Saving money on heating

The Tight Fisted Mister has a post on heating his apartment in April.

I moved to England from Miami a few years ago. In Miami, heating is not a big expense, infact it isnt an expense at all. So when I arived in 'Ye Olde Damp Country' I cranked my electric heating on 24/7.

It didn't take me long to realize how much money this was costing me, so I started looking into alternative heating ideas. I found one method to stick out above the rest in terms of cost effectiveness.

Portable Gas heating offers a convenient and frugal way to heat any area of the house. With a cheap start up price £100 for the portable heater and a 15kg barrel of butane this method is a clear winner.

How does it work?
You buy a 15kg butane canister and plug it into the portable heater. 15kg's is enough for 200 hours of use at it's highest setting. You roll the heater where you want it, turn on the heater, and in about 2 minutes a normal size room is fully heated.

Pros:

• Replacement Butane is very cheap (£20 if you trade in an empty canister).
• Does not use electricity
• Can be rolled to any room in your house.
• Very quick to heat.
  

Cons:

• Very faint smell of gas when you first turn it on (my girlfriend hates this).
• Not too safe around kids and pets.
• You must open a window or door slightly when the gas heater is in use.

Final Costs:
£100 for the portable heater and 15kg butane
£20 for every replacement canister of butane

A one 15kg canister of butane can easily last a month (even more if used frugally) so we're looking at £20/month.