I turned on the heat.....

**stinkbug** · 10-09-2008, 10:30 AM

I was really trying to hold off till Nov. But dang! It was 28 here this morning and the house was 60. I just need to get the chill off.....
Dh and I both have decided we will not suffer without proper heat. Some people can do it, we won't. We've both lived in situations where heat was scarce and we will not sacrifice our comfort. I'm happy there are those who can, I'm just not one of them. (my gas bill is 138.00 a month, level pay)
I'll go close all the foundation vents today and put the electric blanket on the bed....

**allenwrench** · 10-09-2008, 10:33 AM

We still have the heat off, nights have been in the low 40's and days in the 60's.

They say the US has boosted its NG reserves by 50% by new methods of measuring reserves. Yet my gas bill just went up 30% in September.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...ural-gas_N.htm

Something wrong with that equation? A 50% rise in reserves yet my gas bill goes up 30%??

Can you imagine once all the cars and trucks start using CNG. NG prices will really skyrocket and large amounts of people will freeze to death.

We heat with NG and keep the thermostat set at 64 at night and keep the heat OFF during the day. If it is in the teens outside the house gets down into the low 50's in daytime. I usually turn on the heat around 9 PM and shut it down at 8 or 9 am.

To heat this 'part time' way cost us $325 a month for a modern, highly insulated 2400 sq ft house. (including garage as it has some water pipes in its ceiling).

**MomToTwoBoys** · 10-09-2008, 10:38 AM

I had to turn the heat on last night and I woke up even sicker than I was yesterday. DH said that the basement was definitely warmer from having the heat on. I wanted to wait until the first decent snowfall to turn mine on but I don't want the kids constantly getting sick.

Even with three blankets per child, curtains on the windows this year and a duvet on our bed, I imagine we'd still get sick by having the heat on 68. I turn it up to 70 when we go to bed and turn it back to 68 during the day. My big problem is that I have poor circulation in my hands and feet, so anything below 72 and I can't function.

**McD** · 10-09-2008, 10:43 AM

We have turned ours on intermittently. Yesterday when I got home from work it was 64 degrees in the house. I set it at 73.

**nessarowdy** · 10-09-2008, 11:00 AM

Wow, you keep your houses warm!

Well, it was 17 degrees outside when I woke up this morning. Yikes! I heard my heat click on sometime in the night, and we have our thermostat set at 61 degrees during that time, and 63 during the day. Brrr for me, but no one else seems to mind. So I bundle myself in sweatshirts and heavy socks and slippers. I'm curious to see what my bill will be this winter...

**stinkbug** · 10-09-2008, 11:03 AM

Ours is set for 64 at night and about 68 during the day when in regular use during the cold months. It's been staying about 64 -65 in the house, which had been fine, but last night it frosted and the chill in here was awful. Even my big fat cat is completely covering one vent!!!

**Moor** · 10-09-2008, 11:06 AM

It was 44 this morning when I got up. We still have the windows open at night.
It is still getting up into the high 60's low 70's during the day. So that helps. I won't be turning the heat on for a while! lol

I like the cold. My neighbors think I am about stupid. I don't wear shoes until the snow is about to my ankles. I don't wear a winter coat until it's below zero.
I constantly wear shorts. Yes, even in the middle of winter. lol

**frugalbabe** · 10-09-2008, 11:11 AM

We just installed digital thermostats so far we have kept it to about 64 in the day and around 60 at night with it slowly programmed to rise about an hour before we are scheduled to be up. I am hoping to see a big savings difference this Winter.

**McD** · 10-09-2008, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by nessarowdy

Wow, you keep your houses warm!

Well, it was 17 degrees outside when I woke up this morning. Yikes! I heard my heat click on sometime in the night, and we have our thermostat set at 61 degrees during that time, and 63 during the day. Brrr for me, but no one else seems to mind. So I bundle myself in sweatshirts and heavy socks and slippers. I'm curious to see what my bill will be this winter...

I have to...my two year old has respiratory problems.

To combat the price though, we have a heat pump. It helps tremendously.

**xtena** · 10-09-2008, 11:25 AM

Wow. My mother said it was close to 95 yesterday (she lives in San Diego County, and it was cool all summer, so go figure!) and it was probably around 90 here too. I actually turned my air conditioner on for about 1 hour yesterday afternoon. A couple of weeks ago it finally started cooling down at nights here, and the mornings are rather chilly but nowhere near what you people in the East have been experiencing! We did go several days without the A/C this week and I was hoping to keep it off for good, but even with the solar screens and all the windows closed to prevent the warm air from blowing in, my upstairs (where I work) was in the mid-80's. I could have sweated it through but work was busy (I telecommute) and I find it hard to concentrate when it's too hot so I caved inand switched it on.

**JerryG** · 10-09-2008, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by stinkbug

I was really trying to hold off till Nov. But dang! It was 28 here this morning and the house was 60. I just need to get the chill off.....
Dh and I both have decided we will not suffer without proper heat. Some people can do it, we won't. We've both lived in situations where heat was scarce and we will not sacrifice our comfort. I'm happy there are those who can, I'm just not one of them. (my gas bill is 138.00 a month, level pay)
I'll go close all the foundation vents today and put the electric blanket on the bed....

Too funny! I'm celebrating that I just turned the AC off this week! It's to be 99 degrees today but I won't turn it on until it hits 100 . . .

**Contrary Housewife** · 10-09-2008, 11:33 AM

I almost had to put the AC on last night. We have poor circulation in the house, and get afternoon sun, so in the evenings it can get quite warm and stuffy inside. Last night we were actually sweating, even though it was dropping into the 60's out and probably got cooler overnight. Opening windows (the ones that will open) does not help. This morning it is nice and cool.

I have always hated being cold in the winter, my mom kept it at 60 when I lived at home and I was always cold. Now that I have arthritis I just can't take the cold weather at all and I have to keep it at least 72 inside or everything stiffens up and gets painful.

**madhen** · 10-09-2008, 11:37 AM

I'm out in sunny California, so no need for heaters just yet.

I actually slept with my window OPEN last night!

**stinkbug** · 10-09-2008, 11:43 AM

Last night was the first night I didn't have the windows open....it's been in the high 30's- 40's at night, but we got this cold warning, and they were right!
The house has warmed up to 65 so I shut the heat off....most of our main level is wood floors which are COLD in the mornings!