Okay so I just survived my first northern winter.
And I can’t say that I got through it unscathed.
In fact, my bank account got beat up pretty bad. The cost of heating my house was way more than I ever figured it would be. Running the heater ended up costing the equivalent of a car payment on a very nice car I would not be able to afford. This is something that is simply not sustainable for me and my finances. A bit of the heating expense can be attributed to being new to this sort of cold. I had not ever been exposed to this sort of consistent freezing temperature range. But that is not the full answer to why I spent so much on heating the house this past winter. The full picture has much more to do with the efficiency of both the HVAC equipment and my house. When I bought the house, I agreed to take the old HVAC equipment and ended up saving many thousands of dollars on the final sale price. I figured I’d just get through a winter and then replace the HVAC equipment. That is the first thing we are doing. We are about to be the proud owner of a very efficient gas furnace. This will make a significant difference in our heating costs. Plus, I am really sealing up the house. That includes new storm doors and windows. I’m upgrading the insulation in the attic. And I’m making sure there are no gaps or cracks anywhere on the exterior. Next winter is definitely going to be warmer and less expensive where the heating is concerned.
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