As a struggling single mom, I have been making my house more energy efficient. I have started putting blocks around the base of my house, started changing light bulbs, only using necessary ones, using a heating blanket, switched my dryer to exhaust into the house, rather than outside, using a fireplace instead of the furnace, unplugging electronics when not in use, and weather proofing windows and doors. I know there are more ways to save, but can‘t think of any.
Use a low power bulb Mine is 18 watts for the whole house but other rooms have lights on when I am in them at night. Don't really need them much in the day. Your eyes get used to it. Wear insulating underwear or warm cloths inside. I am used to 50 to 60 degrees with no problem especially at night even without warm cloths. In stead of a heating blanket, get a very warm comforter or do like i do and use a sleeping bag as a cover. I hang wet cloths in the shower and let dry a while before using the dryer. I wash some things by hand. Use a pressure cooker and it can cook better faster and cheaper. Use the oven only occasionally and in the morning when the heat makes the most differences. . My power bill is about 20 bucks but southern Cal. doesn't really require heat. It is just requires wearing something warm or using a blanket if you aren't active.
U R doing good, but watch the fire place thing. That could loose heat if it is an outside wall flue. We built our flue in the center of the house to give off radiant heat all around. It is great. With an outside wall flue U can loose heat. Instead of electric blanket on all the time only use it to warm up the bed, then rely on WOOL blankets. Put cotton next to skin -- sheets or blankets, and them a couple of wool blankets. Wool is better than polyester or any synthetics. If wool gets damp or wet it can dry quickly with just room temperatures. Also change diet for cold weather. Eat lots of whole grains like brown rice and buckwheat and fewer fruits. Eat dried and cooked fruit rather than raw, because raw fruits can open keep U cooler, which is great for summer, but not for winter.
Please don't switch your dryer to exhaust into your home - I believe this is dangerous - you could start a fire if it is not vented properly! Unplugging electronics is an excellent idea - to make things easier - you can use powerbars to unplug multiple things at once. Another cheap thing you can do is to look closely at your electrical outlets on your outside walls - they often leak air from outside - you can buy cheap insulating gaskets that fit underneath the plug plate and block airflow. Improving the insulation in your attic is also a good way to significantly reduce heat loss, and improve cooling in summer. Oh, and when you are using your fireplace, remember you have to crack open a window just a little in the room where the fireplace is on - otherwise you just suck air out your chimney and make your furnace work harder. Without the window open your create a negative pressure inside the house. A lot of people don't realize this. And make sure your flue is closed after your fire is out!! Oh and on your furnace, there is a cold air vent - it allows fresh air to come into your furnace when it switches on. There are various gadgets you can get to reduce hot air leakage up the pipe. We have an electronic gadget that opens the pipe opening when the furnace comes on, then it closes again when the furnace shuts down. It has made a significant difference in our basement in terms of temperature (much warmer). Don't forget to insulate your hot water heater and the hot water pipes that are exposed. That is all I can think of for now! Good luck!
