MarkG

I can't vouch for Calgary, but we've been at -40 and below for more than 'a few times' over the last couple of winters. If I remember correctly there was a period of several weeks when we rarely got above that temperature.

Or maybe I'm thinking wind-chill rather than still air temperatures? I can't find a reliable source of daily historical weather data here.

printer

We have one furnace about 15 yrs old now, one hot water tank.
Gas $73 per month equal payments
Electricity $70 per month equal payments

Home is well insulated, it's been cooler than norm, outside temp is 14 degrees yet A/C still kicked in as its 25 inside.(guess it's window open time) Even when its cold and damp outside the inside is still warm enough not to need heating this time of year.
We also have always had a programmable electronic stat to control the heat or A/C

mandymoochops

Just call it f****g cold enough to crank up the heating and stay indoors

Mike Gas

yea this time last year we were in the mid 20s had to close the doors today 1 st time since end April

mandymoochops

Am still trying to fight the urge to turn the furnace on - I look like one of those poor little old buggers with 7 sweaters and a mono sock to watch tv

Mike Gas

Told the old lady heating stays off to November find other ways to keep warm

Mike Gas

mind you we are forecast 25 tomorrow so thats OK

mandymoochops

Are you sure you're not my hubby he said the exact same thing tonight (apart from he's away working in SK) but said (jokingly) I should do more things around the yard or something to keep warm.

I think he realises there's safety in distance

linz3112

I tried to attach the original thread but couldn't get the damn thing to work so gave up and just wrote the name of the thread and quoted prices!

readytomove

we've just bought a 90 year old house here and saw the previous owners gas bill (old lady lives alone). Last January she spent $600 on gas and $200 electric!

the house is 1800 sqft and is insulated and double glazed. What was she doing with all that gas?

fledermaus

She's an old lady, they feel the cold.

Or maybe the furnace is knackered and the insulation has gaps? You'll find out in January.

readytomove

That's what we figured - she's old so probably heats it to sauna like temperatures.

The furnace should be ok, it's only 4 years old but we do plan on putting in better insulation and windows at some point. January might just take me back to uni days of walking around the house wrapped in a blanket.

Atlantic Xpat

It's worth noting that having an uninsulated basement can really drive your heating costs up as it acts as a heatsink. Worth spending the money to insulate it even if you can't afford to finish it for habitation! We've also found that if we keep our basement heated at a constant temp - 16-18c, it is more economic than just heating when we are down there.

And a slight thread drift on the subject of our basement. It's fully finished with a rec room, laundry room, storage room and bathroom. The windows are north facing so it gets little sun during the day. This makes for cool/cold and we were finding slightly damp conditions, particularly if we didn't open the windows in the summer for good airflow. We recently invested in a dehumidifier which we run when the basement is not in use to keep humidity <55%. The drier air certainly feels warmer down there! I believe that when we start heating it in the winter, there will be less need for the dehumidifier.


Our house has a five zone heating system. We have programmeable thermostats on the main floor and the master bedroom. I will be fitting on for the remaining bedroom zone this winter. Last night I considered turning the heating on for the benefit of our daughter who hasn't quite learned to pull the blanket over herself when it's cold!

dbd33

Cabin in the woods. Heated by wood. $700/year to heat if the wood is delivered in stove sized chunks. Less if I cut down trees.

Atlantic Xpat

Add in the value of your time (& I imagine you charge yourself out at a prodigous rate) in chopping/splitting/stacking/moving and add that to the $700 and what do you get?