space heater vs furnace, a few opinions from the experts
Posted By: sm on 2006-09-21
In Reply to: space heaters - JR
Limit use of Electric Space Heaters
Here's a few opinions. There's one way, way, way down at the bottom, too. Hope it helps.
Limit use of freestanding or in-wall space heaters to short periods of time. Electric space heat can cost as much as 25 percent more than fossil fuel heat. Because of the high energy required, the use of extension cords with space heaters is not recommended. Also to avoid fire hazard, electric heater power cords should never be placed under a carpet or rug to be hidden from view.
http://www.lbwl.com/TipsElec.asp
Space heaters are a fairly inefficient way to convert electricity to heat. They can also run up the electric bill, and I'm not sure they're a good choice for the apartment-building lifestyle. However, if you owned a big home and controlled your own central heating, a space heater could be a good choice. If you spent your entire day, or most of it, in one room of the house (say, your satellite Grist office), you could turn off the central heat and use a space heater. And, of course, space heaters are a great option for rooms where there is no other heat source whatsoever -- certainly better than frostbite.
Space heaters run on electricity generated by burning something or splitting atoms or capturing hydropower or tapping into the energy of wind or sun (optimal but unlikely). Radiators run on water heated by burning oil or gas. Because your radiator burns fuel on site, odds are it is more efficient than your space heater. (Again, we're guessing here, since we don't know the specifics.) With electric space heaters, about two-thirds of the heating energy from the original fuel is lost during transit to your room.
http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2004/02/25/umbra-heat/
Ask the Energy Guy
2005
2004 Average
04/05 03/04 Average
363
313 396
398
349
514
Season to date
October
October
2005 2004 Average
2005 2004
Average
41
6
13
1266 1027
1010
Season to date
Q: A couple of issues ago you talked about electric space heaters. Are they less
expensive than gas?
A: Maybe. Unless you have a geothermal heat pump, electricity
is not the most economical way to heat a home. But
depending on the size of the electric space heater and how
you use it, you may be able to increase your comfort and
save a little money this winter.
There are two basic types of electric space heaters;
Convection heaters heat the air and usually have a fan
to blow warm air around. Radiant heaters warm objects.
Some people like to feel warm air move so they use a fan
driven heater. Others will use a radiant heater to avoid
drafts from moving air. The cost to operate the heater will
depend on wattage, temperature of the room, and length of time
it’s on. The higher the wattage, the colder the room, and the
longer it’s on - the more it will cost.
A 1500-watt heater will cost around $.10 an hour to operate.
Your much larger gas furnace may cost $.45 - $.75 an hour to
run. To be comfortable yet not spend more money the trick is to
save gas by turning down your thermostat while using the electric heater. If you just
use a portable heater for short periods, and you turn down the thermostat at the same
time, you should be fairly comfortable and save on your heating bills. Check back
next month for more on electric versus gas heating
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:_D0E1IewSqoJ:www.cityofames.org/CitySide/Documents/January2006.pdf+electric+space+heater+versus+turning+down+thermostat&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3
Q. Would it be more efficient to use an electric heater for one room than to keep the whole house warm with central heating?
A. I can see why you would think using a space heater would be an energy-saving solution, especially with higher gas and oil prices. But in Vermont, electricity is still the most expensive way to heat. A typical portable electric space heater could actually increase your energy costs by as much as $50 a month.
A better approach is to make your home's "envelope" and central heating system work as efficiently as possible. Make sure your home has sufficient insulation. Prevent air leakage between indoors and out by sealing any holes between the house and outdoors or the attic, especially where chimneys and plumbing enter. Gaps around door and window frames and drafts under doors should also be sealed. Repair cracked glazing on windows and replace weather seals if necessary. You can find low-cost, easy-to-use weatherization kits and supplies at your hardware store. Be sure your furnace filter is clean, seal and insulate heating ducts, and have your furnace or boiler professionally inspected, cleaned and tuned each year. Vacuum or dust heating vents and move furniture away from them so heat can circulate. Finally, close doors to any rooms you don't want heated and turn down the thermostat in those rooms.
Gas vs. Electric Heat
The Dollar Stretcher
by Gary Foreman
I live in the Midwest and am bracing for the high cost of heating my home this winter. My question is about buying/using a space heater. Is there a way to find out if running an electric space heater would be cheaper than the gas I use to heat the home? Is there a formula for this? How would I figure it out. I've taken all the other precautions such as insulation, furnace tune-up, weather-stripping etc. I figure I can keep the heat turned to about 67 - but a space heater might be good for the family room-kitchen, the area we use the most. Thanks,
Cheryl R.
Cheryl appears to be serious about reducing her heating bills. And, she's right. According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly half of our utility bills goes to heating/air conditioning. So controlling those expenses is worthwhile.
Cheryl can compare heat generated from gas or electric. To get a fair comparison we'll determine the cost to generate 1 million BTU's of heat with both fuels.
A furnace with a seasonal heating efficiency of 80% will use 12.5 therms to produce the million BTU's. MGE (Madison Gas Electric in Madison WI) was charging consumers $1.50 per therm in October, 2005. We'll use them as our example. At a cost of $1.50 per therm heating with gas would cost $18.75 (12.5 therms X $1.50).
An electric heater would consume 293 kilowatt hours to produce the million BTU's. At a cost of $0.11 per kWh (also from MGE) that's $32.58.
So heating with electric is more expensive than natural gas. And, that's usually the case since a lot of electric is generated by burning natural gas.
But, Cheryl's recognized that gas vs. electric is only half of the equation. Could heating a smaller area (kitchen/family room) with a higher cost fuel (electric) be a good idea?
In our example electric generated heat is 70% more expensive than gas generated heat ($32.58 / $18.75). As long as her kitchen/family room area is less than 30% of the cubic footage of her house she'll save money by using the space heater to heat it and turning down the thermostat on the furnace.
Remember that this is just an example. We've made some assumptions. For instance, furnaces are measured based on their AFUE rating (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency). It's also known as "seasonal heating efficiency." We chose a furnace rated at 80% efficiency. Cheryl's could be more or less efficient. That would affect how many therms of gas are consumed.
The selection of space heaters will make a difference, too. There are a number of types available.
According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources a radiator-type heater could be best for Cheryl. It works well in a room that gets constant use. And, since the surface area isn't extremely hot, there's less danger of someone (think children) getting burned.
There's also a formula that Cheryl can use to figure the cost of running a space heater. She'll need to know the size of the space heater in watts. Divide that by 1,000 to get kilowatts. So a 1500 watt heater is 1.5 kilowatts.
Multiply the answer by the number of hours per day the heater is in use to determine how many kilowatts are used per day. Suppose that it's running from 8am until 10pm. She'd multiply 1.5 kilowatts by 12 hours and be using 18 kilowatts per day.
Her electric bill will show how much she pays per kilowatt. Let's use our $0.11 rate. The 18 kilowatts per day multiplied by $0.11 costs Cheryl $1.98 per day to run the heater.
Make no mistake, the furnace is the most efficient way to heat the entire house. But, according to the National Association of Home Builders the average home is 2,200 square feet. That's a lot of space to heat.
And, if you'll study your home, most homes do not have someone in every room 24 hours a day. Each family has a pattern of use. One or two rooms might be in use for much of the day. Other rooms rarely are used except for sleep. Cheryl might find that she can lower the thermostat on the furnace to 60 degrees and use space heaters to raise the temperature in occupied areas.
Chances are that a lot of us don't want to go through all the calculations. You really don't need to. If you only have one or two rooms occupied, it will almost certainly be cheaper to keep your thermostat lower and put a space heater in the occupied rooms. Just remember to take the appropriate safety precautions when using space heaters.
http://www.lighthousecredit.org/Articles70.asp
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space heater
Thanks for the helpful hint. About how much did you have to pay, and where did you buy it? (If you don't mind telling me.)
space heater
Thanks, guys and gals, for the great info about space heaters! I'll definitely stay away from the kind that cost our fellow MT's power bill to increase! Yikes! I'll probably go with a ceramic heater, like the Lasko mentioned in these posts. It seems to be the most efficient and the most cost-saving. :)
I use a space heater, but my CPU isn't under my desk.
Mostly I need the heat to warm up my hands, so I sit my heater on my desk top blowing directly at my keyboard. The electric blanket is an excellent idea. I may have to look into that.
One thing to consider, when I first plugged in my space heater, my circuit couldn't handle my CPU, printer, heater, going all at once and I tripped the circuit breaker. So, I've had to run an extension cord from another outlet on a different circuit for my heater. My house is pretty old though and needs some wiring work.
I have a space heater under my desk but
my computer sits on a "second hand" counter (bought at an discount home supply companyfor $35) that sits on 2x4s. I bought the counter top 2 x 8 feet marked down because of marks, etc., and placed all my printer, scanner, extra computer etc., on 2x4's cut down; i.e., 1 2x4 8 foot long give 3 sides (left,right, and bottom) to securely sit everything on top. I have 3 computers, a printer, a scanner, 2 transcription machines, a calculator, and CDs and a whatchamacallit for holding bills, etc. sitting on it. It's held up for 8 years.
I have a ceramic heater under my desk and it doesn't get hot enough to travel up to the counter.
Can you blow a hairdryer on low on it or a space heater on low? Might help. nm
s
I run a small space heater at my feet sm
My CPU is under the desk and I tend to swing my left leg up to rest on that. The air from the heater, if I position it right, flows up between my knees and heats my hands. I can't work this time of year without it. Warm feet=warm all over.
Does anyone use a space heater under their desk? Is it safe? sm
My computer tower is also on the floor under the desk, could this make the computer itself too hot? I get so uncomfortably cold working in my lower level of my house, so I bought a space heater, but I can't get it close enough to warm my feet up, I would like it under my desk. Safe or not? Thanks in advance.
I use a DeLonghi oil-filled space heater that
But my feet were still cold. I found a surefire way to warm my feet on even the coldest days: I alternate between wearing my slippers (with indoor-outdoor soles on them), and my hiking boots which are my warmest footwear. I also alternate sox.
As I start to feel my feet getting too cold, I lay the alternate sox over the heater (safe when set on the low setting - plus I'm right there watching them). Then I set the pair of shoes or slippers I'm not wearing on top of the heater to warm up the soles.
After about 15-20 minutes, I put on the warm sox, followed by the now-warm shoes/slippers. Once on my feet, the thick rubber soles stay warm for quite a long time! My feet warm up right away, STAY warm, and circulation improves, thus continuing to keep the shoes warm. The hiking boots worked the best - several hours later, my feet were still toasty warm!
I turn into a prune when I have a space heater in my office, all that dry air dehydrating me!
My mother lives with us. We bought small electric space heater for her (sm)
as we usually keep the furnace at about 68 and keep a humidifier going. Makes a big difference. Older people get cold, so I have told her she might want to make sure and wear warmer clothes and don't hesistate to use the space heaters to provide comfort level in the family room and her bedroom for her.
MedQuist? Ctrl+shift+F, period, space, tab, period, space, space, change all. nm
.
He's about as cool as a blast furnace
You're kidding, right? This guy's an idiot.
Brother-in-law has been using outside wood furnace
for many, many years and loves it. It sits out back of their house less than 50 feet (I would guess) from their back door. They also cool their house with it (need an exchanger of some sort) and heat their pool water. He is pretty clever and worked out the plumbing for the pool by himself. They do have to spend part of their summer looking and cutting and hauling their wood supply but they think it is worth it. Hope this helps.
According to cat experts, each cat needs sm
to have his/her own litter box, and then there should be an extra box after that. So with 2 cats, you need 3 boxes. This would resolve any territorial issues, particularly with regards to the beta feline. This worked for me.
Your spraying female might not like the litter you use, maybe her box isn't clean enough/dirty enough for her, etc. If you keep the boxes really clean, you might need to put in a piece of dirty gravel in the clean box.
Cats have unique ways of expressing themselves. It is up to us to try to understand just what they're complaining about. They usually have good reasons for their behavior. I said "usually!"
Good luck with your kitties. Glad you took her to the vet right away.
EXText experts, I need some help (sm)
My text is running off the page to the right. I keep adjusting the View in Word, but as soon as I utilize the Alt functions, it defaults back (text running off the page to the right). IT guy said he never saw anything like this before, tried uninstalling and reinstalling EXText without change. I uninstalled Word and then reinstalled Word, still no help. Any suggestion? Please feel free to e-mail me. I would be extremely appreciative.
Love to know how far back it goes, was a member for about a year in 1998, we could use $$, furnace b
so its cold here! Actually it broke the 15, the night before we left for Disney on a Make-A-Wish trip for my daughter Jenny....(we had a blast)...got back 2 days ago, it broke again that night (21st). DH got it running again, but the heater guy disassembled it last night and has not returned yet to put it back together and fix it. Luckily we have a propane fireplace or we'd be in big trouble, still chilly though especially since it goes down to 25 at night, brrrr!---so any $$$ if we are included or entitled would be wonderful...but I doubt we will get so lucky since it was so long ago that I was a "member" of AOL. Guess I will just have to work even more to pay for the repair, fun.
Express Scribe experts, I need your help, please. sm
I'm having trouble getting my pedal to work with Express Scribe. I need to transcribe in WP5.1 so the hotkeys conflict if I went that route. I use the same pedal for 2 other companies and it is installed in a game port to work with a VXP player. I downloaded the hidwatch driver but that apparently only works for USB pedals. My pedal is not USB.
Any suggestions?
Thanks.
Experts NOT leaning towards biofeedback...
much better success rate with medication than alternative treatments. Here's a link to an info video on "Not Just for Kids: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults" that you would find helpful. The information comes from Patricia Quinn, MD and Peter Jensen MD, Columbia University. Jensen has does some really fascinating research in ADHD. There are some more videos on the site too that you might want to wander through.
Question for computer experts out there on this board, pls
Is there a switch that I can buy in order to one use 1 monitor with 2 HD. I thought it was called KVM or something to that effect. Please help me, as I would like to only use 1 monitor, but need two computers.
Thank you.
I meant "One space or two", not "l space or two" nm
nm
Oil filled heater
I use a DeLonghi oil filed heater, bought at Lowe's for I think $30-$40. Sits right next to my chair, very safe, uses very little energy. Plus I can rest my hands on it when there is a pause in dictation. It's about 6 x 15 inches but when I'm sitting down, it comes up to my elbow. Love it!
Move to Arizona. Don't the heater too much here!!!nm
//
Some sort of heater device
I read about a device you can buy for the deep cystic-type acne. I believe the machine was about $200, but it is supposed to be a miracle cure for treating deep cystic acne. The drawback would be that the device has to be held on each cyst for a couple of minutes I believe, so hundreds of cysts like you describe would take a long, long time to treat. I would ask the dermatologist if he thought finasteride would have any effect. That drug shuts down the part of testosterone that causes male pattern baldness. Maybe it would have an effect on acne, too. I think I'll research that for you.
Has anyone used the Eden Pure Heater as a supplement?
I hear Paul Harvey advertise this heater on the radio all the time and I am considering it for our house for this winter. I just wonder how much it might really save us since we use propane to heat and this is an electric heater. It sounds good according to what I have heard and read but obviously I don't really know.
I am in my home office most of the day and thought I could turn our furnace down low as there is no need to heat the entire house when I spend at least 8 hours a day in my office and I am the only one at home during the day. I could just close my office door and use this heater and maybe save some $. We have a 1600 sq. ft. home, one level, and we spent about $1900 for propane last year (including hot water heater and gas cooking stove). I wore thermals and warm clothes as well as used a snug snack while working but I am always cold and had the thermostat turned up to 72 during the day and 66 at night.
I will post the link for those that might be interested in knowing more bout the heater.
I use an electric afghan, safer than a heater
Hi: I paid about $35 for an afghan-size warming blanket I think on Overstock.com. I just make a little semicircle of blankie and keep the foot pedal in there. To warm my hands, I use 2 gooseneck lamps from Target, they were $10 each, one on each side of my desk, amazing how much heat from a light bulb. Wise
It's cold here this morning!!! I had to turn on my office heater for the first time this year.
 Winter's coming and it's supposed to be incredibly cold the next couple days. YUCK And, with the gas prices the way they are I guess I'll have to suffer with it a little colder this year.
Last year I purchased a Lasko 30" tall digital ceramic pedestal heater with remote for under (sm)
$80.00 at Home Depot. Features include: Automatic temperature control, oscillate, timer, and high (1500W) and low (900W) power settings. Assembling the base took less than 5 minutes. Kept me very warm last winter, and plan on purchasing another one for my upstairs. Cut down on my gas heating bill significantly. Great buy.
One Space
MQ employee here and we were told one space!
It's their space. They can do as the please. Go get your own
and make your own rules.
Go get your own space
She wouldn't have this space if it weren't for the MT's who keep it alive. What a silly answer to some genuine concerns.
space changes
Did anyone else get the memo about the change in spacing for MQ? On DQS, there will be only one space after periods. They will let each account know when the switch is made. Its a *new national standard*, the memo says. OMG, so here I have typed since high school with two spaces, now I have to retrain myself to use only one space after periods. Just another thing to cut down on my production.
Yes, its 1 space in the BOS and most new
English/grammar/business references. Since the age of computers, the powers-that-be, whoever they are, decided that the double space after a period was not a good thing anymore. So, most business courses, college courses, etc., have changed to 1 space now. You just set up a macro to change 2 spaces after a period to 1 space when you are done with the report. And yes it does depend on client preferences, though most that I work for like 1 space. Guess they feel they're getting more bang for their buck! 
x2, no space
/
My space
I love myspace and have met lots of friends! Not Mr Right though! Its just really a fun thing to do, building your own web page and all, if you like doing that kind of thing!
They already took one space away when most...sm
of us went from two spaces after periods and colons to one. This is just the natural progression of them cutting our pay back little by little.
The BOS says x3 with no space
but regardless, I would type what the supervisor wants. It doesn't matter how you have always done it.
I have found out many times that things that I have done for years are technically incorrect. Just part of the game, unfortunately.
You can just hit your space bar, put a . or at least
one character in the box. I just hit the space bar usually.
At MQ we are to space once after a period.
That just changed in the last 6 months.
anything to keep from paying for a space
That is ridiculous and has to do with money rather than the "correct way" to do things.
double space
Geez, I thought I asked a simple question, but I guess not. I could care less what Medquist or AAMT say. I get paid hourly so I didn't ask the question because I was worried about money. I was asking in general style terms - are newspapers, magazines, i.e., anything in print spacing this way now? I just wanted to know if I was behind the times.
I can't put 15yo because if I don't space
after it it won't expand. I'll try the other's though! Thanks, it's really driving me crazy not getting this to work!
Anyone use only 1 space after sentences?
This is new to me on one of my jobs. I have always typed 2 spaces after sentences for 25 years. Going to be hard to break this habit now.
1 space after sentence
I made the switch to 1 space after a sentence more than 15 years ago when I got my first computer and everything was justified. If you can't remember to do, you can make an adjustment in Word to do it automatically for you or just make a macro to do it for you. I have one account who insists on 2 spaces and I cannot remember to do that so I just transcribe as I normally do and then run a macro to change it. You can also do a search and replace. Put in period space space and then replace with period space.
Barbara
1 space isn't just an MT thing ....
I changed to one space years ago, to go with the flow. I'm not an MT yet (still a student) but we've done this on legal documents for years. It came about with the computer. For once (from my VERY limited MT experience), I have to say AAMT isn't the culprit, its the new way to do things.
1 space after sentence.
Yes I have to do that also. It took me a long time to get used to it, however, but after awhile, it felt very natural.
My work space...
We fixed up half of our basement about 10 years ago and no one really used it after awhile. I just painted (lime smoothie with swimming pool trim - very bright). I have a small TV and DVD player and VCR for when I'm NOT working. Just bought a bookcase for the references I don't use on a daily basis - the ones that I do are on the filing cabinet beside my desk. Also have several movie posters - Dirty Dancing and Ever After - framed and also some Beatles and some of my kids artwork from when they were little. It's very cozy and all MINE.
One space or two after a period.
Which is the correct way, one space or two spaces after a period in medical transcription?
Thanks for any help in advance.
19" with 17" viewing space....nm
can't seem to reply to one space or two ...
I recently made the switch from two spaces to one space after punctuation (periods, colons, question marks). It wasn't forced on me by any means but I just felt the desire to come around in the "computer age." The standard of two spaces after periods came about with the typewriter, but now with the computer, spacing seems to look nicer with one after a period, and that seems to be the trend these days, the one space. I'm glad I made the switch as it is sure saving my thumb from tendinitis!
That being said, I get paid by the gross line, so cutting out a space here and there doesn't hurt my livelihood.
My space protection.
Okay, so you can limit who can see your child's profile but can you limit the profiles your child can search for and look at? That is my question.
space heaters
I use a small space heater here in my office, but mine is old and doesn't work half the time. My office is only 8 x 10. Our power bills are going up 40% (yikes!) this winter, so I want to be prepared to turn down the temperature in the rest of the house and still keep warm in my office. What are some preferences among my fellow MTs? Ceramic? Oil-filled? Forced heat? Which brand names are the best? 
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