Frugal and Energy Efficient Living

RKP5637

(67,112 posts)

17. Thanks for mentioning this! Watts = Watts. I think sometimes people get mislead

Thu Nov 28, 2013, 09:54 AM

Nov 2013

by advertising thinking paying more somehow saves on electricity. As you say, it's the watts that count ... and some of the reasonably priced heaters work extremely well. The more expensive ones are just pieces of furniture, and others are just gussied up with worthless gadgets.

Also, sometimes, people use several space heaters ... but sometime turning on the main furnace at a low setting is cheaper. What I sometimes do is turn on the main heater at a low setting to get the chill off, and then a small space heater set about the same as you have where I'm at ...

The house I moved to now is way smaller than my previous house ... there are lots of benefits IMO to having a small house in today's economy. I don't need all the glitter anymore, just survival.

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Costs to run an electric space heater [View all] Kaleva Nov 2013 OP

Until it gets down below 20 degrees outside, I don't even turn on central heat... hlthe2b Nov 2013 #1

I've got 2 space heaters going and the house temp is maintaining at 54 degrees. Kaleva Nov 2013 #2

I've always thought Norfolk pines were breathtaking IrishAyes Dec 2013 #22

I find Norfolk Island Pines very difficult...Even when I lived for a while in the South with natural hlthe2b Dec 2013 #25

Well, I've got a green thumb, and I could overwinter them; but right now I can't afford to. IrishAyes Dec 2013 #27

There are a couple of things we rarely use on the boat because of huge energy consumption. cbayer Nov 2013 #3

I did not know that the Ecofan worked on gas stoves. Kaleva Nov 2013 #5

You just need a flat surface to put it on. cbayer Nov 2013 #7

I had thought of putting in a vent free wall mounted 10k btu/h space heater... Kaleva Nov 2013 #8

I bought one of those; never thought about putting it on a cast iron pan though. IrishAyes Dec 2013 #23

I think it would make it kick on sooner and would distribute the heat cbayer Dec 2013 #26

Have you tried the flower pot/candle setup yet? Curmudgeoness Nov 2013 #4

I don't think the flower pot candle setup would provide enough heat Kaleva Nov 2013 #6

I see wattage discussed here, but not voltage -VOLTAGE is critical. ConcernedCanuk Nov 2013 #9

Very few, if any, have 240 outlets distributed throughout their homes. Kaleva Nov 2013 #10

Most Kitchen stoves and hot water heaters are 240 ConcernedCanuk Nov 2013 #12

The electrical code must be different where you live. Kaleva Nov 2013 #13

ummm - it's NOT to code, and I don't care. ConcernedCanuk Nov 2013 #14

I wouldn't recommend your method to others though Kaleva Nov 2013 #16

Yep, exactly, I used to work as an electrician. Code wise, it's a big NO NO. n/t RKP5637 Nov 2013 #18

I realize that, BUT ConcernedCanuk Dec 2013 #28

This message was self-deleted by its author RKP5637 Dec 2013 #30

Yep, sometimes a license means nothing about the correctness and quality of the work. n/t RKP5637 Dec 2013 #31

That's the same one I have. It's amazing. cbayer Nov 2013 #11

Here they are in action! ConcernedCanuk Dec 2013 #29

Perfect! cbayer Dec 2013 #32

Sorry, you buy power by the kilo*watt* hour so it's watts you pay for Fumesucker Dec 2013 #20

I just calculated my kwh charges here (Colorado)--boy, if you are paying .20c kwh, that's high hlthe2b Nov 2013 #15

Cost here is about .06/kwh, all elec. house, never had one before, but that's what RKP5637 Nov 2013 #19

Thanks for mentioning this! Watts = Watts. I think sometimes people get mislead RKP5637 Nov 2013 #17

In my area it costs about $0.50/day (8 hours) to run a space heater. n/t lumberjack_jeff Dec 2013 #21

Often, codes can be ignored. IrishAyes Dec 2013 #24