How do you keep warm in winter?

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Robb.hisself

Member
Have you figured out a way to keep warm in winter while reducing its cost? The price of heating has substantially risen. I have. This is my solution. Please share your solution if you have one.

My home is a single story built just after World War 2 as is most in the U.S. today. It is fairly small of about 1000 square feet in size. It is built around a central hallway with the rooms coming off of it. By changing how I live in it I've substantially reduced my heating bills.

I close all the doors leading into the central hallway. The thermostat for the force air heater is in the hallway. I then turn on the heater. As the room I live in most of the day gets warmer I shut off the heater. After shutting off the heater I turn on the over head ceiling fan which I normally use to cool this room in summer. The fan then circulates the heat up and down. If I don't turn on the fan the heat accumulates at the ceiling and I get cold while sitting down. So simply by keeping the warm air moving all day I remain warm throughout the day, and thus pay for little heating gas used.

How about you? Do you have an innovative idea you apply to keep warm but, pay less for heat? Please share it with us.
 

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Nothing really creative here. I use a heating pad a lot, use down comforters, eat lots of hot stews, soups and chowders, bake a lot more, use the heat because I DO have high ceilings and light firewood in the fireplace sometimes because a fire makes me feel warmer. Just to watch it makes me warmer. I have fleece lined slippers, wear fingerless gloves inside to keep warm and sort of dream of spring. ;) :giggle:
 
Robb.hisself said:
Have you figured out a way to keep warm in winter while reducing its cost? The price of heating has substantially risen. I have. This is my solution. Please share your solution if you have one.

My home is a single story built just after World War 2 as is most in the U.S. today. It is fairly small of about 1000 square feet in size. It is built around a central hallway with the rooms coming off of it. By changing how I live in it I've substantially reduced my heating bills.

I close all the doors leading into the central hallway. The thermostat for the force air heater is in the hallway. I then turn on the heater. As the room I live in most of the day gets warmer I shut off the heater. After shutting off the heater I turn on the over head ceiling fan which I normally use to cool this room in summer. The fan then circulates the heat up and down. If I don't turn on the fan the heat accumulates at the ceiling and I get cold while sitting down. So simply by keeping the warm air moving all day I remain warm throughout the day, and thus pay for little heating gas used.

How about you? Do you have an innovative idea you apply to keep warm but, pay less for heat? Please share it with us.
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Bet ya can't do that at 5 below and a good north wind blowing, like here.
 

chic said:
Nothing really creative here. I use a heating pad a lot, use down comforters, eat lots of hot stews, soups and chowders, bake a lot more, use the heat because I DO have high ceilings and light firewood in the fireplace sometimes because a fire makes me feel warmer. Just to watch it makes me warmer. I have fleece lined slippers, wear fingerless gloves inside to keep warm and sort of dream of spring. ;) :giggle:
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Just to pass on an idea. My uncle heated his den with a fireplace. It never worked well because most of the heat went up the chimney. However, one day he found a device you can put in the fireplace that slowly blows the heat from the hearth into the room. You might look for such a device on Amazon, EBay, or GoogleShopping.

As for what you do, I tried the same. But, what annoyed me most was that my face and nose became very cold, and my eyes seemed to dry out badly for some reason. So I had to come up with a different solution.
 
Radiant heat here, so it takes a long time to heat the house. When it's a really cold snap, it never truly gets warm, but it's okay because we dress warmly, have space heaters, and good blankets. Not much else to do... it's oil heat and it's around $800 every time it's delivered... usually four times a year, so I do what I can but nothing really makes a big difference. Blizzardy and blustery days are impossible to feel warm.
 
CallMeKate said:
Radiant heat here, so it takes a long time to heat the house. When it's a really cold snap, it never truly gets warm, but it's okay because we dress warmly, have space heaters, and good blankets. Not much else to do... it's oil heat and it's around $800 every time it's delivered... usually four times a year, so I do what I can but nothing really makes a big difference. Blizzardy and blustery days are impossible to feel warm.
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Back in the 1960's many homes and apartments which were then built in my location had radiant heat, also. The idea came and went; and is no longer done. The problem was that the heat outlets were in the ceiling, but not forced air. Heat tended to stay up at the ceiling and everyone was cold sitting in the rooms, always.
Also the heat was produced by electric heaters which became very expensive to operate.

Not sure if this helps. A neighbor who has a two story with high ceilings gave up on heating the whole house, but now heats only the kitchen and family room which has a half bathroom builtin nearby. This is where the family spends their days and nights when at home. She heats the area first with the gas stove's oven open in the kitchen. When it gets warm enough she shuts it off. Then everyone wraps themselves up in electric blankets which are a source of heat. Just by using blankets which are only meant to keep body heat in just did not work as well as heating blankets.

Also, they use something I never knew existed - full body sleeping bags. Full body sleeping bags you wear just like clothes but, covers you from the top of your head to your feet. You can actually walk around when wearing them. You will find these on the Web. I've seen them offered in Sporting Goods. Best wishes.
 
Robb.hisself said:
Back in the 1960's many homes and apartments which were then built in my location had radiant heat, also. The idea came and went; and is no longer done. The problem was that the heat outlets were in the ceiling, but not forced air.
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Thanks Robb... my radiant heat isn't in the ceiling... actually I never heard of that, but rather in the floor and it was one of the main selling points for the house. Heated floors on cold feet... what's not to love?! But the house was bought in June and there wasn't a chance to see how well it actually heated. The inspector/contractor said it's working fine, and it was.

Sounds as if your neighbor has a good idea heating only two rooms... but how cold does it get there? Things that may work in California wouldn't make much of a dent here when it's sub-zero, I'm afraid. I wish I could just heat the used rooms, but the furnace gets turned on and you don't get to choose where it goes... all the floors heat.

I was thinking about getting one of those wearable blankets but they're huge and I'd look/feel like a balloon. Not a big issue, but it's what I thought of. It was pastel colored and had unicorns on it so it would take me back to childhood for sure. 😊
 
I don’t get cold. We have a very efficient wood stove with a limitless amount of wood, a heat pump that keeps the temperature at a certain temperature all year long and electric baseboards that rarely if ever get used.

If I’m ever chilled, I have a hot shower, put my pj’s on and a warm housecoat / robe / socks & slippers with a blanket. Never cold.
 
My house was built nearly 200 years ago when "climate change" was just a change in the weather where it was hot in summer and cold in winter. The house had fireplaces in the lounge and bedrooms to warm it in winter and windows to open in summer.
I have oil (kerosene) fired heating with radiators and thermostatic valves in each room, and a wood burning stove in the lounge,
 
Robb.hisself said:
Have you figured out a way to keep warm in winter while reducing its cost? The price of heating has substantially risen. I have. This is my solution. Please share your solution if you have one.

My home is a single story built just after World War 2 as is most in the U.S. today. It is fairly small of about 1000 square feet in size. It is built around a central hallway with the rooms coming off of it. By changing how I live in it I've substantially reduced my heating bills.

I close all the doors leading into the central hallway. The thermostat for the force air heater is in the hallway. I then turn on the heater. As the room I live in most of the day gets warmer I shut off the heater. After shutting off the heater I turn on the over head ceiling fan which I normally use to cool this room in summer. The fan then circulates the heat up and down. If I don't turn on the fan the heat accumulates at the ceiling and I get cold while sitting down. So simply by keeping the warm air moving all day I remain warm throughout the day, and thus pay for little heating gas used.

How about you? Do you have an innovative idea you apply to keep warm but, pay less for heat? Please share it with us.
Click to expand...
There are several ways to keep warm in the winter. Your method was interesting, but what is your temperature on your thermostat? I keep mine at 68-69. It used to be at 72, but I wanted to lower my heating bills and over time, saw a big difference in electric bills during the winter when I dropped it lower. I cannot go much lower than this because I will catch cold (I have tested this).

I would make sure all the windows are caulked so there are no drafts. I also use curtains that are heavy duty and insulating. I would pull back the curtains to allow the sun to come in naturally during the day to warm the house (morning sun and evening sun windows). The heat from the sun gets captured onto your surfaces. If you are interested, they say to add trees/tall bushes placed a few feet around the property; they act as windbreakers and also help warm the house. See The Best Trees for Blocking Wind and Windbreak (By Zone) | Davey Blog | Davey Tree

Contrary to popular belief, I was told by the hvac people not to shut the doors to the rooms. I have central heating, so the heat that stays In the shut rooms does not circulate to the rest of the house, and thus warm the house, so they recommend to have all the doors opened.

And like others said, wearing warm clothing, socks, and warm brews helps.
 
We moved from a home heated w fuel oil, $$$$, as the main source of heat to a home heated by natural gas. Our current house is a well built, tight home in a cold climate so even w high ceilings it's very comfortable. The lower level is partly below ground which reduces heat loss and gain enormously. We have an abundance of winter sun so one doesn't "feel" as cold despite the actual cold temps outside. The wife still uses a throw blanket, but she uses that in the summer too.
 
I was told heat prices here have gone down but I won't believe it till I see my bill. Otherwise I wear my velvet robe and warm socks and I have a big fluffy soft blanket on my couch to keep me warm before I go to bed. I have a comforter on my bed.
 
My apartment is one big room with very high ceilings on half of it. It has electric baseboard heat and stays very warm. I rarely need to use an afghan which I would if I got cold. I am on the 2nd floor of an old high school so it is brick and it holds the heat. The sun hits my windows from morning till about three and that sun heats my apartment up quite a bit. Plus the fact that I have apartments on every side of me which I think helps too.

The floor during the night gets a little cold and I will turn the heat up for my pet who is on the floor all the time. I do block the bottom of my windows and the windowsill and the area below it. That is the only place I ever feel cold air coming in.
 
I’m a South Australian and it gets fairly cold here in winter, with average winter days reaching a high of 8c ( 46f)
we get very cold winds , however I’ve never seen snow altho a light sprinkling has been recorded in SA capital city
(Adelaide)
The way we keep our home warm in winter ( we are nearing summer in Aust but you wouldn’t know it ) it’s 19c ( 66f) today
anyway we have a free standing wood burning heater that costs us a bit of labour to get wood that’s it …we to are suffering from never ending price increases , however we haven’t paid a electricity bill in years for our all electric home due to having solar .

@Robb.hisself

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We don’t mind the cold, but like heat better. We set the thermostat at 75 degrees during the day and 73 at bedtime.
 
CallMeKate said:
Sounds as if your neighbor has a good idea heating only two rooms... but how cold does it get there?
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Actually, it is one room. The kitchen has the dining room on one end and the family room towards the back of the house. I think it is called 'an open floor plan', meaning there are no bearing walls between the areas. When she open's the oven to heat the family room she puts a small, sweep fan on a counter to move the heat from the kitchen to the family room. How cold does it get here? Mid forties is the night temps for most winter months. High thirties, sometimes, but not for very long or often.

Days can be low 60's mostly. But, there can be long stretches when we've constant sun and it remains steady at mid to low 70's. However, our houses here are made for the 60's & 70's temp range. And, they are not air tight by any means; sort of breezy actually. Also, we don't dress seasonally. Summer clothes all year with a jacket over them and long pants for winter or you work outdoors.
 
palides2021 said:
what is your temperature on your thermostat? I keep mine at 68-69.
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I set the thermostat to 70 (f) but, I shut off the heater before the thermostat does and thus the house itself does not get warmed up completely. There is no reason to warm the whole house since I stay most of the time in only one room.
 
911 said:
We don’t mind the cold, but like heat better. We set the thermostat at 75 degrees during the day and 73 at bedtime.
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That's a good summer day in this area. I set the timer for 3 hours in the morning and evening, and the thermostat at around 18C / 65F during the day and 60F at night. 73 would be too warm for a good nights sleep.
 

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