Keeping Warm

This seems like the best topic to tackle now as winter is setting in and we're navigating the waters of home heating here.

The first challenge of heating is the home design itself. The floors are cement, covered by tiles, the walls are cement...cement with no insulation. The ceilings are high, 12 feet more or less. The windows are abundant and single pane. The temperature inside and outside the house at any given time of day stay pretty similar. Now, here are your heating options:

-Sobba: a propane heater that is fairly economical, but will only heat one room while it's running

-Electric heaters: heat rooms nicely, but expensive to run. Also, with the electrical current not being constant, it's not advisable to leave it on overnight.

-Kerosene stove: Probably the best way to heat multiple rooms for a length of time.

-Water radiators: Living in a desert where water and electricity are expensive this is one of the priciest options.

-Air conditioner heater: I'm still not clear on the science behind this, but the wall mounted A/C units can blow out warm air in the winter.

Being that we're on a shoestring budget, we have one Sobba heater, one electric heater and heaps of wool socks, slippers, blankets and warm fuzzy coats.
The tile floor is really a killer on these days...I don't take my slippers off unless I'm climbing into bed. We have to keep the water heater turned on more often for showers because it takes the water so much longer to get hot. I think back to winter camping in Colorado and I see many similarities, save for the snow and high altitudes. This will be a post I will have to add to once we're deep into the rainy months of winter.