Is there such a thing as a self powered/manual heater? [more inside]
posted by wongcorgi on Nov 1, 2009 - 15 answers

Which is more efficient/economical to run: a baseboard heater or an oil-filled radiator-type space heater? [more inside]
posted by apricot on Oct 25, 2009 - 11 answers

I have a 20-year-old furnace. [more inside]
posted by Nonce on Oct 20, 2009 - 15 answers

I'm renting a flat and it's cold, and it's going to get colder (I'm on a 1 year contract in the alps). Is there anything noninvasive (preferably cheap, but I'm ok to spend if it's really going to work) that I can do to warm the place up? What sort of portable space heaters give the best performance for electricity/gas? Are there any decent renter-based guides to improving insulation? [more inside]
posted by handee on Oct 14, 2009 - 26 answers

What's a good portable and safe way to heat a detached garage that's used as a workshop. [more inside]
posted by drezdn on Sep 29, 2009 - 10 answers

Installing geo thermal in an old house with boiler? [more inside]
posted by idyllhands on Sep 28, 2009 - 8 answers

We have an apartment with no air conditioning and it's going to be over 80 degrees today. Should I be worried about our indoor cat over heating? [more inside]
posted by firemonkey on Aug 29, 2009 - 29 answers

The previous owner of my house lowered the ceilings to save energy. I hate them. If I take the new ceilings down, will my energy bills go up that much? [more inside]
posted by christinetheslp on Aug 9, 2009 - 14 answers

Replacing the AC and furnace -- is now the time to buy? Tell me what you know about rebates! [more inside]
posted by amanda on Jul 28, 2009 - 10 answers

Is leaving the windows in my attic cracked beneficial for keeping my air conditioning bill low? [more inside]
posted by JFitzpatrick on Jun 22, 2009 - 4 answers

help me make a microwaveable heating pad that doesn't burn or smell bad. barring that, help me buy one. [more inside]
posted by nadawi on May 18, 2009 - 11 answers

Are there any good low-capital alternatives to electric Cadet heaters for warming and cooling my house? [more inside]
posted by msalt on Apr 29, 2009 - 2 answers

Can someone recommend a programmable thermostat that will save me from insane energy bills? [more inside]
posted by griffey on Apr 14, 2009 - 8 answers

This weekend, I saw a green renovation show that used a large amount of gravel in the basement to hold heat gathered from a solar-collecting area in the roof. My dad, a builder, says this method doesn't work well. Help me understand if someone has devised a "better mousetrap" or if this is just something that has never worked and is being done for greenwashing on TV... [more inside]
posted by bitter-girl.com on Apr 14, 2009 - 14 answers

Why did my microwave oven stop heating after I tried to use it to heat water in a clear pyrex measuring cup? And how can I get it to work again? I've had the not-heating problem before, and it has gone away. I can't remember whether I did something to make it work again. This time, I tried unplugging the oven and plugging it in again -- no dice. Everything works except for the heating up part.
posted by Sia Stewart on Apr 11, 2009 - 5 answers

Why does my electric furnace use twice as much energy as my neighbor's? I live in a townhome development and we have the same floor plan. [more inside]
posted by PFL on Jan 13, 2009 - 14 answers

When I was out of town, my landlord came in and turned the heating on in the house I'm renting from him. This is in the UK. [more inside]
posted by hazyjane on Jan 4, 2009 - 30 answers

My heating bill is about twice as much as my downstairs neighbors'. What's going on, and what can I do to mitigate the cost? [more inside]
posted by backseatpilot on Jan 3, 2009 - 17 answers

Homeowner HVAC Filter: Where to find a "vent redirector"? [more inside]
posted by ObscureReferenceMan on Dec 8, 2008 - 7 answers

Our central AC/Heating system leaked some kind of, uh, oil (!?) last night. I have no idea what it is, the super is baffled. More inside. [more inside]
posted by GilloD on Dec 4, 2008 - 6 answers

What can I use to dampen vibrations from a water pipe? [more inside]
posted by bondcliff on Dec 2, 2008 - 8 answers

Why does my dryer have to be vented to work? [more inside]
posted by winna on Nov 28, 2008 - 13 answers

How can I identify a bad sewage smell in my living room? [more inside]
posted by metajc on Nov 23, 2008 - 6 answers

Gas Central Heating. Is it cheaper/ more economical to run the central heating on for a) a long time at a lower heat temperature or b) a shorter time at a higher heat temperature? I can't seem to get this out of Googling as all the words are so common. Note: I know it's good to have a thermostat. We will look into that - our current thermostat just turns the heating off whatever we set it to. So I just need an answer to the a) or b) bit above at the moment. Thank you! Help keep me and MrLyzzyBee both warm and solvent this winter!
posted by LyzzyBee on Oct 19, 2008 - 13 answers

For Massachusetts residents: Do you have experience with using the Mass Energy consumer alliance for heating oil? [more inside]
posted by dreamphone on Oct 14, 2008 - 2 answers

Is it cheaper to run a full house heat pump during colder months, or use Vornado heaters to heat subsections of the house that we are in at the moment. [more inside]
posted by diode on Oct 11, 2008 - 5 answers

We just boxed in with drywall a round 5" heating duct, running from floor to ceiling in the corner of the living room. Because of some odd features of the room, this took up more space than it should. What I'd really like is to replace the duct (and drywall) with a paintable rectangular duct running up the corner of the room, that would look just as good as drywall. This would have to be rugged enough to withstand small children playing in the room (e.g. not dent like typical metal duct). Does this exist? [more inside]
posted by winston on Oct 5, 2008 - 5 answers

I'm looking for thoughts on whether I should lock-in a heating oil rate of 3.79 for the season. [more inside]
posted by madamjujujive on Oct 1, 2008 - 11 answers

How do I keep warm this winter in an unheated apartment? [more inside]
posted by MaddyRex on Sep 23, 2008 - 42 answers

How big a wood stove should I get? [more inside]
posted by geos on Sep 17, 2008 - 6 answers

I want to seal off the staircase to the third floor of my home to save on heating bills this winter. The rooms are used for storage only now. Is bubble wrap a good insulator? I would like to let light thru but keep the heat in. My home is an old Victorian with a winding staircase.
posted by boby on Sep 1, 2008 - 8 answers

When is a heat pump worth it? [warning: a bit long] [more inside]
posted by Shepherd on Aug 15, 2008 - 19 answers

We are thinking about switching from oil heat to a geothermal system to heat and cool our 1200 sf cape in western massachusetts. If you have a geothermal system are you happy with it? Have you had any problems? How much did the conversion cost? What are the monthly costs associated with it? Do you know of a reputable installer in our area?
posted by a22lamia on Jun 28, 2008 - 5 answers

I'm considering moving to a nice house twenty miles away from the big city I'm currently in, but the new home uses a water well--I don't know exactly what type at the moment, but let us assume I won't need a bucket--and propane for heating. What should I expect from these in regards to water quality, water pressure, cost of propane versus gas provided by public utilities, and anything else those experienced with these systems can think of.
posted by mithiirym on Jun 24, 2008 - 14 answers

Solar hot water and central heating for dummies? I'm in the UK, our (gas, combi) boiler has been rubbish since we moved in, and given that we're now looking at a new boiler we're thinking of complementing it with some sort of solar panel based solution. What should we look out for? What do we need? Can we reuse our existing radiators? What questions should we ask installation companies? [more inside]
posted by handee on Jun 23, 2008 - 7 answers

Geothermal heating: what happens if you live on a mountain? [more inside]
posted by Shepherd on May 23, 2008 - 14 answers

High-efficiency gas furnace installed where previously there was mid-efficiency. So it vents straight out the wall while the old furnace used the chimney. The vent is right next to the sandbox. How bad is this? [more inside]
posted by winston on Apr 26, 2008 - 5 answers

Is fiberglass heating/cooling duct board safe? [more inside]
posted by wsg on Apr 9, 2008 - 2 answers

Which approach really burns more heating oil - keeping the house at a constant medium temperature (say, 64 degrees) or keeping it very low most of the time (58-60) but bringing it up to a higher temperature (say, 66 degrees) once or twice a day? [more inside]
posted by anastasiav on Apr 4, 2008 - 11 answers

Is my central heating system killing me slowly? [more inside]
posted by lxs on Mar 17, 2008 - 3 answers

Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that home heating-oil prices treble over the next five years. Would it be possible to retrofit a domestic hot-water baseboard system for an alternative fuel? [more inside]
posted by Gordion Knott on Mar 4, 2008 - 14 answers

How does the Apple Store keep all its heat from rushing out its open doors? [more inside]
posted by cgs on Dec 6, 2007 - 28 answers

Physics Geeks Please Help: Is it better to turn our radiant floor heating system on and off or to let it run? My partner and I have been debating this, for days and days now. Please help us stop the hate. [more inside]
posted by RedEmma on Nov 30, 2007 - 30 answers

NoobHomeOwnerFilter: Where do I start troubleshooting water temperature issues? [more inside]
posted by pdb on Nov 19, 2007 - 21 answers

I have a full-sized iguana enclosure that needs to be heated more effectively. I've been researching my options and I think that using an infrared heat panel is the best way to go, but I'm not sure what size to get for my enclosure. Reptile enthusiasts needed! [more inside]
posted by baphomet on Nov 13, 2007 - 10 answers

Why is my natural gas bill insane this month? [more inside]
posted by perpetualstroll on Oct 18, 2007 - 13 answers

My forced hot air system has no return ducts. Instead, cool air falls directly into the basement, where there's a filtered intake on the side of the furnace. Are my life, health, and or selling prospects at severe risk? [more inside]
posted by a22lamia on Sep 20, 2007 - 9 answers

What is the best way to heat a 600 square foot concrete slab? [more inside]
posted by CaptMcalister on Aug 17, 2007 - 10 answers

Does my home really need a new boiler? How do I choose one? Where should I buy it? How much should I pay? [more inside]
posted by wordwhiz on Jul 30, 2007 - 3 answers

Does bamboo burn in fireplaces and wood stoves? I'm wondering if I can use it to heat a house, since it's far more renewable than trees.
posted by Galen on Jun 5, 2007 - 15 answers