What is cheaper?: heating a room with a space heater or heating the whole house with central gas?

Question

I have a newborn, who doesn't appreciate my energy misering habits! We need to either heat up our bedroom our the whole house. Our house is 1500 sq ft and it's gas central heat.
The room is about 300 sq ft and we have a little eletric heater. I've heard horror stories about cermaic heaters causing eletric bills to sky rocket!

Any suggestions? Any body "been there, done that?"

Answer 1

I laughed when I read this. I'm cheap also but this is one area you have to bite the bullet. I had the same fight with my wife 12 years ago when we had our first. The best thing to do is close off the vents in the rooms you do not want to heat and open the vents in the rooms you do want to heat. Humidity is important also, if you have a whole house humidifier keep it at 50%. Air flow is very important in an infants room, studies have shown that rooms where the air flow is good has decreased the chances of SIDS,
Sudden infant death syndrome. I always had a cieling fan running on low and clockwise (air Going up) till 2 years old. Don't want to freak you out but this worked well for us. We have 3 children now.

Answer 2

I don't believe in these extra heaters. Your house is designed to heat the house without this extra heat. These heaters kill more people in the U.S. then traffic accidents. The latest storms off the West coast cost 44 people their lives. My daughter uses one, I have no idea why. She's had the cat tip it over spilling an amount of fuel before it shuts off. She's had the cats chew the wiring causing shorts. She's tripped over the wires almost causing accidents. There's no amount of misery these things cause. I'm against them fully.

I lived on the Minnesota/Canadian border with winters getting into the lower fifty below marks, we never had a need for one of these and, we heated with wood, which was uneven heat at beast but, we were still comfortable. Maybe people today are getting soft.

Answer 3

You didn't say whether or not you can shut off any floor vents or heat ducts in any of the rooms. If that is possible; then shut them on the rooms that have no plumbing and little need for being "extra" warm. Set your thermometer at 66 to 68 and put clothes on the baby like socks, stocking hat. You can put these on over footy pajamas. You can tell if the baby is too cold by touching the tike's hands and cheeks. If they feel cold, then it's too cold for the baby. If the hands are red and warm; then the baby is too hot. Just take off some of the baby's clothes or lower the thermostat 1 degree.

Answer 4

It would have to be cheaper to run the space heater but you can't leave them on all night with your baby,you might try plastic on the inside and outside of windows or take blankets and use them as drapes and that seems to help cut down any window cold.You may want to dress your baby in a full body sleeper,also your baby needs to be as warm as you are so it doesn't have to be 80 degrees.A little chillier is far better than too warm,we all get in the fetal position when we get cold so it must work for babies.15 month old child in wisconsin and she is healthy as can be!!!

Answer 5

if you want the bed area warm use the ceramic heater, if you want the room warm, use the ceramic heater on high, 24 - 7. Or turn the heat in the house to 70 and keep the baby covered if cold

Answer 6

If you keep the room closed off and have a space heater that has a thermastate, it can be cheaper.Jjust be careful with kids getting to close