According to energy industry analyst uSwitch, the cost of household heating bills has risen 114% since 2004 and are now standing at an average of £1,243 a year.In 2004 they were just £540 a year!

That price rise has been due to the rise in energy costs and taxation since 2004 followed by the spike in 2008 which we have written about before (see "Oil Prices and sleeping tigers"). Although prices then equally plummeted (momentarily) the price has since been maintained artificially high by OPEC to encourage supply-side restructuring in the oil industry. The oil price is now back to its highest price - spike excepted - for any time in the last 5 years. See the oil price widget to the side of this blog and you can see the trend. In 2009 alone energy prices for the average house in the UK climbed £381 (42%) to £1,243.

However, the ongoing structural investment in alternative energies and renewables is also expected to add a further £548 a year onto consumer energy bills according to Auditors Ernst & Young and once the recession is over, global demand will pick up again which will cause further inflationary pressure on energy prices. We should not discount the possibility of further oil price volatility either.

As heating accounts for up to 33% of average household energy consumption, Infrared heating offers a compelling means of minimising the effect of these price rises. Being on average 50% more energy efficient and up to 70% more efficient than oil or gas, it really is time to start considering a switch. For a fuller account of this, see "How do I cut my heating bills?"

The heating season is over. Not for you or me, but for any retail business that sells heating appliances like electric fireplaces.

Every year right around the end of January retailers big and small start to unload inventory in earnest to make room, and raise cash, for next year’s models.

The need for retailers to raise money is especially critical during this lousy economy when banks are

Anderson-Bolds sells Drum, Tote and Cylinder Heaters by Brisk Heat. BriskHeat is the premier manufacturer for surface heating, including heat trace cable, heat tape, beaker warmers, silicon laminate heaters, pipe heaters and the drum, tote and cylinder heaters. BriskHeat weaves their blankets on site in Columbus Ohio so they can make the perfect fit for your piping or container heating.

Heating cable is also referred to as heating tape and heat trace cable amongst the industry. Heating cable is used for a wide range of applications including pipe tracing, freeze protection, viscosity control, temperature process maintenance, roof and gutter, and much more. BriskHeat^® also offers a true heating tape that is much more flexible and provides a more rapid thermal response.

If you're home during the day and own a home or rent an apartment with south facing exposure you should consider a solar window space heater.

Not only can you harness the radiant energy of the sun to heat entire rooms, but once it's in place you'll be getting free heat for as long as the sun shines.

If you’ve never seen a solar window heater it can be described as a 3’ x 2’ box, 4 or 5 inches

Managing a household budget during a down economy can be a daunting task. One budget item that everyone pays close attention to during the cold winter months is heating fuel costs.

What many home owners have discovered over the years is that zoned heating is an immediate and effective method to keep a lid on high heating bills. Zoned heating is accomplished by turning back the main thermostat 5–