WhereYouAreNow

Summer has ended and fall has arrived. The leaves are changing from bright greens to shades of reds, yellows, and oranges. With each sunrise the sun breaks through the chilly air and creates the perfect day, and with each sunset it paints the sky as if it were it’s very own canvas. This season is absolutely my favorite. I love the change that is in the air, the smells of the pumpkins and mums sitting on front porches, the way the dew covers the grass like a blanket, and the warmth that this time of year brings.

When the nights started getting cold I knew it was time to take our air conditioners out. They are window units and they allow air from the outside in. So last Saturday one of my projects was getting these out and the storm windows down. It is cold outside and we don’t want that inside! This also means that we will eventually need to turn on our heat. I think about this as I lug one of our air conditioners to the back porch and start to get a little sad. The air conditioner uses so much less energy than our heat does, which means that our electric bill is going to jump about 110%. This is a part of life though, so I don’t spend too much time worrying about it. We have prepared for this winter (unfortunately not financially, which I will describe to you below) and I would like to get you thinking about your winter heating bills. Better late than never

Prepared financially

Before I get into how you can reduce your heating bills, I want to explain what I mean by preparing financially. I am going to use our apartment as an example just to keep the numbers simple, but this method can apply to anyone. During the summer months I budget $70 each month for our electric bill. We always float around $64-$68 so this is a reasonable budget. Come November, when we turn on our baseboard (electric) heaters, I know that our electric bill is going to jump about 110%, so I budget $160 each month to cover this expense.  So from our Spring/Summer budget to our Fall/Winter budget is a difference of $90.00.

Being prepared financially for heating bills means budgeting for your winter heating costs all year long. Once spring rolls around we would keep our budget set at $160 so that we can save the difference in a fund that is meant specifically for helping you pay your heating bills once the Fall and Winter season arrives. So in our example, instead of rolling that extra $90 into a generic savings goal, I would be wise to prepare for the heating bills that I know are going to meet me head on. This will offset the higher energy prices that will throw any budget for a loop.

If you have done this, very good! If not, don’t worry, I didn’t either, but I wish I had. We’ll talk more about this below. Here are ways that all of us can save on our heating bills:

Apartment Dwellers (electric heat with no thermostat)

During the day: do NOT heat the bedroom. This is one thing that we do and it helps considerably. We turn the heat on two hours before we know we are going to get into bed, and even then we keep it on a low setting (this is assuming you have control in each room).

During the day: heat kitchen and bathroom(s) minimally while you are at work/school.  When you are there turn it back up to a comfortable temperature, but when you’re gone, keep it low just to maintain. You don’t want to freeze the pipes but you don’t want to keep it too comfortable if no one is there.

At night (sleeping): turn heat OFF in any living space that does not have water pipes. For us this means that we do NOT heat our living/family room while we sleep.

At night (after dinner/sleeping): turn the heat DOWN in the kitchen and any bathrooms. Again, we don’t want to freeze the pipes, but if you’re not going to be in that space then don’t heat it like you are.

All the time: Keep your curtains closed whenever possible to keep out any unnecessary drafts. If you also have drafts coming from your doors,  roll up a towel or blanket to go in front of the door or underneath it to block the cool air flow.

BONUS: curtain off any doorway that is doorless. We did not do this last year but are going to this year. We have a doorway leading from our kitchen into our bedroom that does not have a door, so we decided to curtain it off this year so we don’t heat the bedroom during the day. All you need is an expandable curtain rod and a curtain (that is not sheer).

Rule of Thumb: Don’t freeze the pipes, don’t heat the room if you’re not there, create separate spaces (curtains) and BUNDLE UP!

Home Owners (electric/oil with thermostat)

All the time: Reduce room temperature and add a few extra layers

All the time: Do not heat rooms where heat is not needed. This could be spare bedrooms, or formal dinning rooms that you use for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Close the door, if there is one, and don’t heat it.

BONUS: Just like above for our renters, home owners too have doorways that are door-less. Curtain these off so that you can control what you heat. It may not look the best, but it will translate into money saved.

All the time: Keep your curtains closed whenever possible to keep out any unnecessary drafts. If you also have drafts coming from your doors,  roll up a towel or blanket to go in front of the door or underneath it to block the cool air flow.

Rule of thumb: Keep it low, don’t heat rooms that are not being used, utilize a curtain rod and curtain to create spaces, and BUNDLE UP!

The tips above apply to everyone who has to pay an electric/oil bill during the winter months. They apply if you have saved money and ESPECIALLY if you have not (which I am assuming is the majority, myself included). So speaking to the majority, if your budget is all already tight, here are some thoughts:

• DO NOT GO INTO DEBT OVER HEATING YOUR LIVING SPACE
• Take a look at your budget and find areas that you KNOW you can cut back on
  • TV/Internet/Cell Phone
  • Gas
  • Groceries
  • Eating out
  • Etc…
• Look for a part-time job
• Start selling items on eBay
  • start with your own stuff
  • Tell friends and family you will sell for them and charge only 15% of the final value
  • Advertise this service at work/coffee shops/out in public and set up a fee structure ($0-$200=30%, $201-$500=25%, $501-$1,000=20%)
• Renter or home owner, the tips above must become your bible this winter. Conserve, conserve, conserve. Bundle up. Wear two pairs of socks, “long-johns, multiple sweat-shirts, hats and gloves. YOU MUST DO WHAT IT TAKES TO AVOID DEBT THIS WINTER!

This time of year is a beautiful season. Once the leaves fall, the trees will be longing for something to cover their branches and will most likely get snow to replace the fallen leaves. This means much colder weather. Enjoy this time of year, and don’t worry about not being able to heat your home and going into debt to do so. Start now, which is better than later, and take some steps to prepare for the heating costs this winter. BUNDLE UP is the best one I can give. If you can wear a t-shirt in your apartment/home it is too warm and you are spending too much money on that cool graphic tee.