How to keep warm when sitting still - great cheap heating idea

[Ganymede]

Hi all

A lot of my friends work at their desks at home and have a problem with staying warm, not wanting to heat the whole house while everyone else is out. I remembered this great link the other day, then thought why not share it with this forum: http://www.richsoil.com/electric-heat.jsp

I think it's very simple and clever - I like the curtains round the desk - though I'm not sure if you can buy a heated keyboard or mouse in this country, I've never tried. We live in a very lovely but rather cold old house and my OH does a lot of desk work here so I'm going to try setting this up around our computer this year.

What do you think? Doesn't the guy have a great folksy voice!

 

[Globalti]

Nothing new about that; in hot Mediterranean countries where houses have no heating or insulation, people freeze in the winter - in Spain they have a saying: "Nueve meses de infierno y tres meses de invierno" - "nine months of inferno and three months of winter". There, it used to be common for the whole family to sit around a big table with a heavy tablecloth draped over their knees and a charcoal burner underneath. Nowadays the TV lifestyle doesn't lend itself to sitting facing each other so the tradition has died out.

 

[swee'pea99]

Gotta love a website whose main menu reads:

barbed wire
sepp holzer
diatomaceous earth
cast iron skillet
rocket mass heater
raising chickens
lawn care
flea control
hugelkultur
wofati
light bulbs
electric heaters

 

[Kies]

I work in my office, which is the box (bed) room. Bought a cheap £20 electric (oil filled) radiator from maplin. Allows me to heat the room (keep the door closed) and then set the rad to a very low setting. no need to buy additional equipment.
If the mrs and children are home, they stick the gas fire on in the main lounge.. We find there is no need to use central heating during the day, and heat rooms (bedrooms and dinning) whilst no one is using them

 

[tyred]

SPray yourself all over with Deep Heat

 

[Ganymede]

I work in my office, which is the box (bed) room. Bought a cheap £20 electric (oil filled) radiator from maplin. Allows me to heat the room (keep the door closed) and then set the rad to a very low setting. no need to buy additional equipment.
If the mrs and children are home, they stick the gas fire on in the main lounge.. We find there is no need to use central heating during the day, and heat rooms (bedrooms and dinning) whilst no one is using them

This is what the guy used to do - check out the wattage difference between what he does now and using a small room heater (it's on the video - I think the heater was 800w and the little devices were more like 80).

Of course, he's American... his rooms are probably a lot bigger! But he's keen in general on actually checking what the saving is, he has a fairly scientific approach.

 

[Fnaar]

I just put some extra layers on

 

[Ganymede]

Nothing new about that; in hot Mediterranean countries where houses have no heating or insulation, people freeze in the winter - in Spain they have a saying: "Nueve meses de infierno y tres meses de invierno" - "nine months of inferno and three months of winter". There, it used to be common for the whole family to sit around a big table with a heavy tablecloth draped over their knees and a charcoal burner underneath. Nowadays the TV lifestyle doesn't lend itself to sitting facing each other so the tradition has died out.

I love that! The Japanese had this idea too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotatsu

You'd have to want to talk to each other though, eh?

 

[ColinJ]

Too cold at 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 C), when wearing a sweater ...

In the UK, that would typically mean needing a heater on nearly all year round!

 

[Ganymede]

Too cold at 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 C), when wearing a sweater ...

In the UK, that would typically mean needing a heater on nearly all year round!

Heavens, hadn't noticed that. This guy is quite a hard man too, permaculturist who spends most days outdoors. Perhaps sitting still gets to him. Also I guess it doesn't invalidate it as a useful tactic for colder rooms in the UK.

I put on jumpers etc but it doesn't keep your nose warm, does it?

 

[ColinJ]

I am being more careful to keep my legs warm now (cold blood is more likely to clot) so I am putting my gas wall heater on more than I used to, but that is usually the only heating in the house. The heat of cooking warms the kitchen and I spend most of my time in the one heated room. The heater is pretty efficient and I sit close to it, so I often just have it on its minimum setting. I have started wearing a hat or buff on my head indoors since I developed a large bald spot - it's easy it is to get a cold head now.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

If you're working from home you could just stay in bed to keep warm.

 

[Ganymede]

I am being more careful to keep my legs warm now (cold blood is more likely to clot) so I am putting my gas wall heater on more than I used to, but that is usually the only heating in the house. The heat of cooking warms the kitchen and I spend most of my time in the one heated room. The heater is pretty efficient and I sit close to it, so I often just have it on its minimum setting. I have started wearing a hat or buff on my head indoors since I developed a large bald spot - it's easy it is to get a cold head now.

You need one of them dog bed heaters then, to rest your feet on! (do they even have dog bed heaters in this country or is it just for pampered American pooches?)

I wear fingerless gloves myself, when typing or playing the piano. Or indeed sitting up in bed reading, as per threebikesmcginty.

 

[swee'pea99]

You need one of them dogs bed heaters then, to rest your feet on! (do they even have dog bed heaters in this country or is it just for pampered American pooches?)

I wear fingerless gloves myself, when typing or playing the piano. Or indeed sitting up in bed reading, as per threebikesmcginty.

FTFY

 

[Ganymede]

FTFY

I hear that the Aboriginal Australians categorise coldness as "a three-dog night", "a five-dog night" etc for the number you need to cuddle up to, to keep warm!