Strollerderby
Greenhouse: Cut Your Old-House Energy Bills
These kinds of lists are quite the perennial at this time of year, but I like this one because it’s specifically geared toward those of us who live in old houses (This Old House, duh).
My own cute little Tudor was built in 1925 and even though we have a high-efficiency furnace and a lot of insulation, our heating bills still make me cry. Polar fleece and warm fuzzy socks are popular items around here come about November, and one of the reasons we don
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7 Comments
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amGreat suggestions. Thanks.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amHow To Reduce Your Heating Bills This Winter / Energy Conservation Begins at Home
Imagine leaving a window open all winter long — the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan or AC Return, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.
These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause heat to pour out and the cold outside air to rush in — costing you higher heating bills.
Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. Most homeowners are well aware of the benefits caulk and weatherstripping provide to minimize heat loss and cold drafts.
But what can you do about the four largest
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amFirst off, sorry about the double-post.
B-Mack – Yeah, I am having a tough time justifying the on-demand hot water, as well. I think once I have two teenagers (thankfully, double-digit years away still), it might become a necessity for more than just saving money!
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amKaz, I have wanted a demand hot water heater for a while now but I haven’t been able to justify the high up front costs. The blanket on the hot water heater was <$30 and required less than an hour of my time. Definately worth the time and effort for my situation.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amSwitching to Hot Water On Demand might help even further.
If you like the look of your old windows, one suggestion for your old house would be to find a company in your area which will retrofit your old double-hung windows. We hired a company that did this because we loved the look of our old windows and hated the look of new windows. What they do is:
(1) take out your old windows
(2) replace just the glass with double-panel insulated glass
(3) if you have any kind of grilling on your window, the leave the inside wood, then match the shape of the wood and create a new outside grilling (because they need to cut the wood to get the old window out)
(4) remove the counterweight from inside the window frame and fill it with insulation.
(5) add vinyl runners on the side for the window to slide up and down in. This will also make your old window fold down for cleaning.
(6) as a bonus, it fixes any windows which don’t quite line up right or stick. They’ll also add new window locks.They cost a little more than replacement windows, but, in Connecticut at least, it is considered a “repair” so there is no sales tax.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amSwitching to Hot Water On Demand might help even further.
If you like the look of your old windows, one suggestion for your old house would be to find a company in your area which will retrofit your old double-hung windows. We hired a company that did this because we loved the look of our old windows and hated the look of new windows. What they do is:
(1) take out your old windows
(2) replace just the glass with double-panel insulated glass
(3) if you have any kind of grilling on your window, the leave the inside wood, then match the shape of the wood and create a new outside grilling (because they need to cut the wood to get the old window out)
(4) remove the counterweight from inside the window frame and fill it with insulation.
(5) add vinyl runners on the side for the window to slide up and down in. This will also make your old window fold down for cleaning.
(6) as a bonus, it fixes any windows which don’t quite line up right or stick. They’ll also add new window locks.They cost a little more than replacement windows, but, in Connecticut at least, it is considered a “repair” so there is no sales tax.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amA recommendation that I have read to help with costs is to put a proper insulating blanket around you hot water heater. I tried this. I don’t know that it saved much money but it did allow the hot water to “recharge” about 30% faster, so it was worth it. Of course Your Mileage May Vary.
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