Freebird Posted January 30, 2008 #1 Posted January 30, 2008 I have been exploring home heating options and have just about decided that there is no good solution. I cannot get natural gas here and propane has gotten expensive. I looked into Geothermal and had a heating contractor come out but it just doesn't make sense for me. He says that my furnace is already very energy efficient so my savings would be minimal. I already have a heat pump but the system switches to propane somewhere around 35F. So...there are just not a lot of good options. Was wondering if anybody has experience with or know somebody who is using Infrared heating? The system here looks interesting but there are no prices. I'm sure they are very expensive. http://www.redwell.us/index.php
Lone Eagle Posted January 30, 2008 #2 Posted January 30, 2008 Hey, Don, you know the old addage - if you have to ask what the cost is, probably way too expensive for the return on the dollar.
Eck Posted January 30, 2008 #3 Posted January 30, 2008 Well for about $2k in moving expenses, you could move south and get out of snow country like some of us other folk have done.. Just think abuot riding almost every month out of the year, and only having about 8 weeks of cold weather, with no snow, (or only a dusting). Yep, I have a furnace too, but I am sure mine only runs a small percentage of what yours does.. Oh, and you could join us at all these breakfast and lunch meet & eats we have down here too......... All in all, what you save lots in energy costs, but you burn it back up in fuel for the bike and all the eats and drinks we have down here...
CrazyHorse Posted January 30, 2008 #4 Posted January 30, 2008 I have been exploring home heating options and have just about decided that there is no good solution. I cannot get natural gas here and propane has gotten expensive. I looked into Geothermal and had a heating contractor come out but it just doesn't make sense for me. He says that my furnace is already very energy efficient so my savings would be minimal. I already have a heat pump but the system switches to propane somewhere around 35F. So...there are just not a lot of good options. Was wondering if anybody has experience with or know somebody who is using Infrared heating? The system here looks interesting but there are no prices. I'm sure they are very expensive. www.redwell.us/index.php A friend of mine uses a corn stove that is piped into the main trunk line of his regular furnace uses the fan of the furnace to distribute the air. He has a 3200 sq ft ranch in Northern Illinois on 5 acres. He was spending $17.00 a day on Propane. He has 2 furnaces. He bought an Amaizing corn stove and hooked it in to his main trunk line to distribute heat. He now spends about 3-8 bucks a day on one-two bushels of corn. Sometimes if its really cold he might have to turn on one of the furnaces to assist but mostly uses the corn stove. Now you do have to have an area to store corn and you have to load the stove every day and there is cleaning involved but if you can handle some extra work you might want to check it out. http://realmidwest.com/corn/links Here a link on some corn stuff. You dont smell the burning either.
sarges46 Posted January 30, 2008 #5 Posted January 30, 2008 Not meaning to dis your heating guy Don, but have you really checked into goethermal? They will beat any furnace for energy savings. And thats up here...you know how cold it gets. And now that gas is going up.... Personally if I had the land space you have I would put in the thermal unit. There are at least 3 guys I work with that have it and swear by it. It is a little pricy to set up as you know.
Kregerdoodle Posted January 30, 2008 #6 Posted January 30, 2008 A friend of mine uses a corn stove that is piped into the main trunk line of his regular furnace uses the fan of the furnace to distribute the air. He has a 3200 sq ft ranch in Northern Illinois on 5 acres. He was spending $17.00 a day on Propane. He has 2 furnaces. He bought an Amaizing corn stove and hooked it in to his main trunk line to distribute heat. He now spends about 3-8 bucks a day on one-two bushels of corn. Sometimes if its really cold he might have to turn on one of the furnaces to assist but mostly uses the corn stove. Now you do have to have an area to store corn and you have to load the stove every day and there is cleaning involved but if you can handle some extra work you might want to check it out. http://realmidwest.com/corn/links Here a link on some corn stuff. You dont smell the burning either. Big Hint!! Do Not use Pop Corn!!!
Condor Posted January 30, 2008 #7 Posted January 30, 2008 Was wondering if anybody has experience with or know somebody who is using Infrared heating? The system here looks interesting but there are no prices. I'm sure they are very expensive. http://www.redwell.us/index.php Interesting concept Don. I'm not sure the 'spin' the company puts on Radiated heat isn't a little biased. I remember having a camp heater that was radiating, and one side was hotter than h and the other side froze....but the walls were warm... It was great if you were on a spit..... From a health aspect a radiating system seems to be better than convection, and has merit. I didn't get into the part about reduction of heating costs, but the simple rule is the cost is directly related to the source of the energy used for heating, and unless you can tap directly into the sun there ain't no cheap energy. I think a better way to look at saving money is to insulate. If your home is fairly new you probably have everything insulated to the max, but if it's an older home there's always ways to improve heat loss.
CrazyHorse Posted January 30, 2008 #8 Posted January 30, 2008 Big Hint!! Do Not use Pop Corn!!! No its just feed corn I guess.
Red Ryder Posted January 30, 2008 #9 Posted January 30, 2008 Agree Don, I've also been looking at many options. Right now it is a -2 on my weatherbug and winds around 25 mpr. Furnace non stop it seems. Next winter I will either go Geothermal or Outside Wood Burner to heat the House & Polebarn. But I like Eck's Idea the best. Later-
GeorgeS Posted January 30, 2008 #10 Posted January 30, 2008 Well if you are planning on staying there a long time, I guess adding more, or better Insulation might be a viable option. Maby improved Windows, another option. Also, check into the Wood Pellet burning stoves as an Add On heat source. I used to live in Minn. and I am a firm believer in More, More Insulation, as a first line of defence. If there is any way to add more insulation, thats the way to go.
Freebird Posted January 30, 2008 Author #11 Posted January 30, 2008 The house is not that old...I think about 12-15 years. Windows and insulation are really good. Corn or wood would be great if I was home all the time but I'm on the road a lot and don't want my wife to have to deal with loading, cleaning, etc.
GeorgeS Posted January 30, 2008 #12 Posted January 30, 2008 Well, take a peek up in the Attic, See whats actually there for Insulation: If any way to add more, thats what I would do , as a first option.
Gene-b Posted January 30, 2008 #13 Posted January 30, 2008 I'm with ECK! As they say "if you can't take the cold, get out of the frig":lightbulb:
BuddyRich Posted January 30, 2008 #15 Posted January 30, 2008 Me too. Now cooling is another story....
wolfman1 Posted January 30, 2008 #16 Posted January 30, 2008 http://a1061.g.akamai.net/7/1061/5412/home/www.walgreens.com/dbimagecache/321431.jpg :whistling: .....:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:just a thought... Steve
flb_78 Posted January 30, 2008 #17 Posted January 30, 2008 Put up some solar panels and some batteries and get an electric heater. Initial setup is kinda pricey, but then it's FREE!!!
SilvrT Posted January 30, 2008 #18 Posted January 30, 2008 I'm curious to know what it cost you Don, to heat your home for a year. It cost me around $1200+ and I don't even live in a cold climate and that's for natural gas here in BC. I live in a 2000 Sq ft house...main floor on upper level and small bachelor suite on ground level.
mini-muffin Posted January 30, 2008 #19 Posted January 30, 2008 The house is not that old...I think about 12-15 years. Windows and insulation are really good. Corn or wood would be great if I was home all the time but I'm on the road a lot and don't want my wife to have to deal with loading, cleaning, etc. Don you have a teenager. That's what they are suppose to be used for.............labor. I thought that's why we had kids? Margaret
BEER30 Posted January 30, 2008 #20 Posted January 30, 2008 I thought that's why we had kids? Margaret No Margaret , that's the fallout of too much fun and not enough thinking of precautions ! But Don , 3 words ......Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders ! Honestly living in AK , we had baseboard heat . A furnance powered by natural gas or propane . Glucose was piped through the radiant baseboard heat around the outer perimeter walls . Took longer to warm up the house , but cheaper to maintain after it warmed up . Here in NC , I have gas logs powered by propane . I have a 250 gal. propane tank which I fill once a year . Them gas logs put a whompin' on ole' Jack Frost to kill the knip in the air . I have over 1300 sq. ft. home and it heats it well without our gas-pack/AC . BEER30
Freebird Posted January 30, 2008 Author #21 Posted January 30, 2008 Put up some solar panels and some batteries and get an electric heater. Initial setup is kinda pricey, but then it's FREE!!! I looked at solar long ago. From everything I have read and heard, even from the folks who sell it, it is a poor choice for my location. Don you have a teenager. That's what they are suppose to be used for.............labor. I thought that's why we had kids? Margaret That would be fine for the immediate future but he'll be gone in a couple of years.
BuddyRich Posted January 30, 2008 #22 Posted January 30, 2008 That would be fine for the immediate future but he'll be gone in a couple of years. :rotf::rotf: Yea, Right..... But he'll come back and there'll be more of them then...
Freebird Posted January 30, 2008 Author #23 Posted January 30, 2008 No Margaret , that's the fallout of too much fun and not enough thinking of precautions ! But Don , 3 words ......Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders ! Honestly living in AK , we had baseboard heat . A furnance powered by natural gas or propane . Glucose was piped through the radiant baseboard heat around the outer perimeter walls . Took longer to warm up the house , but cheaper to maintain after it warmed up . Here in NC , I have gas logs powered by propane . I have a 250 gal. propane tank which I fill once a year . Them gas logs put a whompin' on ole' Jack Frost to kill the knip in the air . I have over 1300 sq. ft. home and it heats it well without our gas-pack/AC . BEER30 Nothing having anything to do with propane is a good choice around here. You would be filling up that 250 gallon tank several times a year in this climate. Also, I assume you have some sort of insert or ventless logs or something because if they are just sitting in a regular fireplace, a large percentage of the heat is going right out the chimney. I have a conventional fireplace and if I want to, can get it much hotter than gas logs but it takes a while to heat up the fireplace lining bricks which is necessary before you actually get much heat into the room. Even then, most of the heat again goes out the chimney. Might be enough in your area but will just barely heat the room that it's in around here.
Stoutman Posted January 30, 2008 #24 Posted January 30, 2008 I'm not sure what you mean by geothermal, but the ground coupled heat pump is starting to make inroads. Here is a link. INstead of using outside air as a source for your heatpump, it uses a heat exchanger and transfers the energy (hot or cold) to the gound. There is an entire community over by Dallas that uses these. They are more efficient in both the summer and winter than a conventional heat pump.
BuddyRich Posted January 30, 2008 #25 Posted January 30, 2008 Don. Put one of these in the fireplace and the fans will heat the whole house. We had one a few years ago and it would run you out of the house http://www.vermontcastings.com/content/products/productdetails.cfm?id=90
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