We shall be cold no more!

So, some of you may recall the stories of how cold it was in our house last year throughout the winter...our first winter with oil heat. I was stunned by how expensive heating oil was (it started at $2.45 a gallon last summer and went up each month until it hit $3.09 in March which was the last fill-up we had for the season). When I called this summer to find out what the price was- bracing myself because of the increasing gas prices- I found out that it was already $4.19 a gallon and they weren't booking "pre-buys" for the season. That cinched the fact that we needed to do something about our heating situation- we kept it at 58 degrees (yes, you read that correctly...58!!) all winter in the house last year, and not only did we not want to go through that again, we were looking at about $1000 per month for heating oil based on what we used last year just keeping it at 58! After some research, Dorton Brother's was recommended to us, and we converted our oil heating system to a heat pump with electrical back-up on Monday. Woot! The best part about it- well, aside from not having to freeze this winter- is that the furnace was installed under the house, and we gained a ton of space in our laundry room where the oil furnace used to be!

Now I just need to find out if the tax credit for energy efficient household improvements was extended through the end of the year! Well, that's not exactly true...we actually have to put in a floor where they removed the unit, then we have to fix the ceiling where it hasn't been touched for 54 years, then we have to repaint, then figure out how to move our dryer over there & reconnect it (currently, it is directly opposite of the washer...not a terribly convenient location for it), then we need to install cabinets...THEN we are finished. =) And we thought it would be easy.

Before:

After:

Next project: Insulation under the house on 11/01!