DIY Home Made Energy

By JOHN L on Mar 22, 2008 | Reply

block off the rooms your not using.

By William D on Mar 22, 2008 | Reply

The best thing I can think of would be to insulate the skirting with styrofoam blocks. I live in a house with styrofoam insulation in the walls,ceiling.and basement and I have not even had to use the heater in my house yet this year. The stuff is amazing.

By sandy43935 on Mar 25, 2008 | Reply

Keeping the heat that low is actually working against you..it’s taking more to warm up the trailer.
And under the trailer, is it open, or do you have that siding around the bottom of the trailer? If it’s open, the cold air is probably coming through your floor. Can you get some cheap siding to surround the bottom of your trailer? If you do that and get some insulation under the trailer it might help..you should call your landlord and ask about it.
There also should be some low-cost weatherization programs in your area, if you need some help along that route…if you call the utility company they can likely hook you up.

By kclarkhorses on Mar 26, 2008 | Reply

Shop around for a provider of heat/light/power. YOu do not have to accept your local utility companies services. You can have some 1 utility company act as delivery agent while you purchase the natural gas/electricity/phone of another company. Yes it will mean making out 2 checks a month, but if it save more than the price of a stamp it is worth it.

By freyja5683 on Mar 28, 2008 | Reply

They make weather stripping for doors as well that you can use to help keep the heat in and the cold out. What about using candles to help heat the home? I use candles all the time and althought they will not help much they will help to heat the rooms that you are in more than nothing at all. How about trying to keep the heat on during the day and then turning it off at night.

Instead of keeping it at 60 all the time try putting it at 68 all day and when you come home from work turn it off or when you go to bed. This way it is not constantly running.

By mightytinner on Mar 31, 2008 | Reply

You need to get your furnace serviced. There a number of reasons why you are not burning the fuel efficiently. I can not troubleshoot from here, so you should get a qualified service tech to look it over. It could be a serious problem like a hole in the heat exchanger. A hole in your heat exchanger can cause Carbon Monoxide to leak into your house. This can be deadly. Most likely it something simple and inexpensive to repair. If you have any more questions feel free to email me.
I agree with the insulating of your skirting. I don’t agree with the school of thought that keeping it at 60 degrees in hurting you. The only way that having the thermostat set at 60 would hurt you is if you are turning it up when you get home. Leave the setting at a constant set point. I would recommend a little higher than 60 but it is your house. How long have you been in this trailer? Is this a new problem or something you have been fighting?

By Jayna on Mar 31, 2008 | Reply

I work for an HVAC company and you’d be surprised what a tune up - with cleanings - for your equipment would do. Having clean equipment (year round) is a huge help for maintaining peak efficiency not to mention that it helps to extend the life of your equipment.

By Wendy M on Apr 1, 2008 | Reply

I have recently read from the electric company a really helpful brochure they provide for free. You might ask if they have something like that.
One interesting thing I didn’t know is the large amount of wasted power to turned off electronics. They say they are off but in fact they are on standby.
Install surge protectors in entertainment areas and be sure to turn off the power strip when you aren’t using them. Same with microwaves and coffee makers with clocks.
The one thing to leave plugged in to the wall is your cable connections. They lose their guide for hours and also cannot record pre-programmed items!
You’ll also notice a side benefit….its quieter. There is a humming from all those electronics we don’t realize is there.
The brochure said this can save up to 20% of your bill depending on how many areas of your home are “ON” all the time.