What to Do?

The nights are getting longer and it seems to be getting cooler in the evenings. This is only the middle of August. Fall is definitely on its way and then comes winter and the furnace. Every year it seems to get more expensive to heat our homes. My parents kept records of all their fuel bills for over 20 years and it was amazing how much the cost of gas and electricity rose over that time. I know what you are thinking. We make more money today than we made 20 years ago and everything was cheaper then that it is now. Although this is true, it is also true that our money does not have as much buying power as it did 20 years ago. Back then most people had enough money to be able to put a  few dollars away each month. "Saving for a rainy day" was the norm then. Today, most of us end up broke before the next paycheck even though our paychecks are much higher. The cost of living is out of control.

People on fixed incomes such as the old age pension or government disabilities are really feeling the money crunch. When you think about it, to live in a house or apartment, a person pays a minimum of $1,000 per month for mortgage or rent payments and/or property taxes. On top of that are utilities and upkeep on the house and yard. On top of that, they have to buy food. On a fixed income, this all has to be paid for with an income of $1,000 to $2,000 per month. You can see how it wouldn't take long before one's savings were gone. So what does a person do?

Some seniors that are on a small pension, sell their homes because the cost of taxes, utilities, and upkeep takes most of their money and leaves very little left over for food. Money for enjoyment is non-existent. I have met a few pensioners who have sold their homes, bought a motorhome, and are living in them full time. This includes ourselves. This new trend is starting to become more common every year because the cost of living in a house, even a rental, isn't realistic. Another advantage of a motorhome is that you can follow the warm weather thus reducing the necessity of heating. The main disadvantage of a motorhome is the cost of fuel. We'll get to that in another issue.

Although there are a growing number of full-time RVers, the number of people in houses is still considerably higher. Many of these people are looking for ways to cut their electric and gas bills. With solar becoming more accessible, this is now a viable source of at least providing some of their own energy, even if they stay attached to the grid.

For several years the push has been to better insulate your home. Increasing the insulation factor on a home is always a good thing as it keeps the house warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The plus of this is that the heating and cooling bills are reduced, often substantially. This is not good for the utility companies, however, as they start showing lower profits  which in turn makes it look like our economy isn't as strong, which in turn makes the utility companies raise the cost of power and gas to keep their profit margins up. So in the end you lose anyway. But increasing insulation is still recommended.

Some new houses incorporate solar heating into their design which might reduce the cost of winter heating bills, depending if it's passive or active. To get one of these houses, people have to either sell their house and move or put in solar of some sort on the old one. Selling means getting a new mortgage that, in all likelihood will increase their monthly payments more than the amount of savings that they hope to get from a reduced heating bill. Putting solar on the house costs a huge amount if it's done by a commercial company. That's not to say that solar isn't a good idea for you.

One of the newer passive solar additions to many houses is the skylight. They let more light and heat into the room during sunny days. At night passive solar units such as this can't provide heat because there is no way to store the excess during the day. During the day, in the summer, there can be too much heat brought in and the sun often is a detriment, depending on the type of glass used in the skylight. The same can be said for solar rooms. If the glass doesn't cut the sun's harmful rays, they can be unhealthy for the people in the house.

Having this type of passive solar on a house can be good, but a lot of research should be done to ensure you get the right glass and that it is installed correctly. Blinds help to protect plants and animals (including people) from the harmful rays, but also stop part of the heat from coming in. In the winter these passive solar areas can bring in too much cold, since they are glass. Many people will block a skylight with insulation to prevent it from allowing cold into the room, defeating the purpose of the skylight as a means of gathering heat into the house during the winter. Another problem that sometimes happens is that skylights start to leak over time, causing roof and ceiling problems. This could well mean getting a new roof before it normally would be required or replacing the skylight and repairing deep ceiling damage. It can be difficult to locate the source of a leak since the water can and will travel.

So passive solar isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you must research and get someone truly qualified to help you to figure out what you want and need. This is just an introduction on using solar energy for reducing or eliminating your heating bill. My next post will be about passive solar energy systems that could be added to your house. I will also be giving you ideas as to how to build your own passive solar collection system that don't cost thousands of dollars.