Winterize Your Home Now
WINTERIZE YOUR HOME NOW
I finally realized February that it costs a lot of money to heat a home.
I have been spoiled. Ever since 1998, I have heated three houses, a mobile home, a 3,000 square foot library, and an 1,800 square foot workshop for a grand total of $35 a year. I have lived in Northwest Arkansas, where it dips below freezing for a week or two in winter.
How did I heat this much enclosed space so cheaply? My 60-acre property has a natural gas well on it. The $35 goes for a bag of filter chips plus three gallons of antifreeze to prevent freezing of moisture in the gas line. Whoever buys the property when I put it on the market in November is going to get a fabulous deal on heating.
It's going to be a lot more expensive to heat a home this winter. Rising heating oil and natural gas prices will hit everyone's heating budget like a sledgehammer.
In northwest Arkansas, there is a radio personality named Doug Rue. He is a specialist in making homes temperature efficient. He calls himself "Doug Rye, the caulk and talk guy." He is a great talker. He is also an architect.
You can heat and cool a 3,500 square foot Doug Rye- designed home in our region for about $600 a year. I suspect that this will rise to $800 a year from now on.
First, he shows you where to caulk and add insulation -- places that builders ignore to save money on construction. Then he has you install a geothermal heat pump system that has pipes going down 200 feet into ground water, which then circulates. This 55-degree water warms the house in winter and cools it in summer.
He sells two videotapes: one on building a home and one on modifying an existing home. I recommend that you buy a tape and do exactly what he says before winter hits.
____________
This report was originally sent to subscribers of my free Tip of the Week e-letter, which you really ought to receive. Save money, make money, and find out insider's tips. Subscribe on the Home Page: www.garynorth.com.