As we have all seen the price of stuff has gone up these past few months here where I'm at my wife told me she payed a lot for are NG heating over the past winter when I was in Texas.(  Three resins why is cause we have 50+ year old windows kids and cats took the plastic off the windows and my wife like the home to be really warm in the winter and I was not here to keep the home a nice 60 or 65 degs !)

Anyway I'm thinking NG by the time winter comes is going to be a lot of money to heat the home this winter hell last year my wife told me people around here where spending more on there electric and gas bill then they where on the morgage she had one woman she worked with who had a $1k gas and electric bill. So I'm replacing the windows when my tax money gets in I was also thinking of of bulking up on wool blankets and maybe buying another Kerosene Heater a long with 10 to 20 extra Gal of Kerosene.

I know around this time of year most places are trying to get ride of there heaters and warm blankets so what I'd like to know is does anyone know any places that are having deal on these items? I'm also looking at maybe adding a wood burning stove or heater out in my sun room to use for heat and maybe also to use for cooking food on that reminds me I need to bulk up on my cooking charcoal also so if you know any good deals on that I'd like to hear that also.

Thanks!  

Me too.  Propane is on sale now, just bought 200 gl.

I know its the windows that are bad cause they are 50+ years old and you can feel the draft through them my kids up stairs window is so messed up you can shake the whole thing and it look like the window frame will fall out anytime ( It did not help that the sweet young christen girl who use to have the room had about 50 feet of 1 inch rope and a screw driver that fit in the window that she use to repel down at night!) But this is IL and Com Ed are a bunch of SOB's!

how strange that I should find this thread today. I live in upstate NY. Just today, I was out throwing the baseball with my sons, and i noticed the heating oil truck making stops to fill oil  at 9 of 13 homes on my street. I immediately guessed that it would only make sense for them to buy now if they foresaw a rise in petro-prices in the future....(i rent).

ex_mil

tayous1: Get some of those Smartwool middle weight wool underwear for your wife.  Tops and trousers are $70 each, but they are well worth it. Watch REI for sales, sometimes they have 20% off sales. That should keep the wife warm & toasty, and so you don't have to crank up the heater so much. In the winter time in So. Calif, I hardly ever turn on the main forced-air heater because I am wearing the thermals.

#2 heating fuel is $4.40 something a gallon right now........I hear rumors of $7-$8 a gallon by the end of next heating season!!................Both my Wife and I are worried of how we are going to keep the kids warm this winter!!!

We have a plan to go to wood heat for a big chunk of our heating needs. We are looking at a very tight Winter and Daddy not being home a lot because OT will be the only way to make it.

We will probably have to sell the house next year, between taxes, heat and no pay raise from work, it is getting very tough.

Quoted: tayous1: Get some of those Smartwool middle weight wool underwear for your wife.  Tops and trousers are $70 each, but they are well worth it. Watch REI for sales, sometimes they have 20% off sales. That should keep the wife warm & toasty, and so you don't have to crank up the heater so much. In the winter time in So. Calif, I hardly ever turn on the main forced-air heater because I am wearing the thermals.

Last time I gave her Smartwool socks she hated but loved them! She is the type that is always cold so I gave some of my socks to wear to work. She told me it was the first time her feet ever got to hot! I love smartwool!! I'm thinking of picking up some wool blankets at Major surplus and survival they have them there for $16.95 each. I just told her today that she should start looking at getting warm clothing for the winter cause I'm not going to raise the temp above 60 deg !! I don't her and her sister liked that I also said no heat this winter.

Winter before last I burned about 600 gals of propane at around $1.69/gal. That summer I used the tax refund to put new double pane vinyl windows in my living room and master bedroom.  Last winter I burned about 500 gals. of propane,(at $2.09/gal.) kept the thermostat on 68 most of the time (cranked it up a little when it got below freezing outside) and stayed pretty warm.
My house is WELL insulated with over 6 in. of blown in insulation in the attic, and even the interior walls are insulated. It appears that the windows saved me about $200. There were 5 in all at $189 apiece. they replaced 2 sets of single pane picture windows that were not openable(is that a word?).

This year the wife and I were discussing what to do with the tax refund and "incentive check". We thought about a new metal roof for the house, but the current shingles appear to be good for a couple of more years. We thought about a 15kw generator, but I've got a 4kw that will run most things in the house if we don't try to do everything at once.

Propane this year is $2.69/gal. (Thats the Prebuy/locked in price.) We came to the conclusion that probably the smartest thing to do (considering the probable cost next winter) would be to purchase and install an EXTERIOR WOOD FIRED heater.  These things burn wood, (a renewable resource), (and BIG chunks of it). They do not create an appreciable fire hazared to your house. (I talked it over with my insurance agent and all he said was that I would need to get photos of it and have it installed by a professional. and that it would likely increase the replacement value of the home.

From what I have read, and from talking to some that own them once you gert the fire going you only need to refill the fire box every one to three days depending on how warm you want to keep your house. It functions by heating water which is then pumped through an extremely well insulated underground pipe to a radiator type device that is installed in your existing ductwork.  You can also put a heat exchanger on you hot water heater and eliminate that part of your electric or gas bill also.  I have heard of one guy around here that heats two houses, a shop and a swimming pool with his. (There are various sizes.)  We've just got to figure out which mfgr, and installer to go with. They run anywhere from $5.5k to $7k depending on size and what all you want to heat.

Sorry for the long speachamafication. This is a good thread.     MIKE

P.S. You can google exterior wood fired heaters and it will take you to a number of different mfgrs.

Quoted: Quoted: tayous1: Get some of those Smartwool middle weight wool underwear for your wife.  Tops and trousers are $70 each, but they are well worth it. Watch REI for sales, sometimes they have 20% off sales. That should keep the wife warm & toasty, and so you don't have to crank up the heater so much. In the winter time in So. Calif, I hardly ever turn on the main forced-air heater because I am wearing the thermals. Last time I gave her Smartwool socks she hated but loved them! She is the type that is always cold so I gave some of my socks to wear to work. She told me it was the first time her feet ever got to hot! I love smartwool!! I'm thinking of picking up some wool blankets at Major surplus and survival they have them there for $16.95 each. I just told her today that she should start looking at getting warm clothing for the winter cause I'm not going to raise the temp above 60 deg !! I don't her and her sister liked that I also said no heat this winter.

Well, okay SmartWool is out, but how about some silk ones? http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Home_ has them, they are a LOT cheaper than smart wool. If she can't find anything warm, then bite the bullet, and spend the extra bucks to keep her happy.  Life is too short to be that concerned with money.

BTW: how is/was Dallas?

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I noticed some guys present discussing the window subject and thought I would ask. I have double pane windows and R-15 insulation in ceiling, with R11 in walls and floor (crawlspace house). Is there anything I can do to keep my double pane windows from sweating excessively in the winter? I had to replace window trim this spring that became too saturated and began to rot this past winter.

Quoted: I don't want to hijack the thread, but I noticed some guys present discussing the window subject and thought I would ask. I have double pane windows and R-15 insulation in ceiling, with R11 in walls and floor (crawlspace house). Is there anything I can do to keep my double pane windows from sweating excessively in the winter? I had to replace window trim this spring that became too saturated and began to rot this past winter.

What's your heat source??  You aren't using vent free units to heat with are you?

You have a major moisture problem inside your house.  Humidity level is too high.  You need to find out what the source of the moisture is and eliminate it.  You probably already have a mold problem.

The new house me and the wife built has R19 in the walls (2x6) construction and R39 in the ceiling.  I plan to upgrade the insulation in the attic to R49 and put R25 in the crawlspace on the floor before next winter.

We put in a heat pump and it seems pretty reasonable so far to heat with (what little we have used it to heat with).  The cooling bill so far this year is also not bad.  

We also put in a pellet stove and it's pretty inexpensive to heat with.  Also keeps the house VERY warm...just like the wife likes it!!  Running on low, it was using about 1/2 ton per month at about $180 a ton....so about $90 per month.  Lowes usually has a sale on pellets early in the heating season and price is usually about $150 per ton.  I plan to stock up next fall.  

I am fortunate here to have low electrical rates (hydro electric).  We pay about $.065 per kwh in the winter and $.088 per kwh in the summer.

Quoted: We also put in a pellet stove and it's pretty inexpensive to heat with.  Also keeps the house VERY warm...just like the wife likes it!!  Running on low, it was using about 1/2 ton per month at about $180 a ton....so about $90 per month.  Lowes usually has a sale on pellets early in the heating season and price is usually about $150 per ton.  I plan to stock up next fall.

What is the size of the area that you are heating with your pellet stove vs. the stoves burn per hour?

Quoted: Quoted: We also put in a pellet stove and it's pretty inexpensive to heat with.  Also keeps the house VERY warm...just like the wife likes it!!  Running on low, it was using about 1/2 ton per month at about $180 a ton....so about $90 per month.  Lowes usually has a sale on pellets early in the heating season and price is usually about $150 per ton.  I plan to stock up next fall.   What is the size of the area that you are heating with your pellet stove vs. the stoves burn per hour?

The entire house is 1800 sq ft.  The stove heats the main part of the house with absolutely no difficulty.  The main part of the house is just under 1500 sq ft.  It is a two story house and the heat rises up and keeps the entire house nice and warm.  The master bedroom is separate from the rest of the house.  It is over the attached garage so it doesn't stay as warm....but it is warm enough.  We put in a propane fireplace in the master BR and it's fueled by a 100 lb tank.  It easily warms the master up to whatever temp we want.  

The stove uses about 40 lbs per 24 hour period...a little more if it's really cold outside.  I have an Englander 25PDC (I think that's the model).  It's not the top of the line but it seems to work just fine.  Paid $800 on sale and then another $200 for the vent.

I really like wood stoves and plan to have one in my dream house but I'm not there yet.  We thought about putting in a wood stove and decided that we just didn't want the mess.  I'm willing to pay a little more for lack of mess and convenience.  

People often look at pellet stoves and then look at wood stoves and get turned off by the price of the pellet stove vs the wood stove.  Well, that's not the whole story.  Pellet stoves don't need nearly as fancy and expensive a chimney as a wood stove.  So the price ends up balancing out.  

I also like the outdoor wood burners but don't have one.  I need to do a little more research on them.

I was at Lowe's and they had a $150 kerosene heater for $25.00 That sucka came home with me... I live in the NE. Talk about spending $$ on heating oil. I am already looking to lock in on an oil contract for the winter right now. Consider yourself lucky down in TX.

Quoted: Quoted: I don't want to hijack the thread, but I noticed some guys present discussing the window subject and thought I would ask. I have double pane windows and R-15 insulation in ceiling, with R11 in walls and floor (crawlspace house). Is there anything I can do to keep my double pane windows from sweating excessively in the winter? I had to replace window trim this spring that became too saturated and began to rot this past winter. What's your heat source??  You aren't using vent free units to heat with are you? You have a major moisture problem inside your house.  Humidity level is too high.  You need to find out what the source of the moisture is and eliminate it.  You probably already have a mold problem.

Central Heat and AC. The moisture is only between the inner and outer panes of the window. It's not condensing at all on the interior side of the inner panes. My indoor humidity fluctuated between 40 and 55% last winter, according to my indoor weather station.

The double pane windows were installed early last spring, so this past winter was our first season with them. The moisture began to swell the trim between the panes, so it was ripped out immediately, hopefully before any mold occurred.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I don't want to hijack the thread, but I noticed some guys present discussing the window subject and thought I would ask. I have double pane windows and R-15 insulation in ceiling, with R11 in walls and floor (crawlspace house). Is there anything I can do to keep my double pane windows from sweating excessively in the winter? I had to replace window trim this spring that became too saturated and began to rot this past winter. What's your heat source??  You aren't using vent free units to heat with are you? You have a major moisture problem inside your house.  Humidity level is too high.  You need to find out what the source of the moisture is and eliminate it.  You probably already have a mold problem. Central Heat and AC. The moisture is only between the inner and outer panes of the window. It's not condensing at all on the interior side of the inner panes. My indoor humidity fluctuated between 40 and 55% last winter, according to my indoor weather station. The double pane windows were installed early last spring, so this past winter was our first season with them. The moisture began to swell the trim between the panes, so it was ripped out immediately, hopefully before any mold occurred.

What kind of windows??

There shouldn't be ANY moisture between the panes at ALL.




Edit because I might understand.  Do you mean that you have the original windows and installed storm windows on top of that??

If that's what you mean then you don't have double pane windows.  You have single pane windows with a second storm window.

What year was your house built and are the windows original??

If I'm correct in assuming that you have single pane windows with a storm window, I suspect that the storm windows are leaking moisture during rain storms.  The moisture then sits between the windows and then when the temp outside drops below the dew point in between the glass, you then get condensation on the inside of the storm windows.  Try caulking them.  Also, if they are a cheap window, they might be leaking around the actual glass.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I don't want to hijack the thread, but I noticed some guys present discussing the window subject and thought I would ask. I have double pane windows and R-15 insulation in ceiling, with R11 in walls and floor (crawlspace house). Is there anything I can do to keep my double pane windows from sweating excessively in the winter? I had to replace window trim this spring that became too saturated and began to rot this past winter. What's your heat source??  You aren't using vent free units to heat with are you? You have a major moisture problem inside your house.  Humidity level is too high.  You need to find out what the source of the moisture is and eliminate it.  You probably already have a mold problem. Central Heat and AC. The moisture is only between the inner and outer panes of the window. It's not condensing at all on the interior side of the inner panes. My indoor humidity fluctuated between 40 and 55% last winter, according to my indoor weather station. The double pane windows were installed early last spring, so this past winter was our first season with them. The moisture began to swell the trim between the panes, so it was ripped out immediately, hopefully before any mold occurred. What kind of windows?? There shouldn't be ANY moisture between the panes at ALL. Edit because I might understand.  Do you mean that you have the original windows and installed storm windows on top of that?? If that's what you mean then you don't have double pane windows.  You have single pane windows with a second storm window. What year was your house built and are the windows original?? If I'm correct in assuming that you have single pane windows with a storm window, I suspect that the storm windows are leaking moisture during rain storms.  The moisture then sits between the windows and then when the temp outside drops below the dew point in between the glass, you then get condensation on the inside of the storm windows.  Try caulking them.  Also, if they are a cheap window, they might be leaking around the actual glass.

I second that opinion.  

The top and sides of add-on exterior windows should be caulked while the bottom should have a couple notches to allow moisture/condensation to drain out.  It seems backwards to allow air to circulate, but if it cant then moisture does build up.

Quoted: Propane this year is $2.69/gal. (Thats the Prebuy/locked in price.) We came to the conclusion that probably the smartest thing to do (considering the probable cost next winter) would be to purchase and install an EXTERIOR WOOD FIRED heater.  These things burn wood, (a renewable resource), (and BIG chunks of it). They do not create an appreciable fire hazared to your house. (I talked it over with my insurance agent and all he said was that I would need to get photos of it and have it installed by a professional. and that it would likely increase the replacement value of the home. From what I have read, and from talking to some that own them once you gert the fire going you only need to refill the fire box every one to three days depending on how warm you want to keep your house. It functions by heating water which is then pumped through an extremely well insulated underground pipe to a radiator type device that is installed in your existing ductwork.  You can also put a heat exchanger on you hot water heater and eliminate that part of your electric or gas bill also.  I have heard of one guy around here that heats two houses, a shop and a swimming pool with his. (There are various sizes.)  We've just got to figure out which mfgr, and installer to go with. They run anywhere from $5.5k to $7k depending on size and what all you want to heat. Sorry for the long speachamafication. This is a good thread.     MIKE P.S. You can google exterior wood fired heaters and it will take you to a number of different mfgrs.

My girlfreind's parents have one for their house. They heat the two story three bedroom house, the water, and their pool. Her dad throws in a log or two daily and the house stays nice and warm. The water gets so hot that you can scald yourself.

Quoted: Quoted: Propane this year is $2.69/gal. (Thats the Prebuy/locked in price.) We came to the conclusion that probably the smartest thing to do (considering the probable cost next winter) would be to purchase and install an EXTERIOR WOOD FIRED heater.  These things burn wood, (a renewable resource), (and BIG chunks of it). They do not create an appreciable fire hazared to your house. (I talked it over with my insurance agent and all he said was that I would need to get photos of it and have it installed by a professional. and that it would likely increase the replacement value of the home. From what I have read, and from talking to some that own them once you gert the fire going you only need to refill the fire box every one to three days depending on how warm you want to keep your house. It functions by heating water which is then pumped through an extremely well insulated underground pipe to a radiator type device that is installed in your existing ductwork.  You can also put a heat exchanger on you hot water heater and eliminate that part of your electric or gas bill also.  I have heard of one guy around here that heats two houses, a shop and a swimming pool with his. (There are various sizes.)  We've just got to figure out which mfgr, and installer to go with. They run anywhere from $5.5k to $7k depending on size and what all you want to heat. Sorry for the long speachamafication. This is a good thread.     MIKE P.S. You can google exterior wood fired heaters and it will take you to a number of different mfgrs. My girlfreind's parents have one for their house. They heat the two story three bedroom house, the water, and their pool. Her dad throws in a log or two daily and the house stays nice and warm. The water gets so hot that you can scald yourself.

Maybe they work better in warmer climates, but around here you better either have a large wooded chunk of land or a friend with a log truck because you will go thru 10-12 cord of wood a year for an outdoor boiler.

Buy a heat pump.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: tayous1: Get some of those Smartwool middle weight wool underwear for your wife.  Tops and trousers are $70 each, but they are well worth it. Watch REI for sales, sometimes they have 20% off sales. That should keep the wife warm & toasty, and so you don't have to crank up the heater so much. In the winter time in So. Calif, I hardly ever turn on the main forced-air heater because I am wearing the thermals. Last time I gave her Smartwool socks she hated but loved them! She is the type that is always cold so I gave some of my socks to wear to work. She told me it was the first time her feet ever got to hot! I love smartwool!! I'm thinking of picking up some wool blankets at Major surplus and survival they have them there for $16.95 each. I just told her today that she should start looking at getting warm clothing for the winter cause I'm not going to raise the temp above 60 deg !! I don't her and her sister liked that I also said no heat this winter. Well, okay SmartWool is out, but how about some silk ones? http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Home_ has them, they are a LOT cheaper than smart wool. If she can't find anything warm, then bite the bullet, and spend the extra bucks to keep her happy.  Life is too short to be that concerned with money. BTW: how is/was Dallas?

The reason I said that is because back in 2004, I help setup grad night for my daughter's high school graduation, and I met a fellow who was always saying this and that about his wife. On actual grad night, I told I told him to be sure to bring his wife to the party, and the guy told me that his wife had died 2 years ago of breast cancer.  To that day, he spoke as though she was still alive; he must've really loved her. I felt really sad for the guy, here is only daughter is graduating from high school and his loving wife is not there to share in his crowning moment of glory.


Here is another thought about Smart Wool, if the middle weight clothing is too warm, they also have a line of light-weight that is less expensive and not quite so warm.

Well I am getting in at least 5 cords of firewood. But theWind homestead was designed for the future, by me. It is 2x6 with R24 insulation, R45 in the ceiling, the basement is R12.5 but I am adding R19 to it. Windows are all LowE Argon 400 by Anderson, The basement is the same and has larger windows to allow light in hte daytime. 2-NG Heaters are 96% with slowstart blowers, all ducctwork is sized and about twice as large as most construction, AC are 21 SER, yes 21...code is 14 SER. Last year the highest Gas or electric bil was $230.  With 5 cords of firewood I can do about 30% or more of our heating. No electric bill just a return of about $500 to $700 a month on the panels.
For next winter I am thinking of sitting in the hot tub, that costs nothing to run in a snopw storm looking at a full moon...you don't want to know the rest.

Our gas/electric has never been higher than $125, and that's including this winter, which was one of the colder ones supposedly.  

Our gas/electric has never been higher than $125, and that's including this winter, which was one of the colder ones supposedly.  

Wood Stove:

Look at garage/tag sales until you find  decent wood stove. I found a mint good sized stove for $75. I see the same one for $800 in stores. Jump on one if you feel it's in good shape and suits youir needs.

Grab every bit of wood you can from people that cut down trees. Hard wood pallets are good for stacking and burning.

Soups and stirfrys are a snap on a wood stove if the top is suitable for a pot.

Harbor Frieght has a small cast stove for $100. I'm not sure how good it is, but it's cheap.

Heat:

If you have any good sun exposure in that sun room you could incorporate some water filled tubes or barrels and paint them black. Put them in the direct sun in the room and they will heat up and help to heat the room at night. You can use them anywhere that you get a significant amount of sunlight.

dupe-delete

I was thinking of placing the wood burning stove out in my sun room cause it has a concrete floor also I really don't have a place to put it else where.

I remember my grandpa telling me something about how he "double insulated" his attic when he built his house... ? Not a bad idea, but is that overkill?

Quoted: I remember my grandpa telling me something about how he "double insulated" his attic when he built his house... ? Not a bad idea, but is that overkill?

I would say do it.  I'm going to upgrade from the current R39 to R49 and that will only cost me about $200 for blow in fiberglass....maybe a little less.

Remember heat rises and putting in insulation into the attic usually pays off.

Quoted: Quoted: Buy a heat pump. When you are talking a payback in months not years, it certainly isn't a bad idea especially in a southern state.   When I moved here years ago, I bought my home the same time a co-worker was building his home.  80% of the electricity here is hydro-electric.  At the time, NG was very inexpensive.  The co-worker and I compared notes on which heat.  I took the long-term approach of a heat pump knowing NG was not going down while he took NG for immediate savings.  He's now paying five times what I pay to heat his home.  What savings he had way back then was eaten up last winter.   I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that a home is not a short-term investment and if you own then any solutions should be looked at as long-term.   I think about everyone can agree, we are heading into an inflationary period.  Interest rates are still low but I sure wouldn't bet on them staying so.  Nows, the time assuming you have any projection on job stability to be making those long-term capital decisions or it will only cost us more in the long-run.   Tj

I only have a 1050 sq ft house and I am on the nc/sc border but I havent seen an increase of much in the 8 years I have lived in this house......I have a gas pack and my worst bill in 8 years was 120.00......I cook/heat and dry clothes w/gas. I have heard other people around me complain about the price but I havent seen it.....My cousin is replacing a gas pack with a heat pump......im gonna see how his bills are this year to see if there are enough savings in this area to warrant a change.....

This winter will be ugly. My brother (a trader) warned me a month ago that nat. gas and heating oil futures for fall & winter delivery were going through the roof. Higher than he had ever seen before.

Here's a link to a story that was on yesterday's front page
Link

To sum up: NG up 105% since December 2007 and the "average" household can expect to pay an additional $150 per month for natural gas this winter.

This Saturday, I'll be out pricing wood burning stoves.

We had a new house delivered 2 yrs ago from a Coastline Homes, its Cape style, 28x38, 2 floor with a she dormer. We paid extra to have the floor between the 1/2 floor insulated. When it came time for appliances, everything is energy star. We recently installe CFL light everywhere. With the upstairs unfinished, i went and spray foamed all the cracks, sides, etc. We kept it tight and secure until her uncle and I finshed the upstairs in winter of 07. I used r19 in the walls. For my attic, I used r-30 twice...going up/down and side to side. Dont worry we have plent of ventilation up there. Air moves freely. We have the ususal 275 oil tank. The only thing we dont have is energy eff. washer/dryer. We are hooked up to a well that gives us plenty of water. We tested running everything at once....not one change. We only se the washer/dryer once a week for clothes....2-3 loads. Our windows are double pane, insulates, windows.
My basement is somewhat insulated besides the spray foam. I took pieces of r-19 and put them in all the space between the cement/frame of the house on all 4 sides. Then we insulate the walk out frame and put partical board up. We have 1 thermostat for the 1st floor and one for the 2nd floor. We keep them at 68 degrees during the day and close any rooms not in use or leave the ajar. Nighttime it goes down to 66 . We have ferrets/lab...but they saty warm. I had my electric guy who is also my plumber, etc install a very eff. biasi boiler, water tank, well pump, etc. So far my average heating bill from Bangor hydro is between 40-high 50's a month. We also do a precap budget with our oil company, No frills oil.

My wife was talking about electric fire places...anybodye ever deal with them? So If i get cold....throw on a sweatshirt.

I think up here with older houses, insulate adn replace windows...that right there will save alot of money. If poss. invest in a type of eff heating sytem.

Insulation and better windows will pay off faster than efficient appliances and furnaces/AC units.  It's cheaper to keep the heat/cool in the house than it is to heat/cool it.  

First place to insulate is the attic.  

Windows should be next.  IIRC you lose about 30% of your heat through your windows so any improvements are a good thing there.  Also, consider cellular blinds.  They can add several R value to your windows.  

Next try to improve wall insulation.  If you are wanting to reside your house, this is a good time to consider wrapping the house with foam sheets.