Heating My House - Options Thoughts Suggestions ?

[FarmerChick]

check this out

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oG7m1Kz...ll/EXP=1288380618/**http://edenpurestore.com/



I just saw this on tv and the infrared is supposed to give a wonderful warm heat in the whole room without using alot of energy....something to think about lol

 

[Nifty]

I just read this great post by XPC:

A $400 quartz heater will produce the exact amount of heat as a $15 space heater, that being 3400 btus per 1000 watts of electrical input, there are no exceptions to this law of physics. period.

I tend to agree. There may be some minor advantages to using different electric systems, but all things considered a wall panel, quartz heater, radiator, etc. will all cost the same to operate for the same amount of heat.

 

[miss_thenorth]

You know... I was just thinking (which I know can be dangerous, lol) Our winters get fairly cold. Right now it is 66F in the house, and I have been baking/cooking all day. I usually don't turn on the heat until about 60-64, and I let it get colder at nights while we are under the covers. Our solution for warmth is to use electric blankets, and wool blankets on top of that. and tehn the comforter. We usually turn on the electric blanket about 1/2 hour before we go to bed, so it is nice and toasty by the time we get in there. Then turn it off. WE stay warm all night, and don't woryy about heting those rooms during the day, b/c we dont spend any more time in them. Even when we do turn on the furnace, I close the vents to the bedrooms and shut the doors, so I am not heating them. The electric blankets work wonderfully.

 

[Nifty]

Growing up we didn't have any central air or anything for heat in our bedrooms... NADA!

I had an electric bed spread / pad (under the bottom sheet) that I'd turn on 10 mins before bed and it was magical! I talked to my wife about getting one for our bed but surprisingly she said no.

We have a really good down comforter that does a great job keeping us warm at night. My wife reminded me that last year we didn't heat our bedroom at all, but just had the electric radiator in the girl's bedroom to keep the chill off.

I'd still like to get a heated pad... if anything just to warm the bed before getting in. Of course, having flannel sheets helps there too.


On a side note: I spend a LOT of time at the computer. For the last few years I've been using a radiant heater next to me to keep me warm, but then I got to thinking... I should get a seat warmer for my desk chair! I've been in cars with seat heaters and it is amazing how much the heat travels through your body! I think I'll go buy one and give it a try!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Oh yeah, I forgot about flannel sheets--they are standard in our house in the winter. But I just had to get new sheets for hubby's bed (he sleeps in the bedroom downstairs when he is on night shifts) I found polar fleece bed sheets. He absolutely loves them. Even warmer than flannel.

How cold does it get there? The electric blankets are nice, you should get one anyways--your wife might like it.

 

[Wildsky]

On a side note: I spend a LOT of time at the computer. For the last few years I've been using a radiant heater next to me to keep me warm, but then I got to thinking... I should get a seat warmer for my desk chair! I've been in cars with seat heaters and it is amazing how much the heat travels through your body! I think I'll go buy one and give it a try!

Look about those little heating pads the old folk use, and people with injuries... they're big enough to put behind your back!

Edit to add: Like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-756-500-Standard-Arthritic-Controller/dp/B00006IV4N


I used to have an electric blanket - but the dern thing stopped working. I bought a couple of hot water bottles, they're awesome in bed at your feet! If you get too warm you can easily find a cool spot as well. The hot water holds heat a long time.

I knitted a cover for one of them, sewed a cover for the other..

 

[Nifty]

I just got off the phone with our local fireplace & stove shop. I told him about our old fireplace and how it's got cracked bricks, controls don't work, etc.

He said to get rid of it because it is terribly inefficient and polluting. The new stoves "reburn" the gas so basically all that comes out the chimney is steam and CO2.

I asked about price for wood, gas, pellet and he said he has a recent report on a system that outputs 30,000 BTUs per hour. The prices are:

Natural Gas: $0.35
Pellets: $0.55
Wood: Anywhere from free to $0.62 (at $300 a cord)

Very interesting info!

I think either way we need a new fireplace. Problem now is there are SOOO many manufacturers and so many models.

 

[MorelCabin]

I second the hot water bottles! I used one and carried it all over the house with me on cold days in the log house that we heated with a woodstove. They are awesome.

As for electric blankets, pads and such, I have to say I stay as far away from those as I can. I used to be right onto those, until I researched it and found out how bad thay are for your health. Electric blankets are very deteriorating to muscles over time and can make you a very frail person in the not so distant future!

 

[miss_thenorth]

But even if you just warm up the bed before you get in it?

 

[Wifezilla]

Nifty, there was a big push in Colorado a couple of years ago to get everyone to switch to natural gas. Mainly it was for smog control, but they touted the great low price of natural gas as one of the selling points. Low and behold the very next year they jacked the price of natural gas up because of the "surprising increase in demand".

As for the smog, it did decrease, but that was mainly attributed to older cars naturally being taken off the road as they aged and broke down.

I guess my point is I would go with wood because I can control and decide what wood for what price I burn. If you are hooked up to gas, you are at the mercy of the utility company.