Electric blankets allow for lower heat settings at night
Q. I am trying to save energy in my home, so I set the furnace thermostat lower each night. It gets chilly and I do not sleep well. What can I do to stay comfortable? Is an electric blanket a good idea?
A. I set the temperature in my house 10 degrees lower at night, so it can get chilly, especially when I get up to let my cat, Buddy, in the window. The savings from a 10-degree, or even just a 5-degree, setback at night are significant.
If you use a programmable setback thermostat, set it so the temperature does not start to drop until 15 minutes after you are typically in bed. The thermostat may stop the furnace before this time, but the temperature should not drop quickly. Set it so your house is warmed again just before you awake in the morning.
Using an electric blanket is an energy efficient method to stay comfortable all night. Since we are in bed under the covers 99 percent of the time at night, it makes sense to keep only the bed warm. The amount of electricity used by a twin- or full-size electric blanket is only about as much as a 100-watt light bulb.
There are a number of features to look for in an electric blanket for the best comfort and efficiency. Keep in mind, if it makes you more comfortable, you will be able to set your furnace thermostat even lower at night and save more energy overall.
There actually are several types of electric heating "blankets" for beds. One is the typical electric blanket. Another is a comforter. According to Stacie Pacheco, Sunbeam director of marketing, electric blankets account for about 70 percent of their bed heating products. For a queen- or king-size bed, select a product with separate heating controls for each side of the bed.
The younger generation seems to prefer electric mattress pads. These produce heat from beneath and reduce the weight over your body.
If you have a comfort problem with just cold feet, a foot warmer pad at the end of the bed or a throw will keep them warm. These use less than 60 watts of electricity.
The top-of-the-line models by Sunbeam use ambient temperature compensating controls for better comfort. If you set the heat at level "five" (settings are from one to 10) when you get in bed, the blanket or mattress pad produces a certain amount of heat.
As the bedroom temperature drops, the control senses this and automatically produces more heat to compensate. When you are under the covers, the temperature stays almost constant. These models also have special heating wire that senses your body heat and selectively warms the blanket more or less in various areas.
During the winter, move your bed away from an outside wall. Always close the window shades or curtains. This not only reduces room heat loss through the windows, but it blocks the radiant heat transfer from your skin to the cold glass.
The following companies offer electric blankets and mattress pads: Perfect Fit, (800) 299-1378, www.perfectfitindustries.com, Sunbeam, (800) 892-7684, www.sunbeam.com; and West Point Home, (800) 533-8229, www.martex.com.
Q. My house has old single-pane windows with aluminum sash frames. I was thinking of installing new double-pane glass panes in the old sash frames. Is this as efficient as installing all new windows?
A. First of all, you probably cannot fit double-pane glass in the old window sash frames. The new glass will be too thick. Also, the old aluminum frames probably do not have a thermal break between the indoor and outdoor sides.
You are probably better off installing entirely new windows and frames even though it costs more initially. Another option is to install sash replacement kits yourself in the old window frames to reduce labor costs.
• Write to James Dulley at 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244, or visit dulley.com.