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Tough Choices for Heating the Granite State’s Homes
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  Energy prices are much higher this year than last. That, along with a tough economy, have many worried about how they’ll heat their homes this winter. Some are tightening the belt, some are looking for fuel assistance programs, some are looking to winterize their homes better, and are others will try alternative energies like pellet stoves and solar systems. We’ll look at what Granite Staters are doing to stay warm and not go bankrupt. Guests
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We moved here about a year ago and our first winter heating bill was still a surprise. We came from California where we hadn't turned on the furnace or A/C in 5 years and our temp stuck at around 65 degrees year round.
When we moved to NH, we made a lot of improvements to our "new" 30-year-old house (which is 3x the size of our California townhome) to try to keep our energy costs down. We specifically bought a house with passive solar, a propane furnace, and a woodstove.
Our first winter, we kept the thermostat down around 58-60 most of the time - warm enough not to freeze the pipes. We consider it a livable baseline and we try to make up the rest with low-energy methods. It's comfortable enough with fingerless mittens and sweaters while we work from home in a single heated room during the day.
One of the BEST things we did last year was enter into an informal "competition" with our friends. We compared our electric and gas bills each month, adjusting for house size, and try to out-do each other on frugality. We share our tips, our methods, and we get creative.
We manage to keep our electric costs under $100 year-round, including heating the room we work in during the day with an eco-friendly portable heater. Our propane bill was high, but not ridiculous, considering-it was less monthly than many people's budget plans in the same area.
We're gearing up to try to MATCH last year's bills this year, by making more changes, improving weatherization, etc.
Lastly, I think people turn on the heat too soon (before they've battened down the hatches for winter, for example) and leave it on too long in the spring, even after it starts warming up). Shaving a couple weeks of active heating on either side of the season can save you HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS a year, easy.
Laurie
Conway, NH
I wonder if electric blankets with the heat turned down low, saves money?