Jolly Good

smart maybe. Sophisticated ...not so much. I like plain and simple.

Chocolate eclair

Cheers. I'll have to see what they have in NZ.

Chocolate eclair

It DOES look smart and sophisticated. Enjoy it after all your hard work.

Jolly Good

So winter time in Pennsylvania.

Up until now it really hasn't been to bad. Snow on and off since November. Some days with really cold icy rain but on the whole it hasn't been too bad. On the really bad days we have just hunkered down and found plenty to do to keep us busy or just had a lazy day reading or watching a movie.

Until yesterday. Our heating quit working Last night it got pretty chilly.
The heating guy came out this morning and of course he has to order a part. We might be lucky and he'll have it by Thursday.We do have an electric fireplace so mostly today I am not leaving the living room

ddsrph

Do you have a split unit with AC and gas furnace in same cabinet? Heat pumps are getting very efficient these days with a recent news blurb that the cold climate state of Maine is actively subsidizing heat pump installations. In my present and previous neighborhood we have no natural gas so in my old house I went with propane and new house heat pump. The heat pump is working out great and now I don’t have to deal with propane delivery and it’s also cheaper.

BristolUK

It's handy having a weather site that you find reliable for what happens resembling what they say may happen. If there's anything that looks like it might be unpleasant out or just not practical because the snow plow is likely to put a wall across your drive you can make sure you have what's needed.

Those magic bag things are good for keeping warm. I often heat one up a bit (microwave) and just sort of hug it if it's a bit chilly and not worth adjusting the house heating. Great bed warmers too and much better than hot water bottles.

Jolly Good

The a/c and gas furnace are together and both were installed only 3 years ago. The problem is with the blower motor. Fingers crossed they can fit it on Thursday.

Jolly Good

I have one and I love it! It's on my feet right now

Steerpike

Why better than hot water bottles (other than the obvious convenience of being heated in the microwave)? I have several hot water bottles and swear by them (here in chilly California ).

Steerpike

The problem I have with heat pumps is, the outside 'condenser' unit has to be running during heating mode, as opposed to just cooling mode. While I can tolerate the noise of the condenser during a hot summer's day, I don't like hearing that same noise during the dead of night.

Jolly Good

The obvious downside to a bottle is they can leak!

I bought my grandkids animal heat bags. One is a hedgehog and one a dragon. There are very cute. I might treat myself to one. I quite fancy a sloth

I think we will sleep in the living room tonight. Our bedroom has two large windows and with no heat in there for two days now it is really chilly.
We could stay at our daughter's but we both have bad colds and coughs ( which we probably got from the grandkids) and we would rather not keep spreading it back and forth.

Did I really leave the gulf coast for this...

Steerpike

Winter sucks! I'm miserable in California, which means I'm just soft!

Do you have dual-pane windows?

BEVS

What is this magic thing? How long does it last?

We have hot water bottles and blankies .

BristolUK

The main reason is I think they hold the heat for longer and when they do eventually lose it they actually stay warmish to the touch whereas water gone cold makes the bottle feel cold. I've woken up many a time by touching the cold bottle.

There's always the fear of a leak too.

Where the bottle does have an advantage is a sudden power outage where you can at least fill it quickly from the hot tap and stick it in your bed so it may be ready for you.
(just don't roll on it later )

BristolUK

Ours is nice and quiet. I posted a pic when you asked.

They come in different shapes and sizes. They have things like flax seeds in them. Heat them in the microwave - 30 second bursts, then move them around a bit to avoid a hot bit burning the cover and making a hole. But you can stitch them up if needed, they don't need to look nice.

Mine is hand size and I get it hot, put it in bed while I do my teeth and stuff. It's still warm 4 hours later and by then you're all snug anyway. As an old geezer I need to get up in the night anyway and I give it another burst so it remains lovely and warm to wake up to and luxuriate before actually getting up.

You can also get them for around shoulders or big square ones. They also work for a cold compress too.



This one could actually be separated into 2 or 3 and restitched.

They look expensive sometimes but I have found as well as being better than a hot water bottle they last longer if you don't mind the odd stitch. And if you buy a long one that splits into 2 or 3 they work out cheaper.

But the price variation is such that it's worth shopping around. I just bought three more, free delivery for $5 more than one cost with a delivery charge....but Canada obviously.