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The HBHW Recommends
Home Heating This Winter
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One of the easiest and most effective ways to keep your heating bill down this winter is to turn down the thermostat. This means cooler temperatures in the house but there are several things you can do to help keep your family cozy and warm while saving money at the same time.
Be proactive – Plug drafts with caulking and weather stripping, replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed, make sure baseboard and floor air registers are unobstructed and clean, and close off unneeded rooms to trap heat where you need it. If you have any bubble wrap lying around from packages and shipments you received you can place it inside windows and it acts as an insulator. Put clear plastic dome covers over basement window wells to trap debris, keep cold air out, and allow light in.
Blankets – Now is a great time to dig out all those extra blankets. Use a couple underneath on top of your mattresses and underneath your fitted sheets to make a soft and warm pillow top for the bed. Heavy blankets and quilts can be hung inside window frames with adjustable shower rods to insulate and stop drafts. Thin blankets and even baby blankets can be rolled up lengthwise and then placed in front of doors and windows to act as homemade draft protectors. Blankets can also be draped over leather couches and chairs to keep to keep them warm and toasty. Hang some decorative quilts on walls to provide extra insulation.
Sweaters – Take a trip to the local thrift store and pick up some cheap, 100% wool sweaters. Wool is great for helping you regulate body temperature. You can wear the sweater if they are the appropriate size but you can convert them into MANY other useful products. You can sew up quick and easy wool pants for babies and toddlers using the sleeves as legs. Diaper covers can be made the same way just cut the legs short. Wool works wonderfully for diaper covers because it is naturally waterproof. You can also use the wool to make pillowcases or even doing a patch job to make blankets and sheets. Wool is also naturally flame retardant so it is a great bedding alternative. Slippers, socks, do-rags, and scarves can also be fashioned from old wool sweaters.
Get Knitting – Speaking of home crafting why not use the winter lull to learn how to knit or crochet. Then you can make scarves, hats, and gloves that will keep you warm in winter and give you something enjoyable to do. Handknit items are also great as gifts! Take a class with a friend if you can and you won’t be sorry you did.
Rugs – Buy several rugs at second hand or discount stores and place them on cold floors so that no one gets a chill walking on them. You can make handmade rag rugs from worn sheets and old t-shirts too. A big rug on the tile floor in the bathroom can make a BIG difference.
Just get creative and you can find many ways to warm things up and save money.
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5 Responses to “Home Heating This Winter”
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September 6th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Wow - what a sell out. How disappointing this site is.
October 14th, 2009 at 10:22 am
If you can you should use a stove to heat. If you’re home most of the time heating with wood is very in expensive. If you have land with hard wood you can cut your own, but you have to cut it in June or July so it will be dry for burning. You can heat a whole house that’s well insulated with one stove. The sound of the crackling wood is very pleasant.
October 14th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
If you do heat with wood, make sure your wood furnace or woodstove is properly set up and that the chimney is clean. Usually, you have bricks that line the bottom, and there’s an insulating cord that seals the door. Get someone who knows what they’re doing to set up the drafts for you, too. If too much air hits the fire, you’ll go through the wood like it’s paper. If not enough air gets in, the flame will die out and you won’t get warm. Also, make sure you get some good, dry hardwood. It takes longer to burn, and is good for night-time. It is a bit more expensive, but you can use softwood to get the fire going, and hardwood to keep it going or mix the two together. Oh, and save any junk mail you get. It works VERY well at helping to start the fire - and it’s free!
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Making a passive Solar heat system is a nice project for Dad and the kids to do and study. Most the items needed to make them can be found laying around somewhere or even in the trash can. Basically the concept is to make a box with a glass top.. Create lots of black surface area inside the box under the glass and vent the box into the house. You can make a box to sit under a window with an opening that allows heat to rise from the box and through the window. Some drafts can be good.
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Another reuse idea for stoves is to buy a bag of rags at a thrift store, here ours are $1.00/ very large shopping bag. Remove the buttons off of the articles of clothing and save for future use if you are a sewer. Cut the bottom off of the t-shirt and cut in half, use it to tie your bundle together. Gather old newspaper or if you do not have enough go to your local recycling center and you can usually find a bundle from the local newspaper. Using one sheet of newspaper and 1/2 of the t-shirt roll together to make a log with one end having the paper sticking out. Start the paper on fire and once it gets to the cloth it will burn slower and will really help to start your warm fire!! I suggest not using children night clothing, especially baby clothing, because most is flame retardant.