Ah the joys of home ownership....

On Wednesday last week, I received my electric bill. The bill runs from the 15th to the 15th so it didn't even hit the really cold days we had in January but it was still $200- about $65 more than I'd expected or budgeted given the previous month's bill. Other friends in JC with houses about the same size and multiple occupants expect their bill to be $130-180. Except when I'd had company, I'd been pretty careful about keeping the heat low (55-60 degrees) and off in the non-used rooms. I wasn't being too careful with the lights because most are Compact Florescent or LED and because I didn't have to be that careful in my apartment. The electronics usage should be almost the same except for the washer, dryer, and hot tub. So I immediately turned down the heat in the house, and drained the hot tub, cleaned it out and shut off the breaker. I can't do much about the washer and dryer but I just replaced them both and the washer is a high efficiency model so it should be less than last month.

I'm really perplexed and FREEZING- my house is now set at 52 degrees. I suspect the hot tub used extra energy but I didn't think it would be that much. After some brainstorming and research, I am going to have someone come out and assess the house for the feasibility of a ductless heat pump. They are supposed to be the most efficient heating system available and would hopefully keep all my ceiling radiant heat from escaping into the attic. There is no way I could afford it but Mom and Dad are willing to give it to me as a "house warming gift." To say I was reluctant to accept more money from them is an understatement, but Dad will not take no for an answer and he's been very sweet in his reasoning ("It would be worth a whole lot more to me to have you happy in your house.") First, though, we need to find out if it will work with my house layout.

I know I need to replace the windows but I don't have the money for that yet. However, if the heat pump will work it also has cooling so I can remove all of the AC units that are hard mounted into the windows in three rooms. Once they come out, they won't go back in, so we don't want to remove them until we are sure I have an alternative. That will seal off more of the air that is seeping into the house.

I need to redo the insulation under the house, wrap the pipes, and probably redo the insulation in the attic. I knew that when I moved in but I also don't have money to do that yet.

Once I've taken care of all of the above the house ought to be fairly comfortable temperature wise and electric bill wise but it's going to take a few years.

I other house news, the kitchen sink backed up yesterday morning. I tore the pipes apart thinking maybe there was a blockage in the P-trap but there wasn't. The water is flowing through both sides, including the garbage disposal, just fine when it's not trying to get out from under the sink. I tried using the snake to clean out the exit pipe but about 18 inches in the pipe makes a 90 degree turn in the wall and the snake can't make that turn. I put it back together and ran drain cleaner through it twice with no change. So, Dad's going to have to have a look at it and see if he can find the clean out and work from that direction. Knowing this house, it's probably under the deck. *rolls eyes*

I tried to make everything happier by planting bulbs in the flower beds but discovered that the previous owner sandwiched at least 2-4 inches of red volcanic rock between two layers of weed barrier, black plastic, or tarping in all of the flower beds. I won't have weed problems but I probably won't have flowers either. I put most of the bulbs in pots but I have some that grow too large to be in pots. I like having flowers so this was pretty frustrating.

All in all, I'm not seeing much positive return on owning a house and I'm believing that they are designed to keep you broke.

This is ridiculous!

I mentioned that I turned the heat way down, right. Somehow, with the thermostat completely off there is an abundance of heat pouring through the kitchen ceiling. I finally had to flip all the breakers labelled "heat" to shut it down. Uncontrolled heat from an unknown source worries me. Now I will be totally without heat, other than the space heaters, until I can get some alternative solution installed.
From one extreme to the other! Stupid $@&$@& house!

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