Looking for ways to lower my electric bill

[House of Roberts]

29. My older stepson and his wife got a two story house

with no way to separate the upstairs from the downstairs. To get the upstairs comfortable in summer, the downstairs is too cold. To get the downstairs comfortable in the winter, the upstairs is too hot, so the downstairs stays too cold then too.

I use a Fisher Baby Bear woodstove which is located in the center of my house. I'm using it today in fact. This is probably the last time I'll use it until late fall. Keep in mind if you go the wood heating route, that this year's firewood must have been cut last year and cured for a year. Cured wood splits much easier also. I have several days worth of cutting to length, a pile of wood I'll split in the fall. I mainly use the woodstove to supplement my regular heat when it stays cold for a couple of days or more.

I don't recommend a fireplace for heat as they don't radiate enough, and can actually suck more heat up the chimney than they provide. They are nice to look at, but that's about it.