$$$-saving ways to keep the heat up and the cost down.

By Gladys Montgomery

ith the prices of fuel oil and electricity heading through the roof, the last thing we need is to have the heat leaking into or out of our homes. Most prevention methods focus on practical barriers, such as insulation and caulk, but this isn’t the whole story. For one thing, a house is in and of itself a heating and cooling system. our ancestors knew this. in new england, for instance, early country farmhouses employed passive solar energy—most faced south to take advantage of warming sunlight in the winter. shade trees nearby cooled the house in summer and dropped their leaves in autumn to allow the sun’s rays to warm the house in the winter. in summer, windows were covered during the hot hours and opened in the evening to circulate cooler air. These principles work just as well today as they did 300 years ago. But, there also are decorative tricks from history to borrow: Window treatments, carpeting, bed canopies and hangings, and blankets all conspire to keep a house and its inhabitants toasty, even when the thermostat is turned down.
For windows, the Warm Company’s insulated shades, sealed on four sides to provide maximum “r value” (the term for measuring the effectiveness of any material to block heat flow), can be bought ready-made, as a do-it-yourself kit or custom made from fabric chosen by the customer. these shades guarantee to reduce window heat loss by more than 80 percent. Country Curtains sells insulated draperies in several styles, fabrics and colors, including wonderful 18th century-style buffalo checks and toiles, and it also offers insulating liners that can be hung behind virtually any drape.
In the bedroom, early americans favored featherbeds and coverlets, and used brass warming pans filled with hot coals from the hearth to warm chilly sheets before bedtime. To keep warmth in, they used canopies and hangings to fully enclose the bed. The Seraph’s linen-wool “bed-in-a-bag” (including a canopy for a flat tester and three sets of bed curtains) not only replicates a historical country look but provides warmth besides.
Our forbears—believe it or not—also favored wall-to-wall carpeting. period-authentic carpets from J.r. Burrows, with floral and geometric designs taken from historic examples, will not only make your home look like a 19th-century painting but also will insulate floors, and warm your feet and ankles.
For a more mod twist on country, Crispina Fuchsia features rugs and blankets made out of recycled woolen sweaters and manufacturers’ scrap fabric. Crispina’s colorful products will lift your spirits and keep you cozy—and help keep the planet’s environment healthy.
Country people are known for their frugal values, and this idea is especially timely now. Check your home with an eye to saving energy. Keeping the thermostat down and buying energy Saver appliances (which may lower your utility bills enough to recoup costs fairly quickly), washing clothes in cold water, using low-energy light bulbs, and unplugging computers, televisions and small appliances when they’re not in use may not be glamorous, but these little measures add up. And that, of course, means there’s more money in the budget for decorating. •