Winter time is coming and we all need to be warm, but heating usually is really expensive. I already gave up on electric heaters as they are super pricey and now I have oil heaters that do the job just fine. Even so I don't turn them on all the time. First I use a blanket and if I still have cold I turn the heater on. How does this work for you?
This is actually a pretty large and thought over decision in my home. It tends to be like a opening of a can of worms, so to speak. It is me saying I am okay with spending the money to feel warm and comfortable. I am pretty good at putting it off, but I know that it is called for on nights like tonight.
We have an opposite situation here. We love the winter time although it's not really the winter that you know. We don't need air conditioning during the times of late November until early February when the weather is cool. We don't need even electric fans. But during summer, the heat is unbearable and air conditioning is imperative otherwise the body will suffer stress from too much heat. So now that the weather is cool, we save money on electricity that we would be spending during the summer months.
Ours is a moderate weather, not too hot not too cold. Given that neither we need air conditioner during summer nor heater for winter. But with sharp global atmospheric change, things are rapidly changing. We can foresee the days when here there will be extreme weather as well. For now, light blankets are enough.
Thermal blanket has been our best companion in cold times. Also, we use rescue thermal blankets most specially when we climb mountains during cold seasons. I'm not sure if this is effective during winter but have you seen this product before? Image credit: Groupon
There's no doubt that it seems that gas and electric is getting more and more expensive, and unfortunately I can only see that trend being set to continue. What we have found helps is that we have had solar panels fitted to the roof so during the day the house is pretty much run off solar power meaning that in the evening, when we're all in and it gets colder anyway, that's when we can afford to turn the heating on more than what we used to. Solar panels are expensive, but they are starting to pay for themselves as the electricity costs have come down by about 3/4 since we had them installed.
I don't usually turn the heater on till it is below freezing for the pipes won't freeze, even then I usually turn it on just high enough to keep them from freezing. I bundle up during the day, and at night we do have a mattress pad heater that we can turn on with a timer. We also plastic the windows and make door socks and blanket off the non-essential rooms when heating. I really don't mind bundling up because the heat is expensive.
Since electricity and gas costs are rising day by day I am always trying to cut my electricity and gas bills. I use electricity and gas only to light my house and cook food. I don't use heating and cooling system unless I need them badly. Normally I don't use heater during the winter. I prefer to warm myself in the blanket.
I am usually H-O-T through all the seasons, even winter. I don't know what my problem is, but I'm always hot. So nobody in my house ever has to worry about me turning the heat up and adding extra problems to our monthly heating bill. We just keep the house at a comfortable 69 degrees F, and IF I SEE THE TEMP HIGHER THAN THAT, that's when I start getting hot flashes and sweating, and you can bet I turn the heat down when nobody's looking. (There's somebody in this house who gets really cold and keeps turning the heat up higher.) I WILL find out who it is eventually. *As a side-note/tip: If you get a vaporizer, it works great in heating a small room and really is cost-effective. I use these during the winter months, simply because the air is too dry and it helps my cats breathe better (one has asthma/coughing problems.) But I've also noticed that it helps heat up my room without it getting TOO hot, if you know what I mean. Just imagine a slightly-damp, semi-warm Spring night. That's how it feels. SPRING NIGHT
Right now in Hawaii on Oahu we are having pleasant weather just right to replenish our water wells with sprinkles of rain at night and during the day. We have temps in the upper 70's now and at night maybe a degree or 2 lower. During the summer it's hotter to me and I get my heat rash that drives me up the wall. I put on lotion and bear with it and can't wait for weather we have now. We don't have air conditioners for they are too expensive. We turn off the heater during the night to save money and turn on the heater before showering oh about 20 min.s and it's good for the rest of the day. We unplug to save money too all appliances. We watch tv non stop till bed time though. We have LIHEAP that helps us pay for electricity, we have no gas. I prefer electricity more predictable than gas, I feel. Living in Hawaii has it's perks, but we do watch carefully for tsunami and hurricanes.
Unfortunately we do not have a heater at home. During the cold, we just make do with our thick blankets and turn off the fans and air conditioner. We're just lucky to live in a place without snow. In the not-so-distant future, should climate change take a toll on this planet, a heater would be very much useful. I do plan to purchase one next year because the weather here has grown colder and colder over the years.
