For advice on home heating, I reached out to Jin Wen, a professor at Drexel University who studies energy efficiency. She said the answer depends largely on where you’re getting your power.

In houses with electric heat, for example, it’s generally more efficient to lower the thermostat and use a space heater in the room where you’re spending most of your time. If you’ve got a gas furnace, it’s more complicated. You should consider your furnace’s efficiency (check its rating), your home’s size and your space heater’s electricity source.

If you have a high-efficiency heat pump, it’s not complicated at all: You should rely on that.

Then, there’s the question of outdoor heat. As long as the pandemic sticks around, we’re not supposed to gather indoors, right?

Many people have purchased fire pits and patio heaters so they can see family and friends while sticking to safety guidelines. But aren’t they awful for the environment?

According to Rob Bailis, a senior scientist at the United States branch of the Stockholm Environment Institute, maybe not as bad as you think, at least when it comes to your individual carbon footprint.

Forests absorb and store planet-warming carbon dioxide. When we burn wood, that carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere. But, in the United States, we’re generally gaining more forest than we’re losing. So, the net climate harm from back yard fire pits might be less than you imagine.

For patio heaters, the energy source is key. Unless your electricity comes from renewable sources, propane is probably your best bet.

Source: New York Times

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