Cold Weather
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Expanding Foam Insulation.
Works as moisture and wind barrier and seals up cracks.
Works as moisture and wind barrier and seals up cracks.
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Comforters. I can either get up in the middle of the night two or three times and put wood in the stove or I can pull on an extra comforter and let it get cold and put the wood in in the morning. I've tried both and getting up several times sucks. I do have a soapstone stove that holds the heat for a long time.
Most of my heat durring the day comes from passive solar so nights are the real cold time.
Most of my heat durring the day comes from passive solar so nights are the real cold time.
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Down comforters are great because they trap the heat in.
Passive solar heat
This year has been a low income one for us. So when the cold came (and it gets really cold here, -4F/-20C is not unusual during winter), we where wondering how we could heat the house for less. Our house is really old (100 years), as almost no wall insulation and is located on top of a very windy hill. But we discovered that our big window panes where in fact excellent heat generators! Just by opening and closing the curtains at appropriate time of the day, we could bring the temperature a couple of degrees higher in the house. But you've got to be home almost all day to get the most of this method, because it is really important to close the curtains as soon as there is no more direct sunlight in any given window (so you cut the inevitable cold air draft - unless you have very good and well installed windows with no air draft around them).
This year has been a low income one for us. So when the cold came (and it gets really cold here, -4F/-20C is not unusual during winter), we where wondering how we could heat the house for less. Our house is really old (100 years), as almost no wall insulation and is located on top of a very windy hill. But we discovered that our big window panes where in fact excellent heat generators! Just by opening and closing the curtains at appropriate time of the day, we could bring the temperature a couple of degrees higher in the house. But you've got to be home almost all day to get the most of this method, because it is really important to close the curtains as soon as there is no more direct sunlight in any given window (so you cut the inevitable cold air draft - unless you have very good and well installed windows with no air draft around them).
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Battly ... I'm with you. It can be 110 F in the shade and I am fine. Anything under 60 F (70 F if the wind is blowing) is "cold" to me.
If it is really, really cold you can lay one comforter (or a down mattress topper) under the sheet and then cover up with a comforter. Even during the coldest nights here it was still comfortable ... at least it was until you got out of bed! LOL
I'll second that ... I get downright HOT under ours. And we kept our thermostat on 60 all winter. Not something we could have done in years past. I should have gotten a down comforter a long, long time ago.
If it is really, really cold you can lay one comforter (or a down mattress topper) under the sheet and then cover up with a comforter. Even during the coldest nights here it was still comfortable ... at least it was until you got out of bed! LOL
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I used to joke that as long as I had a big toe under the down comforter, I was warm for the night. They're fabulous!
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LOL ... if I get hot I just stick my foot out ... The hubby says he has never met anyone with a foot thermostat before.
I don't know in the States, but here in eastern Canada down comforters cost from 350-500$. If you don't have enough money to buy fuel to heat your house, you typically don't have enough money to buy a down comforter...
My - long - experience about sleeping in very cold houses is you must keep warm your head and feet. If these are hot, the rest should be OK. Head : because you loose as much as 90% of your heat by your head. Feet : because it just doesn't sleep well with cold feet. A good pair of wool socks is perfect to keep feet dry and warm. Put a thigh fitting wool knitted cap on your head (with ties if needed).
I already said in a similar thread that when I was young my mother would put all my sisters and I in the same bed during winter so we could keep each other warm. This worked quite well. Of course, you need at least another human being to do this. Alternatively, a dog or cat sleeping on your feet will also keep them quite warm.
Oh and if you need to go empty your bladder in the middle of the night : go do it right now. You won't be able to fall asleep again in cold weather if your bladder is full, forget about it, believe me.
My - long - experience about sleeping in very cold houses is you must keep warm your head and feet. If these are hot, the rest should be OK. Head : because you loose as much as 90% of your heat by your head. Feet : because it just doesn't sleep well with cold feet. A good pair of wool socks is perfect to keep feet dry and warm. Put a thigh fitting wool knitted cap on your head (with ties if needed).
I already said in a similar thread that when I was young my mother would put all my sisters and I in the same bed during winter so we could keep each other warm. This worked quite well. Of course, you need at least another human being to do this. Alternatively, a dog or cat sleeping on your feet will also keep them quite warm.
Oh and if you need to go empty your bladder in the middle of the night : go do it right now. You won't be able to fall asleep again in cold weather if your bladder is full, forget about it, believe me.
Winter living vs Summer living
I would like to add some more ideas. In all parts of the world where winter gets really cold, people adapt their way of living to the seasons. If you're interested in this topic read about the northern Canada and Russia natives. They would live in different housing during winter than summer. They would dress differently too.
I apply these principles too as I have a home office and don't want to spend all the money I earn buying fuel. During winter, the kitchen table becomes my office. We eat on our knees or on the counter. We also have in that same room a sofa bed we can use if its too cold in the bedroom or one of us is sick and needs to sleep in a warm room. This room also contains the wood stove and one of the 2 electric radiators of the house (the other one is in the 2nd floor passageway and can only manage to prevent freezing of the 2nd floor rooms). Most old houses around mine have an insulated door to close your 2nd floor during winter. People would basically live "downstairs" where the wood stove was during winter.
During winter, all other rooms are not heated other than by sunlight. When I decide I want to bath, I must think in advance to open the bathroom door so it gets kind of warm. Otherwise it's about 15F in the bathroom and any unused room. This is useful, because I can then keep all my garden produce for a very long time in these rooms! I still have some pumpkins, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and onions (march 18) in perfect condition.
We wear wool socks all winter long, even in our shoes indoor. We wear a couple of layers of clothes, because a few layers are better at keeping you warm than one thick one. If I get cold while working (mostly in front of a computer unfortunately), either I go take a short walk (exercise warms you up), or I wrap myself in a blanket or wear a woolen cap.
I would like to add some more ideas. In all parts of the world where winter gets really cold, people adapt their way of living to the seasons. If you're interested in this topic read about the northern Canada and Russia natives. They would live in different housing during winter than summer. They would dress differently too.
I apply these principles too as I have a home office and don't want to spend all the money I earn buying fuel. During winter, the kitchen table becomes my office. We eat on our knees or on the counter. We also have in that same room a sofa bed we can use if its too cold in the bedroom or one of us is sick and needs to sleep in a warm room. This room also contains the wood stove and one of the 2 electric radiators of the house (the other one is in the 2nd floor passageway and can only manage to prevent freezing of the 2nd floor rooms). Most old houses around mine have an insulated door to close your 2nd floor during winter. People would basically live "downstairs" where the wood stove was during winter.
During winter, all other rooms are not heated other than by sunlight. When I decide I want to bath, I must think in advance to open the bathroom door so it gets kind of warm. Otherwise it's about 15F in the bathroom and any unused room. This is useful, because I can then keep all my garden produce for a very long time in these rooms! I still have some pumpkins, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and onions (march 18) in perfect condition.
We wear wool socks all winter long, even in our shoes indoor. We wear a couple of layers of clothes, because a few layers are better at keeping you warm than one thick one. If I get cold while working (mostly in front of a computer unfortunately), either I go take a short walk (exercise warms you up), or I wrap myself in a blanket or wear a woolen cap.
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Hugh has never had my cold feet in the small of his back!!
Dang zorro ... you've got artic living down to a science!! Those are some good tips! (I often sleep in the winter with wool socks (even in the summer when the AC is on) and a knit cap on. My warm-blooded, sleep on top of the covers hubby thinks I look silly. If I cared what he thought I would freeze plumb to death! LOL
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For what it's worth, the comforter I used to have was the cheapest one on this page: White Goose Down Pillows | Down Comforters | Down Bedding - Manufacturer Direct We'd made a special trip to the factory and got it cheap, but even with today's prices it's less than $100. I miss that comforter - left it behind when I left the ex-husband...
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