View Poll Results: What do you heat your home with?
Electricity
91
17.91%
Natural Gas
170
33.46%
Heating Oil
38
7.48%
Wood
73
14.37%
Pellet's
18
3.54%
Natural hot water/ geothermal
8
1.57%
Solar (electric)
0
0%
Solar (water)
0
0%
Coal
5
0.98%
Wood boiler
8
1.57%
Wind electric
0
0%
Hydro electric
2
0.39%
Waste oil boiler
2
0.39%
Corn
7
1.38%
Other (please explain)
9
1.77%
More than one, (explain)
40
7.87%
Propane
37
7.28%
Voters: 508. You may not vote on this poll
What do you use to heat your home?
12-19-2007, 05:47 PM
#17
DTR's Toad Wrangler
Join Date: May 2005
Location: N 48 25.707 W123 21.887
Posts: 892
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What is a heat pump?
We use gas.
Our house used to use oil with steam radiators. They took out the heater and the tank, but the pipes are all still there. This was all before we moved in. I have been pondering about hooking the steam radiators back up with a waste oil heater or something else?
Not sure what is the most efficient/cheapest.
Our gas is forced air, and our vents are on the ceiling, works great for A/C (cold air sinks) but not so well for the heat.
We use gas.
Our house used to use oil with steam radiators. They took out the heater and the tank, but the pipes are all still there. This was all before we moved in. I have been pondering about hooking the steam radiators back up with a waste oil heater or something else?
Not sure what is the most efficient/cheapest.
Our gas is forced air, and our vents are on the ceiling, works great for A/C (cold air sinks) but not so well for the heat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_pump
12-19-2007, 06:16 PM
#18
Registered User
Corn. 
I love it. Its one thing we will NEVER run out of here in Iowa and even though its 3 times the price it was 3 years ago when I bought the corn stove, its still cheap. I have electric baseboard in the house and it used to cost me around $300/month for total electric bill. $200 of wich was heat. The hotest I could get my house was in the mid 60s if it dident drop below 0 outside. Now with the corn stove I keep it in the mid 70s and the first year I had it it only cost me around $200 to heat my house all winter. Now with corn going threw the roof I figure its gona cost me around $600 this year. Thats still far cheaper than electric would be because its gone up as well in the last 3 years. That and its keeps it in the mid to uper 70s in the house ireegardles of the temp outside.
I love it. Its one thing we will NEVER run out of here in Iowa and even though its 3 times the price it was 3 years ago when I bought the corn stove, its still cheap. I have electric baseboard in the house and it used to cost me around $300/month for total electric bill. $200 of wich was heat. The hotest I could get my house was in the mid 60s if it dident drop below 0 outside. Now with the corn stove I keep it in the mid 70s and the first year I had it it only cost me around $200 to heat my house all winter. Now with corn going threw the roof I figure its gona cost me around $600 this year. Thats still far cheaper than electric would be because its gone up as well in the last 3 years. That and its keeps it in the mid to uper 70s in the house ireegardles of the temp outside.
12-19-2007, 06:28 PM
#19
Registered User
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tidewater Virginia
Posts: 175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Main unit is a high efficiency propane furnace (about 94% efficient). Also use pellets and have a woodstove. The preferred heat is pellets but sometimes the propane furnace & the woodstove are used.
12-19-2007, 06:34 PM
#20
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Commonwealth of pennsylvania
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Forced air wood furnace connected to the cold air return and heat ducts. The main oil furnace is just an ornament now with fuel oil at $2.99/gal.
Been using this set up for 9 years now and would(pun intended) never go back to fuel oil.
The house is a cozy 70+*the entire cold season. Lots of extra $$$ saved for other things.
Been using this set up for 9 years now and would(pun intended) never go back to fuel oil.
The house is a cozy 70+*the entire cold season. Lots of extra $$$ saved for other things.
12-19-2007, 06:39 PM
#21
Chapter President
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ridgecrest, CA
Posts: 858
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
forgot propane, funny because its what my grandparents and us used to use in our mobil home's.
12-19-2007, 06:57 PM
#22
DTR Detective
Antioch, CA 1956 home with Dual Pane
Gas fired Central Heating in the morning
1/2 cord of Almond/Oak mix from Nov. to Mar/Apr, Nights and Weekends.
Electric Blankets for the kids with Heavy Flannel sheets.
Gas fired Central Heating in the morning
1/2 cord of Almond/Oak mix from Nov. to Mar/Apr, Nights and Weekends.
Electric Blankets for the kids with Heavy Flannel sheets.
12-19-2007, 08:20 PM
#23
Chapter President
Freakin forced air OIL heat
for the day time set at 60*. Wood stove insert works great keeps the house about 75* after i get it going after work, first winter for it. Get all my wood from my woods.
Pellet stove is mainly used for the other side of the house that has OIL boiler for base board heat that i don't use.
Price of pellets is crazy too.
With the price of OIL
I can't afford to get any right now. I'll need about 750 gallons to fill both tanks. I'm gonna see how good the wood heaters work when it gets really cold.
Maryland.
for the day time set at 60*. Wood stove insert works great keeps the house about 75* after i get it going after work, first winter for it. Get all my wood from my woods.Pellet stove is mainly used for the other side of the house that has OIL boiler for base board heat that i don't use.
Price of pellets is crazy too.
With the price of OIL
I can't afford to get any right now. I'll need about 750 gallons to fill both tanks. I'm gonna see how good the wood heaters work when it gets really cold. Maryland.
12-19-2007, 09:09 PM
#25
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Missouri
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We have an outdoor Woodmaster wood-burning boiler and heating the 3500 sq/ft house with radiant floor heat. Absolutely love it. I am also hooking up the 30x40 shop to it. Only downfall is cutting and gathering the wood, but there are always plenty of downed trees on the farm, or fencerows to doze out.
12-19-2007, 09:10 PM
#26
Registered User
We have a forced air natural gas furnace with a wood burning stove in the den and a brick fireplace in the living room that has never been used.
I have an almost new wood burning insert sitting in the shed to eventually put in the fireplace. A pellet stove would be nice but too pricey for my needs.
I have an almost new wood burning insert sitting in the shed to eventually put in the fireplace. A pellet stove would be nice but too pricey for my needs.
12-19-2007, 10:42 PM
#29
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Rock Springs, WY
Posts: 2,864
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
12-19-2007, 10:57 PM
#30
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Delta Jct Alaska
Posts: 277
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I sure like the results for natural gas. now that we have an Alaskan for Governor, we could se NG pipe line started in 2-3 years.
On the subject....I use # 1 fuel oil in my Toyo, and for those of you who don't know what these are check them out at http://www.toyotomiusa.com/products/...tedHeaters.php I use around a gallon a day at temps above 20 below an 2 gallons a day in colder temps. fill a 300 gal tank once a year...I also have a small wood stove in living room/den and use about 5 cords a year @ 60 bucks a cord.
On the subject....I use # 1 fuel oil in my Toyo, and for those of you who don't know what these are check them out at http://www.toyotomiusa.com/products/...tedHeaters.php I use around a gallon a day at temps above 20 below an 2 gallons a day in colder temps. fill a 300 gal tank once a year...I also have a small wood stove in living room/den and use about 5 cords a year @ 60 bucks a cord.