by Tricia
Let it be known that this year we were had to turn on our heat on September 12. We always try to hold out as long as we can before turning on our heat. It’s turned into a little game of “how long can we last.”
Last year, we turned on the heat on October 10th. We’ve been hit with some colder, wet weather so I had no choice today.
The big clue? Everyone got up this morning and then sat on the couch and grabbed a blanket. The thermometer gave a reading of 60 degrees. At that point, your nose gets cold and that’s not fun. I was really hoping the weather would get warmer or the sun would come out, but it doesn’t look like it. The National Weather Service is even saying snow is likely for Friday.
It’s a bit of a bummer to turn on our heat, but it’s no biggie. That means we’ll try something else, like trying to get our gas bill as low as we can this winter. My husband is on board with my craziness and we will be making some changes in our home. I’ll be discussing those later as they are implemented (which needs to be real soon).
Get a programmable thermostat. It will save you money in the long run. The best part is waking up to a warm house…
Wow. It’s amazing to me how diverse this country is in climate. I had to wear shorts and a tank top yesterday, and a week ago it was nearing 100 degrees out.
Best of luck with your balancing of expenses as the weather changes!
In the Mid Atlantic, it’s still in the high 80s. The nights and mornings feel more like falls, but midday’s pretty warm. Good luck with finding more and creative ways to save money. And ways to cut down on thermostat use!
I’m in the South, my a/c is still running – come mid-October I’ll turn it off and live with no heat or air for hopefully at least 30-45 days. I do this in the Spring also. It keeps my electric bill (heat and air) down to less than $100 a month – I’m on the budget plan and pay the same amount every month. This year my budget actually went down about $4 to $94/month! (for when it starts getting cold in the AM’s and is still warm during the day I just use a little elec heater!)
Hopefully the warmer weather returns for you and you can turn that heat back off. Personally i’m quite enjoying the fall like weather – the heat was starting to get to me.
Have you considered having your house inspected for how well insulated it is? You might be able to decrease your cooling and heating costs if you know the insulation is good. Granted this might cost you more money in the short term; just thought I’d throw it out there.
I’m with Matt–the warm/hot weather was getting to me, and I’m excited for fall. However, I have not yet needed to turn on the heat. That will be a sad day.
I’m excited to see what changes you’re making to keep your heating as low as possible. I’m still renting, but I am planning on buying soon, and I like to be well-informed!
My house holds heat rather well so I finally was able to turn off the AC, and just run the fan every now and then to circulate things. I’m hoping to wait as long as I can to avoid that increased gas bill. It’s nice to have months where the electric and gas bills are relatively low, but those happy times are limited.
HEAT? Where do you live, Canada? It is still so hot down here in Fla, I am waiting for it to get nice enough to turn off the A/C !! I may turn my heat on 3 times all winter!
Is that bill for gas too or just the electric?
Ameren runs ours together so they both total at $155 budget billing.
My thermostat this morning said 72* at 6:30 a.m and my windows were open. I turned off the attic fan because even my hubby complained about it being too cold in the morning when the cats got him up.
I am grateful for the fall weather. Keep it at 80* all year long and I’d really be a happy camper.
AKB
Due to a recent cold front, the temperature in the evenings is bordering on the point where I would need to turn on the heat. However, I think I will ride it out. I haven’t had the heat on since April and I managed to get by using the air conditioning on only 4 nights this summer. This has led to some very nice electricity bills and shows one of the benefits of living on the great lakes. Big bodies of water really help to moderate the temperatures (as long as you don’t mind the snow).
Geez…where do you live? I’m in the DC area and here it’s still relatively warm. My air condition still kicked in a few days ago !
You have a great blog and I am sharing on my blog.
I’m so jealous. It’s still in the 100’s in Vegas and will be until around mid- October.
Send some cooler weather our way kay?
I’m in the midwest, and it’s been chilly here! I can see needing the heat if you’re in the upper midwest. Here’s a hint I picked up from my mother for these first few cold days of fall: make them baking days. I grew up in a house on a shoestring budget, and my mom would wait as long as possible to run the heat. Instead, she would bundle us kids up on cold days and make bread, cookies, or pies. She’d enlist us all to help to keep us occupied and then run the oven for a few hours baking, effectively warming up the kitchen and living room. I don’t know how much money she saved, but we always ended up with fresh baked goods and heat, an excellent deal in my mind!