Home is where the heat is
As the cold roles in, families are choosing different ways to warm their homes.
The lower oil price this season will relieve the oil using homeowners. However, some homes have their fuel split between oil and propane. The Phillips home is split 70% oil and 30% propane.
In order to keep the costs lower for a large, old home like the Phillips, the temperature is a crisp 60 degrees for the duration of the winter.
One of the benefits of living in an old home is the abundance of fireplaces. Thatcher Phillips deals with the cold with “fire and blankets mostly.” Although the majority of the Phillips home is cool, being cozy by the fire cannot be beat.
Mrs. Brackbill reminisces, “one year we tried to keep warm with wood stoves, and we went through three cords of wood.” Waking up to a cold home was difficult.
Now the Brackbill family keeps their home at a constant 68 degrees with the assistance of an oil heating system.
However people’s homes are heated this winter, remember to stay warm in every way possible.
Maxx Robinson • Apr 5, 2016 at 1:06 pm
This article never gets old! Keep up the good work, Ben!
Seth Malonson • Dec 8, 2015 at 12:15 am
Having a wood stove and plenty of blankets is my way of staying warm. Plus a plethora of warm sweaters. I even have fleece sheets on my bed to keep warm at night! It was interesting to hear how others deal with this problem.
Emma B • Dec 7, 2015 at 8:05 pm
Awesome article!!! I’m so grateful to have a heated house!!! And it’s cool to see different points and veiws on how to hear your home!!! Good job!
Alana White • Dec 7, 2015 at 8:03 pm
Having a fireplace in my house has always been a lifesaver when the cold weather comes.
Deanna Santos • Dec 7, 2015 at 3:17 pm
Interesting article Ben! My house is always freezing! I wish I had a fire place at my house for some extra heat to make it really cozy!
Alex Wilson • Dec 6, 2015 at 11:43 pm
This article was very interesting! It makes me appreciate that my family can warm my house during the winter. The story about the heating through wood stoves was eye-opening and a very appropriate addition the article.
Ian Eichel • Dec 6, 2015 at 10:24 pm
Ben, you have a really great writing style. Heat is a very underappreciated resource. I like to be warm.
Courtney Fitzgerald • Dec 4, 2015 at 1:57 pm
Great article. This made me realize how fortunate I am to wake up to a warm house every morning.
Pete Nogueira • Dec 4, 2015 at 7:12 am
Interesting article. Catchy title. By reading this, I might decide to heat my house this winter instead of believing the love of family and friends will keep me warm.
Thank you.
Maxx Robinson • Dec 2, 2015 at 8:38 pm
Great article, Ben! It’s always nice to keep your house nice and warm, but I still prefer to keep my bedroom cold for some reason.
Kristin Sullivan • Dec 2, 2015 at 7:36 pm
Interesting ways people keep warm in the winter! I wish I had either a fireplace or a wood stove!
Sterling Seymour • Dec 2, 2015 at 7:01 pm
Great article. I know my house can get really cold in the winter and I always love sitting by the fire with lots of blankets! While it’s freezing outside, being warm and cozy in your house is one of the great parts winter.
Alyssa Demeule • Dec 2, 2015 at 6:38 pm
Great article! I find it interesting that everyone heats their homes in different ways! I personally don’t think I could make it through the winter without my heating system!
Nicole Stolarski • Dec 2, 2015 at 3:17 pm
Great job! I liked how you had several ways to heat a house during the winter. I found it interesting that some people prefer cold houses while others like a warm house.
Amanda smith • Dec 2, 2015 at 1:01 pm
This article was really interesting. Personally I like it when my house is warm. We have a pellet stove and I love sitting by the fire to stay warm.
Shannon Twomey • Dec 2, 2015 at 10:57 am
It’s always so cold in my house! I don’t know what I would do with out my wood stove.
Dan Richmond • Dec 1, 2015 at 6:39 pm
I love my wood stove even though I did have to stack nearly 4 cords of wood this fall, it’ll be worth it when I get home from those late night indoor track meets and have the fire going
Meghan Gallagher • Dec 1, 2015 at 6:17 pm
Loved the article! It was interesting to learn the different ways people heat their homes! I personally like to keep my house warm, but other people clearly like to keep their houses cold. It is all preference I guess!
Erica Burton • Dec 1, 2015 at 4:12 pm
Super interesting article! I agree with Mrs. Brackbill, it is hard to wake up to a cold house! I’m certainly grateful I have a preset heating system that warms up the house before I wake up. Very informative, I didn’t realize the different options of heating.
Jessica Kuznicki • Nov 30, 2015 at 3:46 pm
Great article Ben! It’s interesting to see the different ways to heat your home.
Haley Clemons • Nov 27, 2015 at 5:12 pm
Given how cold it is outside, it blows my mind how cold people have there houses. My house is heated with a wood stove and a little oil and is kept at a consistent temperature of 75 degrees. 60 degrees is freezing!!
Bryan Marden • Nov 24, 2015 at 11:00 am
Old New England homes and cold New England temperatures can certainly make for a miserable winter, but it seems like oil is a less laborious, and dangerous, alternative to fireplaces.
Cassie Wright • Nov 24, 2015 at 9:53 am
Sitting by the fireplace during the winter is the best, it always has a cozy feel to it.
Matthew Cho • Nov 23, 2015 at 10:07 am
Wow! I wish I had a fireplace to keep my toes warm during these cold New England Temperatures.