Great site for solar info
 

Going off igo's idea of good sites for info I thought I'd share a great site for solar heating info. The site covers much more than that, but that seems to be the main focus.

BuildItSolar: Solar energy projects for Do It Yourselfers to save money and reduce pollution

Yeah, SolarGary's site is pretty good. One section that was helpful to me a couple years back was this one: Giant Collection of Frugal Energy Saving Projects

90 ideas that you can do right now to save energy and money with figures as well. I had no idea how much things like allowing your computer to hibernate would save energy.

I'm thinking about doing the bubble wrap window insulation for the winter. Has anyone else tried this method versus the traditional sheet of plastic? Any thoughts or suggestions for or against this?

How do you normally do your plastic? If you do two sheets with air in between it'll be good but if it's only one sheet, the bubble wrap will be better due to the still-air insulation within the bubbles.

I recently graduated from college and bought a house with my girlfriend. This will be our first winter in the house. I've never really cared enough in my rental house that I've had in the previous years so I don't have much experience with any method. I'm open to any suggestions.

I do like the bubble wrap idea because if for some weird reason I want to open the window or patio door over the winter I imagine it's easier to remove and put back up than the plastic sheets.

If you may open the window, then bubble wrap is definitely the way to go. The bent up surface will catch light from various angles and put them in the room and the still air in the bubbles is good insulation. You'll still need to cover the cracks around the window though.

If you had enough for a window that wasn't going to be opened, two sheets of bubble wrap would be better. One on the window and one near the outside face of the wall it's in, the whole object being to have as much still air in there as possible with sunlight warming it up.

I'm not sure it would be easier to remove but if you didn't have to buy it or it is comparable in price with plastic, it would be more effective.

cool idea. not sure how cold it will get on the gulf coast this winter, but it's definatly worth a try.
dremd- have you tried this in your area?

I am on day 20 of Gary's site. Best site I have seen yet. I will read every page before too long.