random curiosity

[ratcreature]

It isn't all that cold here, but I dislike wearing socks indoors, and am not that fond of wearing layers constantly either, OTOH I'm not thrilled with huge heating bills and rather enjoy getting a little of my advance payments back. So winter is a time of constant compromise and dilemma. Also blankets. Unlike socks I don't mind using blankets. So now I'm wondering how cold (or comfortably warm) other people are at their place. (If it's summer right now where you are, just remember your last winter.)

Poll #9180 your winter heating: toasty warmth or extra sweater?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 53

View Respondents

How much do you heat your place?

View Answers

I don't need to heat at all in my climate zone, it remains comfortable all winter.
0 (0.0%)

I don't (or can't) heat at all, and just tough out the cold with extra sweaters, socks, thermal underwear, blankets etc.
1 (1.9%)

I heat only some rooms, and these not quite as warm as I'd like to save energy/money, and use some extra sweaters, socks, thermal underwear, blankets etc. when necessary.
14 (26.4%)

I heat only some rooms, but these are as warm as I like it.
8 (15.1%)

I heat all rooms when I use them, but not quite as warm as I'd like to save energy/money, and use some extra sweaters, socks, thermal underwear, blankets etc. when necessary.
9 (17.0%)

I heat all rooms comfortably when I use them, and only turn down the heat when I'm not there.
6 (11.3%)

I heat all rooms, but not quite as warm as I'd like to save energy/money, and use some extra sweaters, socks, thermal underwear, blankets etc. when necessary.
13 (24.5%)

I heat all my rooms as warm as like it. Saving some money/energy is not worth being uncomfortable at home.
1 (1.9%)

I heat all rooms as much as possible, but still need some extra sweaters, socks, thermal underwear, blankets etc., because winters are just that bad here.
1 (1.9%)

Comments

[ratcreature]

So something blows warm air? Here heating works through heated water in pipes, afaik in single unit houses too (though I don't know anyone living in houses except some relatives I never visit). There are no vents, because only commercial buildings like stores and offices and such may have air conditioning.

[senmut]

Yes. The furnace sits in the basement, and blows heated air through ducts into individual rooms.

Here via ilyena_sylph's poke at me.

[ratcreature]

Huh. How interesting. So that is a common way to heat a house in the US? Won't that stir up dust everywhere? And do these vents need to be cleaned? Do they make noise with the blowing air? And is that as efficient compared to the usual radiator heating systems that use hot water?

[ilyena_sylph]

Yeah, forced-air heating is pretty much the most common way of heating in the US. It doesn't actually stir up much dust, because at the point where the air is heated there are fairly large air filters. They're changed every couple of months (at least in my house, where the same system runs the air conditioning) to keep the dust down.

I take the vent covers off about twice a year to vacuum out accumulated dust, once before I turn the heat on and once before I turn the air on, and it seems to keep them pretty clean. There are companies that specialize in fully cleaning the entire ducting system, though I've never hired one.

They make a little noise, but I'm so used to it that I don't even notice. Until it's not happening, and then it's 'oh hell, something's wrong'.

They are apparently very efficient. I don't think I've ever met a hot water heating system. My grade school had a steam-radiator heating system -- which had the pipe burst and destroyed everything in my homeroom when I was in fifth grade, thankfully we weren't there -- but that's as close as I've ever been to one of those that I know of.

[bluemeridian]

Heh, this thread tells me I should point out by "single thermostat" I did indeed mean for a central furnace - run off 'fuel oil' (versus propane or gas) in our case. Ours is an inexpensive model from the mid-70's and thus does not have a filter.

Less common heating fuels, usually in rural areas, include newer corn and wood burning furnaces. Wood burning furnaces are reasonably cost effective if you have the access and physical ability to deal with the wood. Corn is not, really, given the volume required, but they've sold a lot under the auspices of renewable bio-fuel.

The 'smell' people are mentioning is the smell of hot/burning dust that you notice (usually) when you first turn the heat on for the season. If you lived in a mild climate where you only turn it on intermittently, you could smell it every time. Dust settles on the inner workings and when it's first turned on, the dust heats up, then the air blows the smell through the vents. After that, the dust doesn't have time to really gather again before the furnace kicks on again, so you don't smell it.