Ecological Heating Methods

Heat Pump

• An energy efficient and ecologically responsible method for heating your home is with a heat pump. During the summer, when your home is warm, a heat pump sucks warm air from inside your home and pushes it outside. In the winter, the pump absorbs heat from outside, warms it further, and cycles it through your house. With a heat pump, you take advantage of heat that exists naturally, using it to warm or cool your home. This method outputs more heat in the winter than what electricity could provide alone.

Heater Fan

• Heater fans are designed to sit atop wood stoves or gas-powered room heaters. As the heat from the stove or heater rises, the fan, which is powered by the heat, sends the warm air out horizontally into the room instead of allowing it to rise to the ceiling, where it is virtually unusable. No batteries or electricity are required to operate this fan, meaning that it has zero impact on the environment. And, best yet, it's virtually silent.

Ceiling Fan

• Ceiling fans do more than just cool rooms. During the winter, you can set your ceiling fan to operate in the reverse direction. In reverse, ceiling fans will push warm air that is settled near the ceiling downward, so that it can be circulated throughout the room. Reversing the direction of the fan should make the blades turn clockwise. To create a warming effect, set the fan at its lowest speed, so that it doesn't create a breeze. The effect will allow you to lower your thermostat, as more heat will be circulated throughout the room.

Programmable Thermostats

• An ecologically friendly heating method involves the installation of a programmable thermostat. These thermostats allow you to establish times that your home will be heated so that the heat is not running while you are sleeping or out of the house. These thermostats promote long-term energy savings.