87% off electric heat bill: REALLY saving energy

[reefmcd]

Get more clothes wouldn't be more easy?

[unmich]

Thanks for this video. While I haven't saved 87% it really encouraged to think more about warming our personal space and not the whole house. We turned off the HVAC after watching the video. It cut 33% off our electric bill. There were a few times we were colder than we wanted to be, but we powered through. Except for one morning - the house was damp and cold at 61, so I turned on the HVAC for about 20 minutes. (and for the naysayers 61 is is cold when you're used to 78 :-) indoors in Florida.)

[steviesgirl6]

What would be a good base temp to leave your thermostat on?

[paulwheaton12]

@steviesgirl6 I used 50 as the "norm" last year. This year I've been lazier and going with 55.

[astrialkil]

@paulwheaton12 I ran a whole winter at 50 and 55 and was miserable ! the cold would just seep in to me . i wore a parka and sock hat and tried using gloves with the mouse, not good. to sleep i put a electric blanket over me warmed up the bed then turned it off and went to sleep. some times id wake up shivering and had to turn it back on. A heated mouse and key board would have been great...where did you get yours and how much?

[paulwheaton12]

@astrialkil all the details are at the article at richsoil.

[RobertMOdell]

So, putting those low wattage heat lamps nearby where you sit at the computer is a good way to drop the temperature of your entire house for long periods of time ! Good idea.

[alijoyism]

does it cost less money to heat the mouse, keyboard, mat and lamp then to run a space heater ?

[flowerpt]

@alijoyism : the video says they were using 80 W, that a space heater runs either 1500W or 800W. So, yes, at least 90% less money.

[waynescott1016]

@alijoyism lol did you not just watch the vid kid?

[SteveHarpster]

great video, thanks 4 sharing. I check out your ads to help out. I have some videos also, take care

[beefriendly]

This is why the federal government's ban on incandescent light bulbs is so absurd. Our Edison bulbs are very efficient space heaters. GE, the government, and local utilities are all busy telling us incandescents waste energy: Not necessarily true. If you are heating your home, those wonderful light producing bulbs are part of your heating system. Instead of heating your whole house, they heat the area where you are hanging out. The government needs to stop trying to regulate everything we do.

[H204Real]

@beefriendly i agree. i would love to know how many of our government "officials" that rolled out the ban on these bulbs, made sure to buy stocks in General Electric prior to the public announcement on the 2012 ban.  are insider trades are padding pockets of our higher up/public servants in canada? it sure is happening south of the border.

[bayoufilter]

@beefriendly You can find them still, the difference is now they are called "heat bulbs" instead of "light bulbs." Which is more accurate if you ask me.

[nirvanajc6]

I used to use a lamp like that that in my last job, I could not work without it!!!

[ChizzyQuiz]

I really liked this video, and am even considering ordering the keyboard, mouse and foot thingy, but I am concerned that this isn't very scientific. Why did you use a woman who was already so freakin hot? What would have happened if you used someone of average or even below average looks? Great video Paul. I'm not sure if I can convince my family to do this in the house, but I'm going to try it in my freezing office.

[chessonmyshirt]

I guess it's sort of okay but on a cold day I do end up walking around the house and can have guests over, which sort of makes this moot.

[awareland]

Useful, awesome, inspiring. I told my husband we can do this. also want a squirel- cage fan on the ceiling pumping down to the basement to stir the heat from the fire. Any better ideas? Mason heater or rocket mass heater will be there at some point. Now plasticing the porch and solarium. Great for saving heat without costly space heaters. Dog bed warmer and 120w light bulb. sensible.info. I get cold.

[smikules]

I would have preferred her to have done the video naked. Having clothes on just tells me the device isn't working properly.

Just sayin'

[GreenLoveBreda]

Nice video! I do the same thing with a (don't know the English word for it) rubber bag filled with boiled water. I recook it 3 times a day in winter, and can keep the heater off, room temp is around 15 deg C:)

[dotchoo]

@GreenLoveBreda hot water bottle

[Icureditwithmybrain]

I live in Hawaii, but this is still interesting.

[ryocentral]

Hundreds of years the western culture needed to learn this :)

Look at japanese Kotatsu. It's doing the same. Instead of warming the whole room or house, it's warming the people which sit there.

Nice video for a work environment. Thanks!

PS: The only bit that looks like it's disturbing a little, is the lightning. Maybe a small infrared lamp with the same power for a terrarium would be better not breaking the lightning of the room.

[spiritartman]

Great information! and the wool socks and long John's and a Hat help a ton not to mention a thick wool blanket at sleep time.

[jamesa4050]

good idea with the heatlamp.

i wonder if you've considered infra-red?

i was greatly relieved to see that you were not using microwaves for this experiment!

[Pianofy]

The alllllllll the time at the end scares me away from potentially using your product. It sounds like: We talk about it so much that I get sick of it.

Just an FYI :)

[IanWarr]

@Pianofy My thoughts exactly. Alllll the time... *kills self*

[paulwheaton12]

@Pianofy I'm glad you mentioned this.  Please make sure that you don't watch any more of my videos because they all have that. And I have heard from hundreds of people that love it, so I plan on continuing doing it.

[mrmrlee]

You missed an important heat source, since she is using a separate keyboard and monitor she could have put the laptop on her lap, which will produce as much or more heat than the other sources combined.

[novokarpati]

ya..and it doesn't hurt that she's a 'fair maid'

[SuzyB1988]

She got cold quick!

[octordoctapus]

@roberto125919 links please? If you can offer an even better solution to saving people money, let us know!

[andysaman]

I am excited to give this a try in my household. We have a detached building where we use computers which we are currently heating with an electric oil filled heater. I don't see how you could make this any more efficient and remain comfortable.

What about heated chairs?

[canadianmuslimnproud]

Swedish cupboard beds, heavy quilts, long underwear, wool socks and a sweater go a long way to lowering your heating bills too. House shoes help too. But I do see where your going with this, I visit your blog regularly and think it's great. Keep up the great work.

[standingbear39]

Really cool, thanks.

[roberto125919]

The Japanese do it better.

[jenewein]

Your theory is ok but to prove your point you need to post a video of her with zero layers of clothes.

[FedupwithR]

I have always dreamt of owning a manually regulated, heated suit. It seems they can heat diving suits for use in arctic waters. Then all we would need is a heated shower changing room. Once into our heated suits we would be free to move around all day adjusting the temp as necessary.

[Velsbasketcase]

Shes hot!

[alishams001]

That light right in the eye looks so uncomfortable.

[paulwheaton12]

@alishams001 The light is blocked by your forehead.

[dotchoo]

@paulwheaton12 hm, sorry, this would be a reason why i wouldn't use this kind of thing. but i'm sure you can get an electric blanket and drape it over you, might have the same effect. i like the extremities thing, cause that's what bothers me when it's cold, mostly.

[whisperingsage]

Thermostat?! Hah! we don't have one. It's wood stove or solar. Keep in mind, there is a 24 volt DC mat that goes under your carpets and flooring, You can run it on solar panels.

[carefulcarpenter]

Thanks Paul, for your creative thinking. I've live for three winters, now, without any heat source except a wonderful wool blanket around my legs, wool socks, and a BEAUTIFUL wool sweater my brother sent me from his visit to Norway. I already have a chick brooder lamp in the outdoor bathroom for showering --hardly ever use the light because the water heats the floor and shower space-- but will now place it as you show. A doggy heater-- super idea~! My feet have been neglected.

[carefulcarpenter]

In the three winters--- I developed a liking for the exhilarating feeling I get after a shower. Who said cold is all bad.

[turuanu]

Yes, but then you get up to have a shower (and you have to get undressed, and when you turn the water off you freeze over), or a snack or take a dump and you have to sit on a freezing toilet and freeze the whole while, until you go back to the computer. Who spends that many hours at the computer? Point taken in general anyway, I guess. Plus, what do I care? I live in the tropics...

[paulwheaton12]

@turuanu The heat is up in the bathroom and the doors are kept pretty closed.

[turuanu]

@paulwheaton12 Oh ok, so many small sources of heat only where you need them.

[jeeperoo84]

paul, great vid man. I have been using space heaters exclusively to heat my house for two winters. I saw a big drop in my bills. but I think this system will be even better.

[dalecalder2003]

I use my chick brooder for the chickens LOL, but for several years now I keep my east coast Canada home, which is 100% electric heat, set at 5 degrees C. I use a Presto HeatDish Parabolic heater available at Costco. It has variable settings and works by radiant heat just like sitting in front of a fire very comfortable and I save 100's of $ on home heat. This also helps keep the humidity up so you don't get that winter dry air problem, much healthier.

[fatspidr]

@dalecalder2003 Those Presto's are 1000 watts. She's keeping warm with 80 watts.

[pac3lli]

Now this is true ECO-EDGE thinking. I love it.

[paulwheaton12]

@pac3lli This is me starting with an idea and having the idea filled out by the brilliant folks at permies. Collaborative innovation.

[marthale7]

could not take the light in my face that would be too much glare. One method that has really helped me was to use bubble wrap in my window. It has really helped me out. What I have done is put on an electric blanket in the chair This has really helped me out. But my best move was to Florida -> 2 growing seasons :-)

[paulwheaton12]

@marthale7 The light ends up being blocked by your eyebrows/forehead.

[docsimonson]

Thanks for sharing the article Paul. It was very interesting. It would be interesting to see this done for a persons daily home activities, not just seated at a computer. (Although many of us are enslaved to that beast) It would also be interesting to see how it would work for more than one person in a home. Is there a diminishing return for families relative to the number of people in the home? Whoever this person was certainly showed a great deal of creativity and self reliance. Kudos to them.

[paulwheaton12]

@docsimonson I think it is possible to do this with other scenarios. I've just been having such a hard time talking about this scenario that I'm glad to get the video out and make progress.

[docsimonson]

@paulwheaton12 I'm sorry Paul. I really didn't mean to imply that you should do this. As I read my comment a second time, it sure did seem to me that I was implying that. I just know that I won't do it because I am happy at 60 degrees and my family is too. (I have a lock box over the thermostat!)

[polarbz]

@docsimonson If they family is happy at 60... why do you need a lock box?

[docsimonson]

@polarbz 8D Maybe it's just me that's happy.

[POLOLOUS3]

I started burning wood this year for the first time. I have tons of wood I've collected that are down from storms and such. House stays around 74+ all the time with my used wood insert, can't beat it. The ashes are great for my soil in the gardens too!

Nothing beats the old way of doing things. Oh an saving over $2,600+ in oil this winter doesn't hurt either.

[paulwheaton12]

@POLOLOUS3 I can beat that. Look at my articles on rocket mass heaters and wofati at richsoil. And ash is not good for all gardens, just some.

[yonny1954]

Try that silliness here in Maine, hey maybe you could attach a 12v battery to the chair, an inverter and maybe a wheelchair then you get exercise and mobility. Or how about working from a treadmill or bike attached to a small alternator attached to the wheelchair and the battery and the inverter. OR DON'T HEAT YOUR SPACE WITH ELECTRICITY.

[paulwheaton12]

@yonny1954 this silliness is going on in montana. A state that may be colder than maine.

As for not using electricity: see my articles on wofati and rocket mass heaters.

[yonny1954]

@paulwheaton12 Brother in law lives in Great Falls not a chance colder than here, and we heat with wood and have a rocket mass heater, generally like your stuff but this is just off point to me. Seriously does having a brooding lamp shining on your head really seem a realistic option, why not make an electric blanket into a zip up suit covered in tin foil and an extension cord? lol, jl 24F 18" fresh snow single digits tonight

[paulwheaton12]

@yonny1954 rmh is a superior solution. This solution is for those not ready to make the rmh leap.

[rafffe]

check out the japanese Kotatsu.

would be a good soolution for this.

[paulwheaton12]

@rafffe There is a kotatsu on this desk.  Look closely.

[rafffe]

@paulwheaton12  ah sorry guessed i missed it :-P

[anyonefindAMERICA1]

Now to convince the wifey! LOL

[teddy0072]

Great ideas! Thanks a bunch.

By the way, your article mentions 15W as the wattage for the heating pad, but on the product details page (on Amazon) it says 60W...Someone is off here.

[paulwheaton12]

@teddy0072 I put a kill-a-watt on it for 24 hours and it averaged 15 watts.

[teddy0072]

@paulwheaton12 Ah-h...I didn't realize you averaged it over a day.

[InTheSticks0001]

That was surprising.

[Pavlovafowl]

A very interesting experiment. Normally, we would be moving about all day but we do get periods of sitting at the computer, presently in the warm kitchen. We heat/cook with untreated reclaimed palletwood so we are looking for ideas using this energy. We can still find the old (horse-drawn) carriage heaters, for cold feet, you put embers from the fire in them. We also have an idea for using flat stones off the beach, heating them in the cooker - better than cheap hot water bottles, which leak!

[TheScottybp]

the power adapters (bricks) do put out some heat and might be able to replace the dog bed heater...

[phrankus2009]

She's so hot, she could heat the whole house! ...

Seriously, tho, I usually just heat one room (bedroom/study) and my (attached) bathroom, in winter ... In summer, I just go nekkid (put towels where I sit ... Pfffft!)

[SecularMentat]

I've been turning my AC/Heater below what is required for a 'comfortable zone' and just wearing more or less clothes lately. Its worked pretty well. Up north it might be a bit tedious though.

[isabstmr]

Would the 40 watts be good to keep my 2 parrots warm? I also use an electric heating pad for injuries and it works too.

[SweetDiversions]

Didn't know there were heated keyboards. I love cool weather, heat makes me sleepy & droopy. I prefer it to be cold in the room and wear warm clothes. Unfortunately at this time I have no control over the heat in my apartment and I don't pay for it (landlord does, all tenants on same control) so I have no choice but to open the windows to turn down the heat, can't conserve, this building is not greenable in any way. But I'll surely be using this idea when we build our new green home next year!

[stuzapusa]

Great video. I am just thinking about the cold within the electronics. When warmed In this way. Moisture could build from condensation with the cold then warm. Idea!

[ironflyer]

Very well done!

[CommentsSurvey]

Wonderful video. I used to do this when I was a starving student. Time to try it again!

[dovh49]

I purchased some USB glove heaters for this winter. Last winter my hands didn't like to work with the keyboard, it was to cold! I use a large coat with a sweater underneath that keeps me warm. When the sun comes out it heats the house up pretty well (here in AZ), it's mostly the mornings that are frigid.

[fotosepp]

Hi Paul,

Great video. Thanks for sharing. What do you call the light fitting and where do I get one?

Daniel

[paulwheaton12]

@fotosepp if you go to the article, it has a link so you can buy one. It's just a chick brooder fixture you can probably get at most hardware stores.

[gardenfarmer]

brilliant research work and so apt

[ESportsEnthusiast]

Hmm, I wonder how cold you could set the thermostat while being comfortable if you put on a winter coat and stuck a dog bed warmer inside there with you. Intuitively, it seems to me that I could be perfectly comfortable with that setup even at below freezing temperatures. Below freezing is already warm to me when I exercise with my winter coat on - the dog bed warmer seems like a convenient way to get the heat without needing to exercise.

[OKflyboy]

A dog bed heater?! I can't believe I hadn't thought of that! For the most part I'm comfortable as long as I've layered my clothing a bit with the one exception being my feet - they turn to ICE in a matter of minutes on a cold evening.

Thanks for the awesome video!

[vention4wh]

That's pretty friggen awesome! I think I'll adopt some of these ideas. Like you said on the survival podcast, conductive heat is the most effective.

I think you said you keep the thermostat set at 50 degrees. That's still heating the house so the chances of mold becoming a problem is probably pretty low. My dad doesn't heat his laundry room and he got a mold issue last winter. The humidity from the rest of the house condensed in the laundry room, making it perfect for growing mold.

[vention4wh]

2. I sealed the laundry room with a weathered sealed door so that should decrease the problem. If no air from the house enters the laundry room, it can't condense onto the cooler surfaces in there.

Cute lab assistant you've got there (-:

And by the way. I have a cheapo Chinese cast iron frying pan I've been using for a few years. I'm going to turn my orbital sander loose on it and smooth it out. If it cracks, I'll let you know. If not, I've gained a more useful pan.

[vention4wh]

3. I agree on the CFLs. These days I'm phasing them out as they die and replacing them with high quality LEDs

[palmbaylou]

Hello Paul, heard your interview with Jack Spirko the other day. Love the sarcasm! Real people can take sarcasm. Also appreciate the input about the cfls, I do not want cfls in my house. I am looking into getting my wife a heated throw blanket very soon. That should help out quite a bit. Thanks again and also thanks for the cast iron info also.

[vutEwa]

Yes yes! good idea! what about those uhhh... longer than 3 minute trips to the bathroom where the toilet seat was 37 degrees also? hahahah.

[paulwheaton12]

@vutEwa I keep the bathroom doors closed-ish and have it about 62 in there.

[rubbernecker13]

First! Was just thinking about you, wondering what happened to you. Good to hear from you again. Good info.