Winter Savings Tips

You know, there's nothing worse than going to the mailbox in the afternoon and finding it crammed full of bills.  Boy!  That frosts my ass.

But sometimes ... the envelope has something included in it, along with the bill.  Take my village water, sewer and trash bill for example.  It always has a chatty newsletter in it chock full of information about how the present mayor is making life so good for us.  Why, just last February, right after the most horrendous blizzard this area had encountered in over thirty years, the newsletter contained a personal note from the mayor reminding us to not be "crabby-pants whiners" about how cold it was and how much snow there was on the ground.  Well, I got to thinking about that and figured Mayor Whatsername had a point.  So I remained cheerful about how miserable I was until the ice floes on Mill Creek broke up in June.

Pep talks are nice in your bills, but I really wished the Mayor had talked about how to save money on our water/sewer/trash bill.  Just like the good people at The Upper Great Plains Gas & Electric Cooperative do.

When I received my TUGPG&E bill in early November, I was delighted to see that they had included a pamphlet on how to save on energy bills in your home during the cold winter months to come.  So, instead of throwing it in the trash, I held on to it so I could share these same handy tips with you. Since I just write nonsense most of the time, I'm happy to do something useful for a change ... so here we go:

11 Tips To Help You Save On Gas and Electric Heating Bills

*  Air your house out frequently during cold snaps.  Don't let old, stale, over-warmed air accumulate in your furnace.

*  Turn heat up at night to avoid "peak heating" hours.

*  Save money by reusing old furnace filters.  Leave them in an extra year this winter.

*  Thermostats function most efficiently at 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

*  Use your electric stove to heat the kitchen.

*  Keep windows open.  It helps the house "breathe".

*  Pay your gas and electric bills months in advance to improve household budgeting.

*  Encourage kids to play outdoors.  Running back and forth, in and out of the house all the time will help them keep warm.

*  Put felt or rubber stripping, about an inch wide, around all your indoor plants.

*  Use your air conditioner during winter months when there's less demand for home cooling.

*  Put six inches of TUGPG&E "CollectaHeat" insulation on your basement floor.  Much of your home's heat escapes through basement floors.