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Originally Posted by Argy's Wife
What secondary affordable heating options do you recommend?
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Electric blankets only draw 75 watts.
By far, the most raved-about heater in this household is an antique
radiant electric heater mounted near the ceiling. (Only 600 watts—and you'll overheat if you sit within 10-feet of it.)
Those hand-knitted woolen lap comforter-thingys you see in the catalogs can be bought at yard sales for a few bucks. After a few minutes of overheating, (because your dog insists on napping on your lap too), you may have to throw them off!
A good time to do baking is at the same time of maximum need for heat! Hobbies that require a kiln, like ceramics and cloisonné, would be welcomed I'd think.
An engineering neighbor ran his clothes-dryer's discharge through a nylon stocking, and ducted the moist heat into the house's interior! (
Particulates may be a problem, however).
I use a 40,000 btu "Kero-Sun" kerosene heater to warm up the morning's living spaces, or a small
radiant propane attachment that mounts atop one of those $50 tanks. The "Kero-Sun" is extremely efficient—at 99%—and was used in Japan for decades. The New Hampshire legislature banned them from
new sales.
Unless restrained from tipping over, neither are child-friendly, however.
If yours is an older home, it's most economical to
conserve heat, rather than
add additional heat. As previously stated, add insulation: if the upstairs can be closed off by a door or plastic tarp, I'd do it.
Infrared film can record your house's worst heat-loss features:
Spectrum in Wolfeboro might be able to help with infrared film—569-4747.
Try those temporary plastic films on the inside of the window frames. They can be stored and re-used. It can be gratifying to see the wind bowing the plastic in, knowing that the cold wind has been barred from entering there!
But even a woodstove isn't a cheap way to heat, unless you cut your own wood.
I got these ideas because I haven't gotten around to insulating my house!
