Open Thread Tuesday: It's Cold Out There!
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'Cause I got nuthin and Lambert is still away. So: what are you doing to prepare for winter? We got our first hard frost here last night, brrr. The berries in the forest preserve where I walk my puppy daily were frozen this morning, but still tart. I'm going to be trying to emulate Ohio this winter, and get these frakking basement rehab projects done once and for all. But it's cold down here (my new office suite I sort-of-built this year is in the basement), and I'll be burning a lot of wood, while keeping the thermostat set as low as I possibly can. It's hard to do here, as my elderly charges can't tolerate lower temperatures, so I'm always fighting that battle: "No, it's not really that cold in here. Suck it up." Electric blankets and heating pads have proven to be a practical solution here. What are you doing/will do this winter, to save on heating costs?
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Plastic on the windows is the biggest
We used to put an entire blanket up over the back door, cuz it's drafty as all get out, but since we have a puppy that uses that door for egress/ingress, we can't do that anymore.
We also bought an indoor dryer vent that is recommended for apartments. Other than making the house rather humid, it works great for adding some quick heat to the house, w/out kicking on the gas devouring furnace.
Fleece throws are draped over every couch and bed in the house as well, for momentary chills(I'll die of hypothermia before I ever allow a Snuggie to touch me).
Snuggie?
what's that?
A blanket w/sleeves
Don't know yet. This will be
Don't know yet. This will be the first winter in the new house and the previous owners put a great deal of effort into upgrading it...blown in cellulose insulation, new windows. They claimed to never see a bill above $100 after the work was done, which is really quite good for a 70 year old house in the great white north.
I never worry about it too much, because i work outside so 65 feels balmy and i don't usually strip off more than the first layer or two when i get home. The SO on the other hand...
I'll put plastic up on at least some of the windows, because that really does help and i'm good at it: tight enough that you don't even notice.
I do plan to put some work into the semi-exposed basement this winter. I'll be pulling down the fake wood paneling and installing a layer of rigid insulation before putting up new drywall...but that's as much for the summer as it is for the winter.
Bank the house
Dead leaves -- make sure they're dry -- around the foundation of the house. Last year, that turned the coldest room into the warmest one.