"Nate C." wrote in message
...
Thanks for the replies so far, guys. I'm learning a lot. A couple things
you guys mentioned: Yeah my windows are also leaky, even though I do have
storm windows. In some places I can feel air coming in around the window
frames. I've been going around caulking where I can and I put up the
shrink-wrap window insulation. I also bought a package of fiberglass
batting that I've been using to tear pieces off and stuff in places where
air was pouring in (gaps in baseboards, wind tunnel between a crawl space
and the basement, in the attic around the bathroom light fixtures, etc.)
I
even have built-in cabinets in the dining room that fill up with cold air!
The whole place seems to leak like a seive but I feel like I'm slowly
getting a handle on a lot of it.

The other thing we're thinking about is the furnace. We have an old oil
furnace pushing air duct heating and the previous owners (who didn't seem
to
care much about efficiency) used 1100 gals of oil last year. We're on
pace
to use about 2/3 of that just by keeping it cooler, especially at night,
and
by the things I mentioned above. The house is a twin and the people in
the
other half bought a new furnace and their heating bills went from
$300-400/mo (what we're paying now) to about $85. And their place is just
as uninsulated as ours, and a little bigger due to a rear addition.

We've only been in the place about 3 months so not surprisingly we're
broke
right now, so I'll continue to patch up what I can in the meantime. I
think
attic insulation (by professionals) and a new furnace are the two
priorities
when we can.

Thanks again,
Nate

Fiberglass won't do much to stop air movement. Use caulk, weatherstripping
or that expanding foam. Make sure you get the low expansion foam or trim,
walls, etc., will start busting out.

A new furnace will help some. I didn't see much of a cost savings when I
changed out a year ago. People seem find the biggest savings when insulation
is installed.

Sounds like you've got to stop all those air leaks, insulate, then go after
that furnace. New windows, insulation and a furnace should set you back over
10 grand, depending upon the size of the house and where it is located.

Maybe you have to tough it out for a few winters, then when you build enough
equity, refinance and get those things fixed.