Once you've exhausted passive measures to
keep your home warm, you might need some
help in the form of an active heating system or heater. Again, this is a complex decision. Things to think about are the fuel types available (some areas don't have natural gas infrastructure), what areas need to be heated, the design of your house (large open-plan spaces suit radiant heaters and may find convection heaters ineffective), and any health issues, such as asthma, that might be triggered by changes in the condition of the indoor air. 'The ultimate heating
guide' is included in the book Greeniology,
but some simple 'rules of thumb' are
included below.

Remember to dress appropriately for the season. Winter isn't the time for t-shirts and heaters shouldn't replace the role of a cosy woolly jumper.

Tips for heating:

• Home heating is best planned into the design of a house from the beginning.
  If you're building, put careful consideration into heating options, insulation and
  the potential to design the house to utilise free heat from the sun.
• Heat the space you're in, rather than the whole house. For example, if you're the
  only one home, heat up a wheat-filled heat pack.
• As a general rule, it is more efficient to heat with natural gas than with electricity (most electric heaters use a resistance element to produce heat). Electricity is a particularly greenhouse-intensive heating energy source if it is produced from a
  fossil fuel source.
• The vast majority of portable heaters are electric, using resistance element
  heating. This includes oil filled heaters, bar radiators and electric fan heaters.
  They are relatively cheap to purchase, but are all expensive to run. None are
  a good option environmentally (unless powered by electricity from GreenPower sources). There are some portable unflued gas heaters available, but these contribute to very poor indoor air quality.
• With heating systems, always get a programmable thermostat to allow you
  greater control of your heating. Depending on the design of your house, also consider zoning central heating systems so that you can choose to exclude unoccupied areas of the house.
• Favour electronic ignition over a constantly burning gas pilot flame.