Source: treehugger.com
“If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
That saying rings especially true when it comes to claims about energy-saving devices, particularly those that indicate they can dramatically cut your heating costs.
Ads made to look like news stories abound for “Amish style” fireplaces, a “miracle device” that supposedly can slash your heating bills. In actuality, the appliance is simply a space heater hidden inside a false fireplace with a wooden mantle.
If you were to use a space heater eight hours a day, five days a week for a month, it would cost approximately $15. But whether it can cut your heating bill depends on several factors.
Space heaters only warm a small area. You may save some money if you turn down the thermostat, site the space heater in a room with people in it and then close off that room from the rest of the house. But space heaters cannot come close to replacing energy-efficient central heating or weatherization improvements. So while it’s technically possible to cut your heating bill by using space heaters, for most people, it’s impractical.
“When it comes to saving energy, there are no magic solutions,” says Brian Sloboda, an efficiency expert at the Cooperative Research Network, the research arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “Anyone promising to slash your utility bill by double digits is stretching the truth to the breaking point.
“Buying Energy Star-rated appliances, unplugging battery chargers and other ‘vampire’ electronics, and sealing air leaks around windows and doors are some of the best ways to save money and energy.”
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