What's going to happen with Gas prices?

I am interested in a name. Anything to save on utilities.

 

It's hot water base board heat. No dampers to adjust or fans to tweak. And some fucked up heating loops. Still trying to figure out which loop one of the radiators in the kitchen is on.... I think it's on the back room one which is shut off because of the pellet stove.

One thing we'd like to do besides the windows and doors is open up the inside walls some to facilitate air flow.

Of course, if I just buy one of those processors from NT and pick up fry oil for free from the local restaurants most of this won't be a big concern.

 

Great Stuff makes a low-expansion window/door foam.

http://greatstuff.dow.com/greatstuff/diy/where/index.htm

I can't count the number of cans of the regular stuff I've used! Have a can of window/door sitting in the house now.

Also, I saw a DIY show where they pulled pink fiberglass insulation and loosely packed it around the frames with a putty knife.

Edit:
They sell it at Wal-Mart, Ace hardware, lowes, home depot, Valu-Home Center, etc. I usually buy several cans whenever it's on sale. Usually around $4-5/can, sometimes on sale for $3-4. Haven't found anyone online cheaper than a retail store. Even in bulk for some reason.

 

Thanks for the link. I will have to see if the local Home Depot carries that.

 

NP! I've used at least a dozen cans on the house filling foundation gaps, gaps between foundation and framing, holes in floor around pipes, gaps in the attic, around the basement door, and trying to insulation the barn.

Just wear some gloves and old clothes! It sticks to EVERYTHING, stains clothes, and is a bitch to wash off your hands. Once it dries though you can trim it with a utility knife (or scalpel, exacto, etc), sand it, even paint it I think.

 

He is right. Over here, its building code. You have to use a receptacle box vapour barrier. It is a total bitch to do on a completed house since you have to remove the box and all.

PT, it seems to me you are fighting a losing battle man. I'd guess your house is about 80 - 90 years old or more and probably plaster. If so, you are totally wasting your money no matter what you do to become energy efficient unless you have unlimited funds to pour into a century home. Projects such as these are for the rich unless you inherited the house and want to keep it. Replacing windows is like giving nd a penis extension when he is 60. It is fawkin useless.

Your walls virtually have no insulation, just may be a foil back 1 inch fiberglass layer. Your total building envelope R value is less than 5 is my guess and your attic I have no idea about in comparison to about R23+ walls in homes build today. The roof is where most of your heat energy is lost from and newer homes pack a huge R44+. You may not even have R10. The best way to tell how bad your roof insulation is, is to look at your roof after a light snow fall and compare it with other homes in the neighbourhood, preferably the newer ones. You will see some homes have little or no snow on their roof indicating that they have very poor insulation. You may see weird patterns or specific lines where snow has completely melted indicating areas with no insulation or load bearing walls carrying the heat all the way up to the roof. You can also do a thermal scan of your house that will indicate exactly where your heat loss is taking place and then deal with it.

To win this battle, you have to rip your house apart and re insulate to current standards including the attic/roof. You need to update your wiring, plumbing and your mechanical system and re design your duct work at the same time. It appears you have a white elephant for a furnace. If your furnace is less than 80% efficient, chain it to your Taco and go for a drive. Your project can cost you approx $80 per sq.ft including the windows is my guess and you still dont have a new home. Some local governments/utilities may provide grants and/or financial assistance to tackle this problem.

If I were in your shoes, I would sell and move to a newer house. If I cannot afford a newer house, I would invest the proceeds from the sale and rent a house till finances improve or a good deal comes along. Its a bitter pill to swallow now but you will come out stronger financially in the years ahead. The money you spend on your heating bills should cover about 30% of your rent is once again my guess based on prices here. Keep in mind that energy prices will continue to rise and sooner or later it would be unaffordable to heat your house and therefore the resale value of your house would continue to drop over the years. If you need help with a feasibility study or a cost analysis, feel free to PM me.

I just cannot comprehend why you pay so much for heating. I live in a 50 year old home with very poor insulation and my annual heating bill is about $1400 for natural gas. Now, we also cook and dry our clothes using natural gas appliances. Our weekend home is heated with propane and costs us $1200/year. Yes, we are only there on weekends but we heat the house to 10 deg C min temp from fall to spring. Therefore, based on your dollar figures for heating, I would get the fcuk out of your current house and laugh all the way to the bank.

Can you please tell me how many square feet you are heating and your ceiling height?