Body Heating Tip (better late than never)

[Gilgongo]

Now that it's getting warmer this isn't going to be so useful - but just to say that I can DEFINITELY vouch for USB heated vests. And (if you aren't walking about too much) USB heated inner soles. Both made working from home far better over the winter and meant I could keep the heating off.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09L878CY2/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B7W9LQV6

I got the soles first to see what they were like. When the cold snaps came in earlier in the year they were wonderful inside a pair of fur-lined slippers. I used an old iPad charger to power them (later plugging them into a timer like this as I kept forgetting to turn them off when I got out of them). The soles give a very gentle warmth - your feet don't get sweaty or anything. And after a couple of hours in them, feel nice for a while even when you get out.

But the real game changer was the heated vest. There are loads of them on Amazon, but I got one that's (sort of) adjustable to make sure the elements keep close to your skin. Also got them without batteries, and instead got those separately as you can ensure better quality (mine last for a good 6-8 hours on medium setting) .

The power used is tiny, but heating the body not the room is wonderful. The only problem I then had was fingertips (can't wear gloves when typing really) and the tip of my nose. Everything else was sort of comfy toasty in a way that's hard to describe.

[Tedx]

Fingerless gloves for me.

But yes, heat the body rather than the room. I have a heated body warmer as well as an adapted car seat heater for the office. The air is warmed by the pc and the sun coming through the window. Perfectly comfortable and only pennies per month. I have an Aldi foot warmer on standby, but have rarely used it.

Finally, a decent thermal baselayer is essential to all of this.

[stevensfo]

Fingerless gloves for me.

But yes, heat the body rather than the room. I have a heated body warmer as well as an adapted car seat heater for the office. The air is warmed by the pc and the sun coming through the window. Perfectly comfortable and only pennies per month. I have an Aldi foot warmer on standby, but have rarely used it.

Finally, a decent thermal baselayer is essential to all of this.

Could you recommend a car seat heater? On Amazon, they all seem the same, just different colours and varying prices.

Years ago I had a VW Passat and we all loved the heated seats. My kids called them 'bum warmers', though I found the heat to the lower back far more important on cold winter mornings.

My current car doesn't have them and since I live close to work, the car is only just getting warm when I arrive, so a seat warmer would be brilliant!

Steve

[Tedx]

Fingerless gloves for me.

But yes, heat the body rather than the room. I have a heated body warmer as well as an adapted car seat heater for the office. The air is warmed by the pc and the sun coming through the window. Perfectly comfortable and only pennies per month. I have an Aldi foot warmer on standby, but have rarely used it.

Finally, a decent thermal baselayer is essential to all of this.

Could you recommend a car seat heater? On Amazon, they all seem the same, just different colours and varying prices.

Years ago I had a VW Passat and we all loved the heated seats. My kids called them 'bum warmers', though I found the heat to the lower back far more important on cold winter mornings.

My current car doesn't have them and since I live close to work, the car is only just getting warm when I arrive, so a seat warmer would be brilliant!

Steve

Mine was from Aldi - £7. I bought four. The 2 in the car are great and so is the one on the home office, but you have to buy a converter (I got one from Amazon for £14). The other seat warmer I bought is a spare.

The energy saving thread over on LBYM is where you want to check out. Lots of good stuff there.

[Lootman]

The power used is tiny, but heating the body not the room is wonderful. The only problem I then had was fingertips (can't wear gloves when typing really) and the tip of my nose. Everything else was sort of comfy toasty in a way that's hard to describe.

But if there is more than one person in the room, isn't it more efficient to heat the room instead?

[Gilgongo]

But if there is more than one person in the room, isn't it more efficient to heat the room instead?

Good question! A heated vest contributes about 5W of heat, from which I felt pretty comfy even in a room at about 12 centigrade.

I wonder how many people wearing unheated vests would need to be in an average room before an 800W radiator heating it from 12 to a comfy 19 degrees would be more efficient than each person wearing a heated vest and insoles?

No idea! Maybe somebody good at physics can work it out?

BTW on a tangent about heating bodies, this about infrared panels is interesting:

https://octopus.energy/blog/nexgen-electric-wallpaper/

[stevensfo]

The power used is tiny, but heating the body not the room is wonderful. The only problem I then had was fingertips (can't wear gloves when typing really) and the tip of my nose. Everything else was sort of comfy toasty in a way that's hard to describe.

But if there is more than one person in the room, isn't it more efficient to heat the room instead?

What if the extra person in the room pedals an exercise bike fitted with a dynamo connected to part of a heated glove customised to fit Gilgongo's nose?

Better health, person cycling stays warm, produces heat and electricity. Win - win!

Not sure about Gilgongo's fingertips.

Heated keyboard anybody?

Steve

[Dicky99]

The thing that saved me a lot of energy use this winter was to buy a 60W £15 single electric blanket and place it on the sofa under a throw. Once I get recumbent in front of the tv of an evening I'm not for moving much so being on a toasty sofa radiating warmth meant not needing very much heating on all but the very coldest evenings.

[Gilgongo]

The power used is tiny, but heating the body not the room is wonderful. The only problem I then had was fingertips (can't wear gloves when typing really) and the tip of my nose. Everything else was sort of comfy toasty in a way that's hard to describe.

But if there is more than one person in the room, isn't it more efficient to heat the room instead?

Hah. I was given access to Google Bard, so I asked it:

"How many people wearing unheated vests would need to be in an average room before an 800W radiator heating the room from 12 to 19 degrees celsius was more efficient than each person wearing a 5W USB heated vest and insoles?"

and it said:

--

The answer is 160.

To calculate this, we need to know the following:

The power of the radiator: 800W
The temperature difference between the radiator and the room: 7 degrees Celsius
The efficiency of the radiator: 100%
The power of each USB heated vest and insoles: 5W
We can use the following formula to calculate the number of people wearing unheated vests that would need to be in the room:

Number of people = (Power of radiator / Power of each USB heated vest and insoles) x Temperature difference / Efficiency of radiator

= (800W / 5W) x 7°C / 100%

= 160 people

However, this is just an estimate. The actual number of people may vary depending on the specific conditions of the room.

--

I have no idea if that's correct, but it sounds authoritative!

[Dicky99]

I have no idea if that's correct, but it sounds authoritative

I warm the temperature of my lounge by 1/3 of a degree just by being in it so if I could have 160 people in my lounge I wouldn't need a radiator or a USB vest on to be toasty warm

[UncleEbenezer]

But if there is more than one person in the room, isn't it more efficient to heat the room instead?

Hah. I was given access to Google Bard, so I asked it:

"How many people wearing unheated vests would need to be in an average room before an 800W radiator heating the room from 12 to 19 degrees celsius was more efficient than each person wearing a 5W USB heated vest and insoles?"

and it said:

--

The answer is 160.

To calculate this, we need to know the following:

The power of the radiator: 800W

The calculation it gave you appears to be nothing more than simple arithmetic for young kids: 160x5 = 800. The number of vests consuming the same power as the radiator.

Which is true if that was the question. It doesn't look to me like the intended question. Put 160 people (with or without vests) in a room small enough for an 800W radiator to have much impact, and you're going to need a good ventilation, so immediately you have additional variables to deal with!

Perhaps the moral is that the AI can be just as dumb as a human.

[DrFfybes]

I have no idea if that's correct, but it sounds authoritative

I warm the temperature of my lounge by 1/3 of a degree just by being in it so if I could have 160 people in my lounge I wouldn't need a radiator or a USB vest on to be toasty warm

At an average 75l per person, that is 60m3.

If your lounge is a reasonable 6m x 4m x 2.5m high then they will fit. Assuming you have a mincer and a press.

Paul

[Redmires]

Could you recommend a car seat heater? On Amazon, they all seem the same, just different colours and varying prices.

Years ago I had a VW Passat and we all loved the heated seats. My kids called them 'bum warmers', though I found the heat to the lower back far more important on cold winter mornings.

My current car doesn't have them and since I live close to work, the car is only just getting warm when I arrive, so a seat warmer would be brilliant!

Steve

Mine was from Aldi - £7. I bought four. The 2 in the car are great and so is the one on the home office, but you have to buy a converter (I got one from Amazon for £14). The other seat warmer I bought is a spare.

The energy saving thread over on LBYM is where you want to check out. Lots of good stuff there.

Just a heads up. I've been after a heated seat cover for the home office since reading this thread. They are back on sale in Lidl from Thursday 28th. In-store only. £9.99 each now.

https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/ultimate-speed ... /p10007902

[Redmires]

Bought one and set it up. If anything it gets a bit too warm. Nice though. Consumes about 30w on low and 38 w on high so that works out about 50p for a full 24 hours. Should save me a packet on the heating if it works well.

[Tedx]

If you dont fancy using heated car seats, then it's usually around this time when ze German discounters start selling various 3 pin plug heat pads in the middle aisle

[Redmires]

I've told the wife to shoot me if I ever come home with the big electric slipper though

[Tedx]

I've told the wife to shoot me if I ever come home with the big electric slipper though

I've got one. Its brilliant.

[stevensfo]

I've told the wife to shoot me if I ever come home with the big electric slipper though

I've got one. Its brilliant.

Please explain. Something kinky or for keeping you feet warm?


Steve

[Tedx]

I've got one. Its brilliant.

Please explain. Something kinky or for keeping you feet warm?


Steve

its anything you want it to be.

[Redmires]

I've got one. Its brilliant.

Please explain. Something kinky or for keeping you feet warm?

Steve

Very kinky. This one gets a bit too hot though.