(Project EconoWinterize) Need to borrow your collective brain power.

[infringer]

PROJECT ECONOWINTERIZE
The farmers almanac states that it is going to be a frigid and wet winter for most of the united states this winter lets beat the cold and save on our bills together!
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What is it?
I am starting this project in hopes to find new and novel ideas on how to save energy costs associated with winter stuff that is under unity is fine with this topic lets keep the overunity in the overunity topics this would obviously be the end all solution for a lot of things and a new beginning for a lot more.

What am I looking for?
Fine details about how the collective brain power of this forum goes about saving both gas, electric, and money during the winter months.

What are the guidelines?
Well the guidelines of this project are simple cheap and effective methods of cutting costs during the winter months even the obvious ones should be listed.
Do not reference any other materials or post links being too lazy to type them out.
Keep on topic please do not call anyone stupid for stating the obvious or having an idea chances are there is someone that this could help. Don't say it has all been done before there is nothing left to do with conservation. We all know this is false because we are constantly finding more ways to be conservative this project is beyond lamer status so leave them thoughts at the door.
Using recycled materials or free materials would be a big help as reducing the cost of materials is also a form of saving money and should not be discounted.
Saving money ideas could be as simple as starting an indoor garden to offset some grocery bill costs.
Saving money could be novel ways of making money during the winter months online.
All ventures should be legal, viable and safe whether saving gas, electric, or money please do not suggest things such as money or meter fraud for instance this is not welcome.
URLS on where to get products are welcome but please do not spam some website that you run so you can make a quick buck off of everyone this is defeating the purpose for everyone else.

In closing and further comments:
I think this has potential to add some good solid information to overunity.com and should draw some interest it may not be a time machine wardencliff tower or anything that grand but who knows what will happen out of this project the only outcome I can see is we will have a project that is not a fake and will not take any radical equations to prove this either it works for you or it does not.

Thank all of you for reading and in advance I would like to thank all of you that partake in this project.
Share your pictures.
Share your info even if it you think everyone knows there are more and more younger people trying to make it on there own and learning and may not know. If you can limit reposts of the same ideas unless you have a novel way of doing it better or cheaper.
If you wish you may post links to video that you yourself have created try and keep all content within the relm of what you are going to do or are doing if you feel the need you can post other content but please state that you do not do this and it is not your work.

[lumen]

Here is an idea that I was trying to do before winter, but many other projects prevented it.
Add about a four foot section of copper pipe to your shower drain (maybe a few dents in it would help), then circulate the incoming cold water around it to pull some waste heat an raise the temperature of the water coming into the shower.

If you can raise the water coming in even 15 degrees, that could help dramatically to use less hot water.

[TechStuf]

Ok, here goes....

I got tired of the ridiculously rapacious (it's sad what people will do to their fellow countrymen when they have them "over a barrel") gas and electric heating costs and built a double barrel woodstove for my basement.  Cost about a 100 bucks.  Our main source of heat for the last 8 years.  Very efficient as the top barrel exchanges heat quite well.  At average operating temps, it puts out about 75-90,000btu.  On the subzero nights it can be opened up to about 150,000btu. For a bit more moola, one may drill the back of the bottom barrel and install a Hilkoil water heating loop (or reasonable facsimile  ) that runs to the hot water heater, effectively nullifying hot water heating costs for the duration of the burning season. 

Also quite efficient, is the magnifying of incoming solar radiation for E,W, and S facing windows.  I have vertical blinds in my living room and kitchen which are swapped out in the winter months with black metal slats.  Reflective surfaces may be added outside the window in order to direct more light onto the black body surface areas.  This year, I may also add Fresnel lens assemblies to the black vertical blind slats for even greater heat generation and a small solar powered motor that causes the blinds to track the sun. 

There are those who swear by Evacuated Solar Tubes as far north as Canada.  One may wish to experiment with those as well.  Very efficient.  As for me, the necessity for outside installations is negated if one makes efficient, if not "Purdy", use of ones own windows.  Lets face it, this late in the year, and given Earth's relatively recent attitudinal/orbital changes, options for inexpensive solutions are waning fast. 

Some are reporting good results with indoor mobile heat pump heaters/ac units.  Great for zone heating, especially if one is able to power their electric heat with wind/solar. 

For you busy beavers with the time and equipment....consider the work of good ol' Russ Finch.

http://citrusinthesnow.com/


Blessings all the way to the bone marrow, we're gonna need 'em.


TS

[Pirate88179]

Great topic idea.

Well, besides using JT circuits for all of my summer/winter interior lighting, I use alcohol burners to add heat in the winter over here.  I also burn kerocene lamps that give off both light and heat.

This winter I am going to invest in a 5,000 BTU alcohol stove that is similar in the design of one we used to go across the country in the 1960's.  (Camping)  No problem with CO and you can make your own alcohol to heat your house.  (Might be illegal to do so, check federal and state laws on this.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Qm9&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=denatured+alcohol+stove&revid=75718134&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1263&bih=558&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=10716306896597489433&sa=X&ei=qc_BTrblF4TqggeC8cXJBw&ved=0CHUQ8wIwAw

I have no ties to this product but, it resembles the one we used such a long time ago.  I live in a small apartment and I can usually keep my electric bill below $40/month in the winter.  (Less in the summer)  Everthing here is electric, water heater, stove, heat/cooling, lights....so I do not think I am doing too bad.

Just tossing this out as an idea but, if you really get serious, it is amazing what you can do and still have light and be warm.

Bill

[Qwert]

This (recently posted) thread of a single post looks unnoticed while worth a consideration:

http://www.overunity.com/13807/new-discovery-explains-stan-meyers-energy-harvesting-method/#.UjZJvD-E4Uo

Also these:
1.  http://www.overunity.com/13791/every-home-should-have-a-nuclear-reactor/#.UjaIOT-E4Uo

2.  http://www.overunity.com/13754/thermonuclearfusionreactor-co-uk-hot-nuclear-fusion-for-the-home/#.UjaJZT-E4Uo