA certified fireplace insert that keeps our main living area nice and toasty when the temperature gets a bit too cold for us. In our area we have to be aware of air quality issues, <a href="http://www.whentoburn.com" rel="nofollow">Spare the Air days</a> and no Burn days.Spare the Air Dayhttp://www.whentoburn.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203077889905915553.post-27500256962165367452010-12-18T05:12:23.331-08:002010-12-18T05:12:23.331-08:00we have electric heat that I find freezing in and ...we have electric heat that I find freezing in and of itself. So, luckily, we also have a woodburner, which keeps the furnace from kicking on AND keeps me nice and toasty. Try to resist the temptation to keep it shorts/sleeveless warm in here but feed the fire regularly. And dream of the day when solar panels and a wind turbine will give us clean heat that doesn't make me have to take sinus meds all winter. *sigh*Dmariehttp://bettermebetterworld.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203077889905915553.post-29401786550100369222010-12-16T07:38:09.580-08:002010-12-16T07:38:09.580-08:00If it was super-duper-efficient, I would probably ...If it was super-duper-efficient, I would probably use it to keep this place warmer, but not to the point of using the same amount of energy we use now, hopefully.<br /><br />We're upgrading a very, very old house very slowly, so we're at about 40% of our 10 years ago natural gas use right now, despite keeping the thermostat at 62 instead of 55. I'd like to get it down to somewhere between 10-25% of our old use, Riot for Austerity style goals, and also get up to 64 degrees. It might mean moving to a smaller place.Rosanoreply@blogger.com