Outsmart the Billionaires to Beat the Heating Cost Blues in Your Humble Mansion!

Good morning, Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so. I know that I am!

Oil prices are soaring . . . and they could easily soar some more. Take what you spent for home heating last winter . . . and double that. You'll probably spend even more.

Whether you burn oil or gas . . . simply gulp down electricity . . . to heat your home, you're in for an expensive winter.

Before you start feeling too sorry for yourself, imagine the pickle barrels that the billionaire mansion owners find themselves in. Their average heating bill will probably rise by $50,000 per mansion in the northeastern United States. And it's not tax deductible. The billionaires will be losing ground to you as high oil prices tax the richest home owners the most.

There's good news to offset the bad news: If you start now, you can save yourself a bundle. Let me share the ten top ways:

1. Some clever oil dealers, gas companies and electrical generating firms bought futures contracts for fuel back when prices are lower. This means that their costs haven't gone up nearly as much as the prices have. A few suppliers are willing to share the wealth. If you will give them a contract (and possibly a large deposit) for the winter, they'll share some of the savings with you. This is most likely to be done for new customers. But if someone makes you a great offer, your current vendor may match or beat it. Call today.

2. If you cannot find anyone who can do that for you, you still may be able to cut a deal at a fixed price. While you will lose some money if prices fall in the next six months, you will be assured that you won't pay more than current price levels. Get a fixed-price quote for the winter and consider signing a contract.

3. This is a good time to replace your burner or boiler, put in that extra attic insulation, those double-glazed energy-efficient windows, that solar water heater, and the weather-stripping around the doors. Many contractors and heating suppliers will provide a free or low-cost evaluation of what you can do to make your home more heating efficient. At these price levels, such investments will almost always pay the cost back within three years. Some contractors offer no-interest financing for two-three years.

4. If you have parts of your home that you don't use every day that don't have water pipes running through them, consider shutting the heat off in those sections. Many houses allow you to do this by adjusting the heating outlet vents.

5. Buy some energy efficient room heating units to keep you toasty in the rooms where you spend the most time. In that way, you can keep the thermostat lower in the rest of the house. You will spend more on electricity . . . but your total heating cost will be lower.

6. Buy lots of warm clothes that you can wear comfortably around the house. Wearing a sweater indoors can save you hundreds this year!

7. Skip the fireplaces this year. Most fireplaces suck more heat out of a house than they add. If you're not going to use them, seal them up tight. Most fireplaces leak a lot of heat . . . even when not in use. If you want the creature comfort of having a fire indoors, consider a Franklin stove . . . which will provide more heat than you lose.

8. Buy a thermostat timer. You can use this to time when the heat comes on so that it warms up the house just before you launch out of bed in the morning. You'll sleep better and enjoy waking up more.

9. Plan to be away for as much of the coldest part of the winter as possible in warmer climes. You can keep your home set on a lower temperature while you're away -- just warm enough to keep the plants alive and the pipes from freezing when it turns frigid outside.

10. Consider selling your old barn while real estate prices are high, and buy a more compact, energy-efficient place that's easier to take care of.

I'm sure you have even better ideas. Please share your thoughts in your comments so that we can gain even more ground against the billionaires this winter!

Tomorrow, I'll look more closely at how to prepare to better enjoy the college football season.

Thursday, this blog will explore new ways of promoting your ideas for less than five dollars extra a day.

Friday, I'll tell you about an exciting new and inexpensive way for people with dyslexia to learn to read well.

Saturday, I'll share with you how you can automatically water your indoor plants while you are away . . . so you can give your butler and maid time off while you're away!

Sunday, let's take a minute to think about the best ways to spend a day not working.

Monday, leisure time during a busy day is our subject. So just get ready to chill.

Next Tuesday, let's look at new ways to enjoy visiting mansions!

Next Wednesday, we'll update the blog on what are the least expensive ways to lose weight right now!

Next Thursday, I'll describe how you can learn a foreign language in less than 100 days and have more fun than a billionaire when you travel abroad.

Please let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

If you are new to this blog, be sure to check out the updated table of contents entry that was posted on August 24. It will help you find earlier entries that may be of interest. I'll update this table of contents every week or so for your convenience.

August 17 was the most frequently read blog entry to date. Be sure to check it out!

Thanks so much for your support of this blog. I'm delighted that so many thousands of people have made this blog part of their regular reading habit!

If you like this blog, please let others know who might also enjoy it.

Thank you to my many friends, students, clients and blog readers who are spreading the good word about this blog.

If you are visiting today because someone invited you, I'm delighted to meet you! Let's stay in touch.

May God bless you.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell