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In India, with each passing day winters are only going to get harsher and colder, especially in Northern India. To bear the coming winter days, you need something that can keep your room warm and this is where room heaters come into action.<br /><br />Today, room heaters work on different technology and principles and are available in different price ranges. There are primarily three kinds of room heaters available in India - halogen heater, fan heater, or oil-filled one. <br /><br />If you are looking for oil-filled room heaters to beat the harsh winters, then we’ve got you covered. Here, we will tell you all about oil-filled heaters including their advantages. We will also help you in choosing the best oil-filled room heater.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What are oil-filled room heaters?" comment="subhead" text="What are oil-filled room heaters?"><span data-til="noop">What are oil-filled room heaters?</span></cmsannotation><br />Oil-filled room heaters use a convection mode to heat a room utilizing stored oil in a reservoir. To be clear, oil-filled heaters electrically generate heat, through the heating unit. It does not involve burning any oil fuel; the oil is used as a heat reservoir (buffer), not as a fuel.<br /><br />Oil-filled room heaters have different advantages over conventional type of room heaters. For instance-<br /><br /><ul><li>Oil-filled room heaters work as radiators. Unlike traditional heaters, these room heaters don’t use oil as fuel. Moreover, they work to warm the entire room, ensuring the warmth spreads to every corner. Once the oil radiator heater reaches the desired temperature, it automatically shuts off, helping you save energy.</li></ul><ul><li>Oil-filled room heaters neither burn oxygen nor reduce humidity, making them best for newborn babies. They are considered a healthier alternative, as they don't cause dry eyes, skin rashes and any suffocation.</li></ul><ul><li>Oil-filled room heaters are quiet and you don’t feel the presence of a room heater in the room.</li></ul><ul><li>One of the best things about oil-filled room heaters is that their surface won’t heat up, making them safe to use among children. Also, you don’t have to place them closer to the bed to experience the warmth - simply put them in any corner of the room and enjoy constant warmth.</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Best oil-filled room heaters to buy this winter" comment="subhead" text="Best oil-filled room heaters to buy this winter"><span data-til="noop">Best oil-filled room heaters to buy this winter</span></cmsannotation><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B00PQCXVQM" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B00PQCXVQM_head"><div type="image" title="Havells OFR" msid="95681635" hostid="261" sizebytes="30250"></div></columnHeadThumb>B00PQCXVQM</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B00PQCXVQM_body"><bulletContentRow name="B00PQCXVQM_4321643456785086"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Havells OFR</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This oil-filled room heater is an ideal option if you want quick heat during winter. It features Thermostatic heat control, rapid heating with a PTC fan and castor wheels for easy mobility. Other than these, you get 3 power settings 1000/ 1500/ 2500 watts and an additional 400 watts (Heater + Fan). <br /><br />Currently, it is listed for just ₹9,499, down from its original price of ₹15,545. Also, you can buy it on no-cost EMI by using selected bank cards.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B01M5F614J" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B01M5F614J_head"><div type="image" title="Morphy Richards OFR 09 2000" msid="95681663" hostid="261" sizebytes="13658"></div></columnHeadThumb>B01M5F614J</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B01M5F614J_body"><bulletContentRow name="B01M5F614J_7363992058663794"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Morphy Richards OFR 09 2000</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This oil-filled room heater features 9 fins that ensure you get rapid heating to every corner of your room. It comes with an adjustable thermostat to maintain desired room temperature. Other than these features, you also get castor wheels with a mounting plate for easy mobility. <br /><br />Right now, you can buy it for an impressive price of ₹6,789, down from its original price of ₹13,999.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B09M3F6YYF" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B09M3F6YYF_head"><div type="image" title="Borosil Volcano 11" msid="95681683" hostid="261" sizebytes="16128"></div></columnHeadThumb>B09M3F6YYF</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B09M3F6YYF_body"><bulletContentRow name="B09M3F6YYF_4278046227008697"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Borosil Volcano 11</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">If you are looking for an oil-filled room heater that gives wider coverage then Borosil Volcano 11 is worth considering. Equipped with 11 fins and 2900W of power, this oil-filled room heater is everything you need for the winter season. <br /><br />The room heater efficiently heats up and the in-built fan helps to disseminate the heat to the room. Currently, you can buy it for just ₹8,999, down from its original price of ₹17,490.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B08QHLXWV3" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B08QHLXWV3_head"><div type="image" title="Kenstar 2400" msid="95681698" hostid="261" sizebytes="28170"></div></columnHeadThumb>B08QHLXWV3</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B08QHLXWV3_body"><bulletContentRow name="B08QHLXWV3_6700505656530946"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Kenstar 2400</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This oil-filled room heater features a PTC fan that is said to give quick heating and it is also equipped with overheating protection. In this oil-filled heater, you get 3 heat settings- 1000/ 1500/ 2500 watts with an additional 400 watts (Heater+Fan). <br /><br />It is available for just ₹6,990 on Amazon, down from its original price of ₹12,499.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B01N2RYSXX" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B01N2RYSXX_head"><div type="image" title="Bajaj Majesty RH 11F" msid="95681729" hostid="261" sizebytes="29318"></div></columnHeadThumb>B01N2RYSXX</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B01N2RYSXX_body"><bulletContentRow name="B01N2RYSXX_6102119225680104"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Bajaj Majesty RH 11F</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This 25 watts 11 fins oil-filled room heater is ideal for small rooms. It comes with a custom adjustable thermostat and three heat settings- 1 W/ 15 W/ 25 W. For ease of mobility, Bajaj has equipped it with castor wheels.<br /><br />Right now you can buy it for just ₹8,999, down from its original price of ₹16,990.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B09KH4N7XR" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B09KH4N7XR_head"><div type="image" title="GLEN 2000" msid="95681739" hostid="261" sizebytes="16464"></div></columnHeadThumb>B09KH4N7XR</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B09KH4N7XR_body"><bulletContentRow name="B09KH4N7XR_1416505587435075"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">GLEN 2000</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This oil-filled heater from Glen comes equipped with 9 fins to circulate the hot oil and to maximize heat circulation in the room. To control temperature settings, it comes equipped with a thermostat. Other than this, you get 2 years of warranty on this product. <br /><br />You can buy it just for ₹6,047, down from its original price of ₹10,995.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br />

Best oil heaters in India

<p><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1556027347814000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGD917ahwArVCzm_L58a7H6HqSECg">Insider Picks</a><span> </span>writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.</em></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Francesca Rea / Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">The aptly-named Cuisinart AFR-25 Compact AirFryer is small enough to fit on a tight counter space.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Frying foods in oil adds texture and flavor, but also adds fat and unnecessary calories. </strong></li><li><strong>Air frying eliminates the need for oil and ultimately, the extra fat and calories, but also adds a crispy texture b<span style="color: #000000;">y using hot air and convection.</span></strong></li><li><strong>I used the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cuisinart AFR-25 Compact AirFryer (currently $98.99 from Amazon)</a> on a weeks' worth of vegetables to see if I could get the texture of traditionally fried veggies without the extra oil saturation. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of use, shorter cooking times, and of course, delicious results.</strong></li></ul><p>Everyone loves a heaping pile of fried onion rings, fried chicken, and even fried veggies, but it's no secret how unhealthy it is to eat food drenched in fatty oils and unwanted calories. What are we supposed to do though - never enjoy the crunch of a crisp French fry or taste of breaded chicken sandwich? That's absurd.</p><p>I prep my dinners every Sunday in an effort to stay out of my tiny kitchen (and out of the way of my three roommates) and make my evening dinners run smoother. Personally, I love roasting vegetables in the oven to achieve a crunchy, crispy texture, but the only way I can do that is to toss them in olive oil. And although olive oil contains healthy fat (monounsaturated fatty acids), I'm guilty of a heavy pour and don't always feel the best after eating my supposedly healthy foods drenched in oil. In an effort to make better choices and stop soaking my food - especially my veggies - in oil, I decided to try air frying with the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cuisinart AFR-25 Compact AirFryer (currently $98.99 from Amazon)</a>.</p><h2>What is air frying?</h2><p>Air frying isn't the newest trend in the kitchen world and I know a lot of people who have wonderful things to say about it, but it's totally new to me and I've never tried out the technique myself. </p><p>According to <a href="https://www.thekitchn.com/how-do-air-fryers-work-265185" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Kitchn</a>, an air fryer works similarly to that of a convection oven. An air fryer will use a heating element and a fan to move air very quickly in a circular-motion around the food you're "frying.<span style="color: #000000;">" This quick movement of air works its way around all sides of the food to not only cook thoroughly, but create a crispy edge. </span></p><p>But there are several features that make them totally different than your <em>regular</em> oven, which surrounds your food with hot air but doesn't circulate the air inside the unit. First, air fryers usually contain a standard frying basket. This perforated surface is key to ensuring your food is in constant contact with the swirling hot air. Second, air fryers are much smaller than a typical oven which helps intensify the direct cooking and crisping process. Third, due to the high speed of circulation paired with the smaller cooking space, air fryers can cook food in a shorter amount of time.</p><p>It should be noted that air frying is not the same as frying with oil - for obvious and not-so-obvious reasons. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">By definition</a>, frying requires a pan, heat, and fat, but with an air fryer, all you need is heat. It won't give you the flavor that vegetable or other oils can, but it will give you that crispy, crunchy texture that's achieved via oil frying. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Francesca Rea / Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Air fryers use convection heat to achieve a fried-like texture.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Cuisinart AirFryer specs</h2><p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cuisinart AFR-25 Compact AirFryer</a> is small in size and weight, measuring 12 inches long, 11.75 inches wide, and 11.5 inches tall, and weighs 15.4 pounds. The unit itself is compact but can fit a large capacity and is capable of air frying up to 2.5 pounds of food at a time. </p><p>The exterior of the unit is made from brushed stainless steel with an entry door that has a viewing window, and two knobs for simplicity and ease of use. One control sets the cooking temperature (which goes from warm to 450 degrees Fahrenheit) and the other sets the cooking time (zero to 60 minutes). In addition, the timer "dings" to indicate that cooking is complete. The rear of the unit has an exhaust vent that releases a portion of the circulating hot air to help regulate the temperature inside the air fryer, and is also where the power cord is located.</p><p>The interior of the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cuisinart AFR-25 Compact AirFryer</a> is made of nonstick stainless steel for quick cleaning. It also houses the motor fan and heater (which is what makes the magic happen). The unit comes with a frying basket and drip pan, which can also be used as a baking pan. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Francesca Rea / Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">I cooked a weeks' worth of vegetables in my Cuisinart AirFryer instead of roasting them with olive oil like I usually do.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>What I cooked</h2><p>So like I mentioned previously, I meal prep on Sundays and mass-roast vegetables and sides to accompany my main meal. That means I cook things like asparagus, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and zucchini every week, and with a lot of oil. This past weekend, I decided to air fry a weeks' worth of sweet potatoes, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts to see if I could achieve the same texture and satisfaction without using oil. </p><p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cuisinart AFR-25 Compact AirFryer</a> fit perfectly on our peninsula counter and gave me plenty of room to cut veggies directly in front of the unit, which saved me from having to move from one small patch of counter space to another.</p><p>The manual came with a small cookbook filled with recipes. As I read through them, I noticed the company recommended using an olive oil spray to coat the frying basket prior to adding your food. Most of the recipes also give you the option to drizzle about half of a tablespoon of olive oil on your food, but since I was trying to cook oil-free, I opted not to. </p><p>From there, all I had to do was refer to the recipes for cooking temperatures and times and season my veggies as I pleased (my go-to is salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder). The one thing I found tricky was that the seasonings had nothing to stick to since I didn't use oil, so a good portion of my precious garlic powder fell onto the drip pan below. Because of this, I decided to line the drip pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup later.</p><p>After that, I went ahead with the actual air frying. I was happy to learn that instead of needing to cook my sweet potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, they were done in 15 minutes. As I made more veggies, the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AirFryer</a> helped me shave off about 10 minutes of cooking time for each batch.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Francesca Rea / Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">All of the veggies I made had a crispy exterior with a soft interior.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>After each <em>ding</em>, when I'd pull out the pan/basket to see my fully cooked veggies, I'd noticed that browning favored one side of my food because I didn't shake the basket halfway through cooking, which is something I plan to do next week. The little bit of spray I used kept everything from sticking too, which I was happy about when it came time for cleaning. </p><p>So what did everything taste like? Each vegetable I made had a crispy exterior with a soft interior. The tips of my asparagus crunched the same like a potato chip without feeling like they were dried out and fragile. Similarly, both the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.</p><p>Like I mentioned before, it was obvious that I didn't use oil to prepare these veggies like I have done in the past. They lacked that saturated texture and oil taste, but that didn't correlate to a lack of flavor at all. Instead of feeling and tasting heavy with oil, my vegetables tasted light and airy - the way healthy food should. </p><p>Overall, the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cuisinart AFR-25 Compact AirFryer</a> was straightforward to use, helped me cut down on cooking time, and was easy to clean. Air frying also helped me achieve a non-oily taste without compromising on satisfaction and flavor.</p><p>Now that I have healthy fried veggies down, I fully plan to use my <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cuisinart Compact AirFryer</a> for a healthy spin on grilled cheese, onion rings, and fried chicken.</p><h3><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBLY2D2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_042219_cuisinart-afr-25-compact-airfryer-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07JBLY2D2&amp;linkId=d3e47a23d9810f1af8e22ac9591f09b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy the <strong>Cuisinart</strong> AFR-25 Compact AirFryer from Amazon for $98.99</a></h3><p class="tagline"><a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a><br><br>Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>.<br><br>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.</br></br></br></br></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stop-washing-your-hair-no-poo-movement-shampoo-hygiene-2019-4">What happens if you stop washing your hair for a year</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The $100 Cuisinart AirFryer makes crispy vegetables without additional oil - I ate fried veggies for a week and didn't notice a difference in taste or texture

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_Ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Best Buy</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>A high-quality smart thermostat is easy to install, can be adjusted from anywhere, and helps you save hundreds of dollars each year off your energy costs.</strong></li><li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>I like the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control</a> because its app is outstanding, and you can program the thermostat to run the HVAC at more energy-saving temperatures when you are sleeping or away.</strong></li><li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Though it's one of the most expensive smart thermostats available (</strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>currently $246 on Amazon</strong></a><strong>), it integrates with most smart-home systems and comes with a SmartSensor and a three-year limited warranty.</strong></li></ul><p>Stop me if you've heard this one before. You're lying in bed all cozy ready to drift off to sleep. Suddenly, you remember that you failed to turn down the heat for the night. For me, if I don't get up and adjust the temp, I'll have a night of sweating and restless sleep. And at the very least, it contributes to higher electric bills.</p><p>With a good smart thermostat, you can turn down the temperature - or turn off the air conditioning - from the comfort of your bed. In fact, you can program it so the comfort settings automatically adjust at your usual bedtime.</p><p>One of the top names in smart thermostats is Ecobee. This Toronto-based company recently sent me the latest generation of its <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SmartThermostat</a>, and I am impressed by how easy it is to use and schedule as well as how clearly the built-in speaker plays music. Below are the details of my experience.</p><h2>Specs</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control</a> comes with a mounting plate, large trim plate, wire labels, and an install and quick start guide. Here are some of the more important specs:</p><ul><li style="font-weight: 400;">Display: 3.5-inch full-color, 320 x 480 pixel LCD touchscreen</li><li style="font-weight: 400;">Thermostat dimensions: 4.3 inches square by 1 inch deep</li><li style="font-weight: 400;">Trim plate dimensions: 6.2 inches square by 0.3 inches deep</li><li style="font-weight: 400;">Processor: 1.5GHz quad-core Cortez A35</li><li style="font-weight: 400;">Memory: 4GB flash eMMC and 512MB DDR4 RAM</li><li style="font-weight: 400;">Compatible with gas, oil, electric, dual-fuel, conventional (2H/2C), heat pump (4H/2C), humidifier, dehumidifier, ventilator, HRV, or ERV</li><li style="font-weight: 400;">Dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi</li><li style="font-weight: 400;">Works with Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Apple HomeKit, IFTTT, <a href="https://www.ecobee.com/ecobee-partnerships/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and others</a></li><li style="font-weight: 400;">Desired temperature range: 45 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit</li><li style="font-weight: 400;">Warranty: 3 years</li></ul><p>For more specs, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visit the Ecobee product page</a>.</p><h2>Set-up process for the Ecobee SmartThermostat</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://bestbuy.7tiv.net/c/196318/614286/10014?subId1=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fecobee-smart-thermostat-with-voice-control-black%2F6339170.p%3FskuId%3D6339170" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Best Buy</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>I let the professionals take care of the set-up process. The local contractors had to install a new wire from my boiler to the thermostat. They also connected the thermostat to my Wi-Fi, which I've since played around with and found incredibly easy to do. The contractors took about an hour to complete the installation process.</p><p>They were not able to get the SmartSensor to connect, but I took care of that once they left. It required some finessing, but after about 10 minutes, I had it connected and placed it on our second floor. Connecting Alexa took another three minutes. </p><h2>What makes this smart thermostat stand out</h2><p>My favorite aspect of the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecobee SmartThermostat</a> is the app, which I already had on my phone after installing the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ecobee-switch-alexa-light-switch-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Switch+</a>. The app is intuitive and user-friendly. Ecobee clearly put in the time and resources to develop it and keep it functioning seamlessly. </p><p>One of the best functions of the app is the scheduling. At night, I try to cut down on our energy costs by turning the heat down or the air conditioning off, depending on the season. In my pre-Ecobee SmartThermostat life, I was pretty good at remembering to do this manually. However, there were plenty of nights when I'd be half-asleep in bed before remembering. With the scheduling, I simply set the AC to turn off at 9 p.m. every night this summer. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Scheduling is also helpful if you are away from home during the day, and keeping your place at a comfortable temperature isn't necessary. Just plug the times you're usually away into the app and choose what temperature you prefer while gone.</p><p>I also like that I can control the temperature of my house from anywhere in the world using the app. Due to a lack of foresight, our thermostat is located in the guest room. For the most part, this isn't a problem. However, my Angeleno sister-in-law can't handle the Michigan winters. She cranks the heat when she visits. With the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecobee SmartThermostat</a>, I can take back control of the heat and freeze my family like a stereotypical dad. Maybe I'll pick up a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dyson-heater-air-purifier-pure-hot-cool-link-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">space heater</a> for her. Maybe.</p><p>When I saw that the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SmartThermostat</a> has built-in Alexa, I didn't think too much of it. I don't have Alexa in every room of my home, so the voice control abilities aren't really necessary for me. Plus, I'm fine using the app. But what did impress me is the speaker. You haven't lived until you've blasted dubstep out of your thermostat. Though it's too small to get decent bass, the sound is surprisingly clear and loud. I got a reading of 90 decibels at 12 inches from the speaker. </p><h2>Cons to consider</h2><p>The SmartSensor is frustrating. As I mentioned, the contractors and I had a hard time getting it to connect to the main unit. Once I did get it to connect, the battery died within a few weeks. I replaced it, but then it would not connect again. At this point, I've given up on it. I've reached out to Ecobee and will update this review when I hear back.  When the SmartSensor is working, it tells you the temperature and occupancy info for the room where it's located and adjusts to keep the room comfortable. If the temperature varies drastically throughout your home, this is a nice feature to have.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SmartThermostat</a> isn't readily compatible with all homes. You see, about a year ago, I tried to install the Ecobee4 on my own and failed. This wasn't necessarily the company's fault. It had more to do with how old my house is. It just doesn't have the right wiring. I tried a workaround, but that didn't help. Before buying the SmartThermostat, <a href="https://www.ecobee.com/compatibility/thermostat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check the compatibility</a>. If it turns out your wiring is not compatible, don't give up. The savings in energy costs may be worth it to hire professionals to install your thermostat.</p><h2>The bottom line</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>It was well worth updating my wiring to install the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecobee SmartThermostat</a>. Now the temperature in my house adjusts automatically to balance energy savings and comfort. But there are a lot of smart thermostats on the market. Below, we will look at whether you should choose an Ecobee model or look elsewhere.</p><h3>Should you buy it?</h3><p>If you are looking for the fanciest, most high-tech smart thermostat from a reputable company, the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecobee SmartThermostat</a> is the way to go. However, at $249, you may want to save a few bucks and forgo some of the bells and whistles. Fortunately, Ecobee has other options at a lower price point.</p><h3>Which model should you get?</h3><p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06W2LQY6L/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B06W2LQY6L&amp;linkId=089a63a2a57bb74644357aa080df1b0e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecobee4 is currently $193 on Amazon</a>. It comes with Alexa built in and a room sensor, which functions similarly to the SmartSensor. However, compared to the SmartThermostat, the Ecobee4 doesn't have full Alexa functionality, dual-band Wi-Fi (the Ecobee4 is single band), or Spotify Connect access.</p><p>If you don't care about having voice control of your thermostat or extra room sensors, you can save even more by choosing the popular Ecobee3, which <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06W56TBLN/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B06W56TBLN&amp;linkId=4beb161a1eb06cc5fc4dd403f3cf6561" target="_blank" rel="noopener">currently sells for $164.66 on Amazon</a>.</p><h3>What are your alternatives?</h3><p>If Ecobee's smart thermostats don't interest you, there are several other alternatives available. Our guide to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-thermostat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best smart thermostats</a> includes our top recommendations. Or for our head-to-head comparison of the new Ecobee to the wildly popular <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0131RG6VK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B0131RG6VK&amp;linkId=1ea569cd1d660f4faeb10694945b1da8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nest Learning Thermostat</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nest-learning-thermostat-vs-ecobee-smart-thermostat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out this article</a>.</p><p>Overall, I highly recommend the Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control if you are interested in saving money on your energy bill and want the most high-tech option from a well-established company. The app is packed with features, the speaker sounds great, and it integrates well into any smart household. </p><p><strong>Pros:</strong> Dual-band Wi-Fi, built-in Alexa, speakers that actually sound decent, user-friendly app, integrates into the most popular smart-home systems</p><p><strong>Cons:</strong> Expensive, not compatible with all homes, trouble connecting SmartSensor</p><h3><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NQT85FC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07NQT85FC&amp;linkId=ac9b7f75b694dbb361c3fb023b15b366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy the Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control on Amazon for $245.90</a> or <a href="http://bestbuy.7tiv.net/c/196318/614286/10014?subId1=biip_090319_ecobee-smart-thermostat-product-review&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fecobee-smart-thermostat-with-voice-control-black%2F6339170.p%3FskuId%3D6339170" target="_blank" rel="noopener">from Best Buy for $249</a></h3><p class="tagline"><p><a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a><br><br>Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>.<br><br>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.</br></br></br></br></p></p>

The new Ecobee SmartThermostat not only slashes your energy bills, it also has a great speaker and built-in Alexa - here's why I recommend it

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A TikToker who lives in a housetruck in the woods showed viewers how she washes her hair during winter months.</li><li>She turned the water to scalding amid below-freezing temperatures.</li></ul><p>A woman who lives in a "housetruck" in the middle of the Canadian woods went viral after showing viewers her haircare routine outdoors in the freezing woods. While most people were intrigued and impressed, she also received — and responded to — criticism about using non-biodegradable products. </p><p>Kai, who's in her mid-thirties and based in coastal British Columbia, told Business Insider she began constructing her housetruck — a kind of dwelling that converts old trucks and buses into homes, which rose to popularity in the 60s and 70s — a decade ago and moved in roughly five years ago with her partner and their cat.</p><p>She told Business Insider she started sharing her journey on TikTok during COVID; now, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@the_ugly_truckling">908,000 followers</a> are riveted by her off-the-grid lifestyle.</p> <p>Winters are the hardest part about living in a housetruck, Kai told BI — and one struggle in particular riveted viewers recently.</p><p>In a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@the_ugly_truckling/video/7307028509921250566">clip</a> shared last week with 4.1 million views, Kai showed viewers how she washes her hair outside in -5 degrees Celsius temperatures (23 degrees Fahrenheit). She first chopped firewood to ensure her house would be warm after her shower, then thawed out her shower hose and turned the water to "scalding" before grabbing her Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner, which were frozen solid.</p><p>Kai is connected to a well water, she explained on TikTok, which flows through her propane-powered water heater. The greywater, or waste water from domestic activities, then goes into a septic tank in the ground, which is pumped out to a nearby leach field.</p><p>Viewers were envious of her lustrous locks, and many applauded her motivation to shower outdoors in frigid conditions. (An indoor shower is currently in the works, Kai said on TikTok.)</p><p><br />"-5???? You're dressed like it's 55<span>°????" one commenter marveled at the TikToker wearing a flannel shirt over a sweater.</span></p><p>But some people — including one top-voted commenter — criticized her for her use of commercial hair products. "If the water is draining into the ground," the commenter wrote, "you really should be using a harmless shampoo like dr bronner's."<br /><br />Kai responded to these concerns in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@the_ugly_truckling/video/7307410964029181190">subsequent video</a> posted a day later.</p> <p>Kai said she's tried eco-friendly products in the past, but the fats they contain, such as shea butter and coconut oil, can congeal when frozen and have clogged up her septic system.</p><p>While it's not an excuse for using conventional products, Kai told BI her overall lifestyle is "much more eco-friendly than … most other people." For example, she noted that she shops in bulk, uses little electricity, disposes of all waste and recycling personally, and eats vegetables she grows in her garden during the summer.</p><p>Nevertheless, she solicited recommendations for eco-friendly hair products that were affordable and accessible in Canada. Some suggested solid shampoo and conditioner bars to prevent freezing, and she's currently researching new options.</p><p>When a video goes viral, Kai said she expects floods of criticism since it reaches beyond her main follower base. She's learned to let it wash off her back — even as many rushed to her defense.</p><p>"Can't believe with everything going on in this world people are worried about a woman taking a shower outside," one viewer wrote under her response video. "Keep doing you!!"</p>

A woman who lives in a 'housetruck' in the woods showed how she washes her hair in the freezing cold — and responded to critics about not using eco-friendly products

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Congress passed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/read-heres-whats-in-the-manchin-deal-for-bidens-agenda-2022-7">the Inflation Reduction Act</a> on Friday, sending it to President Joe Biden to sign into law.</li><li>The bill includes a $369 billion <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/global-food-crisis-unfolding-how-its-affecting-13-places-worldwide-2022-8">climate</a> package that Sen. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dem-talks-manchin-were-secretive-schumers-no-2-didnt-know-2022-7">Chuck Schumer</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/manchin-fends-off-gop-attack-new-bill-raise-taxes-americans-2022-8">Joe Manchin</a> agreed to.</li></ul><p>Congress just passed <a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/inflation_reduction_act_of_2022.pdf">the most significant climate bill</a> in US history, paving the way for cheaper energy and a more livable planet.</p><p>On Friday, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-passes-inflation-reduction-act-sending-it-to-biden-2022-8">the House approved the Inflation Reduction Act</a>, clearing the bill's last obstacle in Congress and sending it to President Joe Biden's desk for him to sign into law. The plan doles out <a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/inflation_reduction_act_one_page_summary.pdf?utm_campaign=Nexus%20Finance%20Newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=221448446&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_rYVKOck_JqOvKeFrIbrbT5IF7UMOyVe9zdKbTDFK_sRD-Vs9Ah4wqanaRimAtUeXm0XAoC66kQuGbWej-vkzsulKMuA&amp;utm_content=221448446&amp;utm_source=hs_email">about $369 billion for climate programs</a>, aiming to expand renewable energy such as solar, wind, and cleaner fuels, while making it less expensive to buy electric vehicles and home appliances.</p><p>The act is more than a year and a half in the making. In its final weeks, it wasn't clear if its climate plan would survive, as Democratic holdouts Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona prevented the party unity required to get the package through Congress. But <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-reach-agreement-on-inflation-reduction-act-schumer-says-2022-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">Democrats quickly united</a> to pass the bill after Manchin and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer struck a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/manchin-deal-on-biden-agenda-democrats-midterms-congress-2022-7">surprise deal</a> on July 27.</p><div type="image" title="workers install solar panels using a drill" height="1707" width="2276" msid="93379972" hostid="261"></div><p>Once it becomes law, the bill would put the US on track to cut its greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 44% from 2005 levels by the end of the decade, <a href="https://rhg.com/research/inflation-reduction-act/">according to</a> <a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/inflation_reduction_act_one_page_summary.pdf">multiple assessments</a>.</p><p>Experts say the new climate plan also promises savings, health boons, and higher quality of living for everyday people across the US.</p><div type="image" title="sun sets behind power transmission lines" height="1584" width="2113" msid="93332119" hostid="261"></div><p>"This isn't about the sky, or the polar bears," Jonathan Foley, executive director of Project Drawdown, a climate nonprofit, told Insider, adding, "This is about you and your pocketbook, your jobs, the air your kids breathe, the town you live in, our national security."</p><p>Here are five ways the new climate-change package could make your life better:</p><h2>Lower energy bills</h2><div type="image" title="woman stirs pot on stove under light fixtures" height="1440" width="1920" msid="93332121" hostid="261"></div><p>The new climate plan includes about $30 billion in loans and grants for states and electric utilities to adopt more renewable energy, plus more than $60 billion in tax credits for manufacturers of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries for electric vehicles, energy storage, and other technology, <a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/summary_of_the_energy_security_and_climate_change_investments_in_the_inflation_reduction_act_of_2022.pdf">according to a summary from Senate Democrats</a>.</p><p>Solar and wind <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/renewables-cheapest-energy-source/#:~:text=Financing%20the%20transition%20to%20renewable,major%20countries%2C%20the%20outlook%20found.">already generated cheaper electricity than fossil fuels</a>, even before oil and gas prices soared this year. Yet they still only <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=46676#:~:text=In%20its%20Annual%20Energy%20Outlook,for%20most%20of%20that%20growth.">account for about 20%</a> of US energy use. The Inflation Reduction Act could speed up a shift away from fossil fuels and also make it less expensive to hook up your home with electric.</p><div type="image" title="wind turbine in a field of turbines against blue sky mountains in the background" height="1533" width="2044" msid="93332123" hostid="261"></div><p>A total of $9 billion in home energy rebates goes to helping Americans insulate their homes and replace stoves, furnaces, water heaters, and other appliances with electric alternatives. Homeowners can deduct up to 30% of installation costs from their taxes. A similar deduction for solar is guaranteed for homeowners and expanded to residential battery storage.</p><p>"This is really about delivering lower energy bills for everyday Americans," Leah Stokes, an environment and energy politics professor at University of California, Santa Barbara, said in a press briefing on July 28. She noted that high oil and gas prices are a major driver of inflation that ripples across every industry, from transportation to manufacturing to agriculture.</p><div type="image" title="two adults one child eat dinner at a table with paper plates and bouquet of flowers" height="1533" width="2044" msid="93332124" hostid="261"></div><p>"When fossil fuels go up, other goods and services go up," Stokes said.</p><p>The average household could save $1,800 on their energy bill each year by installing a modern electric heat pump and rooftop solar and buying an electric vehicle, according to an <a href="https://www.rewiringamerica.org/policy/inflation-reduction-act">analysis by Rewiring America</a>, a think tank that promotes electrification.</p><h2>Cheaper electric vehicles</h2><div type="image" title="electric pump plugged into the back of a silver car" height="1533" width="2044" msid="93332125" hostid="261"></div><p>The bill extends an existing $7,500 tax credit for new EVs — offered as a discount at the point of sale — and offers up to $4,000 for used EVs and plug-in hybrids.</p><p>It also lifts the cap on the number of tax breaks automakers can offer, benefiting companies like Tesla, General Motors, and Toyota that already hit the limit, as long as the vehicle is assembled in the US.  </p><p>"Once people own an electric car, they're going to laugh every time they drive by a gas station, when they see $5 a gallon," Foley said, adding, "I think this will help us reach a tipping point, where five to 10 years from now you won't see gas cars sold anymore, or very few."</p><div type="image" title="blue gas station sign shows prices above six dollars" height="1533" width="2044" msid="93332126" hostid="261"></div><p>There are some caveats, like your income, the vehicle's price tag, and where its parts are made.</p><p>If you earn $150,000 or more a year, or $300,000 in joint family income, you won't qualify for the new car tax credit. There's a limit on the price of the car, too. Bigger vehicles, such as SUVs and pickup trucks, must cost less than $80,000, and smaller cars less than $55,000, to qualify for the credit.</p><p>For used cars, the income limit is $75,000 for single tax filers and $150,000 for joint filers. The sticker price must be $25,000 or below.</p><p>The bill also requires vehicle batteries to be made with 40% of minerals extracted or processed in countries the US has a free trade agreement with, or recycled in North America. But supply chains for those minerals don't exist yet, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/climate-bill-would-create-roadblock-for-full-ev-tax-credit/">E&amp;E News reported</a>. The majority of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and other minerals used in EV batteries come from China, Russia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, although analysts told E&amp;E News they hope the mandate spurs a made-in-America market.</p><h2>Cleaner air to breathe</h2><div type="image" title="silhouette on skateboard jumps through the air against blue sky sunset" height="1531" width="2042" msid="93332127" hostid="261"></div><p>With fewer gas-guzzling cars on the road, and fewer industrial sites powered by fossil fuels, air would be cleaner and safer to breathe.</p><p>"These sorts of climate measures could also reduce particulate matter or ozone smog, as kind of a side benefit that would directly, immediately improve health," Scot Miller, an assistant professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins, told Insider.</p><p>That drop in air pollution could prevent up to 3,900 premature deaths and 100,000 asthma attacks by 2030, according to an <a href="https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Modeling-the-Inflation-Reduction-Act-with-the-US-Energy-Policy-Simulator_8.1.22.pdf">analysis</a> by the policy-research firm Energy Innovation LLC.</p><div type="image" title="tall buildings poke out above layer of green brown smog in valley with mountains in the background" height="1593" width="2124" msid="93332129" hostid="261"></div><p>The American Lung Association pointed to those clean air and health gains in a <a href="https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/lung-association-inflation-reduction-act-statement">statement</a> on July 28, urging Congress to "move swiftly" and "without delay" to pass the new bill into law.</p><p>The bill also includes provisions to fund cleanup of dangerous pollution sites, which are disproportionately concentrated in low-income communities of color.</p><p>The investment is "probably not enough, but it's more than we've ever spent before," Foley said.</p><h2>Jobs, jobs, jobs</h2><div type="image" title="workers install a large vehicle battery onto an orange table" height="1451" width="1934" msid="93332130" hostid="261"></div><p>By investing about $60 billion in manufacturing — everything from heat pumps to wind turbines — this climate plan could help keep clean-energy companies in the US, securing "good paying, and hopefully union, jobs," Stokes said.</p><p>It's not just manufacturing. Renewable-energy infrastructure needs to be installed and maintained. The bill funds new electricity-transmission lines, offshore wind projects, housing retrofits, renewable-energy projects in rural areas, and repurposing or replacing defunct energy infrastructure.</p><div type="image" title="worker sits inside the base of a giant tube shaped wind turbine blade on its side inside manufacturing garage facility" height="1666" width="2223" msid="93332131" hostid="261"></div><p>All that work requires workers. The new climate plan would create up to 1.5 million jobs by 2030, according to the Energy Innovation analysis.</p><p>The bill also focuses on communities historically associated with oil, gas, and coal extraction, by providing a tax incentive for companies that create renewable-energy jobs in those places.</p><h2>Protection from extreme weather</h2><div type="image" title="man shields baby's fun from the sun in kiddie pool" height="1666" width="2222" msid="93332132" hostid="261"></div><p>Climate change is making droughts, floods, wildfires, and heat waves more severe and more frequent. These weather events cause serious damage to human property and infrastructure and cost lives.</p><p>The bill provides funding for communities to mitigate the health effects of extreme heat, to prevent and respond to wildfires, and to prepare for coastal climate impacts like severe hurricanes and flooding from sea-level rise. It now includes billions of dollars to fight droughts, a request Sinema made before giving her approval, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/04/us/politics/sinema-inflation-reduction-act.html">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>The bill also gives the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) a funding boost for forecasting and research.</p><div type="image" title="california wildfire house in flames burning down" height="1666" width="2222" msid="93332133" hostid="261"></div><p>While the new funds would help communities adapt to extreme events, the bill could also help prevent weather from getting even more extreme. If the world cuts emissions enough to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, that could prevent a significant acceleration in the severity and coverage area of extreme weather.</p><p>"I think everyone I work with in the emissions community is sort of holding their breath and hoping that this [bill] goes through," Miller said.</p><p><em>This story has been updated with new information. It was originally published on August 3, 2022.</em></p>

Congress passed the biggest climate package in US history. For you, it means cheap energy, clean air, and jobs.

New Delhi, Feb 1 () A large number of items including cigarettes, chewing tobacco along with imported products, like edible oils, fans, table, footwear, electric vehicles, tableware, kitchenware, toys and furniture are set to become more expensive due to hike in taxes proposed in the Union Budget for 2020-21.
<p> On the other hand, newsprint, sports goods, microphone will become cheaper as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed reduction in duties on these items in the Budget for 2020-21.
</p><p> Following is a list of imported items that will become costlier following the announcements in the Budget --
</p><p> &gt; Butter ghee, butter oil, edible oils, peanut butter
</p><p> &gt; Whey, meslin, maize, sugar beet seeds, preserved potato
</p><p> &gt; Chewing gum, dietary soya fibre, isolated soya protein
</p><p> &gt; Walnuts (shelled)
</p><p> &gt; Footwear, shavers, hair clippers, hair-removing appliances
</p><p> &gt; Tableware, kitchenware, water filters, glassware
</p><p> &gt; Household articles of porcelain or china
</p><p> &gt; Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, rough coloured gemstones
</p><p> &gt; Padlocks
</p><p> &gt; Hand sieves and hand riddles
</p><p> &gt; Combs, hairpins, curling pins, curling grips, hair curlers
</p><p> &gt; Table fans, ceiling fans and pedestal fans
</p><p> &gt; Portable blowers
</p><p> &gt; Water heaters and immersion heaters
</p><p> &gt; Hair dryers, hand drying apparatus and electric irons
</p><p> &gt; Food grinders, ovens, cookers, cooking plates, boiling rings, grillers and roasters
</p><p> &gt; Coffee and tea makers and toasters
</p><p> &gt; Electro-thermic fluid heaters, devices for repelling insects and electric heating resistors
</p><p> &gt; Furniture, lamps and lighting fittings
</p><p> &gt; Toys, stationery item, artificial flowers, bells, gongs, statuettes, trophies
</p><p> &gt; Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) of cellular mobile phones, display panel and touch assembly, fingerprint readers for use in cellular mobile phones
</p><p> The government has proposed to hike the Excise duty on cigarettes, Hookah, Chewing tobacco, Jarda scented tobacco and Tobacco extracts and essence.
</p><p> The government has proposed to reduce the custom duty on the import of the following item
</p><p> &gt; Pure-bred breeding horses
</p><p> &gt; Newsprint C
</p><p> &gt; Sports goods
</p><p> &gt; Microphone
</p> &gt; Electric vehicles.  KRH  DRR

Budget 2020: Cigarettes, imported products, furniture, footwear to become costlier

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="120454" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="dry-skin">Dry skin</keyword> causes symptoms like itchiness, irritation, and pain.</li><li>Some things that can cause dry <keyword id="6371970" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="skin">skin</keyword> are harsh soaps, hot baths, chlorinated pools, winter weather, and heaters.</li><li>You may also be more at risk for dry skin if you are an older adult, if you live in a cold and dry climate, or if you take certain blood pressure medications. </li><li>This article <a href="https://www.insider.com/insider-medical-review-board" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was medically reviewed</a> by <a href="https://www.drjaliman.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Debra Jaliman, MD</a>, a board-certified dermatologist with a private practice in New York City.</li></ul><p>Dry skin is a very common and usually harmless skin ailment. While dry skin isn't necessarily a cause for concern, it can be itchy and look flaky in the mirror. Here how to know what may be causing your dry skin so you can take measures to treat it.   </p><h2><strong>The symptoms of dry skin</strong></h2><p>Dryness isn't the only symptom of dry skin. According to <a href="https://www.schweigerderm.com/providers/michele-farber-md/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michele Farber, MD</a> a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City, some other symptoms of dry skin are:</p><ul><li>Itchiness</li><li>Irritation</li><li>Cracked skin</li><li>Tightness</li><li>Pain</li><li>Bleeding </li></ul><p>Additionally, you will usually be able to tell that the skin is dry by looking at it. The <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dry-skin/symptoms-causes/syc-20353885" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appearance of dry skin</a> may be rough or scaly, and it might be peeling or flaky. This dryness may occur on the skin of specific body parts, such as the hands, or the dryness might be more widespread, most commonly on the extremities: your arms and legs, according to Farber.</p><h2>The causes of dry skin</h2><p>There is a multitude of causes for dry skin that can depend on everything from the weather to your cleaning products.</p><p>Here are some common causes of  dry skin:</p><ul><li><strong>Harsh soaps: </strong>Soaps are emulsifiers, designed to remove unwanted oils, grease, and dirt. "The skin has natural sebum or oil that helps retain moisture. When removing unwanted oil and dirt, soap does not distinguish between natural oil on the skin and unwanted excess oil, and can cause overdrying," says Farber.  Additionally, ingredients like sulfates or added fragrances in soap may be irritating and drying. According to Farber, harsh soaps can disrupt the skin barrier and make skin more susceptible to becoming dry. Even if you aren't using harsh soap, the repeated act of lathering and rinsing can strip natural oils from your skin.</li><li><strong>Hot water: </strong>While many people enjoy taking long hot showers or baths, the hot water can take a toll on the skin. Farber says hot showers are a big culprit. The hotter the water in the bath or shower, the harsher it will be on the skin, stripping it of the skin's natural oils that keep it moisturized. She says hot water temperatures, usually above 105º Fahrenheit will cause irritation. </li><li><strong>Chlorinated pools or hot tubs: </strong>Most pool and hot tub water contains chlorine to kill bacteria and other potentially harmful organisms in the water. However, this<a href="https://acaai.org/allergies/types/allergy-myths/chlorine-allergy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> chlorine dries skin out </a>and can further aggravate already irritated skin. Damage is double in a hot tub, since you also experience the drying effects of the hot water. </li><li><strong>Winter weather: </strong>According to Farber, cold weather reduces humidity and pulls water from the skin. The combination of the cold air and low humidity leads to dry, dehydrated skin. This is common, and even has its own name. People call it the "<a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/what-to-do-about-dry-skin-in-winter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">winter itch</a>."</li><li><strong>Heaters: </strong>Farber says that cranking up the heat can cause dry skin, adding even more to the damage of winter on skin. Regardless of if you are using central heat or space heaters, any type of heater will reduce the humidity in your home, which can suck the moisture out of your skin.</li><li><strong>Pre-existing skin conditions: </strong>Your skin will be more sensitive to outside forces if you are already dealing with a skin condition. "Underlying skin conditions exacerbate this process because people are already more sensitive to outside irritation and the skin barrier does not function in the same way," says Farber.</li></ul><h2>Risk factors for dry skin</h2><p>According to Farber, some people are more prone to dry skin than others. Factors that can increase your risk include:</p><ul><li><strong>Age</strong>: The skin naturally will become dryer with age, Farber says. According to the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dry-skin/symptoms-causes/syc-20353885">Mayo Clinic</a>, over 50% of older adults have dry skin. </li><li><strong>Climate</strong>: If you live somewhere that has an extreme climate that is cold and dry most of the time, you're at higher risk for dry skin.</li><li><strong>Occupations involving chemicals and/or frequent washing</strong>: "Any occupation that exposes the skin to chemicals, frequent washing, or keeping skin in water for prolonged periods can cause chronic irritation," says Farber. Some examples are healthcare workers, cleaning jobs, hair stylists, construction, and food industry workers. </li><li><strong>Medications</strong>: Some blood pressure medicines and topical acne treatments can contribute to dry skin.</li></ul><p>On top of this, dry skin might be a result of certain <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> conditions, Farber says. Even conditions that aren't directly pertaining to the skin can affect it. Some examples are:</p><ul><li>Eczema</li><li>Psoriasis</li><li><a href="https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/diabetes-warning-signs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Diabetes</a></li><li><a href="https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/thyroid-disease-skin-changes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hypothyroidism</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.kidney.org/news/ekidney/august14/10_Signs_You_May_Have_Kidney_Disease" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kidney disease</a></li></ul><p>If your dry skin doesn't get better with behavioral changes and moisturizers, you should make an appointment with a doctor to make sure it's not something more serious. </p><h2 id="related-articles-from-health-reference:">Related articles from <a href="https://www.insider.com/health-reference" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Health Reference</a>:</h2><ul><li><strong><a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-sun-poisoning" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What is sun poisoning and what makes it different from sunburn</a></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.insider.com/what-causes-freckles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ever wonder what causes freckles? Here's how they form</a></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.insider.com/are-tanning-beds-safe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tanning beds damage skin cells and even one session is dangerous</a></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-get-rid-of-ingrown-hair" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to get rid of ingrown hairs at home</a></strong></li></ul>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-causes-dry-skin">Insider</a>

The causes of dry skin, from hot showers to winter weather

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Anthuriums have waxy, colorful leaves called spathes that look like flowers.</li><li>As tropical plants, anthuriums prefer high humidity and a stable watering schedule.</li><li>Because anthuriums are almost always in bloom, fertilizer is not usually required.</li></ul><p>The bright and blushing anthurium plant is well-recognized among plant lovers as a flowering houseplant. This tropical plant, native to the Americas, is a showstopper with its waxy, heart-shaped leaves called spathes, that despite popular belief, aren't actually flowers at all.</p><p>Despite its high-maintenance look, the anthurium plant can be quite easy to care for with the right amount of attention. </p><p>Erin Marino, editorial lead and plant expert at <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesill.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sill</a>, shares her best tips on how to keep the charming anthurium plant looking like a fresh, colorful bouquet year-round.</p><h2><strong>Common anthurium varieties</strong></h2><p>Anthuriums are part of the Araceae family, the same as monsteras, philodendrons, pothos, and calla lilies. The genus Anthurium is the largest in the Araceae family, containing about 1,000 species of plants. </p><p>"Many species of Anthurium are grown as ornamental plants," says Marino. "Among the most popular species are Anthurium crystallinum and Anthurium clarinervium, but the hybrid species Anthurium andraeanum and Anthurium scherzerianum are the most common with colorful spathes referred to as flamingo flowers."</p><h2>At a glance</h2><ul><li><p><strong>Botanical name:</strong> Anthurium sp.</p></li><li><p><strong>Commonly known as:</strong> Anthurium, Flamingo flower, Laceleaf</p></li><li><p><strong>Hardiness zone:</strong> 10 or higher</p></li><li><p><strong>Toxic to pets:</strong> Yes</p></li><li><p><strong>Watering frequency:</strong> Once per week</p></li><li><p><strong>Soil type:</strong> Indoor potting mix</p></li><li><p><strong>Light exposure:</strong> Bright, indirect light</p></li></ul><h2><strong>Water</strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="A hand spraying an anthurium plant with a garden spritzer bottle" height="1413" width="1885" msid="87806627" hostid="261"></div><p>While anthuriums prefer a humid environment due to their topical origins, they only need to be watered once a week or so because their fleshy roots can easily become waterlogged. To maintain a good level of humidity and prevent overwatering, Marino recommends a humidifier while keeping a consistent weekly watering schedule.</p><p>"Anthuriums can benefit from increased humidity. If you have a humidifier at <keyword id="11898442" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="home" source="Orion">home</keyword>, keep it close by, or add a pebble tray with water under the planter," says Marino. "You can grow anthuriums with regular indoor humidity but, being a tropical plant, increased humidity will help it thrive indoors."</p><h2><strong>Potting and fertilizer</strong></h2><p>Anthuriums prefer a coarse potting mix, similar to orchid mix which typically contains thick pieces like pine bark. This mix allows the plant to avoid sitting in soggy soil. </p><p>"A well-draining, airy indoor potting mix will do," says Marino. "Avoid moisture-retention mixes that can lead to overwatering and root rot."</p><p>Fertilizer for anthuriums isn't always necessary — since these plants are almost always in bloom — especially in non-growing seasons when fertilizer can damage the roots.</p><p>However, a proper fertilizing schedule for an anthurium is once a month in the late spring and summer. It is also best to choose a fertilizer <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grow-More-High-Foss-10-52-10/dp/B01FG86AMW/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">high in phosphorus</a> (the middle number of the three on the label) diluted to one-quarter strength. </p><h2><strong>Light and temperature</strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="An anthurium plant on a table amid other houseplants and decorative items" height="2000" width="2666" msid="87806630" hostid="261"></div><p>Anthuriums will thrive outdoors in warmer climates, but as an indoor houseplant, Marino suggests keeping temperatures between 65 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. </p><p>"Different species of anthurium can have slightly different care requirements but generally, they thrive in bright indirect light with weekly waterings," says Marino. "Expect to water more often in brighter light and less often in lower, medium light."</p><p>Keep anthuriums away from heaters that dry out indoor air during the winter season. If your home is very dry, Marino recommends increasing humidity by adding a humidifier, placing a wet pebble tray under your planters, grouping plants with similar needs together, placing humidity-loving plants in a terrarium, and lightly misting every week. </p><h2><strong>Common problems</strong></h2><p>Like most <keyword id="12021028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="houseplants" source="Orion">houseplants</keyword>, anthuriums are susceptible to overwatering, root rot, and common pests such as aphids, spider mites, and scale. </p><p>"If you spot signs of a potential plant pest, isolate your plant and spray it down thoroughly with neem oil or <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesill.com%2Fproducts%2Farber-bio-insecticide%3Fvariant%3D39621169053801" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">insecticide</a>," says Marino. "You'll most likely have to repeat this process a few times over the course of one to two weeks to ensure your plant is rid of any pests before it can be moved back next to other houseplants."</p><p>For non-pest problems, Marino suggests looking out for yellow leaves and green flowers, which usually means too much direct light or underwatering; leaf elongation, which usually means lack of light; and browning leaf tips, which usually means low humidity.</p><h2><strong>Pruning</strong></h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="A person using scissors to prune a houseplant" height="1412" width="1883" msid="87806632" hostid="261"></div><p>Pruning is the practice of removing or trimming dead or dying foliage to promote new growth. To prune your anthurium, Marino suggests snipping off dead foliage using pruning shears at the base of the plant, or where the stem meets the potting mix. </p><h2><strong>Propagation</strong></h2><p>Propagating anthuriums can be a way to grow your blooming plant collection or gift to plant-loving friends. To propagate it, Marino recommends using a cutting from a healthy, mature plant.</p><p>"First, with clean pruners, cut off a healthy section of the stem that has multiple leaf nodes towards the bottom of the cutting. These nodes are where new roots will begin," says Marino. "Dip the bottom of the cutting in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Safe-Rooting-Hormone-2-Ounce/dp/B00XIV3WVW" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">root hormone</a> and stick it into a fresh, pre-moistened potting mix. Pat down around the base to secure the plant." </p><p>Keep your new anthurium in a warm spot, with indirect bright to medium light, and water when the soil has dried out. </p><h2><strong>Insider's takeaway</strong></h2><p>Anthuriums are the perfect houseplant to bring a tropical touch of color and vibrancy into the home. With a proper care routine that includes well-draining soil, a weekly watering, high humidity, and bright, indirect light, your anthurium can stay healthy and in bloom.</p>

How to grow and care for an anthurium plant

Table of Contents: Masthead Sticky<ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Money trees are popular in <a href="https://www.insider.com/bedroom-feng-shui" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feng shui</a> because they represent the practice's five elements.</strong></li><li><strong>As <keyword id="12021028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="houseplants" source="Orion">houseplants</keyword>, money trees have braided trunks that do not occur in their natural habitat.</strong></li><li><strong>This houseplant has long been said to bring good luck and fortune, according to lore.</strong></li></ul><p>You might think of <a href="https://www.insider.com/bedroom-feng-shui" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feng shui</a>, the ancient Chinese practice and philosophy of arranging pieces in a living space to bring harmony and balance, as only relating to furniture. Plants, however, are essential to feng shui practitioners for bringing in a connection to the natural world. </p><p>One of the most popular plants used in feng shui is the charming money tree, which represents the five elements of feng shui - wood, water, fire, metal, and earth. It is also a symbol of good luck and fortune for many, making it the perfect housewarming gift.</p><p>While money trees are a tropical tree native to Central and South America, they have been popularized throughout East and Southeast Asia. Erin Marino, editorial lead and plant expert at <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesill.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">The Sill</a>, shares her best care tips so any money tree can keep ushering in good luck and fortune.</p><h2><strong>Identifying a money tree</strong></h2><p>Money trees can be easily identified by their long, palm-like leaves and distinct braided trunk. While their interlaced trunks may seem like a naturally occurring feature, money trees with braided trunks were woven this way by farmers or gardeners in their young form due to their pliable stems by braiding three or more separate stems into one money tree.</p><p>"In their native habitat, the trunks of money trees are not braided," says Marino. "This is something that's become the norm over time for these plants when sold as houseplants. Some suggest it's meant to 'lock in' the good fortune of the plant."</p><p>Two species of the money tree are the most popular: <em>Pachira aquatica</em> and <em>Pachira glabra. </em>While P. aquatica is used as the umbrella species name for both species of money trees, P. glabra grows in lowland rainforests and bloom flowers with white stamens, while P. aquatica grows in coastal estuaries and bloom flowers with red stamens. </p><p>"Both plants are aesthetically similar when cultivated as houseplants and their scientific names are synonymous with the common name 'money tree,'" says Marino.</p><h2><strong>At a glance</strong></h2><ul><li><strong>Botanical name:</strong> <em>Pachira aquatica, Pachira glabra</em></li><li><strong>Commonly known as:</strong> Money tree, water chestnut, Guiana chestnut</li><li><strong>Hardiness zone:</strong> 10-11</li><li><strong>Toxic to pets:</strong> No</li><li><strong>Watering frequency:</strong> Once every 7-14 days</li><li><strong>Soil type:</strong> Succulent mix</li><li><strong>Light exposure:</strong> Bright indirect to medium light</li></ul><h2><strong>Water</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="An elderly man misting a money tree." height="1286" width="1714" msid="86968594" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>Despite their tropical origins, money trees can be sensitive to overwatering and overly moist soil. To maintain consistency, Marino recommends keeping a humidifier around a money tree or gently misting them weekly. </p><p>"The best watering schedule for your money tree is every one to two weeks, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings," says Marino. "Expect to water more often in brighter light, and less often in lower light."</p><h2><strong>Potting and fertilizer</strong></h2><p>While Marino says that most indoor potting soils will work for money trees, one with adequate drainage, like a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesill.com%2Fproducts%2Fcacti-mix-organic" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">sandy succulent mix</a>, is preferred for this plant. </p><p>As for fertilizer, money trees can be fed about once a month in the growing seasons of spring and summer with a water-soluble fertilizer diluted to half-strength, following the instructions on the fertilizer's label. </p><p><strong>Quick tip: </strong>Our <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/insider-reviews-expertise-in-product-reviews" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Insider Reviews team</a> tests different fertilizers to determine <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-fertilizers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the best ones you can buy</a>. The top pick for indoor plants is the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?platform=browser&amp;postSource=bi%7C5ecd7aa1f0f4192fdf007729&amp;sc=false&amp;sessionid=1634049433340ozdj8db1&amp;type=ALREADY-AFFILIATE-LINK-NOT-AMAZON&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D35871X943606%26xs%3D1%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.acehardware.com%252Fdepartments%252Flawn-and-garden%252Fgardening%252Fplant-food%252F7364854&amp;xcust=1634049439544an2txg1hbt=1634049439544an2txg1hb" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Osmocote Indoor Outdoor Organic Plant Food</a>.</p>Indoor Outdoor Organic Plant Food (small)<h2><strong>Temperature and light</strong></h2><p>To replicate the warm, tropical environment of the money tree, it is best to give it plenty of consistent lighting, rotating it weekly for all leaves to get the same amount of sunlight. </p><p>"Money trees thrive in bright indirect to medium light indoors. It prefers temperatures between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit - on the warmer end is ideal," says Marino. "Keep away from cold and hot drafts, like AC units, heaters, or open windows and doors."</p><h2><strong>Common problems</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="A money tree plant in a white pot." height="709" width="946" msid="86968596" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>Like most indoor houseplants, money trees may fall victim to typical problems such as overwatering and underwatering. Marino suggests looking out for leaf drop, which usually means not enough sunlight or water; yellow leaves and/or black stems, which usually means overwatering; and curling leaves and/or extra dry soil, which usually means underwatering.</p><p>"As for pests and diseases, money trees are susceptible to most common plant pests," says Marino. "Most, if caught early on, can be treated with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesill.com%2Fproducts%2Forganic-neem-oil" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">neem oil</a> or an insecticide."</p><p><strong>Quick tip: </strong>To keep a money tree healthy, Marino suggests constantly examining the plant when watering it, checking stems and under the leaves for any early signs of pests. Once spotted, quarantine the infected plant away from others to avoid pests spreading.</p><h2><strong>Propagation</strong></h2><p>Propagating a money plant can be done through a simple cutting process. To begin, Marino instructs to take a healthy cutting from the bottom part of the plant that has multiple leaves and nodes (points of attachment that look like small bumps), which will be where new roots will begin.</p><p>Next, Marino recommends dipping the bottom of the cutting in a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Safe-Rooting-Hormone-93194/dp/B00AA8WPGY" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">rooting hormone chemical</a> to promote root development, but only the section that will be planted, and then stick it into a fresh, pre-moistened potting mix.</p><p>Lastly, secure the plant in fresh potting soil in a new pot by patting down around the base. Keep it in a warm spot, with indirect bright to medium light, and water when dry.</p><h2><strong>Insider's takeaway</strong></h2><p>For a money tree to stay healthy and thriving, it's important to monitor the watering schedule and prevent overwatering, while also keeping it in a brightly lit area with well-draining soil. With this simple care routine, this hardy houseplant can reward anyone with years of good luck, good fortune, and positive energy.</p><a data-type="615dc63cea58a43204562af0">How to plant and care for mums</a><a data-type="615cbe34ea58a431f727ea53">How to grow and care for peace lilies</a><a data-type="613fb1e90cf12a7d4d1ba6bd">How to grow and care for a Venus flytrap</a><a data-type="613278e0654b02473a45191d">How to grow and care for a fiddle-leaf fig plant</a>

How to grow and care for a money tree

Attacks on power grids plunged thousands of Americans into darkness, as authorities worry neo-Nazis are targeting critical infrastructure

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Sous vide is a popular cooking technique because it's low maintenance, precise, and turns plain meats and vegetables into something truly special.</li><li>Anova just released its most powerful sous vide device yet, the <a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anova Precision Cooker Pro ($399)</a>. It's a durable piece of machinery that rivals some of the sous vide devices you'd find in a commercial kitchen. </li><li>I had never used a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-sous-vide-machine?r=UK" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sous vide</a> before, but I recently got to try the Anova pro. I was impressed with how easy it was to use and how delicious the chicken I made with it tasted. You can read my full review below.</li><li>I'd quickly recommend <a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this device</a> to anyone because it works for small and large batches, but if you're looking for more affordable option, check out our <a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guide to the best sous vides</a>.</li></ul><p>Cooking dinner is always a lot more glamorous in my head than it is in reality. I sear a steak and the inside is still exceptionally juicy. I roast vegetables until they're crisp, but never mushy. I set my timers, turn on some music, and not once do I forget about what's cooking in the oven, the pot, or what have you. </p><p>My dreamy vision of dinnertime couldn't be further from what really happens. I often forget that I put vegetables in the oven, or I pull them out before they're ready. I would never even <em>attempt</em> to cook a steak on my stovetop. My bare-bones kitchen equipment plus a small space keeps me from trying anything too creative or labor intensive. While I've always loved to cook and eat, I've pretty much limited myself to one-pan dinners, salads, and simple <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/instant-pot-cookbook-recipes-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instant Pot creations</a>. That is, until now. </p><p>Enter: The <a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anova Precision Cooker Pro</a> - my new favorite gadget, kitchen or otherwise. </p><p>The Anova Pro is the latest and greatest sous vide machine from <a href="https://amzn.to/2X8Zczn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anova</a>. If you're not familiar, sous vide is a cooking method that involves placing food in a sealed container, then dropping said container into a hot water bath for a long time. The sous vide device heats the water and circulates it around your food so you get evenly cooked results every time.</p><p>This low-and-slow method yields deliciously juicy, tender results. While the name (which means "under vacuum") may sound fancy, sous vide is probably one of the easiest cooking techniques to master at home, if you have the right tools. A sous vide machine does almost all of the work for you, which makes it really, really hard to mess up the recipes. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></div></div></div></p><h2>Precision Cooker Pro details and specs</h2><p>The <a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Precision Cooker Pro</a> is designed to be the most powerful, durable, and precise sous vide in the <a href="https://amzn.to/2X8Zczn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anova lineup</a>. It's also the most expensive, priced at $399 - significantly more than the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anova-nano-sous-vide-review-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$99 Nano</a> and the $129 Precision Cooker. </p><p>So, why is it this expensive? With 1,200 watts and a flow rate of 12 liters per minutes - for reference, the Nano (Anova's cheapest model) only has 750 watts and the Precision Cooker (the mid-level option) can only circulate eight liters of water per minute - the Pro rivals <a href="https://amzn.to/2Xymwpr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sous vides</a> that you'd find in a commercial kitchen in terms of power. It can heat up to 100 liters of water and run for 10,000 hours straight without shutting down. </p><p>And, the Pro is extremely precise. Let's face it, when it comes to getting the perfect cook on a steak or piece of fish, the difference between overcooked and just-right is defined by mere seconds. The Pro has a temperature probe that's accurate to 0.05<span>°C</span> (or 32.09 <span>°F), so you'll get perfect results every time. <br /></span></p><p><span>While all of this technical talk may seem intimidating, especially for sous vide beginners, the device is extremely user friendly. An adjustable and detachable clamp make it easy to set up, and keep <a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Pro</a> stable. A removable skirt covers the heater, making it particularly easy to clean. The sensitive touch-screen allows you to manually set time and temperature controls in seconds, and the high-quality sound will denote that you've done everything right. Eventually, you'll be able to control the device through the Anova app, but as of now you can only control the machine manually. </span><span></span></p><p><span><strong>The best part is that the device couldn't be easier to use.</strong> Plug it in, prep your food, quickly click your settings into place, and cook away </span>- the only thing you really need is a good chunk of time. </p><h2>My Experience</h2><p>I have heard the praises of sous vide sung by my colleagues who say that the device helps them make <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anova-nano-sous-vide-review-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restaurant-quality meals at home,</a> and with little effort. <strong>The idea that I could make juicy meat and tender veggies every time without having to check on them even once was exciting.</strong></p><p>To see just how good this device was, I chose to use one of the easiest foods to mess up: plain chicken breast. I happened to have a few frozen chicken breasts, which I hadn't cooked in fear they'd become overly dry, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. </p><p>After defrosting, I scanned the Anova app for a <a href="https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/simplest-no-sear-necessary-sous-vide-chicken-breast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">simple chicken breast recipe</a>. I filled the inner pot from my <a href="https://amzn.to/2IQoWrn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instant Pot</a> (any large pot will work) with water and clamped the <a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anova Pro</a> to the side, a simple and effective setup. I plugged in the Anova Pro and the touch screen immediately turned on. The interface on the Pro uses very distinct icons, making the process almost intuitive. I tapped the "temperature" icon and then tapped the "plus" icon a few times to get the temperature up to 150<span>°F. </span>I set the temperature by tapping the "start" icon. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></div></div></div></p><p>Then, I followed what the recipe said and seasoned my chicken breast with salt and pepper. I placed the seasoned chicken in a large Ziploc bag and drizzled a little olive in as well - this wasn't in the recipe, but I saw it on a YouTube video and it seemed like a good move. I popped the Ziploc bag into the water bath. Once half-submerged in the water, almost all of the air was gone and the Ziploc created a vacuum-sealed effect over the chicken. I zipped up the top, then, I clicked the "clock" icon and used the adjustment toggle to set the time to 1.5 hours. </p><p>I stood around for a bit, thinking there <em>had</em> to be something else I had to do, but I realized I was done. So, I went on to do some work on my computer. I checked on it a few times out of pure curiosity, not necessity, but I didn't even touch anything - I just peered over the pot to see if anything had changed. </p><p>Soon enough, time was up. I pulled the bag out of the water bath and poured my creation onto a plate. To be honest it wasn't the prettiest sight (poached chicken looks pretty bland), but eager to try, I sliced right in and took a bite. I actually couldn't believe that I had made this chicken - it was juicy, tender, and so flavorful, even though all I had put on was salt, pepper, and a touch of olive oil. </p><p>I ate some plain, seared some in a pan, and shredded some to turn into a chicken salad. All iterations were equally delicious. I used <a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this device</a> twice within the first week of having it, which I think speaks to how much I love it. Next on my list is experimenting with <a href="https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/recipe-sous-vide-medium-rare-strip-steak" target="_blank" rel="noopener">steak</a> - because if I can ace that, I'll know I've made it. </p><h2>Bottom line</h2><p><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Anova Pro</a> will make delicious food with ease and efficiency - something novices and experts alike can appreciate. If you've never tried using a sous vide before, or just find $399 to be too steep, there are plenty <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-sous-vide-machine?r=UK" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more affordable options</a> that will still give you the same high-quality home-cooked meals. If you're a professional chef, a kitchen gadget aficionado, or want to cook large quantities of food at one time, the price is worth it. </span></p><h3><a href="https://amzn.to/2XvvpjN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the Anova Precision Cooker Pro, $399, at Amazon</a></h3><h3><a href="https://amzn.to/2X8Zczn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shop all Anova sous vide devices at Amazon</a> or learn more about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-sous-vide-machine?r=UK" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the best sous vide machines you can buy</a></h3><p class="tagline"><p><a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a><br><br>Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>.<br><br>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.</br></br></br></br></p></p>

This $399 sous vide helps amateur cooks like me make restaurant-quality meals with little effort - here's why it's worth the expense

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Tesla fires have become a battleground for the company's supporters and detractors.</strong></li><li><strong>Supporters say the media makes too much of Tesla fires. Detractors say Tesla isn't being open enough about what causes them.</strong></li><li><strong>Some fires start after a crash. But others - like a recent fire that started in a Model S sitting in a parking lot in Shanghai - seem to have started for no reason at all.</strong></li></ul><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>"There are really only a few reasons why a lithium-ion battery catches on fire," one fire expert told Business Insider. "Liquid, dead short, or spontaneous combustion [every] one in a billion [battery cells]."</strong></li><li><strong>Factors outside the battery, like a crash or other damage, matter. But manufacturing issues matter too.</strong></li></ul><p>There was yet another Tesla fire, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-model-s-fire-explosion-shanghai-parking-garage-2019-4">this time in Shanghai.</a>&#xa0;</p><p>It broke out as a Tesla Model S was sitting in a parking garage. The car had not just suffered impact as in previous fire cases, and it was not charging. Thankfully, no one was hurt. The company is investigating the incident.</p><p>In the world of Tesla, fires have become a battleground for the company's supporters and detractors. Supporters accuse the media of making too much of the sometimes <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-model-s-crash-that-killed-two-teens-being-investigated-by-ntsb-2018-5">grizzly incidents.</a> They point out that combustible engine fires happen all the time without garnering any attention.</p><p>Detractors accuse the company of not being open enough about the cause of the fires, and why they sometimes occur even though a car has not suffered any apparent kind of impact.</p><h2><strong>Heated</strong></h2><p>The debate has gotten so intense that CEO Elon Musk has taken to his Twitter account to dispell any notions that electric vehicles are more dangerous than cars with internal combustion engines (ICE).</p><p>Chris Brown of Aristides Capital (who tweets under the moniker <a href="https://twitter.com/MidwestHedgie/status/1120856472102100992">@midwesthedgie</a>, and is short Tesla) responded to Musk by walking through the numbers using data from the <a href="https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/ARCHIVED/Fire-statistics/Vehicle-fires/Highway-vehicle-fires">National Fire Protection Association</a> (where the most recent data available is from 2015).</p><p>Brown broke it down like this:</p><ul><li>From 2011 to 2015 an average of 325 people died in ICE vehicle fires per year in the USA.</li><li>That's out of <span>263.6 million registered vehicles in the USA.</span></li><li><span>That means there have been about 1.23 fire deaths per million vehicles per year from 2011 to 2015. Most of them, <a href="https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/ARCHIVED/Fire-statistics/Vehicle-fires/Vehicle-fire-trends-and-patterns">58%, start with a vehicle collision/overturn</a>.</span></li><li><span>Tesla has yet to build a million total cars, but it has grown its fleet substantially in the last few years. In 2016 it had only 183,000 cars on the road. In February of last year it produced its <a href="https://electrek.co/2018/02/14/tesla-delivered-300000th-vehicle/">300,000th car.</a> </span></li><li><span>At the start of 2019 Tesla had about 530,000 cars on the road all over the world, the vast majority of those being in the US.</span></li><li>"<span>Thus, if Tesla were an average car, we would have expected 0.23 Tesla fire deaths in 2016, 0.35 in 2017, 0.45 deaths in 2018, and 0.16 deaths in 1Q 2019," Brown wrote. <strong>That's a total of 1.19 fire deaths over 3 years.</strong></span></li></ul><p>Tragically, that isn't what has been happening.</p><p>Last month, a Davie, Florida man died after his Tesla crashed into a tree and ignited. First responders <a href="https://www.businessinsider.sg/florida-man-dies-after-his-tesla-model-s-crashed-caught-fire-2019-2/">were reportedly</a> not able to open the car's extendable door handles.</p><p>In December 2018, a <a href="https://t.co/DntMEMgHlR">woman in New Hampshire </a>died after her car crashed and ignited.</p><p>In <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article224101995.html">May 2018 two teenagers </a>in Fort Lauderdale, Florida died after Tesla Model S crashed into a wall and the battery caught fire.</p><p><a href="https://t.co/vH3mPlCDiE">And</a> there's <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-crash-ntsb/u-s-opens-probe-into-fatal-tesla-crash-fire-in-california-idUSKBN1H32OT">more.</a></p><p>Business Insider has counted at least 20 reported incidents of Teslas catching on fire since 2013 and five deaths in the last 14 months.</p><p>That is some of why these fires are getting so much attention. It's life, death, and math.</p><p>Tesla called this calculation "misleading" because the occupants of these cars would have died when their cars crashed whether the cars caught on fire or not.</p><p>"<span>The calculation cited by Business Insider is highly misleading because it implies that each of the cited fatalities were caused by fire-related injuries, whereas most traffic fatalities - even ones where a crash results in a fire - are due to impact-related injuries caused by the initial crash," said Tesla's spokesperson. </span></p><p><span>"Based on the evidence, in every such case we know of involving a Tesla vehicle, the occupant would have died whether the crash resulted in a fire or not. This analysis is also flawed in that it compares our powerful performance vehicles to the buses, motorcycles and trucks that are included in U.S. vehicle registration data."</span></p><p><em>If you have any experience working with electric vehicle fires (Tesla's or any other car's) email me at llopez@businessinsider.com.</em></p><h2><strong>How it burns</strong></h2><p>The majority of these Tesla fires seem to be caused by the electric vehicle's battery suffering some kind of trauma, sometimes by crashing at high speeds. In the Davie, Florida incident the driver was going between 75 mph and 90 mph on a road with a 50 mph speed limit. The two teens who died in Fort Lauderdale were going 116 mph.</p><p>"Whether it's <span>Tesla fires, or BMW or Fisker, if you look at the ones that caught on fire, almost every single one of them was operating outside of agency testing parameters," auto extrication and fire rescue expert <a href="https://advancedextrication.com/bio/">Brock Archer</a> told Business Insider over the phone. "They were going too fast and ended up crashing."&#xa0;</span></p><p>But there have been a few fires, like the one in Shanghai, in which the battery was not damaged. These fires are strange even to those who have focused on preparing for an electric vehicle revolution.</p><p><span>"There are really only a few reasons why a lithium-ion battery catches on fire," Archer said.&#xa0;"Liquid, dead short, or spontaneous combustion [every] one in a billion [battery cells]."</span></p><p><span>Every Tesla battery is made up of thousands of cells, which are configured into the modules that make up a battery pack. So while one out of every billion cells sounds like a lot, consider that Tesla's Gigafactory aims to make 3 million cells a day, and <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-tesla-musk-panasonic-20190422-story.html">Elon Musk thinks that's not enough</a>. He wants more. </span></p><p><span>The arrival of lithium-ion batteries on the road is a unique challenge for rescue experts, who have ramped up efforts to teach first responders around the world the best practices for fighting lithium-ion battery fires.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>We should note here that Archer said that you are 8.2% less likely to be in an electric vehicle fire than an ICE fire - you're 10 times less likely in a hybrid since its high voltage battery is smaller - and that he thinks fighting an electric vehicle fire is no more difficult than fighting an ICE fire if you know what you're doing.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>We should also note that he's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X_WorH4pUw">worked closely with Tesla</a> on fire fighting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n5Wf7TlGrU">in the past.</a></span></p><p><span>A damaged battery cell - whether the damage has been done by some kind of impact, water damage, or manufacturing defect - can go into</span><span> "thermal runaway." That's when the temperature in the cell rapidly increases and then triggers the same reaction in another cell and another one after that. That is called "cellular propagation," and in some cases, it manages to stop itself inside the battery.</span></p><p><span>In other cases, though, you've got </span><span>a fire on your hands.</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/panasonic-battery-cell-operations-tesla-gigafactory-chaotic-2019-4">Insiders describe a world of chaos and waste at Panasonic's massive battery-making operation for Tesla</a></em></p><h2><strong>A different fire</strong></h2><p><a href="https://youtu.be/8n5Wf7TlGrU">According to the training videos</a> being disseminated across the first responder world, firefighters cannot put out a lithium-ion battery fire with foam or dry chemicals. <span>These fires cannot be fought with anything but 500 to 8,000 gallons of water and patience. Responders should expect a longer commitment time to the fight than they would in a combustible engine fire, and they should be mindful that the fire could reignite days after it seemed to have stopped.</span></p><p><span>That's what happened during another strange incident in Los Gatos, California last December. </span></p><p><span>The owner of a 2018 Tesla Model S with about 1200 miles on the odometer took&#xa0;<a href="https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/12/18/officials-investigate-mysterious-tesla-fire-los-gatos/">the car to a repair shop</a> after getting a flat tire on the highway. While the owner was inside the repair shop around 2 pm, the car suddenly ignited and firefighters were called. They used about 2,000 gallons of water to put the fire out.</span></p><p><span>The car reignited at the shop around 10 pm.</span></p><p><span>(This is why experts say that any electric vehicle that has experienced a battery fire should be kept 50 feet from any objects for a few days.)</span></p><p>A police report obtained by Business Insider could not determine the cause of the Los Gatos fire. Archer says that this is because oftentimes the source of the fire is so damaged that it's impossible to say what exactly caused the battery to go into thermal runaway - whether it was triggered by something outside the battery or a defect inside the battery.</p><p>To be fair, Tesla is not the only company that has dealt with stationary cars catching on fire. <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/bmw-recalls-million-vehicles-fire-risk/story?id=50922136">In 2017 BMW recalled</a> a million cars with defective <span>PCV valve heaters and blower motor system connectors after <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/bmw-mystery-fires-abc-news-investigation/story?id=47335778">ABC did an investigation</a> into mysterious fires starting in parked BMWs that would sometimes reignite days after being put out.</span></p><p><span>"At BMW, the safety of our customers is a top priority," said BMW spokesman Hector Arellano-Belloc said in a statement after the recall was announced. "We understand the serious nature of a vehicle fire, which is why we are taking appropriate steps to repair our customers' vehicles."</span><span></span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><h2><strong>One in a billion</strong></h2><p>Archer stressed that there can be a lot of factors contributing to an electric vehicle fire from the outside, like any damage to the battery, but also the car's state of charge. Most incidents, he said, occur when a car is fully charged or charging.</p><p>And since a single defective cell can trigger thermal runaway, manufacturing glitches matter too.</p><p>That is why, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/panasonic-battery-cell-operations-tesla-gigafactory-chaotic-2019-4">as Business Insider previously reported</a>, an oil spill on the Panasonic operating side of Tesla's Gigafactory last September sent the factory scrambling. <span>The spill was detected on September 17, according to internal documents viewed by Business Insider, but it's unclear exactly when it started. Mechanical oil got onto one of Panasonic's massive machines used to press battery chemicals into a sheet.</span></p><p><span>The machine then contaminated any of the product it touched. Employees had to stop what they were doing and sift through millions of nearly-finished battery cells to find potentially affected products, sources said. They searched for cells dating back to September 11t</span></p><p><span>Not all potentially-damaging incidents are that dramatic, though. Sources also reported incidents of tools or scissors falling into the massive 16 foot high mixers that churn lithium and other chemicals.</span></p><p>Greg Less, the technical director of the University of Michigan Energy Institute's Battery Fabrication and Characterization User Facility, told Business Insider that if a piece of shrapnel - something as small as a millimeter or half a millimeter - got into the lithium mix, the battery cell could potentially cause a hard short or even a fire.</p><p>"That's horrifying. If you have something metal inside of your mixer and its grinding around in your mixing jar you're going to get shrapnel," he said.</p><p><span>A Tesla spokesperson said that it conducts multiple tests on battery cells once they're received from Panasonic and that cells that don't make the cut are sent back to Panasonic.</span></p><p><span>"Tesla vehicles achieved the lowest probability of injury of any vehicles ever tested by U.S. government [NCAP] safety rating program," Tesla said in a statement to Business Insider, "and based on our fleet of over 500,000 electric cars, we know that a Tesla vehicle is approximately 10 times less likely to experience a fire than a gas car."</span></p><p><em>If you have any experience working with Tesla or Panasonic, email me at llopez@businessinsider.com.</em></p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Tesla stock price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/TSLA-Quote"> <strong>here.</strong></a></p><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/automakers-spend-millions-on-concept-cars-they-dont-make-2019-4">Why top automakers spend millions on concept cars they don't plan on making</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

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