We had our propane tank filled about a two weeks ago. The price has more than doubled and will continue to rise as demand increases. The temperature is in the 30's in the mornings now. The days start off cool, but warms up into the 60's, until tomorrow that is. The forecast for daytime temps is now in the 50's, but they have been wrong more than right lately.
The last two mornings the house temperature has dropped to 54 degrees. I use the stove to take the chill out of the air and brew my tea. It takes about 15 minutes then the sun takes over.
I don't think that the world's energy crisis is going to get better anytime soon. I think that it is going to be a tough Winter for most of us. The latest statistic for Americans is that 60% are now living paycheck to paycheck. How many are living below that level?
Here are a few ways that we conserve propane and electricity(I added a few tips for summertime too):
Cook- Cooking warms up the house and a hot meal is always welcome in our home. In the Summertime cook outside or cook first thing in the morning while it is still cool outside. Use a convection toaster oven instead of heating up a big oven when possible. A solar oven is even better, but not always possible for some.
Solar- I use the solar oven if the weather permits. We use solar power to run our whole home. Sometimes we have to run a generator if we have several days without sun, but our goal is to only use the power that we make.
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| We turned on the heat seats in the car on September 18th for the first time this season and one other time for a short period until the heater warmed up the car. There was no sun on those days and it was raining too. |
Pressure cooker- Use an electric pressure cooker instead of using the stovetop or oven. It takes a lot less time and therefore less power.
Batch cook- Cook food in large batches and freeze. It uses the same amount of power, saves time and keeps the freezer full which in turn uses less power. Don't let the freezer meals go to waste by forgetting what's in the freezer.
Turn down the heat- Turn it down at night, while your not home and try adjusting to living in lower temperatures. Our fireplace is double-sided into the master bedroom, so we keep the heat very low at night.
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| We tested our heat source to make sure it ready for when we need it, but we have not turned it on yet. Our goal every year is not to turn it on until November, but that all depends on the weather. |
Wear more clothes- Dress for Winter in your area. Wear long sleeves, a sweater, socks, shoes, pants, a hat or a jacket. If you live in say Colorado don't dress like you live in Florida. Dress properly in the Summer too.
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| Fleece is your friend. I use fleece as a layer under my snow pants or over my jeans if I am going to be outside before it's time to get out the snow pants for the season. I put it on over my pajamas first thing in the mornings. Even the dog wears fleece. She is wrapped in the fleece blanket beside me. |
Bedding- Flannel sheets are awesome in the Winter. We also have fleece sheets for the chilliest months. Add more blankets. Do the opposite during Summer months.
Close off unused portions of your house- Shut the vents and doors to rooms that do not need heat to keep the water pipes from freezing.
Unplug Appliances- Appliances with an on demand feature use an enormous amount of power when not in use. If you lived off grid you would figure things out pretty fast. Large TV's are the absolute worse power suckers.
Timers- We use timers on our large appliances. In the Summer, they need more run time than in the Winter.
Appliance placement- Do not keep appliances such as extra refrigerators and freezers in your hot garage. It will wear out the appliances faster and it will use power non-stop in the Summer months. We keep our freezer in the coolest part of our house.
Curtains- Shut the curtains at night in the Winter. It will help keep the heat from escaping. Let the sunshine in during the day. It will help warm the house. In the Summer do the opposite, shut the curtains during the day in the Summer, especially on the West side of the house. We shut our curtains in the afternoon on the West side during the Summer months. It keeps the house cool. We do not have nor do we need air conditioning at this altitude, no one does. A fan or an open window keeps us cool and the air circulating.
Snuggle- Snuggle with the one you love. We have a 10,000 BTU Dachshund dog who love to snuggle.
Things To Be Happy About:
When times are tough be grateful, because they can be a lot tougher.
Fleece
Double-sided fireplaces
Batch cooking
Leftovers
Furniture
Cabinets
Using the stove burners to take the chill out of the air before turning on the furnace for the season.
Flannel and fleece sheets
Goose down comforters
Being satisfied
Granite
Heated car seats
Windshield wiper fluid
Light
A good night's sleep
Waking up in the middle of the night to find out my husband is waiting for me to wake up to chat, then going back to sleep. (Sometimes in the middle of our conversation)
Waiting for my husband to wake up...
Shalom,
Mrs. Smith
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