Heating Products?

[Pisces24]

I was curious what you all recommend to use for heating products in your homes.

I am thinking of getting an electric blanket. My folks never had one because they considered them unsafe but that was years ago. Are they safe to sleep with?  Also (don't laugh)  I've wondered about having one set on low on very cold days when I am at work for an elderly kitty I have?

I am very careful on home safety and do not want to creat a potential problem.

Thanks!!

[Carebear]

Hi Pisces,

I have tried both electric blankets and electric bed pads.  The blankets are good but it always bothered me feeling the wires on top of me. 

The electric bed pad is a different story.  I love mine!  It's the greatest thing to turn it on an hour before bed time, and then slide in to toasty warm sheets.     I think it warms you better too because you lay on it.

As for your kitty.  I don't really know about that.  Maybe someone else can answer this for you.  I do think it is very thoughtful of you to think about the old gal (or fellow). 

[Joe S.]

You need to start with good insulation, my house has none. A good reliable furnace. Gas is one of the most reliable. If I had the funds I would add solar. One year solar cut my bills by 30%. Wood/coal is nice but the insurance companies have and issue with it. I have been thinking about wind heat also since you need more heat when the wind blows.

Polar fleece mumps scarf, sweater, extra blanket and slippers. I find most of the personal electric devices make me feel worse.

[irish]

I bought an electric throw at Walmart a couple of years ago. This works really great to use when sitting and watching TV or to place on top of the bedspread when you are just laying on top of the covers watching TV during the day. Might work for kitty. Cost about 13$ then. Will, of course, cost more now.

I am very leary of electic blankets but we have been using them about 20 years now. I am adamant about my grandkids not jumping on the bed when the electric blanket is on. I am fearful of breaking the finer wires and causing a short.

We love ours though and could not get along without them now after all these years. Our bedroom gets very chilly at times.

Another thing we invested in at 2 different times is Eden Pure heaters. We are just sold on them. We bought one for the family room as we have a LP space heater out there and we wanted to cut down on our LP use and expense. We use the heater much of the day and evening and the heat rises up the couple of steps into the kitchen. This helps our kitchen as it gets really cold with the south winds and kicks the furnace on constantly.

I keep the temperature down in our house as we would not be able to buy many grocerys if we kept it high enough to keep the house warmer. I have learned to dress warmer plus I am always warm anyway so I am happy. Hubby, however, is always cold and I told him to just put on more clothes and cover up when he watches TV. He sits with the EDen Pure facing him and he stays warm.

I finally bought another Eden Pure that we keep in our bedroom. We keep the bedroom door almost closed and run the heater at night. It has been a life saver as far as keeping warm in the bedroom and at the same time keeping the thermastat lower. I also hung a blanket on a couple of nails at the foot of the stairs and it stops the drafts that were coming from the basement.

We are an older house that has been added on a couple of times so have areas that are a little leaky in spite of adding extra insulation. I did some math on the Eden Pure heaters and figured that I was saving about 20-30$ a month using them as opposed to what we would have paid for LP to run the furnace more.

We have not bought Christmas gifts for each other for at least 30 years so I just consider these heaters to be a good practical Christmas present---belated. lol

Anyone have any information on some of the other heaters that look like the Eden Pure but are cheaper in price? Irish

[A66eyroad]

I also have an electric mattress pad -- it's got three different zones (feet, trunk, shoulders to head) and two controls, one for me and one for Husband.

I love it on 2 for the feet, 1 for the trunk, off for shoulders.

He uses 1 for the feet, off for everything else.

VERY soothing!

I bought it online from Sears about a year ago.

[season]

I would not put the kitty on an electric blanket as they tend to dig their claws in and scratch.

Some of the pet stores carry a warming pad for animals.