Due to the high number of useful posts on
this thread on how to keep heat affordable, I was inspired to post the following condensation:
DU's Hot Advice
---------------
(0) Get cold first, if necessaryWalk outside for a bit, till your nose feels like someone else's.
1) Keeping the body warmNo one cares what the temperature is close to the ceiling. We want to have hot bodies, therefore we use localized heating and/or insulation:
- a
space heater in front of you. Don't overdo it if it's fuel is expensive.
- a
heating pad in your lap
- obviously, a good pair of
socks on your feet,
- possibly with
cats or dogs on your lap (on the heating pad?). When raised together, a combination is feasible.
- have plenty of
drop-overs around, blankets in fleece or wool or...
- use an
electrical heating blanket for that extra
- in case movement off the couch / chair is needed, it is best to do so
layered in clothes. Long-johns made of silk or a close-woven fabric as a first, wool on top and anything in between. Cashmere robes for evening elegance but make sure the cashmere does not come from tortured goats (China)
This allows the central heating temperature (preferably with a programmable thermostat) to be set lower.
2) Keep the losses small-
roof: insulating the roof or the attic floor very well is a good small investment.
-
doors: hang a blanket in front, or a curtain. Block air at the bottom with towels, a weather strip or bean bags. Close the doors of unused rooms.
-
windows: use (adhesive/heat shrink/normal) plastic foil to insulate single-pane windows. Check for cracks and drafts, also around the woodwork. Tape or spray them up. Hang a blanket in front of the window. If you have some money, the investment in double-paned windows pays off.
-
walls: consider putting some kind of shingles on the north wall if your walls are poorly isolated.
-
cracks: use an aerosol foam spray can to fill them up.
- the
attic (trap)door is a heat sink: insulate it.
-
vents: put a timer on them, use gravity-operated flapped ones, vent the dryer on the inside.
3) Cost- and energy efficient central heating-
maintain the central heating system. Don't forget the filters.
-
isolate the heater area and the water heater.
- Make sure the
temperature on your water heater isn't too high. Anything over 120F is wasting energy.
- consider a
pellet stove or a wood stove.
- if you have some money to spend, consider solar or wind energy.
important safety note: when insulating every draft and using a heater with air supply from inside the house and possibly exhaust inside as well (gas boilers, stoves, hearth etc) beware of carbon monoxide poisoning!
4) You might as well enjoy it- spouses, family and close friends provide free heat. Consider
snuggling up close under a blanket, this can be fun as well. The more and merrier version of this is called an orgy, but that makes you hungry. Simply being in the same room is the less physical option.
-
hot chocolate. Enough said.
- have
soup simmering on the stove. The smell of it reminds you that somewhere in the room there is heat. It can be drunk too.
- stay warm in a multicultural way by using a traditional Japanese setup called a
kotatsu, essentially a low table with a quilted skirt and a heater underneath.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KotatsuThanks to all the contributors!
bmc