My goal this winter is to reduce my heating costs by 35% without going the easy way of just turning the thermostat down 10 degrees permanently.

Here are my plans so far:

  • move my office from upstairs to downstairs in the room directly below our bedroom – I figure this will warm the one of the coldest rooms in the house (on the north side and also furthest from the furnace) by the upward rise of heat from the computers I usually have running. I know this costs electricity but they are running anyway, might as well re-use the heat they generate.
  • buy and install a programmable thermostat – I think this one is obvious
  • get the chimneys cleaned and gather some wood to use the basement chimney a few nights a week
  • keep the shades lowered on the south facing huge windows – for those that don’t know, most of the south side of my house is huge windows that overlook the backyard pool. They have mechanical shades that has one section not working so I have refrained from using them but I lowered them this spring to keep out the sun and its heat, so I’m just going to leave them down.

Any other ideas?


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