Comments on: 11 Ways To Avoid Turning On The Furnace

By: Cindy M

Cindy M — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:13:33 +0000

It’s gonna go down to -10 below here tonight, kinda unusual. I’m thinking your “cold” is not like mine, ha-ha. I work from home in the evenings and because I have to sit still and transcribe for 8 hours, the hands and feet get cold in the winter. I hate to turn the furnace up; it mainly stays at 68 degrees, down to 65 at night. I do wear 2 pairs of socks and half gloves and it’s true the hot drinks do wonders. So does getting up and doing the dishes at dinnertime. And I love my electric blanket, have used them for 40+ years, they are lifesavers; you turn them on before you even get into bed and sleep like a baby. I take a warm bath after work at night. But to do without heat? I don’t think it’s worth the discomfort unless you’re desperate.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:44:14 +0000

I’ll tell you what, in December of 2007, we had an ice storm here in Tulsa that left me without power for 11 days. I was able to keep my living room close to 55 degrees with the fireplace (warmer, of course, if you were right next to it), but the rest of the house settled to between 40 at night and 50 in the daytime.

I bundled, I used blankets, I snuggled with my dog, I moved around, etc. just as you suggested, but I was absolutely miserable.

I keep my home heated to 66 degrees and wear layered fleece and sweats around the house. I use a blanket when I sit or lay on the couch, and Lily, my sabre-toothed retriever is always glad to snuggle. I turn the heat off when I go to work, and turn it off when I have a fire in the fireplace. My combined increase in gas and electric during the cold months is around 90.00 a month, and that’s 3 bucks a day that is well spent, if you ask me.

I started reading this savings advisor about a year ago, and I have to tell you, better than half of what I’ve read on here is 100%, absolutely, NUTS, like this crazy post. Quackery!

I work hard so I don’t have to freeze my ass off. There’s a difference between being frugal, and being a wacko, my friend. Look into it.

PS, of the 90.00 per month I spend more than you do by running my heater? You’re spending a significant portion of that running an electric space heater. I’d be willing to bet following your advice would save me less than 60.00 a month, at best.

By: The Tao of Change » Blog Archive » CARNIVAL OF THE GREEN # 161

The Tao of Change » Blog Archive » CARNIVAL OF THE GREEN # 161 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:34:34 +0000

[...] readers found keeping the heat off/down to save energy and money extreme, I loved the post over at savingadvice.com. I don’t think that the heat needs to be off in Winter – impossible, of course, in many [...]

By: Molly's mum

Molly's mum — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:04:18 +0000

I agree with Monroe – this list has some potential utility in an emergency situation. As a way of living… not thanks. We keep our heat @ 68 round the clock… some of our friends (usually those not paying utility bills!) find that a bit chilly, but we like it.

Not turning on our furnace is not an option here — we don’t get as cold as Traciatim, but close enough that not only would we be extremely uncomfortable, but I’d fully expect both CPS and the SPCA at my door.

I consider us both financially and environmentally mindful – we try not to consume more than we need to. Heat, however, is definitely on the need list for us.

By: Traciatim

Traciatim — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:38:17 +0000

Oh, another good tip is to use incandescent bulbs in the winter. They throw off the same light, but serve a dual purpose of being small cheap portable space heaters. Switch to CFLs/LEDs or another efficient light source when you turn your air conditioning on.

By: Traciatim

Traciatim — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:29:43 +0000

Wow BiA, 74F is pretty warm, that’s just a smidgen over 23C, or mid summer weather around here. Our house is 16C at night (just over 60F) and right now it’s at 18.5C since it’s Christmas break and we’re spending all day inside. 23 I would be walking around in shorts and a T-Shirt.

@Stephen Waits, one only has to look at death rates by month to figure out that cold kills. Look up the death rates by month in both the USA and Canada, you’ll see a huge swing that favours more people dying when months are cold vs fewer when it’s warm. A quick google produced these two links and this great quote off the second link:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article589905.ece

http://www.richmondandtwickenham.nhs.uk/healthy-living/winter—keep-warm-keep-well/

“The cold weather can weaken our resistance to illness so it is vital that people follow this advice and avoid losing body heat both whilst outside and whilst inside the house. By maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle you can strengthen your immune system to help you defend yourself against common winter viruses.”

By: Broke in America

Broke in America — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:55:01 +0000

I keep my programmable thermostat at 72 Fahrenheit when the humans are gone, 74 when the humans are awake, and 72 overnight. However, it is hard to leave one’s bed so early in the morning, so I raise the temperature to 76 shortly before the alarms start waking everybody up. This has helped me cut down on heating costs.

By: Monroe on a Budget

Monroe on a Budget — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:08:38 +0000

This would be a good list to print off and keep handy for power outage situations.

We hesitate to leave our home unattended for long during power outages because we have to watch the sump pump situation.

By: Annie Jones

Annie Jones — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:29:19 +0000

I have to disagree about the shower. When I shower, I’m cold again as soon as I turn off the water. I get and stay much warmer when I take a hot bath.

By: Stephen Waits

Stephen Waits — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:08:10 +0000

@L, rather judgmental eh? Please back up your claims that it’s “unhealthy”! Reducing heat usage is a great way to save a few bucks. It’s not that uncomfortable, especially at 50!