Re: OT- Cat warming onraised hearth

Jill McQuown wrote:

On 2/24/2025 10:17 PM, Carol wrote:

Jill McQuown wrote:
 

The temperatures here got down into the 20's at night for a few
nights but the rain had passed by then.  It was just cold but
warmed up into the 40's during the day.  Today it got up to 62F.
Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the 70's.

 
Ah, Aux heat may have hit you at night but not in the day then.  We
are out of it too now.
 

Uh, no.  I never set the thermostat to use what you call Aux heat.
That forces the heat pump to run constantly.  It doesn't make them
more efficient (or make the house any warmer) but it will certainly
run up an electric bill lickety split!

<https://www.hvac.com/expert-advice/what-does-auxiliary-heat-mean-on-my-thermostat/>

Mine has no setting or indicator on the thermostat for AUX heat.  It's
normally not something you set.  Emergency heat is different and yes,
that can be set.  AUX heat just does it.

Dealing with heatpumps is partly why the fireplace is used here.  The
thermostat is on the far wall from the fireplace (deliberately).
There's a little over 25feet between them.

My electric bills are rarely $174/month, not even at the height of
summer when the AC is running day & night.

You may have cheaper rates.  For me, I normally have pretty much access
fees (required and reaching 20$ a month here now).  Mostly solar covers
it but with 12in snow on them, it's pretty much obvious nothing would
get through.

Ah well.  Folks here are screaming but they forgot Dec and Jan then Feb
have collectively been our coldest winter on record. The gas company
also hiked rates 1 Jan (they were very quiet about it but they were due
as it's been 3-4 years since it changed).

Meantime, I've spent a lot more this year on birdseed.
 

I didn't, but the birds this far South can usually fend for
themselves year round.  I do have a small galvanized covered bucket
that holds mixed wild bird seed in the garage.  It only holds 10 lbs.
of seed. When Winter approaches I hang the feeder and use up the old
seed and refill the container with "fresh" seed.  It definitely came
in handy when we got that freak 5 inches of snow and they couldn't
find any food on the ground.  I also had to thaw out the frozen bird
bath with hot tap water so they'd have fresh water to drink.
 
Meanwhile, I always keep a mason jar filled with sugar water for the
hummingbirds.  I have at least two hummingbirds that do not migrate.
The first morning after it snowed, the nectar feeder looked a little
slushy but it didn't take long before the hummingbirds were right
there sipping. :)  I wonder if they got a "brain freeze", like they
sipped a slushy frozen drink too quickly. (kidding)
 
Jill

Well I gave up on bird baths as too hard to keep ice free and enough
running water in all our inlets that it's not a problem.