The winter storms have started here on the southern Oregon coast and I love it. It's wonderful to hole up inside with a good book, warm and cozy while the winds whips and rain lashes the house. I pop on Vince Guaraldi's Christmas CD, light an apple-cinnamon candle, turn on the wood stove (fake fire and all!) and bliss out. We might not get snow here, except on brief, rare occasions, but it still feels like early winter does back east in Illinois where I'm originally from.
The house holds heat well and I'm experimenting with NOT using the propane furnace this winter. Propane is kind of expensive and since I also use it for water heating and cooking, I want to conserve it as much as possible. My electric bills have averaged about $5 per month and even if they double using the little electric stove, it will still be cheaper than propane. I don't run any heat at night.
We haven't yet had an extended period of cold/clouds, so many days the sun pops out for a while and heats things up pretty quickly. One side of the house faces south which gives me maximum solar gain in the winter. For the summer I installed matchstick blinds on the outside of the house and they kept the house cool.
The little windows in the gable ends of the house are essential to regulating the temperature in here! I would strongly advise anyone building a tiny to make sure to include them. The air in the lofts can get stuffy and humid very quickly when I'm cooking or on a warm day. Opening the upstairs windows draws fresh air up and clears out the stagnant air at the peak.
The cats and the dog are all curled up, snoozing and if I don't get up and move soon, I'll be asleep, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment