Home Heating Oil...Help!

[mrstomrice]

We budget our monthly heating bill so we don't get bombarded with a huge bill. We also save 3.5 cents per gallon by budgeting. Last year our monthly bill was $128.00 We just got our new budget plan today and we will be paying $255.00 per month!!!! Our home is small (cape cod, 1500 sq. ft.) and the winters aren't too bad. We have already turned our hot water heater down. Any other suggestions for saving on home heating oil?

 

[pipervali]

Keep your thermostat as low as you can tolerate it. Bundle up on blankets instead of turning up the heat. And don't mess with the thermo too often, because each time your heater kicks in, it'll burn more oil.

I'm on a budget plan as well, the worst part is paying for the lump sum at the beginning of the summer that's built up from the year that was over budget.

Another alternative might be to get a pellet stove. My grandparents did that, put it out on their enclosed patio, and just left the sliding doors open to allow the heat to come through the entire house. And the pellets are considerably less expensive, especially if you buy them by the ton instead of a bag a shot.

 

[HelenePA]

I was planning on getting heating blankets and setting it REALLY low at night and then programming it to heat up before we get up in the AM. I wonder if it would be cost effective?

 

[dreaming3]

I'll be in the same situation. I'm planning on buying a space heater for the bathroom and not turning the heat on in the morning before work.

 

[NHWX]

If you're out most of the day, then a programmable thermostat might pay for itself or save you some money.

We have cellular shades over nearly all of our windows, and that definitely helps on keeping it warmer. We got ours years ago from American Blind & Wallpaper but you might find Home Depot, etc. cheaper.

Last winter I just rolled a towel and stuck on a bathroom window where the two windows meet - at the latch point - to cut down on the cold air coming in.

While the weather's nice, you might want to investigate getting new doors or windows if yours leak badly. I'm not sure but there still might be a federal tax rebate for energy saving repairs.

Once when we lived in a very old house, we wrapped the entire outside of the kitchen addition in heavy grade plastic sheeting. It did help! (We used a staple gun to attach the plastic.) This house was so old, it had a central fireplace with a baking oven.

We looked at getting a gizmo to regulate the oil burner firing but due to a variety of things (no money, no time for starters) we never did anything but look. Here's a link: http://www.otchoice.com/hw.htm

I'd love to hear other people's ideas. I just pre-bought this week at 4.449/gallon.

NHWX

 

[mrstomrice]

Thanks for the suggestions! Our windows are 6 years old with low e. We do have programmable thermostats already. I wonder how low it should be set in the day time without being counter productive (costs that much more to heat up again). We keep it set for 64 in the day. We keep the basement just warm enough to keep the pipes from bursting. We are having the house checked before winter to be winterized. Our oil is set at 4.99 a gallon...love to have it for 4.49! Any other suggestions?

 

[licountrygirl]

I got the same shock when I opened up my balanced budget bill for July. Last year we paid $160 per month and now it's $261. Where do you find an extra $100 a month? This is on top of a $100 a month increase in my mortgage because the taxes went up again. We also have a small cape, smaller than yours.

A friend of mine was looking into a pellet stove - and although the pellets are not as expensive as other things, you need to have that stove hooked up to your electricity. The electric is what blows the heat out of the stove and into your house.

I think we're going to look at getting a fireplace insert. We have a fireplace, but the chimney needs work.

Lots of blankets needed this year. I don't have a programmable thermostat - will that really help and is it expensive to buy/install?

 

[LorieR]

I got the same shock when I opened up my balanced budget bill for July. Last year we paid $160 per month and now it's $261. Where do you find an extra $100 a month? This is on top of a $100 a month increase in my mortgage because the taxes went up again. We also have a small cape, smaller than yours.

A friend of mine was looking into a pellet stove - and although the pellets are not as expensive as other things, you need to have that stove hooked up to your electricity. The electric is what blows the heat out of the stove and into your house.

I think we're going to look at getting a fireplace insert. We have a fireplace, but the chimney needs work.

Lots of blankets needed this year. I don't have a programmable thermostat - will that really help and is it expensive to buy/install?

I have a small cape also that is smaller than the OP's. I live in Wantagh. My budget payment went from $180 to $309 We are locked in at $3.99 and feel pretty fortunate for that when I hear what some people will be paying! My DH installed a programmable thermostat years ago and we keep the temperature at 62 at night, might go down to 60 this year though, and around 68 during the day since I work at home. I think I might lower that also to 66. Not sure how difficult it is to change to a programmable thermostat but I am sure there are lots of places on the internet that can give you some info on that. I think it is worth it.

 

[PatsMom]

We live in northern NH and our local oil dealer doesn't do a budget plan. We are dreading having to fill the oil tank. We have supplemented the oil heat with wood in the past and this year are planning to do more wood. I hate to get up to put wood in the stove at night and the heat just doesn't get back to my bathroom but I think we are going to live with some very cold mornings this year to avoid the furnace coming on at night. Thermostat is going to be set on 60, other years we've done 64. No point in considering anything electric to supplement - our electric rates just went up almost 7% due to a fuel surcharge so electric isn't going to be much cheaper than oil. The house is new and pretty energy efficient with good windows and doors so there isn't much else we can do. No unused rooms to close off either.

 

[bonybroad]

We have all electric. We are looking into one of the outdoor-woodburners to combat the cost of elec.
My parents live on 100 acres of heavily wooded land, so free wood is not a problem.
It's the initial cost of the system that has me going - around $7k!

 

[licountrygirl]

Wow, 3.99 is awesome. I locked in at 4.69. We live in Mastic.

We already bought our flights for Disney, so even with fuel costs rising, there's no way we're gonna forget the vacation.

 

[myladyisatramp]

I am also dreading this winter. Waiting to see about locking in one company wanted to lock in at 5.15 I didn't do it. Haven't been on a budget plan yet either but that may come this year hard to come up with 600 or 800 bucks at a time and thats not filling the tank Ghezz

 

[semo233]

Once when we lived in a very old house, we wrapped the entire outside of the kitchen addition in heavy grade plastic sheeting. It did help! (We used a staple gun to attach the plastic.) This house was so old, it had a central fireplace with a baking oven.
If you covered the windows, this can be dangerous! Please be very careful when considering this.

My in-laws have a pellet stove and said that even finding the pellets are difficult this year.

Another idea is lowering the water temperature on your water heater to no more than 120 degrees. It is a safety measure also (prevents scalding).

My favorite line from November through March is "put on a sweatshirt".
We have always kept our heat at 64, but I'm going to put a programable thermostate on the one that controls upstairs where the bedrooms are and set it at 62 for times we aren't home anyway.

I'm going to purchase one of those covers for the attic stairs hatchway. I know our stairs and hatchway are not airtight (I can see light coming through). We used to just pile old blankets on it, but not this year!

Go around with a lit candle on a windy day and hold it near outlets, windows, in-wall air conditioners, doors, etc. You will be able to see where the leaks are by how much the flame moves. They make all kinds of cheap insulating products to seal these up.

I'll be looking for more great ideas myself.
Keep 'em coming!

 

[jeankeri]

OP- I am in pretty much the same situation as you are- 1500 sq ft cape, our budget is going from $169 to $250. I will be buying an additional space heater this winter, one of those that look kinda like a radiator, KWIM? I have always turned the heat down at night- 60 degrees. I will use the space heaters for the boy's room and the living/kitchen area in the morning, and only turn up the heat from after school to bed time on school days/ wake-up to bed time on weekends.

 

[myladyisatramp]

Space heaters scare me.

 

[NHWX]

I'm assuming you were concerned about exits in case of a fire? We were young and stupid then. Thinking back on it, I think our landlord should have been upset by the staple holes in the siding. OTOH, the house was so badly insulated that if we closed the kitchen door at night, the florescent light wouldn't come on in the morning. It was that cold in there!

Anyone have any experience with external wood fired boilers?

NHWX

 

[semo233]

I'm assuming you are referring to what my husband called a wood fired furnace. All I could say when he mentioned it was that I would not be getting up at 5AM and loading it with wood in 2 feet of snow and 5 degree temperatures!!

 

[musicmama]

Our budget payment just went from $114 to $268. Plus an outstanding balance of $482. for last year's 'shortfall'. I don't know where it's coming from - and we, too, have Airtran tix that would be "lost" if we cancelled (in other words, more expensive change fees than fares).

I put in a call to the oil company to see what we are actually paying per gallon, as it does not seem to be a locked-in price but whatever they charge per fill-up. We can't vary temps too much because I have a grand piano and anything lower than 66 degrees would cause severe damage. Plus we have a small dog who is very temp-sensitive. Waiting to hear back.

And no, I'm not getting rid of either family member (dog or piano). Guess we'll just have to suck it up elsewhere, I'm just not sure where else!

 

[marcyinPA]

I just checked our oil company on-line for their current rates...$4.45 gallon, and they are the cheapest around here. They don't offer pre-pay or lock in rates. Omgosh, I have no idea what we are going to do this winter. We had the heat at 65 last winter and froze. Now we're going to have to suck it up and go lower. I have no choice but to use our vacation account money to pay for our oil. Looks like the cruise we just went on will be our last trip for a while. Good thing we enjoyed it!

 

[a1tinkfans]

Wow, 3.99 is awesome. I locked in at 4.69. We live in Mastic.

We already bought our flights for Disney, so even with fuel costs rising, there's no way we're gonna forget the vacation.

Hello Fellow Long Islander!
I am actually on C.O.D and its paid USUALLY cash,though sometimes they'll let me throw it on a charge (of course thats a Disney Visa, atleast I get something for it, LOL)
I am in a Colonial and rather than FILLING the tank, I just have been getting 100 gallons last two times to "cut back a bit". The cost difference for 100 to 250 gallons is not a vast difference. I just paid 4.29 6/28, and WAS paying much less .
Interestingly enough BOTH sets of grandparents have a contract agreement and they are BOTH paying way more then me on COD. Now their contract includes "yearly service" but we use the same company that does the yearly "check up" and charges a reasonable fee, (like 120.) so we have opted NOT to go contract because we always have paid LESS than each of them, last 4 years!
I keep the heat down normally and we're on an automatic thermostat otherwise.
That being said, I have to say that we're (my family) used to the "bit of chill" in our home and when my sister comes to visit she always brings a HAT its a family JOKE now, but all I know is, HEY, it works or us, guess we have thicker skin
I think the vinyl siding and having all new windows has really helped us in the long run too!