Heating and energy efficiency

[Veovis]

What is the most efficient way of heating my room? Should I turn off the heat when I'm at work for about 9 hours a day, or should I leave it on all the time?

I should probably mention that I'm only talking about my room which has its own thermostat. The rest of the apartment I don't heat.

[GatesofLenin]

Good question. Do you currently have a computer in the room? My room is pretty small and I got the thermostat at 20 celcius but my work computer warms it up good.

[tanklv]

I have read articles on the subject, and personal experience, and it seems that a single room would be a good candidate for turning off all heat (or air conditioning) for the day till you return.

WARNING: NEVER - EVER - LEAVE ANY "SPACE HEATERS" ON UNATTENDED IN A ROOM - EVER!!! Even for a little while. It's a major cause of fires. I generally stay away from space heaters anyway...

For one thing, the rest of the building would prevent it from getting below a certain temperature. That's why it's optimal to have a "middle" apartment or room - you have only one wall exposed to the "outside" as opposed to three sides. Better still if it's a middle floor in a multi-floor building.

There is still a worry about the freezing of pipes in the winter, but again, it's less likely since the adjacent rooms will provide some heat - unless your pipes are on the remaining exterior wall(s) - then it would be wise to keep it above freezing at least.

The house I grew up in had a bathroom in a dormer/attic space, and the pipes in the "crawl space" (unoccupied small space between the roof and the rooms) sometimes froze in the winter in spite of the house being heated. Fully insulating the "crawl space" and the wrapping the pipes with insulation stopped this problem - in Buffalo, New York, in the Winter!!!

Reheating the whole room (or cooling it down) will not be as big a problem as for a whole house.

Now, if it's a separate stand alone dwellilng, you have to make sure the place never gets below freezing. And, aparently, a whole home takes a lot of energy to heat up or cool down from extremes than just maintaining a lower/higher temperature during the winter/summer months.

That is if it's totally unoccupied. Pets and living things need certain minimums/maximums to survive without cruelty.

Try getting some of those "thermal" curtains - or try hanging up a blanket in front of the windows - it really helps heat loss (and heat gain in the summer) - downside - it darkens the room...

Another thing my parents used to do is get some plastic and attach it to the inside of the windows - thoroughly taping/sealing the perimeter. There are products specifically designed for this if you want. Plain old plastic sheeting (polyethelyne) that you can buy in rolls from the hardware store with good old duct tape also works.

The adhesive from the duct tape can be removed in the spring with WD-40 - its a great mild solvent - great for removing tar from cars and old bumper stickers, too. WD-40 also is great for getting petrolium or some paint and other stains out of clothing (heard that peanut butter has a similar effect for some things).