Home Heating

[Turtle]

Winter is fast upon us in the Northern hemisphere and we have to start heating our homes. Applying all the Big W's of Who, Where, When , What, Why, and at least an H of a How, what is your home heating situation?

I'm a renter, so at the mercy more or less of what the house comes equipped with. Fortunately the place is less than ten years old, well insulated, and we have a forced-air central gas-fired furnace. I change the filters every 3 months or so (I use hypo-allergen type), set the thermostat to 64ºF at night and 69ºF during the day (unless some whiner says "I'm cold" & I go all the way up to 70ºF)

What gets you hot about home heating?

[Zythryn]

Primary source is a geothermal closed loop system. So far it has handled anything down to about 5 below zero (fahrenheit).
We have a natural gas furnace for backup. Wasn't used February on last year, we will see when it first fires up this year.
On sunny days, we open up all the blinds on the south side of the house. The sun does a pretty nice job warming the house and the insulation keeps it warm
Good insulation is your best first defense against the cold

[Racoon]

I wear a sweatshirt or something warm

[Buffy]

Admittedly we live in balmy California and our house is not huge, but seriously, all the computers we have lying around here generate enough heat that I almost *never* turn on the heater! We do like to wear sweaters and are fond of thick socks. I also have a not-chic but very cozy pair of down slippers (well, I guess "booties" would be a more appropriate description) that I wear when its cold in the morning.

Brrr!
Buffy

[freeztar]

I live in a basement. It is blissfully 68 F in the summer, but becomes very cold in the winter. My laptop and myself, mainly, heats my kitchen (yes, my kitchen table is my "computer desk"). There's not much space here.

I have an oil heater that heats up the room to about 58 F, without the laptop. My laptop, and me in the room using it, gets it to about 63 F. My nice wool coat gets me the rest of the way and then some.

The system is great, but mornings are frigid as I shut off all heating before bedtime. I'm sure I'd garner many a laughs for saying 'frigid' in reference to GA weather, especially indoors. Nonetheless, it is relative.
I find the cold much more inviting this year, for whatever the reason...

Ideally, I would have all sorts of R-value tactics in place (I rent as well).
Capturing the heat of drain water conserves heat and energy. More insulation=better all around. Passive heating and cooling systems are awesome, but require proper design. Retrofitting is the trend nowadays.

What about rain water barrels/greywater systems that act as solar collectors/insulators?

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Buffy

Admittedly we live in balmy California and our house is not huge, but seriously, all the computers we have lying around here generate enough heat that I almost *never* turn on the heater! ...

Brrr!
Buffy

And now it looks like sometimes you might not be able to turn it on.



California wants to control home thermostats - International Herald Tribune

Originally Posted by Felicity Barringer Published: January 11, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO: The conceit in the 1960s show "The Outer Limits" was that outside forces had taken control of your television set.

Next year in California, state regulators are likely to have the emergency power to control individual thermostats, sending temperatures up or down through a radio-controlled device that will be required in new or substantially modified houses and buildings to manage electricity shortages.