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bardleyrichard
My Keyboard Got Damaged



Registered: 02/12/09
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Best ways to save on heating bills
#12035070 - 02/15/10 04:19 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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Alright so my last bill was around $250 for gas which is our heating and water. Our thermostat is set at 48-49 degrees and it's still that fucking expensive?! What the hell! My bedroom is about 54-58 degrees and I attribute that to me putting a towel under the door, and plastic on the window with a thick blanket taped over that (yes it's very dark). But I want the rest of the house to be a bit warmer, and I really don't want to pay more for gas.
I've put plastic over most the windows and I plan to try and seal the doors a little better, but is there anything else I can do?
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Wasteland
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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: bardleyrichard]
#12035162 - 02/15/10 04:33 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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I hear shredded newspaper can insulate really well in attic spaces. Get a fuckload that people have put out for recycling and shred up a foot or two's worth.
-------------------- The Mad Shroomer said: People are always promising the apocalypse. They never deliver.
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legallyhomeless
mooch


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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: Wasteland]
#12035334 - 02/15/10 05:06 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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put foil tape around your windows. you can walk around with a candle and if you see the flame flicker, you have a leak.
You can also wrap your water heater in a blanket for more insulation. That will help a lot. Also, just turn it down. I keep are really really low and you our water is still plenty hot. You wouldnt believe how high some people have theirs.
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rod
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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: bardleyrichard]
#12036135 - 02/15/10 07:28 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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Go around to your power outlets and take the 1 screw usually in the middle and and take the cover plate off. Sometimes it will blow your mind how much cold air is blowing thru the outer wall and coming thru them.
I went and spent a few bucks on that expanding foam in a can. One name it goes by is Great Stuff. It expands pretty quick and just shoot a few good squirts in till you get the hang of it. And wear doctor latex gloves when messing with it.
And try to use a can in one setting, it tends to stop up, if you just do one of two then go back later to reuse the can.
Its nasty on hands or carpets, or in small children,s hair. HaHa
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Rebirtha
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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: Wasteland]
#12036402 - 02/15/10 08:05 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Wasteland said: I hear shredded newspaper can insulate really well in attic spaces. Get a fuckload that people have put out for recycling and shred up a foot or two's worth.
sounds like a pretty big fire risk.
I am a cheap ass and just wear my winter coat inside.
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Prisoner#1
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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: Rebirtha]
#12036683 - 02/15/10 08:57 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Rebirtha said:
Quote:
Wasteland said: I hear shredded newspaper can insulate really well in attic spaces. Get a fuckload that people have put out for recycling and shred up a foot or two's worth.
sounds like a pretty big fire risk.
it is... fire retardant cellulose is cheap
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CoolNameHere
Mad Cyantist



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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: rod]
#12037164 - 02/15/10 10:23 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
rod said: Go around to your power outlets and take the 1 screw usually in the middle and and take the cover plate off. Sometimes it will blow your mind how much cold air is blowing thru the outer wall and coming thru them.
I went and spent a few bucks on that expanding foam in a can. One name it goes by is Great Stuff. It expands pretty quick and just shoot a few good squirts in till you get the hang of it. And wear doctor latex gloves when messing with it.
And try to use a can in one setting, it tends to stop up, if you just do one of two then go back later to reuse the can.
Its nasty on hands or carpets, or in small children,s hair. HaHa
On this note, "great stuff" is a great insulator but it expands and hardens much more than most people think. I would definately advise against doing this as it can/will break your outlet and/or outlet box and at worst it can grab the wires and expanded (pull) th em out from the outlet. It does work great for sealing up the house though around exterior penetrations. Also, yes the newspaper is a big fire hazard.
Best thing you can do is look into a tankless water heater. It isa bit of an investment but the government and most local utility companys will offer big rebates. And the savings will pay for itself within 2 years for sure.
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makaveli8x8
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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: CoolNameHere]
#12038260 - 02/16/10 03:45 AM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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i believe increasing humidity to high levels will raise temps as it becomes an insulator but i maybe wrong
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zappaisgod
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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: CoolNameHere]
#12038531 - 02/16/10 07:19 AM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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The original Great Stuff did indeed expand a lot. It fucked up quite a few doors and windows. Like millions. They now make minimal and medium expanding foams in addition to the original.
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Wasteland
Elektromeister!



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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: Rebirtha]
#12047043 - 02/17/10 01:16 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Rebirtha said:
Quote:
Wasteland said: I hear shredded newspaper can insulate really well in attic spaces. Get a fuckload that people have put out for recycling and shred up a foot or two's worth.
sounds like a pretty big fire risk.
I am a cheap ass and just wear my winter coat inside.
Well his house would undoubtedly be warmer.
-------------------- The Mad Shroomer said: People are always promising the apocalypse. They never deliver.
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luvdemshrooms
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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: Wasteland]
#12050188 - 02/17/10 08:13 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Wasteland said:
Quote:
Rebirtha said:
Quote:
Wasteland said: I hear shredded newspaper can insulate really well in attic spaces. Get a fuckload that people have put out for recycling and shred up a foot or two's worth.
sounds like a pretty big fire risk.
I am a cheap ass and just wear my winter coat inside.
Well his house would undoubtedly be warmer.
Bring marshmallows.
-------------------- You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for that my dear friend is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it. ~ Adrian Rogers
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bardleyrichard
My Keyboard Got Damaged



Registered: 02/12/09
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Loc: Ohio
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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: luvdemshrooms]
#12050808 - 02/17/10 10:07 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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I'll just stuff my walls with marshmallows, or that marshmallow creme
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CoolNameHere
Mad Cyantist



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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: bardleyrichard]
#12051003 - 02/17/10 10:37 PM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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NICE! There is a nbew form of insulation that is based on mycelium. Gives new meaning to lick the walls.
Edited by CoolNameHere (02/17/10 11:20 PM)
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legallyhomeless
mooch


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Loc: EZRA for the Refuge
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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: CoolNameHere]
#12052645 - 02/18/10 09:04 AM (13 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
CoolNameHere said: NICE! There is a nbew form of insulation that is based on mycelium. Gives new meaning to lick the walls.
They have been working on that stuff for years. When can I actually use it?!
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Simms
Fuckwit


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Shredded newspaper around and inside window cracks, use knife for good stuffing. Do you have old wooden window-frames or the plastic ones? Its a bit harder with plastic, because it isn't the best heat conserver imho, and it is harder to stuff.
do you live in a stone house? Does it have insulance? If the walls are really cold, old russian tip is to hang a carpet on the wall. Another thing you could do, is stuff all the cracks, seal them, and then put penoplast over the walls, smooth it with paste and paint over... If you are not conserned about the room loss, of course. And if everything is sealed, make sure to have an air conditioner or at least let some air in from time to tome haha.
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trekie
Metal man


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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: Simms]
#12095857 - 02/25/10 02:19 PM (13 years, 10 months ago) |
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Switch to a digital thermostat if you haven't already. I picked one up for around 25-30 bucks and it saves me around 25 percent on my heating bills super easy to install too.
There is always the plastic around the windows that film stuff works great all you need is a hair dryer.
I also like to keep a blanket hanging up in between my living room and my little room that goes to outside.
Some landlord will even pay for the thermostat mine did just keeo receipts
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cowlitz
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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: bardleyrichard]
#12097722 - 02/25/10 07:06 PM (13 years, 10 months ago) |
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I found a lot of heat was going into my attic. I put some foam insulation around the gaps in the little port that goes up there.
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Chemical Sandman
The Psychedelic Sinner


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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: cowlitz]
#12100827 - 02/26/10 09:39 AM (13 years, 10 months ago) |
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newspaper? Buy insulation....
You should have all your windows poly'd with the proper shit, not saran wrap or whatever some of these cheap bastards are recommending.
If you aren't scared of a little work, you can rip off one piece of trim. It's not hard and you can do it in a way where you won't wreck it and can easily put it back on. I only say to do this is if you are unsure if their is insulation behind the trim, if their isn't dont' use newspaper, please use fibreglass insulation or spray foam.
***If you use sprayfoam, less is more, that shit will expand and if you spray too much and put the trim back on before its completely set it can still expand and fuck you windows up(you will have trouble opening them or might not be able to at all, same goes with doors)
Then take a caulking gun, and caulk the all around the trim of the window, top-bottom-sides.(all outer) Caulking is easy, although most people make it look like shit, get the right color or clear (if you have stained wood trim) and always make sure to cut the tip very small, just big enough to stick something in to puncture the foil cover.
Check your attic, if their is no insulation-buy some and put it up their. Yes fiber glass insulation, just layer them down one piece at a time. (remember heat rises)
Make sure their is no visible light coming thru the sides or bottom of your door, if their is then you need a better door sweep on the bottom and weather stripping on the sides.
Depending on how old your house is that should take care of it. If your in an older house with lath and plaster construction they insulation more likely than not has fallen down in the walls and only covers the first 4 feet. If your not afraid of a little drywall patch you can cut a small hole your wall about eye level and see if you notice and insulation.
Usually you don't have to be concerned with this unless your house was built before 1960. However their are many shotty contractors out their and codes were fairly ridiculous back then, if they followed any.
Yes running a humidifer will cut down heating cost.
Now if you do all this and your still having trouble you should check how often your furnace cuts in and for how long, of course we have a clean filter in their and may have to get a professional to come take a quick look at the furnance (about $100) and let you know if you need a new one.
If you have the money, and are planning on staying in this house for a while, you can always add rigid insulation (foam sheets) to the outside of your house. (they come in various sizes) I once installed 4 inch thick insulation and then siding over top off a customer's house who had terrible problems with heat in winter and keeping it cool during the summer.
We replaced the windows with triple pane glass and after we did the exterior insulation her place was sealed shut. Everything was caulked their was not one crack blowing air anywhere in her house. She verified that her heating cost's have gone done durastically and the furnace rarely ever cuts in (so rare that you wont notice it)
Those are extreme measures if you have a house that needs it, You will get your money back, but it will take years. Although you will always gain tremendous resale value for your home and will get your money back plus some that way.
If you do it yourself it's really not that expensive at all, but you do need to research and know exactly what your doing so you don't waste alot of money.
Hopefully you don't have to go that far and can solve your problems the easy way, good luck!
-------------------- "It's that in me there is no sorcery, there is no anger, there are no lies. Because I don't have garbage, I don't have dust. The sickness comes out if the sick vomit. They vomit the sickness. They vomit because the mushrooms want them to. If the sick don't vomit, I vomit. I vomit for them and in that way the malady is expelled. The mushrooms have power because they are the flesh of God. And those that believe are healed. Those that do not believe are not healed."(Maria Sabina) "Then there are the fanatical atheists whose intolerance is the same as that of the religious fanatics, and it springs from the same source . . . They are creatures who can't hear the music of the spheres." (Albert Einstein)
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LogicaL Chaos
Ascension Energy & Alien UFOs




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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: bardleyrichard]
#12125804 - 03/02/10 05:17 AM (13 years, 10 months ago) |
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I have a suggestion, specifically for the water heater....
If its in a closest-type room with a door, put a towel or better some insulution at the point where the bottom of the door meets the floor (where that space is). Should help keep heat inside that little closest.
And of course wrap the tank in insulation blanket (doesn't sound right with 2 "in"). Did you know that 30% of your power bill goes to heating water? Its True (if you have an electric heater of course.
Also, using incadecents bulbs may be inefficient light-wise, but they are good heat-producers, so using them in specific places may help (especially the high watt ones). Provides light and heat. CFL's provide some heat, but not as much as incands...
Another good one is if you have a tower-type PC, get a small inline fan, take off the side cover of your tower computer, and run the inline fan right on the CPU and video card (even the intergrated ones). The CPU produces a lot of heat, and the heat will spread around the room from the fast inline fan. I do this with my quare-core CPU when I'm on the shroomery, and it helps A LOT. Then again, I live an a small apartment. You might live in a house.
If you are really need for heat, your own body is a great source of heat (ie. The Matrix). Just exercise by working out/cadrio for like 1 hour, and your room will warm up just a little. Hire some young people, and increase that heat.
Minor things, but every bit counts right?
Heat Up It by Slipping It On.... ~ LogicaL Chaos ~
-------------------- "What you must understand is that your physical dimension affects everyone in the higher dimensions as well. All things are interconnected. All things are One. Therefore, if one dimension is broken or out of balance, then all other dimensions will experience repercussions." - Pleiadian Prophecy 2020 The New Golden Age by James Carwin PROJECT BLUE BOOK ANALYSIS! (312 pages!) | Psychedelics & UFOs | Ready to Contact UFOs? | The Source on Mushrooms | Trippy Gematrix | Dj TeknoLogical | Fentanyl Test Kits R.I.P. Big Worm || The Start of the Ascension Process was 2020. Welcome to the Next Great Era of Earth 🌎🌍🌏
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ChaostoOrder
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Re: Best ways to save on heating bills [Re: LogicaL Chaos]
#12150656 - 03/05/10 08:08 PM (13 years, 10 months ago) |
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I had the same problem, so I just got a space heater...for 35 bucks, and turn the thermostat off!!!! Helps out a lot....
-------------------- Too weird to live, to rare to die....-Hunter S. Thompson

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