Saturday 14 September 2013

Propane for Economical Heating

One of the things I love about using propane as a heating fuel is the great economy I get from small, efficient portable propane heaters and still be warm indoors. Using low settings, only heating rooms that are occupied and making sure my home is properly insulated are the three main cost savings in terms of fuel consumption.

So how can you get the most from your propane heater while using the least amount of fuel and therefore spending the least amount of money on replenishing used fuel? This article takes a look at some of the ways in which I keep my costs down to the bare minimum.

Using Less Fuel


If anyone had said to me that I should economize on my home's heating fuel consumption when I was working a high paying job many years ago, I would have thought they were nuts. Why would I do that when fuel was cheap and I could afford to be a little extravagant?

Now I understand, with the benefit of a very different perspective. I no longer have a great wage and fuel is much more expensive than it once was. So I need to keep my fuel consumption within my current, much smaller budget.

The simple, no brainer approach is simply to use less fuel. Easy, you might say, but wait a minute; how easy is it actually?

Making the Fuel Count


Sure, you can use much less propane by keeping the heaters turned down to their lowest setting, but that might not produce enough heat to keep me and my family warm. In fact, it certainly won't!

Or at least it didn't used to. That was before I got economy savvy and learned a thing or two about energy conservation.

I learned that a properly insulated house uses much less fuel to stay warm because less of the energy is wasted by leeching out through the attic, window and any other gaps. So my first step was to insulate the attic, get my windows all fixed so there were no gaps anywhere and same went for door frames and any other openings to the outside world.

I also bought some heavy drapes to completely cover the windows because these can keep a lot of heat in a room that would otherwise radiate out through the window glass. I had all hot water pipes in the attic insulated as well, so I wasn't wasting that resource to the atmosphere.

Then I turned my attention to the heat source

Choosing Propane as the Most Economical Fuel


As I live in a big town with little usable forest space close by, using a wood burning furnace was not feasible because of the higher cost of that fuel medium. Electricity was also too expensive, so I looked at propane and discovered it was hands down the cheapest fuel. Still is, in fact.

So I got three small portable propane heaters from the local store for a good price and a supply of gas cans for use as additional space heaters, while I also got a full size propane heater for our main living room that was hooked up to an outside tank. One of the portable units went into the bathroom to be used when anyone wanted a shower.

I found the main heater provided enough heat to keep the house warm enough on all but the coldest nights, when one or more of the portable propane heater units were brought out to supplement the heat. I drummed it into the kids to make sure that doors to unused rooms were kept closed and that we should try and all be together in the one place in the evenings, like our communal living room.

Happy Family Bonuses


As a by-product of this, we actually have a better family relationship than many of our neighbors who seem to spread out through their homes and almost never talk to each other! Now we talk more, eat together and are closer because of it.

Using heating fuel wisely and making sure it is not wasted was an important consideration for me because I simply do not have the spare cash to waste. In fact, even if I did, I wouldn't waste it on heat escaping to the outside. Much better to spend it on a nice vacation, right?

More information on home fuel economy can be found here: http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/overview-home-heating-systems

Wednesday 11 September 2013

How to Stay Warm When the Power Grid Goes Down

Millions of people rely on the power grid for many of their everyday needs, but when it goes down, life can get pretty brutal, especially in the cold days of winter. Do you have a backup plan for you and your family to keep warm and have lighting and other basic needs in these dire situations?

This article takes a look at what we can do to prepare ourselves for the next time the power goes out. It makes interesting reading, because the fact of the matter is that the power is going to go out again at some point in the ear future and it will keep doing it again and again.

Why We Need Electricity


We rely heavily on the electricity grid for so many of the things we need for normal living, such as:

  • Lighting
  • Heating
  • Hot water
  • Cooking (electric cooker and oven, extractor fan)
  • Cooling (air conditioning and fans)
  • Storing food (refrigerator and freezer)
  • Washing machine and clothes dryer
  • Vacuum cleaner

and a hundred and one other things that make our lives easier and more convenient. When it's suddenly not there, very few people are prepared and have the resources to maintain the necessities.

Just think of all the things you will suddenly be without when the power stops flowing into your home! Aside from the real necessities, what about all the peripheral things we have become accustomed to enjoying and we really do take for granted, such as:

  • Television, DVD player etc
  • Music system
  • Internet and WiFi
  • Clocks
  • Telephone
  • Recharging things like cell phones, laptops, tablets etc
  • Kitchen appliances (food processors, blenders, juicers)
  • Electric kettle and coffee maker


As you can see, it’s a pretty impressive list of things you have to do without when there is no electricity!

Heating in Winter


One major problem that families face in winter is how to keep warm. This is a critical consideration for the elderly and very young who may even die from hypothermia in very cold weather for prolonged periods without any form of heating.

One very cost effective backup heating solution is to have one or more small, portable propane heaters to hand for just such an emergency. These heaters can provide essential heat for people when they need it most.

It is relatively easy to store them in a garage or other suitable storage place along with a supply of gas cans to keep them running for several hours as necessary.

Disaster Planning


It is one thing having to suffer for a few hours with no power when the grid goes out. It is another thing altogether when a disaster situation strikes, such as has been experienced in some areas when a major hurricane hits.

In these situations, the power can be out for several days while emergency services work around the clock to try and restore power to homes, offices, stores and public buildings. It is during these times that preparedness with a portable propane heater or several at the ready with sufficient fuel for several days becomes a sensible precaution.

We can't always plan for every bad situation that can crop up. Nor can we know for sure how long it will last. But we can be prepared in some way at least to provide necessary heat and the facility for cooking food and heating water as well as light when the sun goes down.

Be prepared and don't get caught out!

Note: Here us a useful resource with information on disaster preparedness