I believe everyone these days are complaining about the high electrics bills we are receiving. The company which supplies my electricity keeps going up several times a year. In Dec. alone they went up 15.5%, after going up several times earlier in the year.
If you have a kerosene heater or an electric space heater, I believe you could save some dollars by using it and turning down the heat pump or electric heat. The space heater runs off 110 while your furnace uses 220. It has been really cold where I live for the past month.
So, I started using my space heater. When the room got warm enough to my liking, I turned the knob down until it cut off. I keep it in this position so it will cut off and on by itself. I have been very warm and my heat pump hardly ever has to come on now. I will find out next month how this will affect my electric bill.
By Tricia M. from Ridgeway
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I think you're in for a disappointment by using a space heater this way. I tried that and my bill shot way up! I use a kerosene heater now. The large round kind. I've tried the smaller ones that you're supposed to be able to set up closer to the walls, but they didn't heat the room as well as the big round one does. I turn it on first thing in the morning and keep it on till the room heats up then turn it off. If it gets cold again, I just turn it back on.
Also I hang a curtain between my living room (where I spend the majority of my time, and where the heater is) and my kitchen. I only go in the kitchen for short trips other than to cook meals, at which time the stove/oven heats up the kitchen. Plus I close off all the bedrooms during the day too. This keeps the heat from the heater in the living room.
Another thing, whenever the kerosene heater is turned on, I keep the ceiling fan turned on low and blowing down. I also have a candle burning in a couple of places around the room.
Some people worry about kids and pets around kerosene heaters. I wouldn't use them around small kids, but pets learn about them quickly. They will lay close to it at first then gradually move away as they get warm. I have 2 dogs and a 6 month old kitten and they all do this. And they know the sound of the crank on it too and come running when I crank it up to turn it on!
The only kind of space heater that will save you money is the oil kind. The ones with electric coils cost $$$ to run. Also, 220 is more efficent than 120 where large heating appliences are concerned.
I work for an electric co-op. The space heaters use A LOT of kwh's. So you have to be very careful when using them. People don't realize how much they use and are very disappointed when they get their electric bill.
Not hearing the furnace blowing often seems like using electric heaters is a good idea BUT the electric bill is enormously impacted. We have a small wallboard heater in an outside porch only turned to 45 and our bill has gone up $20. Yooper
I would highly recommend that people read the following articles first. Safety first.
Kerosene Heater Safety PDF Version
Howard J. Doss Michigan State University Extension
also: Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC & NKHA Stress Kerosene Heater Safety
CPSC Document #5052 at:
www.cpsc.gov/
Portable kerosene heaters can supply homeowners with temporary heat during a power outage or can be used to warm a cool room without the expense of heating the entire house. Newer models are manufactured with numerous safety features, but operator errors such as using gasoline instead of kerosene, failure to provide adequate ventilation, fuel spills, etc. have resulted in numerous home fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there is a "much higher" fatal fire risk associated with the use of wood stoves, portable kerosene heaters and space heaters as compared to central heating.
The Fire Marshal Division of the Michigan State Police reports there were 18 fires in Michigan during 1993 that were directly attributed to kerosene heaters. One person was killed and one injured in these 18 fires which caused an estimated $209,000 in damages.
The following list will help reduce the risk of a fire from using a portable kerosene heater:
* Use only water-clear 1-K grade kerosene (see Figure 1). Never use gasoline. Gasoline is not the same as kerosene. Even small amounts of gasoline or other volatile fuels or solvents mixed with kerosene can substantially increase the risk of a fire or an explosion.
* Always store kerosene in a container intended for kerosene, not in a gasoline can or a can that has contained gasoline. This helps avoid using contaminated fuel or the wrong fuel by mistake. Kerosene containers are usually blue, gasoline containers are red.
o Operate your heater in a room with a door open to the rest of the house.
o If you must operate your heater in a room with the door closed to the rest of the house, open an outside window approximately an inch to permit fresh air to effectively dilute the pollutants below a level of concern.
o Always operate your heater according to the manufacturer:s instructions, making sure that the wick is set at the proper level as instructed by the manufacturer.
o Keep the wick in your heater clean and in good operating condition by following the cleaning and maintenance procedures recommended by the manufacturer.
o Keep an outside window opened approximately an inch to ensure adequate fresh air infiltration. This is important regardless of whether you use a kerosene heater or some other conventional method of heating. If your home is relatively new and tight, or if it is older but has been winterized to reduce air infiltration from the outside.
Reference: Consumer Produce Safety Alert - 009403.
This document is part of the Safety News Series, Agricultural Engineering Department, Michigan State University Extension, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824-1323. Publication date: December 1994.
Howard J. Doss, Safety Leader, Agricultural Engineering Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1323.
This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by the MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.
Disclaimer and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
Reviewed for NASD: 04/2002
I've turned my thermostat down to 65 and just wear warmer clothes. Like most other Americans, it's a shame we can't fight the system. Everything has gone up except my SS check.
One month my family used electric space heaters, and our bill was $411 for one month, you're not going to like your electric bill when it comes! This was our only heat source at that time, as our propane leaked out.
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