Our Summer Without Hot Water

I have been meaning to write this post for some time once summer ended and we turned the gas back on. Then fall came upon us with the new school year and all that entails for us. Now fall has turned to winter! and I still have not written about our experience with living without running hot water.

It started due to me not paying the gas bill in time and the service being turned off. I thought, rather than have it turned back on right away, why not see if we could live without it, at least for the summer? At the very least it would lower our overall gas bill for the year and we would learn some valuable lessons. My husband thought initially that it would show me that it's not so easy to live a hardcore, back-to-nature, green life without such a basic amenity. Turned out we were both right.

The kids, who at first weren't very concerned about the hot water being off because they practically live in Lake Erie during the summer, sometimes felt aggrieved when they wanted hot water right away and had to wait for it to heat up on the electric stove. We also chose to heat water sparingly so as not to increase the electric bill. Other times they went weeks with a carefree attitude about it, remarking that they didn't even miss it.

The biggest lesson we all learned was just how much we had previously consumed natural gas, namely due to daily long showers or baths, and frequent clothes washing. You might be surprised at how quickly you can shower when the water is cold! and you come out just as clean. Before we had the gas turned back on we brainstormed ways to use less. Some of these ideas can be found on my lower your heating bill post, including:

- We take shorter showers
- We take less showers
- We keep the heat at 60 degrees & turn down to 55 at night
- We wear warm clothing indoors

Overall I am glad we did it, but we will probably not repeat this again. While we still consider running hot water to be a basic amenity that all people should have, we now also see that it is the luxury and privilege that it actually is. We will continue the family discussion on this and come up with ways to heat our home and water in as green a way as we can. The primary focus being using less energy.

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How To Keep Your Heating Bill Low

It's winter here in Northeast Ohio which usually means I blast the heat and run up an insanely huge gas bill because I am a freeze cry baby. Not this season! I am determined to get our gas bill under control. Here are some ideas I have to share with you and I will blog about them as the winter season progresses:

Seal Your Windows, Doors, & Other Leaks
Heat escapes mainly through windows and doors. If you can feel a draft by your windows, air is coming in and going out. A way to reduce this is to seal the windows in heavy plastic or heavy cloth. Even if you have new(ish) windows this might be a good idea. Keep fire safety in mind and make sure whatever you use is easy to quickly tear through or pull down.

Your doors, especially the main entry/exit door, let a lot of nice warm air out and cold nasty air in. It's an extreme safety fire safety hazard to seal up your doors, but at night try placing rolled towels or other heavy cloth against the bottom of the door(s). This helps to block off cold air seeping in.

Other leaks include attic doorways, chimneys, plumbing, etc. Check pathnet.org for more info.

Set Thermostat To 60 and Don't Raise It
This calls for willpower and discipline. If the temperature is above zero, there really is very little reason for you to set your indoor temperature to above 60 degrees. If you still feel cold, check your windows and doors for cold air coming in. Now, if the temperature falls below zero then it's reasonable to raise the thermostat, as that is just crazy. More on this, keep reading.

Shower To A Timer
Oh, the long hot shower. Easy way to skyrocket your heating bill. I will stay in the shower till the hot water runs out, ok. But that's like throwing money down the drain. Bring a timer in with you and shower for 5-10 minutes. This means knock off the chill, wash your funky behind, and keep it moving.

Dress Warmly Indoors
Now, you may think it's your right, especially if you are an American, to be able to run around indoors in shorts even when it's very cold outside. Uh uh no way. You are trying to be eco-friendly, responsible, and frugal here! Dress warmly indoors and you will feel warm, and thus less likely to turn up the heat.

Stay Hydrated
This is very important. You need to drink just as much water in the winter as in the summer. Staying hydrated helps keep your body temperature stable. This is important especially if you have poor circulation, like me. You will feel warmer and better and not turn up the thermostat.

Go to Free Places & Use Their Heat
This is great especially if you have kids and you are planning to take them out anyway. Free places include libraries, museums, and shopping malls. Go out for a day, hang out, treat it like an expedition. Pack your food and have fun.

Bundle Up & Cover Up At Night
This is similar to dressing warmly inside. Do you really think all you need is a sheet? Nope! Pile on the covers and dress warmly including SOCKS. If you have a partner, cuddle up with them and share body heat. You can also lower your thermostat even more at night. We're trying out 55 degrees at night as long as the temperature is above zero. Check this out:

---A common misconception associated with programmable thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the home back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. Years of research and numerous studies have shown that the fuel required to reheat a home is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the home drops to the lower temperature. This will result in fuel savings between the times the temperature stabilizes at the lower level and the next time heat is needed. The longer the house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy saved.---
from Iowa Energy Center

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