Plugging in, as people have stated is mostly about making sure your engine isnt cold as hell when you start cranking. Thats said though, on those -30 + windchill days, your car wont start unless you have very high cranking power.
One hour is the maximum you will need under normal circumstances on a block heater. Either put in a timer at the plug or just plug it in when you wake up.
Another interesting thing we used to do when I was a kid, we had this old beater car that didnt give much heat , so we wired in a small space heater (the kind that cant start things on fire), so you can plug it in with the block heater. On a low setting, it would almost clear the windows on the worst days, so we could just get in and drive away.
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"Wake up, Luigi! The only time plumbers sleep on the job is when we're working by the hour."
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