When your heating bill nearly gives you a heart attack.
I am from MA. We have been in a deep freeze for more than a month. I have gas heat now, I keep it turned low, I heat at 60-65 degrees. I usually turn it all the way down at night and only edge it up when I get home from work, yet it has been far to cold to do that now. I have to leave it on.
My bill floored me. It was twice what I paid last year. It is so damn cold. I was talking to a person at work that lives in a condo where I use to live. They are electric and I froze there while paying a huge price for heat. I asked him how bad it was now, made a guess what they paid to be cold. I was low in my estimate, his heat was more than his mortgage payment. Hello! Mass has is 4th in the highest rates.
Another reason why Massachusetts consumers are paying more for electricity is because they are using more. An increase in the variety of electronic devices has directly impacted resident’s bills. Ten years ago, few households had home computers, cell-phone chargers, DVD players or PlayStations. Even though most appliances these days are much more energy-efficient than in the past and people are more conscientious about turning off lights, the best way to pay less for your electricity bill is to start cutting usage.[dclass="excerpt"]
We need solar and we need it now!
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in a super efficient house. We have PV and Solar HW. The Solar HW is useless in the winter, but the PV does generate enough to decrease our bill. I usually pay no electric bill for 7 months out of the year, and in the end make a few dollars from quarterly checks from Solar Recs. Of course it's grid tied. Our biggest issue with that is that when the power goes out, so does the well pump. Someday when the battery technology gets there, we'll go off grid...
One way to solve their battery problem might be to have 2 batteries, in the winter charge one in the city and bring it to the cottage. But really, here in MA in a cottage, you should have a woodstove for heat. Better yet, a well designed Masonry Stove. A little Tulikivi is always nice... but hand built can be even nicer. Also, there are all sorts of programs in the area for Weatherizing/insulating/etc. The MassSave program paid for a friend's new refrigerator and gave him a 0% interest loan to have his attic/roof/windows insulated. His house is warmer/less drafty and he needs 30-40% less oil to heat during the heating season.
How big is the "smallish Solar setup" your folks have? Mine is rated at 3.2KW and was installed 8 years ago. It seems appropriately sized for a small 3 person household. Though we don't do broadcast TV and are out of the house during the day most days of the week... we do use computers and play music with amps (a big draw).
you're doing now!
I never had my heat on at during the night, either and basically just heated my bedroom.. and would run fast from there to my bathroom where I could turn on a heated fan system.. and, I took a lot of hot baths. My landlady was always asking me why I used so much WATER in the Winter time!
http://cauldronsandcupcakes.com/2012/03/26/the-magic-of-an-epsom-salts-bath/
So sorry you have to pay so much to keep from freezing! 
I love the bath pic. 
I am lucky that I have gas instead of electric, yet it still doubled over last year due to my leaving it on when I normally would have had it on it's lowest setting. With no customers coming into the store because of the snow and frigid temps, I am taking a double hit. I work on commission and we have lost more than a month of pay.
The temps are coming up a bit, yet we get more snow tomorrow.
Luv ya Cha!
"working on commission" thing and the weather keeping people off the streets except for necessities!
"More snow" 
You are always so very helpful. My heat is gas, thank the goddess, it use to be electric. My town is implementing a municipal aggregation program through which the town sought competitive bids from electric suppliers to provide power. I am good on that part. Yes my gas doubled from last year since we have had frigid temps for a month now. Not much I can do about that. Lol~ I wear lots of layers at home.
On the bright side we may see some daytime temps of 40 and 50 next week!!!! Yeah!!!!
Well I'm sure there are a lot of actions you've taken and in the end dressing warm as possible and lots of blankets helps.
I use an electric mattress pad in lieu of having a warm house at night and it sounds like you already keep the settings as low as possible.
Looking for ways you might be losing heat might help, storm windows or plastic over your window with an air space in between can cut down on drafts-- more useful for older buildings with single glazed windows than with modern double or triple glazing. Thick draperies can help, too, and letting the sun in.
Finally, you can move out here with me and Millie dog!
And that's probably a lot more sustainable than electric anything.
But Millie is a tiny dog and doesn't give off nearly enough heat!
Come on out, any old time!
Thanks~
My electric bill was $500 this month. I was floored. My house isn't that big. The back of my house gets very warm from the sun, even in the winter. I have to leave my bedroom window cracked and the vents shut because it gets so warm in there.
The front of the house, that's another story.
I keep my heat at 67. I can't go any lower, I have a neuromuscular disorder and am very sensitive to the cold. My hands/arms/legs turn blue very easily.
I hope you guys start to see some moderating temps soon.
Please be careful. It has been an ugly winter, yet we may see 40-50 daytime temps next week. Wow, almost spring.
We may see 40's plus next week. Yeah us. Far better than 15 below. 
Before they came out with those dual pane windows the Victorians used multiple panels of heavy drapes.
Even between rooms without doors to reduce drafts.
Make sure you pull back the drapes on the sunny side for free solar heat and keep your eyes open for Dracula.
They let the light in, too--that's important to people who don't like the dark days of winter.
Cover the windows using clear plastic sheets and masking tape, the way you would if you were painting the walls.
http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Paint-Roller-69730-Plastic/dp/B000KKKXCU
It appears they retail for around $2000, but are supposed to heat 1500 sq. ft.
I've also seen people build smaller ones themselves; I plan on building something like this for my chicken coop to keep my hens a little warmer next winter:
Eventually I plan on adding one of the SolarSheat commercial units to the southern side of our home to take the edge off our heating bill. Where we are in Minnesota, we typically see winter lows around -20F, and until the windbreak behind our house fills in more, we get hit by brutal north/northwest winds from the Dakotas and Canada that rattle the house in a blizzard. Right now we're about 50/50 between propane and wood in the Vermont Castings wood stove in the living room, with a little assistance from the space heater now and then.
I've gone entire weekends without hearing the furnace kick on even in the dead of winter, so long as I keep feeding the woodstove every 6-8 hours.
At $2/gal. for propane, and $400 for two full cords of hardwood purchased every year, we spend around $1200 total for 7 months (between Oct-Apr) for heating (typically 68F) and hot water. The extra insulation, weathersealing, new windows, new woodstove, and plastic sheeting over the old windows has shaved hundreds per year off our heating bill. And this is for a 1800 sq. ft house built in 1968. I still have tons of upgrading to do, such as spray-foaming the basement rim joists or filling the walls with cellulose insulation.
And we just moved from an apartment where it was $300.00 last month for gas. Weve spent $600 for oil, $100 for pellets and $200 for wood we've used just in the last two weeks. And that doesnt count the electric heat bathrooms. Talk about a heart attack!
I'd kill to have gas again. Count your blessings. 
