I hate having to turn on the heat in the house. If there is one perk to living in Texas, it is the fact that we normally don’t need the heat. Whenever I turn it on, all the dust bunnies that have been snug in their USA made mattress in the heating system get fried to a crisp, and I end up sneezing and congested for days from the dust bunny remnants that are blowing through the air.
As I said, I really hate to have to turn on the heat.
I made it all winter last year without turning it on. Of course, living in an apartment made it easier – warm air rises, so I had the buffer of downstairs, upstairs, and next door neighbors to keep me warm. The few days the temps fell, I just snuggled up in my fuzzy socks and a sweatshirt, and I was just fine.
I can’t say the same thing this year. We live in a house now, which is well insulated. You can get redirected here for more information about the insulation.The walls in your home represent a far more exterior surface area than your floors or ceilings. Because of this the walls in your home present more opportunity for heat to be gained or lost. By making sure you insulate the walls of your home you are making a point to hide from the cold of the winter and the neat of the summer. When it comes to wall insulation make sure you consider the many insulating options and find the right insulation for your home and your pockets. Insulation provides resistance to the flow of heat. It is important to your home in order to make sure that energy is not being wasted by your HVAC system. Whether or not your basement is finished, in the process of being finished, or will never get finished it is important to make sure that it is insulated as well. An insulated basement can save you money on your energy bill while also providing a dry comfortable space. The exterior walls in your basement should be insulated. Even though you may not use your basement as much it is still connected to your home and the other living spaces in which cool or warm air is provided to. For example, I remember my basement always being so cold. If your basement is not insulated the cool air that is being blown into your home could make its way down to your basement. From there the heat from the outside will then make its way inside. The few cold days we have had this year haven’t been that bad, and only lasted for a day or so. Remember, in Houston, we define “really cold” as when it gets down to the 30s. This week, we weren’t so fortunate. The temps dropped the other night, and now it is COLD, COLD, COLD.
Yesterday, after realizing it was only 63 degrees in the house (remember, Texas…), I decided it was time to give in and turn on the heat. I checked the weather to verify that it will be cool for a few more days, so it is worth it to turn it on. I hesitated – I know the damn dust bunnies will get me – and then I went for it. I turned it on.
And nothing happened. No heat. At all. Even after being on for about 2 hours, nothing. So I turned it off. After all, I’m neurotic, so I started imagining that we were all going to die of carbon monoxide poisoning if I left it on. Instead, we are just on our way to being human popsicles.
Now I’m wrapped up in my blanket, my double-thick socks on my feet, wearing a sweater, with frozen fingers but a warm laptop, waiting for the heater repair man. Because just before Christmas, I wanted to have to pay for a service call. Let’s just hope for the best!
