When do you turn heat on?

Oh yes! Winter is coming!

We awoke this morning to a very chilly home. Trying sleeping at night when the temperature unexpectedly dips, wakes me and literally send me running for cover! More Covers that is. The question is when do you turn your heat on?

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When do you turn your heat on?

• There are people that base it on the date. They turn on their heater usually by the end of October or first week of November.

• Some people turn on their heater based on the current temperature. Most of them turn on the heater when the temperature drops off below 60F.

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• Some prefer the automatic settings on there thermostat.

•There are others who are not turning on their heater as long as they can. Maybe because they like to push themselves to the limit, save energy or they just love the cold weather with their sweater on and a cup of tea/coffee.

• And some folks will just turn it on whenever when they feel cold.

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Types of Room Heaters!Gas - Gas heaters use a flame to ignite flammable gas in the device.  They produce more heat and don’t require electricity. It can be energy efficient and work well with good positioning, maintenance and supervision.

Oil-filled heaters - use energy to heat the oil and then use the warmth of the oil to continue heating the room, making them economical. It provides a steady source of heat suitable for areas like bedrooms and for a large rooms as long as the ceiling are not high.

Radiant - Also known as a space heater. They are designed for quick heating and work well to warm whatever is positioned close to the heater rather the whole room.

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Fan heaters - use a standard metal-coil element in the fan to distribute heat.  They use more electricity and are relatively inefficient compared to other electric heaters. Fan heaters can be noisy and cause dryness in the air. 

Ceramic - Electricity heats the ceramic, the aluminum absorbs the heat and the fan distributes the hot air. Some ceramic heaters have fans, making them effective for larger rooms or rooms with high ceilings.

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Ways on how to save on heating!

Were you in shock after reading the energy bill? Then it may be time to change the way you heat your home.

Many people use electric, gas or radiant space heaters as a way to warm less-toasty areas in their home or business, such as basements, three-season porches or even office cubicles.

When finding the right type of heater. You have to think some of these factors:

• Do you want to heat a person?• Do you want to heat just a certain room?•Do you want to heat your whole house?

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1. Heat only parts of your home that you are using :This works only if you're not using your whole house; if you are using your whole house, then heating it with space heaters will cost more than central air.

2. Make yourself comfortable at lower temperature:Make yourself warm by wearing sweaters, putting rugs on bare floors, you can also use heating pads and warming blocks. Warming yourself is a lot cheaper than trying to warm your whole house.

3. Insulate your home well:You want to pay to heat only your home not the whole

neighborhood.

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1. Turn it off when you don't need it:Turn your heat off (or down) at night, and when you're away from home. Contrary to popular myth, it does not cost more to re-heat the home than it does to constantly heat it.

2. When installing a new heating system, don't oversize it:Get a heating system no larger than what your house requires.

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