Exactly--before going to the trouble or expense of finding the film and filters, check to see what your local power company will do for you. You might be surprised.

Here in North Texas we have to prepare for winter. Not all of Texas is about the balmy Gulf Coast or Rio Grande Valley. Some winters we have very cold weather for many days in a row. A couple of times a year it gets below 20^oF and occasionally it will get much lower, like into the teens or single digit temperatures. Cold enough that we have to be sure to winterize faucets (and both of mine are dripping and need new washers--I can't get them apart myself so may have to call a plumber to do it. Darn!)

Our houses are built on slabs, no basements so there is an averaging that happens temperature-wise. As with caves and a year-round temperature, we tend to experience a slow shift of the soil temperatures. The house stays warm for a while once the outside temperature drops, and it stays cool for a while once the outside temperatures rise. This is over the course of a few weeks, but if you understand this phenomena, you can "coast" on the power usage for a little while.

Our rates have gone up considerably this year, and I expect the cost to continue to rise. Our home is all electric. I need to buy an insulating curtain to go over the sliding glass back door, I need to build an insulated dog house, and I need to figure out where the dogs will stay when they're in the house during the coldest weather. This will be our first winter with the dogs.

I have a fireplace that is a pain in the butt. It doesn't draw well, and the old heat-a-lator was rotted through, so the doors that have been adjusted to cover the space let a lot of cold air through. I'd like to get a fireplace insert and a blower. Every year people have their trees trimmed in this neighborhood and I think one of these days I'll get myself a nice-sized chainsaw and go ask permission to take some of the wood that is usually left for bulky waste. There's a lot of good oak out there.

SRS