Eco Friendly Heaters

Green Heating Product Options
And Eco Manufacturer Directory

As a homeowner, when it comes time to get ready for the cold wind and snow of winter there are things that you can do today to take the sting out of the chill and the expense of staying warm.

The first step is to step back and take a look at the big picture of your home and see how you can make small changes to impact the energy, money and heat savings this coming winter.

Besides being a huge drain on personal spending, the winter season home heating is responsible for transferring nearly four tons of greenhouse gases into the air each month, and that as much as half of all the energy used in the home is wasted by inefficient appliance usage.

A great place to start is by conducting a home energy audit. This is something that you can hire a professional to do, or you can create a checklist and complete the audit yourself. Once you decide on a new eco friendly heat source, make sure to ask your vendor about the tax credits available for installing Energy Star and efficient equipment in your home or business.

Home Energy Audits For Heating & Cooling Your Home

This is the first step to take when you are thinking about making any changes to your heating and cooling system. Once you assess all of the areas for improvement and how much you are currently spending, the solutions will be easier to define.

The first step is to compile your last year's heating/cooling bills to get a pig picture perspective of how much you are spending. Once you have the information you need, you can use the handy tool called Home Energy Yardstick form Energy Star to compare your spending with similar homes around the country.

Shopping For Eco Friendly Heaters

Wall Mounted Whole Room Eco Heaters

These heaters offered by, Eco-Heater, are an easy option for heating one room at a time is the wall mounted heater.

These units operate much like the free-standing space heater, except that they are mounted on a wall and uses convection air currents to heat the space in your room. They can also be painted with latex paint to match your room décor.


Some of the benefits of the wall mounted heater are:

• These units operate at a low surface temperature of about 165 degrees F. This ensures that, although the heater is hot to touch, it will not burn the skin if touched.
• Eliminate allergies irritants by getting rid of the need for central air heating.
• Anyone can install with the additional installation kit and plugged right in to the wall.
• Uses less than 4 cents of electricity per hour to operate [depending on the region] or the equivalent power consumed by four incandescent light bulbs.
• Electric heating is one of the most eco friendly sources of heating. There are no harmful pollutants emitted from the ECO-heater.

Ceramic Tower Space Heaters

These units are a free-standing option for heating one or several adjacent rooms at a time. This type of unit is easy to move around the home and is programmable based on your needs.

This is a safe, simple and cost effective way to heat your space and adjust it to your needs throughout the night and day. Always check the manufacturer instructions for heat settings and safety suggestions. For more information on these I suggest checking out LaskoProducts.com.

Eco Friendly Water Heaters

According to EnergyStar.gov, the average household spends $400-$600 per year on water heating making it the second largest energy expenditure behind heating and cooling.

Water heaters typically keep 30 to 80 gallons of water hot 24 hours for the few minutes a day that you actually need it. As you make a request for water, the hot water runs through the pipes to the faucet.

This is where some of the problem is...

Depending on where the faucet is, it may take a minute or two before you receive hot water out of your faucet. In the meantime, cold clean fresh water is running down the drain and being wasted.

Once the hot water in the heater runs out, you will need to wait until a new load is heated up. This can be time-consuming and a pretty big inconvenience if more than one or two people want to take a warm shower within a short amount of time.

One solution to this wasteful usage of water is to switch to an Energy Star efficient tankless water heater. This type of eco friendly water heater will only heat up the specific amount of water you need right when you need it on demand. Noritz.com makes an eco friendly water heater which can be installed in either residential or commercial properties.

An efficient tankless hot water heater can cut your current water heating costs up to half as well as conserve wasted energy normally spent on heating a traditional full tank water heater.

Solar Powered Water Heaters

We all know the benefits of solar energy. It comes straight from nature, is abundant and is eco friendly energy which does not generate any waste or draw on fossil fuels. The only down side is that it does require an initial investment, but solar energy will save you money over time.

I suggest that you check out Solar-Water-Heater.com to see whether this is a viable option for you to heat your water.

Air Source Heat Pump System

This is a relatively less known but extremely efficient method of cooling and heating a home or business. These heat pumps use the air pulled in from outdoors for a heat source (heating) and heat sink for cooling. These systems normally work in conjunction with a furnace because of the extreme temperature limitations.

Heat pumps are ideally used when outdoor temperatures are 45°F and higher, and for cooling when outdoor temps are below 90°F. Outside of these parameters, the efficiency of these systems drops off and requires the backup of a furnace. To find a vendor near you check out the Energy Star Partner list.

Eco Friendly Pellet Stove Heaters

This is a great option for those of you who would like the warmth and beauty of a fireplace but have not interest or time to chop or buy cords of wood.

Just as with other conventional heating systems, a pellet stove allows you to set the timer, control the heat output, or even phone them up when you want the heating on. Check out some options at PelletStoveFires.com.

According to Pellet Stove Fires, "Wood pellets are clean, easy to handle and store, and are made of waste products from the timber and agricultural industries otherwise known as biomass. The amount of carbon they produce on burning is the same as the amount absorbed when the biomass was growing, which makes the heat they produce carbon neutral."

The installation of a pellet stove is child and pet friendly. Because of the way the air circulated within the stove the body of a pellet stove, except for the viewing window, should not get more than warm to the touch.

Eco Friendly Energy Tips

Here are a few great tips to get you moving towards an eco friendly heating solution and taking steps to ensure that your home is efficient and money stays put in your pocket where it belongs.

• Check for any air leaks around your home. Extra insulation is a simple way to make sure that dollars and scents are leaking out of your home and leaving it too cold for comfort.
  
  All you will need to purchase is a tube of exterior silicone caulk and some insulation strips. These can be easily applied to your windows, plumbing and wiring holes and doors. To find the leaks, use the old trick of lighting a candle on a breezy day, and then close all the windows and doors. As you walk around your home check for any movement in the candle and see if there are drafts you did not notice before.
• Homes lose most of their heat via the windows. A simple way to contain heat and keep the cold out is to use the drapes or window covering strategically. During summer months, do as the Italians do and take a siesta. Close up your drapes during peak sun hours. During the winter, open the drapes up to expose the most amount of light and use natural solar heat in your home. You can also purchase specialized insulating drapes, which use layers of dark insulating material, a radiant barrier, and a moisture-resistant layer to prevent condensation.
• Body heat is always a great natural heat source. On those cool nights, invite over some friends to share stories, drink some hot cider and enjoy each other's natural body heat.

Eco Friendly Heater Companies

• Eco-Heater.com - Provides electric wall mounted panel heaters that are efficient, safe and can be painted to match any room.
• Holmes.com - Is a manufacturer of space electrical space heaters and heater fans.
• LaskoProducts.com - Check out the latest in portable heaters that come in a variety of styles and sizes for your needs.
• PelletStoveFires.com - Provides information and installation on pellet stoves which are eco-friendly and cuts out the need for chopping down trees.
• Noritz.com - Manufactures eco friendly water heaters which is 83%-93% efficient; reducing over 700 lbs. of CO2 emitted each year. This can be a wonderful option for reducing water bills and still enjoying a hot shower each day.