Stuff people should know

Knowing how stuff works allows you to use it more efficiently and it bugs me when people practice irrational and wasteful habits. Here are some heat related items that everyone should know (but it seems many people do not).

Ceiling Fans

There is no reason to leave a fan on in a room that no one is occupying except maybe in the winter. Fans neither heat nor cool a room. Fans merely move air. In the winter in high ceiling rooms, turn on a fan to blow hot air that has risen to the top of the room down to where the people are. In the summer, a fan is useful to "sweep" away body heat by blowing air over yourself. The fan only feels cool because you are a heat source.

Car Heaters

Car heaters "draw" heat from the engine. Therefore, they shouldn't be turned on until the engine has warmed up. They should also not be left off in order to save gas/electricity. The heater runs whether or not it vents to the cabin, so running the heater uses a marginal amount of electricity; just the electricity needed to run the fan. See here for a nice concise explanation and useful way to keep your car from overheating in a pinch.

Water Heaters

I've never had to mess with a water heater before, but last weekend my pilot light went out so I had to get an education in water heaters. Turns out there is a thermostat on the water heater. Don't laugh, this is in a dark space behind a big wood panel in my basement. It's not obvious. If you don't really need scalding hot water (and who does?), you can turn down the thermostat to save energy. If you have an old one like mine that doesn't have temperature but merely the vague "hot", "warm", and "vacation" settings, then you may have to fiddle around with it for a while before you get it just right.

Please feel free to add any of your own tips below.