Heating options...

[Resident 2B]

Argie and Argie's Wife,

Being an education professional in these times is often not rewarding from a financial perspective. To me, that shows how out-of-touch our society is with things that are important.

Lakes region students, their parents and the general public should be more respectful and thankful of those that teach the children of the area. Teachers that spend their time, with little financial compensation, to teach Advanced Placement classes and to serve as class advisors deserve much more than what they get from the cities and towns that employ them. We have excellent school buildings and campuses in the lakes region overall, but education starts with teachers in the classroom.

I wish you and your family well and I hope you are able to do whatever is needed to stay in this area. My opinion is that your efforts bring significance to the lives of the students of the Lakes Region. Hopefully, many of your students will go on to lead the political and municipal organizations in our area as well as the companies in New Hampshire as we move into the future.

I hope the unjustified, negative comments from those that do not seem to understand your contributions and your situation do not get the best of you.

Thanks for your contributions to the future of the youngsters of the Lakes Region and I hope your get the information you need and deserve to address your request about energy conservation.

Best regards,

R2B

[Argie's Wife]

Thanks R2B! Your kind words warm my heart!

[SAMIAM]

I,also have a Rinnai propane heater (vented) and it is fantastic....heats a two car gargae and a mother-in-law apt above.I do take issue with you,FLL about changing propane dealers.All dealers freely exchange tanks.Unfortunately,you don't have much leverage to get a better price if you are a small user.

[wifi]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

...... Unfortunately,you don't have much leverage to get a better price if you are a small user.

I have belonged to the energy coop for years and have saved a bundle. You will need to join the year before to enjoy savings the next winter. When you join, you are not committing to a purchase, and can just choose not to use them if you don't like the bid price. Check 'em out.. I highly recommend.

http://www.otchoice.com/Prices2.htm

[SteveA]

Originally Posted by wifi

I have belonged to the energy coop for years and have saved a bundle. You will need to join the year before to enjoy savings the next winter. When you join, you are not committing to a purchase, and can just choose not to use them if you don't like the bid price. Check 'em out.. I highly recommend.

http://www.otchoice.com/Prices2.htm

WiFi... is that just for Barnstead? Impressive... Maybe we should start a WinniFourum Co-Op? hmmmm... power in numbers.
Lake Shore Park has a deal with Amerigas for propane for members.. I'm only summer in LSP so I don't use much Propane. The price is $1.99.

[Blue Thunder]

Is it just me or are all of WD's posts removed from this thread?

BT

[Resident 2B]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

Is it just me or are all of WD's posts removed from this thread?

BT

They are no longer there from what I can (or cannot) see. A major site improvement, in my opinion.

R2B

[Argie's Wife]

Originally Posted by Resident 2B

They are no longer there from what I can (or cannot) see. A major site improvement, in my opinion.

R2B

(Slightly off topic, but relevant to this thread...)

For the record, it was not due to any request of mine nor any complaints I made to the moderator(s). I wish no ill-will to WD...

Back to topic...

Acres Per Second -
Pardon me for just now responding to your post but I have been reading the links your posted. Thank you!

The information you gave me about flooring is crucial, as we were in the process of picking out a new kitchen floor. We're going to rip out the old floor right after Christmas, during the break. I'd been considering tile but now I'm thinking we might go with wood or a wood product. We currently have a single piece of linoleum, but since we've got an open-concept home (kitchen/living is 19' X 21') getting another single piece would be a special order, I believe.

I'm also considering putting in a heated floor - at least by the coffee maker.... (Yeah, I'm a princess...)

We've got a friend who is a licensed contractor in Milton who's coming out to help us. Hubby will be working with him while I keep the ankle-biters out of the way. The fun part will be getting the fridge out of the wall. I'm going to take pictures and post them - this will be interesting, at best. (I used to clean houses for a living - been in hundreds of houses and never seen a fridge built into the wall...)

I'm assuming the energy increases you posts are the national average. We use NH Co-Op and saw a 40% increase in the past 12 months. We've cut our consumption down by hanging laundry to dry, not using the drying cycle on the dishwasher, turning off appliances or computer peripherals we're not using, and nagging the kids, but whereas our bill was about $90 last year, it's now about $125-$135.

Funny thing is that we thought that there would be a bigger increase in the utilities when I decided to stay home with the kids -it really stayed about the same. Add in the increases in heating oil costs, gas prices, etc. - and it's a big jump in the cost of living.

And about that road noise - we live about 15 paces from our front door from a major road. I'd never noticed how loud it was until the storm doors went up. They made a huge difference! I'm curious what it's going to be like now for Motorcycle Week because we're usually deaf by the end of it! (The draw back is we can't hear the school bus!)

[wifi]

Originally Posted by SteveA

WiFi... is that just for Barnstead? Impressive... ....

No, they have a large service area, most of NH, eastern Mass (for propane) and a chunk of Maine.

http://www.otchoice.com/servArea.asp

Again, its worth every cent of the $25/yr membership

[ApS]

Notes to Argie's Wife:

Flooring:
Keep in mind "R-value" when replacing the floor. Except for radiant heating, wood may be a better choice than tile at keeping heat inside. Wood overlaying a wood subfloor strengthens it, and tile laid on wood subflooring "has issues".

Seamless "linoleum" is a decent moisture barrier, stops much heat "migration", is easy to clean and keeps water leaks relatively contained.

Tightening up the house:
Consider a "hybrid" insulation installation in the attic. A lightweight aluminum-sided urethane board is made that can be moved into place to reduce radiant solar gain in the summer. More considerations...http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:...lnk&cd=6&gl=us

Or, as a more readable PDF file: http://new.ahfc.state.ak.us/iceimage...insulating.pdf.

If you've fixed a window that also reduced road noise, you fixed one major leak right there! Holy Moly!

Stretching one's income:
As a nation, our fossil fuel demands continue to grow every year by about 4%—still! Electricity demand jumped 9% in 2006.

Everything we can do as individuals to conserve within our dwellings and workplaces will make a real difference, whereas "collectivizing" only postpones inevitable increases.

Speaking of the "Collective", a news article appeared yesterday that showed Alaska seeking a "winner" among lowest bidders on a new North Slope pipeline. Among the six bids submitted for the four-foot diameter pipeline were two bids from China!

[Argie's Wife]

Originally Posted by wifi

No, they have a large service area, most of NH, eastern Mass (for propane) and a chunk of Maine.

http://www.otchoice.com/servArea.asp

Again, its worth every cent of the $25/yr membership

We were members of Our Town - it's a good Co-Op. There's a bunch of other benefits to their program, too - like restaurant discounts, and some other cost savings. They've done some really neat things with converting diesel cars to burn used oil (like discarded oil from restaurants' fryers) - very neat!

However, last year their lock-in rates were ABOVE the cash rate. My mom had locked and was paying more per gal than we were paying that winter. We had chosen not to lock because there was still a strong possibility oil was going to go down - and it did. I believe she's paying about $2.60/gal in Ossippee - don't know who the vendor is...

There's not much chance of that happening again this year!

[Kamper]

Mr & Mrs A (and all the little A-lettes...)

I just switched from an electric blanket to an electric heating pad. I have a water bed so it is probably more notciable for me than it would be on a normal mattress. I also used to worry about over-flexing the elements in the blanket when a careless guest would sit or sleep on top of it.

I was considerring using the plastic window sheets already mentionned. My family used them several times when we lived in a drafty old farmhouse in Litchfield. The land-lady was not too thrilled at the tack-holes in the frames but since she was my grandmother I dont think she did anything more than growl at my father.... What I decided to try are the foam insulation sheets.

I've got one trimmed to fit across the bottom of a double wide window in the living room and smaller ones inserted in the top frames and the other, smaller, windows in the house. I have left a horizontal gap for light and viewing but on those realy cold days I expect to fill those in also. They cut easily with a thin-bladed knife - just trim them a couple hairs wider than the gap so the "squeeze" will hold them in place.

In the spring or if I entertain I can just pluck them out and not worry about damage. They are also easily removed for the occasional bit of fresh air.

They come in a variety of thicknesses and even a choice of colors, pink or silver. I am using the 1"X2'X8' sheets (H-D $8 and change). Measure carefully and slice it about 1/3 to 3/4 through then flex and snap it for a neater edge.

Dont forget the celler windows and check the attic. The square vents can be restricted during the winter. If you have vents under the eaves you can close off the upwind square vent.

I want to be clear, I am not talking about the white styrofoam sheets. Those are good insulation too but the curds will wear off and make a mess. Neither material is fire-proof but my opinion is they are only slightly mor dangerous than exposed wood.

Good luck!

[DREAMS]

I am astonished at reading the words of arrogance, verbal abuse, insult, self-centered disrespectful inconsideration for humanity that he gave to an innocent reader and member looking for assistance. I thought his profession was helping humans, but I have lost all regards for this individual with his insulting thread.

This forum is about people helping people. I have not read any requirements by the webmaster that all readers and respondents must hold a certified education and skillset to speak to this forum membership. He has not business taking out his bitterness of struggle as a younger family bearing male on future generations of humanity. Unfortunately, many people have not been fortunate enough to be born or given the strength and confidence by others to attempt new adventures and challenges on their own. Many times people are so deep in their own circle of life and thoughts, they can miss the common thoughts and suggestions may offer which they had overlooked. Unless the intent of this forum has changed, I certainly think Winnipesaukee Divers owes this family a sincere apology out loud and to the forum membership. Just remember Mr. Diver, some day you may need help. Treat others like you want to be treated yourself. Ones fortunate and lavish lifestyle today can easily be taken away tomorrow and forever!

[Argie's Wife]

Kamper -

Thanks for the note!

We put up the tacky plastic window sheets this weekend. I'll keep in mind the ones you mentioned for next time, tho - I honestly hadn't heard of them!

I also didn't know about the vents you mentioned - we were just up there this weekend and decided not to insulate more right now because it's pretty thick up there. It was about 20 degrees when we were there and it was about 40 in the attic, so it seemed tight enough. We did replace a vent hose from the upstairs bathroom that wasn't insulated - that was a lovely find (NOT!) because it was way too long and full of water. Good thing we found it before it started dripping or froze.

Last night, the baby decided to get into bed with us and was all snugly under the electric blanket with me when our 6 year old came in complaining of being cold. "I want a 'lectric blanket, too!" I scooped him under the covers with us. He wasn't cold at all (our cat sleeps at his feet even in the summer - he's all set!) but felt an injustice was being done!



Thanks again!

-AW

[Argie's Wife]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

I,also have a Rinnai propane heater (vented) and it is fantastic....heats a two car gargae and a mother-in-law apt above.I do take issue with you,FLL about changing propane dealers.All dealers freely exchange tanks.Unfortunately,you don't have much leverage to get a better price if you are a small user.

When we bought our home, the propane tanks for the stove were non-descript and had no identifying marks anywhere on them. We tried to get someone to come out to fill the tanks but all propane companies refused. (I get it that there's laws about that for safety reasons.)

We ended up having to have a new tank installed by Eastern and have them certify the lines into the house in order to get service. That was about $300, if memory serves me correctly.

The old tanks were placed just behind our shed and we had contracted with someone from the dump to pick them up to be recycled (we don't have a p/u truck...)

And that's when someone "stole" the tanks!

We reported the missing tanks to the police but figured there was probably nothing anyone could do if no one saw the incident. We later heard from some neighbors that the tanks were taken on a "repo" by Eastern because the previous home owners hadn't paid the bill! (We had paid for that propane in the closing on the house.)

(I guess the guys taking the tanks had stopped for coffee there before collecting the two tanks!)

Gotta love small towns!

[TomC]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

..snip..We later heard from some neighbors that the tanks were taken on a "repo" by Eastern because the previous home owners hadn't paid the bill! (We had paid for that propane in the closing on the house.).. snip...

When i bought one of my houses in Moultonborough, it too had tanks filled by the previous owner. I recall I paid a nominal amount for the gas at closing, maybe $100. When I called the company on the tank (Suburban Propane - maybe Amerigas now) to inquire about switching the name on the account they would not answer any questions until I provided the address on the property - they were very insistent. I gave them the address, and they said an account rep would call with info about change of name, etc. No one called me back during the week. When I came back the following weekend, the tanks were disconnected and some sort of security plug was inserted in the tanks to prevent reconnection! Without any request or permission they trespassed on my property to disconnect this utility. As far as I was concerned that was my gas in that tank, but they didn't see it that way and wanted $75 fee to establish a new account in my name and let me have the gas i already paid for. I was furious - this was late October and i needed gas for heat and cooking... we were cold and ate take-out that weekend.

I was closing up for the season and gutting the cottage anyway, so I called the gas company back and told them that because of how i was treated, i was no longer going to use gas (i switched to electric during the remodel - its a seasonal camp) and to get their tanks off my property. Even though they were able to get from Laconia to Moultonboro at the speed of light to disconnect my utility, those tanks were still there in the spring after a dozen calls to ask that they be removed. "no truck available" or "you're on the schedule" were the favorite responses.

In May, I was close to putting them in my own truck and dumping them in their parking lot, but instead I had a lawyer friend send them a demand letter requiring removal in 10 days, or they will be billed for storage. That did it, and they were finally removed.

They repossesed gas that was already paid for, and disconnected a vital utility without notice. I have never seen a more extreme example of poor customer service and I will never deal with them again. At a different property (also in Moultonboro) I have Maine Gas (used to be Johnsons) and they seem to be fine. They were in-place when I bought the house and seamlessly switched the account over.

Thats my propane story...

[SAMIAM]

Wow....that is quite a story ,Tom.I don't blame you for being irate.Problem is,they don't even care because most households,especially seasonal,are fairly light users.They want the big commercial accounts that are easy to get to and don't care much about the average account.