woodstoves, rice bags & keeping warm

[redmaples]

With the rising costs of utilities I often wonder how anyone is managing. Though we are using less gas & electric than we did last year we are paying twice as much!! I know this is true for everyone. We would be paying even more if we hadn't reduced our energy consumption!!!

We have been able to reduce because of the new woodstove we put in last year. With a few small fans circulating air & heat we can keep the thermostat set at 65 degrees & the furnace usually doesn't come on. Also, we stopped using the clothes dryer & hang laundry on wood racks in front of the stove. Not baking as much either, try to wait for really cold days to get the house warmed up more & again keep the furnace off.

No more electric blankets!!! Hand sewn rice bags heat up nicely in 2-4 min in the microwave. I bought a cotton tank op for .50, made some compartments in it, filled with rice & sewed it all aound. Still need the help of the microwave to heat it, but only a few minutes. Going to experiment with putting them in a closed pot on top of the woodstove.


Does anyone have other conservation tips?


Countryside magazine has a lot of good articles on related subjects.

[sunshine]

Window quilts and styrofoam window inserts