Home heat source?

AndyM · Mar 8, 2009

Let's take a poll and discuss the primary heating source in your home, including what you like and don't like about it.

I have always had natural gas forced air heat everywhere I have lived until now. Heating types seems to vary a lot more in PA (even within a small area) and I've looked at a couple of houses lately that I would consider less than satisfactory for my needs, mainly because of monthly cost. If I were to consider one of these homes for purchase, I would have to consider adding a second heating source.

Melensdad · Mar 8, 2009

Current home is gas forced air. I like it because the same system also is used in the summer for air conditioning. I dislike it because the heat in uneven and would, if I did it again, put in a radiant floor heating system.

pixie · Mar 8, 2009

I have oil fired radiant heat and a woodstove.

The whole downstairs of my house has radiant in the slab and the Pex is screwed to the underside of the upstairs floor with no fins.

The woodstove and some big windows will heat the house easily down to about 0 F as long as the wind is calm.
The radiant is fairly economical at about 3 gallons of oil a day for 2000 square feet and my hot water was off it then, too.

thcri · Mar 8, 2009

I have a Large Rambler. The whole house is natural gas. The lower level is infloor radiant, the upper level has some radiant and some forced air. The forced air portion will air condition the whole house. Wished I would have put more in floor in. My garage and my front stoop is in floor.

Bob S said:
Current home is gas forced air. I like it because the same system also is used in the summer for air conditioning. I dislike it because the heat in uneven and would, if I did it again, put in a radiant floor heating system.

Bob, How old is your furnace. If it is at a time to be replaced look into the new Variable Drive Multi Stage furnaces. We have taken care of some pretty good cold and hot spots with them. We sell Carrier but there are others out there.

REDDOGTWO · Mar 8, 2009

We just put in a new high efficiency furnace this last summer and a new air conditioner. The local utility gave us a $500 rebate to put in the new air, I can see why, the electric bill dropped in half for the air use. It is cheaper for them do to that than build a new plant.

The furnace has not saved much more than ten per cent, it is hard to figure based upon different temperatures than last year, etc., however the feel in the house is outstanding in comparison. Before it would get cold than to warm, now the fan runs longer but we have a more constant temperature that is comfortable all over the house. The only exception to this is my bedroom where it was quite cool until the close to the end of November when I discovered that when my daughter was home in August she did not close the window all of the way. :whistling:

We did turn the air on today, I put it off as long as possible, but it was just to warm in the house today.

Big Dog · Mar 8, 2009

Well I started with an all electric geothermal system and that's how I voted but now I supplement with "free" natural gas

REDDOGTWO · Mar 8, 2009

Big Dog said:
Well I started with an all electric geothermal system and that's how I voted but now I supplement with "free" natural gas

Maybe you should change your moniker from Big Dog to "Lucky Dog". :biggrin:

thcri · Mar 8, 2009

REDDOGTWO said:
The furnace has not saved much more than ten per cent, it is hard to figure based upon different temperatures than last year, etc.,

Your utility supplier can give you Degree Days that will help you out with teh comparisons from year to year. If they can't I can get it for you. Just need zip code. You can also find out by doing a search for "Degree Days"

murph

REDDOGTWO · Mar 8, 2009

thcri said:
Your utility supplier can give you Degree Days that will help you out with teh comparisons from year to year. If they can't I can get it for you. Just need zip code. You can also find out by doing a search for "Degree Days"

murph

They have the how much colder it was in degree over the last period and the period last year. This is how I came up with the ten per cent. Close enough for me.

It was well worth the money spent in how much better the house feels.

The spiraling energy costs had me concerned last year, ended up spending over 10K between the house and the shop, high efficiency and new air in the house and two plenum heaters in the shop plus the wiring to go with it. The last two months the shop heat has been about a hundred dollars per month which I an guessing should cost about five to six hundred for the whole winter where last year I used close to 800 gallons of propane at two bucks per gallon. :sad:

OhioTC18 · Mar 8, 2009

We use natural gas forced air. I'm sure it's much more efficient now than it was when we purchased the place. There was a Furnace in the basement with a hole cut out of the side of it. That was the cold air return. There are 2 returns cut in the system now. Some rooms did not have a warm air supply. There is one room we can't get a duct to. It has electric hot water baseboard heat and consumes a lot of electric.

Jim_S · Mar 8, 2009

We have a combo heat pump/propane forced air system on the first floor, cuts over to propane @40 degrees. Upstairs is a heat pump.

Jim

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq · Mar 8, 2009

two Heat Pumps (upstairs/downstairs) with two Propane Stove/Heaters for really cold days and back-up if the power is out.

I basically just use the propane as a backup and to keep my Propane supplier happy. I don't see a big difference between electric and propane as far as the over all cost goes.

My wife likes the extra-hot room where the stove is and the downstairs heat pump doesn't run when the stove is on.

Deerlope · Mar 8, 2009

I use a wood boiler with a converter for forced air. I like it because I designed and built my home. The money that I spend for gas( for chainsaw) stays in this country if I am careful where I by my fuel. Wood is a renewable resource. I own 40 acres that will supply all the wood I need for my lifetime and whomever lives here after me. I am retired so cutting it gives me a reason to get up in the morning.

thcri · Mar 8, 2009

jim slagle said:
cuts over to propane @40 degrees.
Jim

Jim that seems high to me??? Does it have to do with rates of Electricity versus LP? We don't do many of the air to air heat pumps around here though they are starting to come back but we will run down to 20 degrees.

Erik · Mar 8, 2009

we have a propane powered hot water forced air system: a 97% efficient water heater with pilotless ignition and a 130k BTU burner that supplies our domestic hot water and supplies heat to the forced air furnace - the furnace is the same type of "water furnace" as is used for geothermal. Hot water is circulated from the water heater to the furnace heat exchanger, then back into the water heater. many times in the winter the furnace would turn off before the water heater had to turn on.
at some point in the future (when we have a spare $1500) we will hook up another pump and manifold to the system to feed into the radiant tubing that was installed in the basement floor when we first poured it. (4 zones)

Jim_S · Mar 8, 2009

thcri said:
Jim that seems high to me??? Does it have to do with rates of Electricity versus LP? We don't do many of the air to air heat pumps around here though they are starting to come back but we will run down to 20 degrees.

That's what the installer recommended. You think running the setting lower would save a little propane?

Jim

AndyM · Mar 8, 2009

One of the houses we've been looking at has electric baseboard heat... I need to look into it more, but I would think this would be a little on the expensive side?
If so, this would be a candidate for a secondary heat source.

OhioTC18 · Mar 8, 2009

AndyM said:
One of the houses we've been looking at has electric baseboard heat... I need to look into it more, but I would think this would be a little on the expensive side?
If so, this would be a candidate for a secondary heat source.

If you decide to go that way, an option is to change the electric baseboard heaters to electric hot water baseboard. They may take longer to heat up but still remain hotter for a longer period.

California · Mar 8, 2009

Other.

In town, in a 1943 house solidly built, I kept the two natural gas floor furnaces downstairs when I added a second story. These provide 99% of our heat. There's no electricity involved so they continue to operate through a power outage. Each is rated 30k btu, about the same as a 30 gallon water heater. 1% of the time I also start the modern heat pump in the second story, for example after we have been away several days or for the once-a-decade snowfall.

For cooling, I run the second story heat pump about 10 days per year. About 102 -104 degrees outdoors is the the threshold to start it up. With only two registers into downstairs (at opposite ends of the house) the cooling isnt even downstairs, but its adequate and of course upstairs is pleasant.

At the ranch (700 sq ft, 90 years old, and poor construction to start with) there's a freestanding 30k btu natural gas heater in the dining room. It has the optional fan but it heats fine if the power is off. And a 5k btu window a/c to temper the heat in the bedroom in the 5 days a year that exceed 100 degrees.

what you like and don't like about it

No complaints. Everything works as expected and I'm convinced I have the lowest operating cost among the available alternatives. Winter is a little too cool to run the heat pump efficiently, or I would use it more.

Kwiens · Mar 8, 2009

We have natural gas forced air. When we built our home in 1997 I had the Lennox Complete Heat system installed. It has a 30 gallon water heater that is piped to a heat exchanger when the thermostat calls for heat. It also provided constant 140 degree, or whatever setting you choose, without running out of hot water. I loved that! Since we have teenagers and were foster parents it was great. We never had a cold shower!

Unfortunately, the stainless steel tank developed a leak on a welded seam that sprayed a small stream of water in the "fire-pit". I attempted to repair it with a high heat JB Weld type material that was to be used on exhaust manifolds. It worked for a year. Ultimately Lennox warranteed the system and we installed a Rinnai Tankless hot water system and a Lennox two speed 95% efficient furnace, to go with our two speed A/C system. They also installed a new programmable thermostat.

What I like: Our gas bill decreased by half after we installed it. Initially I doubted it but after two cold winters I'm convinced. We never run out of hot water.

What I don't like: We lost our "instant" hot water. The installers had plumbed in a passive recirculation system to all the faucets which provided "instant" hot water. Now, depending on where you are in the house relative to the Rinnai heater it takes up to two minutes for hot water but never less than 30 seconds. My father-in-law is convinced we didn't install a hot water system as the bathroom they use is in the two minute zone!!

K

Kwiens · Mar 8, 2009

Couldn't edit my previous post.......

I actually have the Two Stage Variable Speed furnace from Lennox, not the two speed furnace!!! Doh.

Sorry for the incorrect information.

K

NorthernRedneck · Mar 9, 2009

I voted natural gas. We've got a newer(4 yr old) armstrong air high efficiency. I'd prefer to have a woodstove or fireplace in the house to give a little extra heat during the cold winter months but it's not practical at the moment to have a complete system installed with chimney and fireplace and all. It would be nice in our downstairs living/rec room though since thats our main living area. We converted the living room upstairs to a dining room when we moved in to this house two years ago to basically store a really expensive yet useless mahogany dining room set. But that's another story.

Going back to the furnace question though.....our basement is a wood foundation on a cement slab. The original owner who put the basement in the first place did a good job insulating it as our basement is normally warmer than the main floor during the winter and cooler in the summer. We we're going to have a central air system installed but we figured there was no point since when it's too hot during the summer months, we're out at camp anyways.

ghautz · Mar 9, 2009

We heat with a propane forced air furnace. It works ok, but I am concerned about the possibility of an extended power failure during winter. I can run it with my gasoline powered generator, but I would prefer to have some sort of wood-burning stove for back-up.

bczoom · Mar 9, 2009

AndyM said:
Heating types seems to vary a lot more in PA (even within a small area)

Andy,

Since our area (W. PA) has just about every traditional source available (wood, coal, oil, NG, propane, electric), you'll find them in use. Around me, most every house has at least 2 heat sources.

In many rural areas, a lot of it is based on what you have available in your back yard (free). For Big Dog it's NG; for me it's wood; my neighbor has coal. For those of us that burn wood or coal, a 2nd source is needed for when the fire goes out or it's not cold enough to burn.

There's NG a mile away so those that have access to it normally use it. A heat pump would be their alternate source. Some use the same setup but with propane.

What are you running that has your monthly cost being high?

Cowboyjg · Mar 9, 2009

Two electric heat pumps (one up one down) and 5 natural gas log sets in the old fire places. The gas serves as supplemental to the heat pumps. House was built in 1892. Solid as a rock and leaks like a sieve.. :yum:

. We continue to work on the issues. Changed out windows, better sealing around doors etc. I'd like to re-do the insulation in the first floor ($) this summer. I have a couple of spots that are cold. Damn shame is they are located in the area of the crawl space that's just large enough for a large child. And that ain't me.... :whistling:

AndyM · Mar 9, 2009

bczoom said:
What are you running that has your monthly cost being high?

Nothing out of the ordinary...

The new house we are considering has only electric baseboard heat, which seems would be a little on the expensive side to run, so if we bought the house for the right price we would likely add a secondary heat source.

bczoom · Mar 10, 2009

Yea, I'd add something as well.

Electric has taken a sizable price jump in the past few months (I just got my most expensive bill EVER) and it's going to get worse. A friend of mine is running baseboard and his bill is regularly double mine.

Av8r3400 · Mar 10, 2009

propane forced air
wood fireplace as secondary/supplemental

mtntopper · Mar 10, 2009

1. Propane forced air furnaces
2. The wood stove is burning whenever we are home in the winter from late October to about mid May most years.

Our propane usage this year to date is 5%. We started with 83% and currently still have 78% in the tank. We have been home most of this winter except for our annual trip to Colorado between Christmas and New Years along with a night gone now and then. We have an abundance of firewood on our property and usually go through about 4 to 5 cords per winter season. If we depended solely on propane, I would guess we would use close to 800 gallons a winter.

muleman · Apr 23, 2009

My primary heat source is a Central Boiler 6048 wood burning boiler rated at 400,000 btu. It is piped underground to the house and manifolded into the 93,00 btu Smith cast iron boiler. It is fired with propane. I have 5 zones off this boiler one of which goes to a Vaughn indirect water heater. Another zone does 600 ft. of pex in the basement floor. A seperate zone does 450 ft. of pex under main house floor. Another goes to a Thermo-Pride air handler with a hot water coil and a/c a coil. The last zone at present controls pex in a patio for snow melt and pex going to the barn to heat 3 automatic waterers. I burn about 8 cords of wood per year and 80 gallons of propane. I run the central boiler from september to mid june. I have plenty of wood on my farm but buy 6 dump truck loads from the Amish sawmill in the valley for $200.00 a year. I park my dump truck under the conveyer and it is loaded by lunch time. Total cost for heat and hot water is about $4-500.00 per year. I did insulate under the basement floor and around the basement walls with foam insulation. R40+ in attic.

Home heat source?

What is the heating source in your home?

Electric

Natural gas forced air

Propane forced air

Oil forced air

Natural gas hot water

Propane hot water

Oil hot water

Wood boiler

Wood fireplace

Other (please explain)

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