Those with gas logs

[Muushka]

We have them and do not use them, pretty, but stupid from an energy sucking aspect. Anyway, I noticed that a lot of heat was pouring down from our chimney in addition to the heat from the pilot light. I had begged to shut it off many years ago, but re-lighting it is a pain and my husband didn't want me to. So I proved to him how hot that fireplace was with the pilot light and leaky chimney (air wise).

I shut off the pilot light, got some styrofoam insulation stuff and covered the fireplace. Then I hung a black piece of cloth over it, so it just looks black, not too bad, but much more energy efficient.

I got the gas bill today. That pilot light cost $6 a month for the past 12 years.

PS I used the excess insulation to cover the attic door (backside) and the den is much cooler now.

Anyone got any energy saving tips, strange like this?

 

[Fizzgig]

Muushka, my pilot for my fireplace did a lot more than $6 a month. We just turned off the gas to the fireplace a few years ago. We use gas for heating the house and the fireplace. Use of the fireplace was about $30-50 each time we turned it on. We put space heaters in the rooms we sleep in and call it good.

I've put up the platinum window filters in several of the rooms. That made a major difference in the comfort of each room.

We're installing a $200 fan in the (vaulted ceiling) living room in an effort to better cool the house.

Trading out the 8+ year old fridge for a more efficient one has made a MAJOR difference each month. I'm thinking $100/month there.

One thing that didn't originally make sense to me was that opening up doors and allowing the air conditioning to flow in the house has helped cool down all the house. I was under the impression that you needed to close off the rooms you didn't need. With the architecture of my house, it actually made my house less comfortable.

Hope that helps!

 

[Muushka]

Hi there Fizzig getting psyched about the cruise?? We sure are...I digress...

New refrig...check...my old one (12 years old) was replaced a few months ago and I am surprised that I don't see a difference in the electricity consumption.

What are platinum window filters?? Google...here I come!

I love the concept of space heaters. Tell me, did you get the kind that your vent or not?

So, I am not sure I understand what you are saying about opening up rooms that are not being used. Have you found that opening them up helps? I have a spare BR and a den that I keep closed off.

The other thing that I do is in the AM if it is cool outside, I open the doors and allow the cool air to flow through the house and throughout the day I will put on the air only portion of the A/C and that cools the house down. Doing this allows me to just have to run the air from about 5 PM to 10. Not too bad.

We also plan on getting a new insert that is 85% efficient as opposed the the current one that is -10% efficient!

 

[estherhead]

Gas logs are idiotic. If you want a true source of secondary heat, get a true, vented gas fireplace. The kind that has glass over the front. This has saved us all kinds of money as we turn the furnace way down in the winter (like 60 degrees) & just keep the gas logs on. It heats up our living room & kitchen nice & toasty & we just turn it off at bed time & put lots of blankets on all the bed. It's saved us money & is just plain, old fun! Without the hassle of wood.

 

[Fizzgig]

Go to Home Depot or Home Depot's website for the window film.

We got programmable electric plug-in heaters. Picked them up at Costco. We lower the house temperature at night, but turn on the room heater where we sleep. Of course, that only works during the cold weather.

Open the doors to the rooms you keep closed for a few days and see if it makes a difference in the comfort of your house. If it doesn't, just close the doors again.

Do you vacuum your fridge coils rather frequently? We didn't. That may be where our gain is coming from.

Cooooommmmme onnnnn cruise!!!

 

[minnie1928]

I just put window film on 6 windows in my house and I plan to do the rest. It's very effective stuff, but it definitely takes time. If you do it quick, the results will show it.

Regarding the gas fireplace...we had one in our previous home that I swear was never installed properly. The builder looked at it more times than I could count and it never got better. Anyway, we had a draft so strong coming through it that it would blow out a cigarette lighter if you held it up to the fireplace. Anyway, in order to stop that draft we turned off the pilot light and then I sealed the whole front of the fireplace with the plastic shrink wrap you use to insulate drafty windows. We had a glass enclosure on the fireplace, but it was no match for the draft. The plastic worked WONDERS and the nice thing was that when I put up a fireplace screen the whole thing was basically invisible. No one in the 6 years we lived there ever questioned why I had plastic on my fireplace...I don't think they ever noticed it!

Our new home has a fireplace and I plan on purchasing one of these:
http://www.batticdoor.com/fireplacedraftstopper.html

 

[Muushka]

I just put window film on 6 windows in my house and I plan to do the rest. It's very effective stuff, but it definitely takes time. If you do it quick, the results will show it.

Regarding the gas fireplace...we had one in our previous home that I swear was never installed properly. The builder looked at it more times than I could count and it never got better. Anyway, we had a draft so strong coming through it that it would blow out a cigarette lighter if you held it up to the fireplace. Anyway, in order to stop that draft we turned off the pilot light and then I sealed the whole front of the fireplace with the plastic shrink wrap you use to insulate drafty windows. We had a glass enclosure on the fireplace, but it was no match for the draft. The plastic worked WONDERS and the nice thing was that when I put up a fireplace screen the whole thing was basically invisible. No one in the 6 years we lived there ever questioned why I had plastic on my fireplace...I don't think they ever noticed it!

Our new home has a fireplace and I plan on purchasing one of these:
http://www.batticdoor.com/fireplacedraftstopper.html

Any installation tips for it to look great?

Yup, ours was blowing out HOT air while we were in 100+ temps last month. I covered it with plastic as a test and every time the AC came on, the plastic looked like a spinaker on a sailboat during a hurricane (think pregnant)!

I checked out the link for the draft stopper. What a great idea that is. I am pretty happy with what I have, but I am sure others will benefit from your information.

Go to Home Depot or Home Depot's website for the window film.

We got programmable electric plug-in heaters. Picked them up at Costco. We lower the house temperature at night, but turn on the room heater where we sleep. Of course, that only works during the cold weather.

Open the doors to the rooms you keep closed for a few days and see if it makes a difference in the comfort of your house. If it doesn't, just close the doors again.

Do you vacuum your fridge coils rather frequently? We didn't. That may be where our gain is coming from.

Cooooommmmme onnnnn cruise!!!

I will try opening the doors. We have 20 foot ceilings in our bedroom, sadly. So a space heater is not such a good idea. Maybe during the winter we should move upstairs!

Yup, I vacume the coils. Just did that yesterday on my new fridge!

I checked Lowes, thanks. So, is this stuff a pain to install? Any tips for all who have done it?

Gas logs are idiotic. If you want a true source of secondary heat, get a true, vented gas fireplace. The kind that has glass over the front. This has saved us all kinds of money as we turn the furnace way down in the winter (like 60 degrees) & just keep the gas logs on. It heats up our living room & kitchen nice & toasty & we just turn it off at bed time & put lots of blankets on all the bed. It's saved us money & is just plain, old fun! Without the hassle of wood.

I agree. See last line, post #3

 

[Fizzgig]

Just be very careful when you cut the film. Otherwise, it was pretty easy.

 

[minnie1928]

The window film I'm using right now is Gila brand (bought at Lowe's), the heat control type.

I like this film because the film has a clearer view once it's on the window. I used a different brand of film on my other home which was much easier to install, but then the view was somewhat cloudy.

That being said, I think this film is more difficult. You basically have 2 sheets stuck together and you have to peel them apart. The sheet you want to use on the window has a sticky side. The problem is that it wants to fold in on itself and when it does that it can get pretty tricky. If you separate it too quickly the shiny film will tear off and ruin the piece.

What I've done is start on windows that are less "obvious" (I did the side of the house windows) so that your early mistakes are learned on windows that aren't frequently seen. Remove the window hardware and CLEAN the window. If the window is not super clean, any dirt left behind will become even more obvious once the film is on. Once you are ready for the film, have a 2nd person help you separate the film and place it on the window. The cutting of the film is next and you need to be careful, a sharp blade is very helpful. After that you need to squeeze out all the trapped air bubbles between the film and the window with a squeegee. Then it's done.

This is definitely not a project to rush. If you take your time and are careful, your window will look great!

 

[Muushka]

Thanks Minnie/Kelly, and Fizzig.

PS when you say to remove window hardware, do you mean the lock thing?

 

[minnie1928]

Thanks Minnie/Kelly, and Fizzig.

PS when you say to remove window hardware, do you mean the lock thing?

Yep, you can put it back on when you are done with the film. It's just easier to cut the film if the lock thingy isn't there.