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

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

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

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

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

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

My landlords turned on the heat in my building, and now my room smells funny. They say that it's nothing, but I'm kinda worried. [more inside]
posted by Afroblanco on Nov 5, 2006 - 19 answers

Another heating question!

We just moved to another apartment. It turns out this landlord has the furnace set up oddly: usually the filter goes between the burner/blower and the ductwork to the rooms, but here he's put it on the incoming vent before the furnace. Does that make sense?

Generally, my experience with forced air makes me really miss radiators. I don't like the idea of having dust mite poo blown up my nose, for one thing. Is it that radiators are more efficient and/or cheaper than forced air, or is it that gas furnaces seem more "modern"?
posted by davy on Dec 13, 2004 - 10 answers

What is a good, small, inexpensive, energy-efficient space heater? Living in a leaky old house, we're starting to dread the approach of our first winter here. All we have is one crappy gas wall heater, this electricity-sucking system on the roof that pumps down solar-heated air, and a fireplace in the bedroom. We need more. (We're already going to seal the windows with plastic where we can.)
posted by gottabefunky on Sep 23, 2004 - 8 answers