How to save on heating in the winter, I don't want to use my electric furnace at all in the winter time?

electric fireplace 48 image

RunawayJur

I am a new energy fanatic, my utility bill used to be in the $300's...now it is $40-$48 all summer {due to CFL lights and using a fan to cool my bedroom instead of the whole house air conditioner}...

Now with Old Man winter approaching, I know it is going to be much tougher to make my house comfortable with using my electric furnace....

Are electric space heaters safe?..I am only goin to use it for one room?
What type of insulation can I do to keep the warm air in...and the cold air out?

PS: {I can live without heat...just some warm clothes and hot cocoa....but my wife on the other hand aint having it}
I meant "without" using my electric furnace

Answer
I read the other answers and found them really informative. When we had electric heat (many years ago) we warmed the house when we got home and shut it off before bed. Did the same thing in the morning: warmed before we got up and shut it off when we left for work. It helped a lot. A programmable thermostat helps tremendously. Otherwise, electric space heaters would be the thing to do. Research them all so you buy one that's appropriate for your space and usage.

Now, if you really want to go out on a limb (pun intended) you could go with a fireplace or wood stove. I figure by the time you bought the stove and installation, a chain saw, a pickup, and other things you'd get by for a $40,000 to $50,000 investment. Just joking!

Whats the harm in leaving a gas stove top (open flame) on ?

Dusty

Ive been reviewing many answers on yahoo answers about this topic and they all seem to go back and forth. So im asking a more specific question in search of VERY specific answers..

Our electricity has been out for about 48 hours now and my duplex is getting pretty cold. Ive got no heat, no electricity, only gas, which allows me to still have hot showers as the hot water heater works only on gas alone with a non-electrical thermostat.

Being the house is so cold, Ive tried to light the gas oven and that didn't work. I also tried to light the gas stove top and that DID work. I used an electric fire starter to light the stove top because the electric pilot light starter doesn't work due to the power outage. Over the last two days that the power has been out, ive been able to cook lunch and dinner on the stove top as long as i light it myself. Ive found nothing wrong with doing that and the stove stays lit just fine. The flame also looks normal like it should the whole time im cooking at any gas setting I want.

Well, I started to think, whats the difference in leaving the stove top on with the flame going or having a gas fireplace running ? Flame is flame and heat is heat so whats the difference ? is what i was thinking.. So I left the stove top flame on and I went to the hardware store. As long as its burning, whats the deal ?

Well I came home last night from the hardware store and my roommate was home.. and earlier this morning, he rips my ass for leaving the stove top on and leaving the house.. He claims that I could have blown the house up, or killed him and his girlfriend and he was really upset. He claimed that I could have killed them both by carbon monoxide poisoning. I apologized and told him im sorry. I also said I wont ever do it again for his sake to avoid further conflict but, Ive spent the whole day thinking about it and I cant see the severity of the issue any differently.

We have a gas water heater in the basement of this duplex with a flame the size of large dinner plate underneath it that stays lit and running on high for hours after we take long hot showers. And that's not dangerous or been a threat to him or us at all. Same thing, its just under a tank full of water rather than on top of a stove.

Growing up with my mom, we use to turn the stove on and the stove door cracked open all day long for heat. And that was a gas stove with a flame on the inside bottom of it too ! She also had a gas fireplace installed later and we have left that thing running all night before for heat and it hasn't been a threat or danger to use.. A lot of people all over the world use gas fireplaces. Ive heard a bunch of people talk about cracking the windows or doors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning ? Well why in the world would you crack a door or window when its 10 below outside and your purpose is to get heat anyways ? sounds stupid to me.

He even argued, well what if something would have fell on the stove or flame ? then the whole house would have burnt down.. And well, yeah that's true, but, there's nothing around the stove that could have ever "fell" on top of it anyway to even become ignited.

So Im not asking for opinions from Worried Willeys, Negative Nancies, or Safety Suzies. I simply want to know the facts.. Also... if carbon monoxide is produced from from the combustion of natural gas such as with a stove top, which i could understand. I would like to get an idea of how much.. Like.. if You leave two stove tops on and burning at medium strength for say an hour... Is that really going to do any harm ? or pose any threat ? People all around the world cook for longer and harder intervals than that on holidays and often a few times a week ! And gas fireplaces stay burning way longer than that as well. So is my roomate blowing this out of proportion ?

Answer
You shouldn't have to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning unless you are in a tiny air-tight room. A detector is a good idea though. As far as blowing anything up ...... no. It aint gonna happen unless you fill the house with gas first and then light it. ....

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Title Post: How to save on heating in the winter, I don't want to use my electric furnace at all in the winter time?
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