Space Heater or Electric Blanket (gas, furnace, oil, costs)

[otterhere]

I love my drafty old house, but... It's drafty! Need some source of warmth to curl up and read or watch TV. Which uses less energy and therefore costs less?

[North Beach Person]

An electric blanket will cost less. A space heater will heat the entire area.

[suzy_q2010]

Originally Posted by otterhere

I love my drafty old house, but... It's drafty! Need some source of warmth to curl up and read or watch TV. Which uses less energy and therefore costs less?

What you need is a heated throw. I love mine.

Amazon.com: heated blanket throws

[otterhere]

The throw sounds good! A heated mattress pad really wouldn't work for me; I sit up in bed to read or watch TV, so I would just get a "hot seat" that way...

[hotzcatz]

You can put an electric blanket either under the fitted sheet or use it as a blanket above the sheets. We have ours below the fitted sheet since heat rises, but above as a blanket works, too.

I keep thinking a curtained bed would be a good thing to keep sleeping warmer, but so far DH hasn't gone along with the idea.

[otterhere]

The electric throw didn't work, either (I have cats -- with claws -- who love to "knead")... I finally settled on just a heating pad which I can keep on my body core under several other blankets. Hopefully this won't jack up my electric -- or gas -- bill TOO much? At any rate, winter is almost over now...

Yes; the curtained bed with the nightcap was a practical solution in Victorian times. Ebenezer Scrooge!

[GregW]

We use an electric space heater to heat us when we are in the living room reading or watching TV. My wife also wraps up in a Polar fleece blanket. We also use a dual control electric blanket under, or not, a thick comforter on our bed. We do use electric base board heaters in the bathrooms for the comfort as well as to keep the pipes from freezing on the very cold nights.

Our condo is not kept very warm in the Winter. This is normal for me as I grew up in a very drafty old house not heated very well by the giant coal fired hot air furnace in the cellar. There were no electric blankets in those days. Not much insulation either.

[otterhere]

I ended up with a Sunbeam plush "spa" back heating pad, only I wear it on my front while sitting up in bed. It keeps my core toasty while not encroaching on the cats' space (can't have them puncturing wires). Whew, that was quite a search! Cost me almost $50, so I sure hope it saves on the heating bill over the constantly running space heater. Thanks all.

[Escort Rider]

Space heaters certainly have their legitimate uses, such as in the bathroom for showering, in which case they are not running for more than 20 minutes or so. My master bathroom has a heat lamp in the ceiling but it just doesn't do the trick if the temp is below a certain point. (No forced air vent into the bathrooms). Interestingly, the identical ceiling heat lamp in the smaller bathroom is more effective because that bathroom has about half the floor area of the master bathroom.

[shadowfax]

Speaking as someone who lived for over 10 winters in Western PA in a run down drafty old house, with no working furnace...

An electric blanket is more efficient and less expensive at keeping you warm if you are not moving around the house. Space heaters work well for small spaces. The oil filled radiator type are the safest. They can be expensive to run if the area is large or they have to work hard.

Also wear loose layers, preferably cotton at the bottom and wool at the surface. The air pockets between the layers and in the wool will trap heat, the cotton will wick away moisture which can chill you. If you dress properly you can be comfortable at lower temperatures than you might expect.

I also suggest that you do some work in your home to reduce or eliminate drafts. There is a lot you can do to help that.