OCR Text |
Show HOMES IE KEPT TOO WARM SftYS THE EXPERT WASHINGTON, D. C. Fob. 13. Five ways of saving fuel in heating houses are described in a timely report just mado by the Bureau of Mines, department depart-ment of tho Interior. Van. H. Manning, director of the bureau, declares that while the country coun-try is facing a shortage of coal it Is tho patriotic duty of every citizen to save coal in the heating of his home. He estimates that thero are about 20,-000,000 20,-000,000 homes in this country and that if everybody uses ordinary intelligence intelli-gence and caro a ton of coal can bo saved easily at each homo during this year. For tho entire country thiB saving sav-ing would amount to abqut 20,000,000 tons of coal, which is nearly as much as all of the coal mined in France during dur-ing the year 1917. The report describes tho most economical econ-omical mothod of burning different types of coal, anthraclto, bituminous, and briquets. It also explains tho meaning of draft regulations and tho necessity of studying your furnace. It is suggested that in heating houses considerable fuel can be saved by keeping the temperature in tho house uniform and 5 to 10 degrees lower than Is customary; instead of tho temperature tempera-ture being between 70 to 74 degrees, it can be kept at 62 to 68 degrees without with-out discomfort or any danger to health, especially if the air in the rooms is kept moist The keeping of the temperature down means the saving sav-ing of 15 to 20 per cent of the fuel and it may also mean a saving on the doctor's bill. It is also fuel saved by doing less work. Tho American people peo-ple are urged to save fuel by heating fewer rooms in the house. In many houses the family can get along comfortably com-fortably by keeping warm three or four rooms instead of heating six or seven rooms. The report further states; "If one stops to think that 55 per cent of the families in Berlin, Germany, live, sleep, cook, and Cat in the same room, living in threo or four warm rooms will seem a comfort. If consumptives can get well by sleeping outdoors, why could not well people keep well by sleeping in unheated bedrooms with the windows win-dows wide open? "In some homes the furnace is started start-ed too early in tho fall and Is run too late in the spring. The chimneys of these homes are belching smoko and spreading soot oer their neighborhood while the neighbors keep windows and doors open to the outside air and even sit on the front porches. These fainthearted faint-hearted people in their fear of catching catch-ing cold heat their houses unnecessarily; unnecessar-ily; thus they waste the country's coal, i ii - i ini l ..: i : 1 increase ineir coui oins, ju.vilc aiuu.-ness aiuu.-ness into their homes, and make life unpleasant to their neighbors. When mornings and evenings are chilly a grate fire for a short time in one or two rooms will make the house comfortable. com-fortable. "Every householder by endeavoring to save coal In the ways suggested can render his country valuable service, and he will not be doing his full duty toward his country unless he .renders such service as he can. In addition, he should remember that besides helping his country he will help to shorten the misery and the horror of the great war." |