Another bitterly cold night has passed into history.
The universe compensated for the weather, in my little world, by sending me a good night’s sleep. I haven’t been getting a lot of sleep of late, due to not feeling well, so my long deep slumber last night was most welcome.
My attire continues to keep me cozy on these frigid days and nights. These days my profile is short and very round, as all the layers and fluffy fleece retain my body heat. I quite remind myself of the birds who perch near the house on these wintry days, feathers fluffed and puffed to twice their normal dimensions.
Thinking of the cold, a vision of mini-skirts ran through my memory. Goodness, we braved these climes with legs bare, but for a thin layer of nylon stockings, the foolishness of youth, and fashion. Every generation of youth has a different variation of such foolishness, which varies as do the snowflakes.
We have begun to explore our options for replacing our heating system. The concern is that the options might narrow considerably with the economic changes in the world, so we are looking at a very wide array of possibilities. Heating is not optional in Canada. What we do know is that the air source heat pump has been extremely functional and economical to run, so we will retain that part of our heating system. It has limitations, and will not heat our house when the outdoor temperature falls below -7C, the present weather exemplifies this. We need a secondary heat source for the coldest parts of the winter, which is the oil furnace at present. The oil furnace is what we are replacing. Whatever we decide on, I want a thermostat!
Worldly
Weather
Updated on Mon, Jan 24, 7:55 AM
-30 °C
FEELS LIKE -36
Partly cloudy
Wind 5 NE km/h
Humidity 59 %
Visibility 24 km
Sunrise 7:34 AM
Wind gust 8 km/h
Pressure 101.3 kPa
Ceiling 9100 m
Sunset 5:06 PM
Updated on Wed, Jan 26, 6:15 AM
-30 °C
FEELS LIKE -38
Clear
Wind 8 N km/h
Humidity 70 %
Visibility 20 km
Sunrise 7:32 AM
Wind gust 11 km/h
Pressure 102.9 kPa
Ceiling 9100 m
Sunset 5:09 PM
Quote
“A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the least care of all to acquire.”
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
1613 – 1680
Stay warm! The oil heat might be more effective than electric heat where you’re at. I remember the one aunt who’s house in northern Illinois had electric heat was always chilly. The best heat was those old fashioned steam heaters. My other aunt’s house was always cozy.
Thanks Joan! We have been happy with the oil heat BUT it has a component that has to be constantly replaced/updated, the oil tank. The oil tank resides in the basement and does demand quite a bit of floor space. We will price out an oil tank and a new oil furnace, to see how that compares to other options. Our oil furnace is getting old, and has had many parts replaced already, so we must assume it could give up on us at any time.
We had electric baseboard heaters at the Country House, they weren’t that great, and they cost a small fortune to operate – so expensive that we could not pay the hydro bills, so we heated exclusively with wood and turned off the baseboard heaters. I doubt we would opt for electric baseboard heaters if we have a choice!
Looking at next week’s forecast, it looks like our temps m8ght move up to more normal temps, like just below freezing for the highs. That would sure be nice! I too am surrounding myself with fleece to keep warm, as the windows at the cottage don’t seem to be insulated. Lots of cold radiating off them, even if the thermostat is set at about 23C. Brrr!
We have an oil furnace that was our only option at the time it was installed. The fuel tank is outside against an end wall of the house. -Kate
Teri, I do hope the weather people are correct about milder temperatures next week! Single pane windows are super cold! The house I grew up in had single pane windows that didn’t fit well, if the wind blew in the winter we really felt it. I think you will enjoy the energy effiecient windows in your new house!
Kate, having the fuel tank outside the house is a much better idea than in the basement! Unfortunately for us, that would not work due to the small lot size and the placement of the house relative to the drive. Still, something to ponder on a cold winter’s night, we might think of something. Thanks for sharing!