Options for Attractive Space Heating - Preferably Gas!?

ktclick209

We are remodeling our house and I'm trying to figure out an attractive alternative to the very ugly gas space heater in our living room. We live in northern New York where our home needs to be heated to some extent about eight months out of the year.

During the winter, we will be using a wood boiler, but during the fall and spring months, we need an alternative to heat our living space. The vent-free gas heater has been convenient and cozy, but it's so ugly!

I've been looking into the gas "fireplaces" but the ones I've seen take up too much space for our 288 square foot room.

My husband seems to think an oil-filled radiator would be expensive to run (electric) so we want to stick to gas-powered.

I'd love whatever we get to be able to fit into the decor of our living room. Any ideas?

Answer
try looking in Lowes or Home Depot or Menards for heating ideas.

I'm about to be 18 and I have some questions?

Starla Sul

Okay, well, I honestly don't know how to start. I guess I kind of need like a mentor or something? I don't want to feel stupid but I honestly have no one I can ask these to and I feel slightly over-whelmed. Well, I might as well start from the beginning, I live in Dayton, Ohio and I'm a 17 year old female, and I want to move out by the time I'm 18, and my birthday is in the beginning of June. I have so many questions I don't even know where to start and I'm just looking for someone to answer some of my questions, no matter how stupid they may be.

First of all, does anyone know what places hire people under 18? I know of McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King, etc. I've applied to some of these and never got a call back and I really want to get a job as soon as possible because my parents won't let me get my license until I have one, which I understand completely but I have no way of getting around anywhere aside from walking, which is good for me, but sometimes it's just too much. Btw, I think sometimes I tend to go on and on... Like I'm doing now.
Anyway, how much does getting a drivers license cost? Including everything in drivers ed?
What are some typical appliances/furniture most people have?
With most apartments will I be using gas or electric or both? Add price estimates, if possible?
What is a reasonable price for one bedroom apartments?
Is it better to have a roommate? (I have looked this up many times, and done the math to the best of my ability and I always come up short, going by minimum wage and maximum prices, but honestly this all confuses me.)

I have so many more questions so if anyone could/would help me out reply here or send me an email at: nonya_bizz_nizz@yahoo.com


I appreciate any help. I think I need all that I can get right now.

Answer
You might get a job at Macy's or a place like Marshall's, Home Goods, Hallmark, etc. Also - all the fast food chain restaurants - Denny's, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Sonic; coffee shops too.

A driverâs license application will cost you about $10. The eye exam is free at the DMV. You will need to borrow somebodyâs car for the actual exam.
Are your parents buying you a car? If not, you might not be able to get one yourself just yet, because of your credit history (read below.) You will also need insurance - talk to them and see who will be paying about that.

Typical appliances/furniture: I'll tell you the very basic things that you'll need... a bed with box spring, a dresser (or two), a couch, table/desk with several chairs, coffee table and/or side table. You will likely need a microwave, a toaster, some plates, cups, silverware, utensils, knives, a frying pan (if you plan on cooking), tablecloth, trash can, towels, shower curtain and a mat, a laundry basket, a shoe rack, some hangers. You might want to get a TV and a computer. Think about the curtains/blinds.

Apartments usually use electricity for things like the fridge, microwave, washer and dryer, A/C. Most ovens and some fireplaces use gas. My husband and I pay about $180 for everything in a 1,200 ft. apartment in New Jersey (close to New York City.)

I looked at apartment prices in and around Dayton, Ohio for you. You can get a 1 or 2 bedroom for about $500+. Of course there are some cheaper options â like $375 for a 1 bedroom. Check out craigslist.org

Having a roommate - Do you have credit cards or a credit history? If you donât, it might be a challenge renting your own place. You will have to search for roommates who already have a lease. And even then a lot of people wonât be willing to share their space with you. Because you have no way of proving that you are âfinancially responsible.â Even if you have a job - being employed at a certain place for less than a year is not considered as a good enough âproof.â Plus, itâs always nice to share the utilities with someone. Itâs even better if you get several roommates, as there are nice 4 bedroom houses for $800. That means that youâd have to pay $200 for your room. And it could be fun to have some company since you are 18.
I had 4 roommates when I was your age.

You will also have to pay for Internet, TV and phone â that should be around $100 a month for the regular service and about $165 if you want to add the premium channels and some insanely fast Internet (like Verizon FiOs.)
Water is about $30-50 if you do a lot of laundry.

Iâd be happy to answer any other questions that you might have. Drop me a line if you'd like.

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A couple questions about a wood stove and a fireplace?

dt

Can you put a wood stove in a fireplace? Does it have to be a certain type and size of stove? Will the walls of the fireplace hinder it from exerting heat since hte fireplace walls surround it?

I heard there are different types of stove like oil ones and such which is the best type? Can you buy a really large stove? How much are stoves?

Do wood stoves come with fans or can you just put one next to it?

Do fireplaces have fans or can you just put on next to it?
Is there something you can have built into your fireplace so that all the warm air in your house will not exit out of the chimney?

Answer
I have a fireplace I've had more than one stove in. As a fireplace, it was a total energy loss - it sucked more cold air into the house than the heat it produced. You're right, you have to close off this big opening to put a wood stove in. First, I had a piece of sheet metal fashioned that fit over the opening at the top of the fireplace. This sheet metal has a lip bent into it all the way around, and screws through the lip hold it into position. There's a hole cut into the middle that the chimney pipe fits snugly through. My first stove sat out in the room, right in front of the fireplace. This made a dramatic improvement in efficiency, but took up a lot of floor space. This was in a house with a concrete slab floor, so I didn't need a hearth. Later, when I could afford it, I had the stove changed for a "fireplace insert", which is a wood stove meant to be installed in the recess of the fireplace. Mine has a built in fan, although I don't use it anymore - it's my operating theory that the heat doesn't really go anywhere except in the masonry around the fireplace, and that radiates back into the house eventually anyway, and this way I don't have to listen to the fan. I also installed a 6" stainless steel liner in my chimney, this draws much better than the masonry chimney and I think it's safer.

I was at the wood stove shop the other day, and say an insert like mine for $2700 (the biggest Quadra-Fire insert made). Installation and chimney might run $1500 or so more.

Wood heat is messy, but it's a very comforting heat. I have electric I could use too, but I'm using wood now as we speak. I think it's cheaper, and I know it feels warmer. It works when the powers out, too.

Ways to lower electric/gas bill?

Teetana

Okay, so my bill for January was $300 and I live in a townhouse. I'm trying to find ways to cut down on usage....so far, I:
-run the dishwasher less often/don't use the "heated dry" mode
-barely use any lights except when it's dark outside
-minimize how often we do laundry

What are some things most people wouldn't think of? For example, should I unplug lamps, appliances, etc.? I have gas cooking and electric heat.

Any suggestions are appreciated!!

Answer
The electric heat is harsh to anyone's bill! I would suggest:
-turn your washer water to cold/cold cycles as much as possible
-get a programmable thermostat (they are easy to install yourself-ask your landlord first if you rent) They do make a big difference!
-turn your heat down all together 68 when you are there, 63 when you are gone or lower for both (ours is 63-home, 59-gone)
-our state (WI) is offering an "Energy Audit" for $25 to help people get better results, we had one and it told us where we were losing the most heat and gave us ideas on how and when to do things to help
-lower your water heater temp to 120
-if you have a fireplace, you automatically lose 8-11% of your home's heat when you don't have it on if the damper doesn't work properly
-check your area's peak energy hours and do laundry and other chores requiring lots of energy consumption at those times
-surprisingly enough, you lose a lot of heat through your outlets on exterior walls, there are outlet insulators you can buy to help with that and they are easy to install
-if you own, check to see you have enough insulation in your attic, if you rent, ask the landlord to check
-as a rule, anything that heats up at all costs more money to run
-I hang my laundry to dry...no dryer!!! Inside in the winter, out in summer! That cut back quite a bit.
-an extra appliance like a chest freezer plugged in should be full, either with food or milk jugs of water to reduce cooling cost, generally just plugging in an extra appliance like a freezer is $20-$30 a month...do you really need it?
Hopefully these ideas help! If you need more, you should go to the gov't energy website for more ideas, it actually has some more ideas, but nothing mind-blowing. Good Luck!!!

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