We are having a seriously cold spell here at the beach. It got down to 27 degrees the last few nights and I'm learning the hard way that heating a home cost more than cooling it. looking into options for heating - propane heaters, wood pellet stoves, etc. what are you guys in cold regions using to heat your homes, and whats the most efficient option that you know of?
wood stove
- Thread starter KingBlack
- Start date
Natural gas is by far the cheapest and most efficient in the long run but the up-front costs are high if you need the furnace installed and natural gas trenched into the house. If you already have natural gas in the house then it's a no brainer.
Wood stoves are nice but they can only heat the room they are in effectively unless you get a forced air unit and have it connected into your ductwork to heat the whole house. If you only need heat a few days per year then wood or propane might be a better choice since the up front costs are lower and you don't have to pay monthly for the a utility like natural gas.
Wood stoves are nice but they can only heat the room they are in effectively unless you get a forced air unit and have it connected into your ductwork to heat the whole house. If you only need heat a few days per year then wood or propane might be a better choice since the up front costs are lower and you don't have to pay monthly for the a utility like natural gas.
We have a wood stove in our basement that will keep the house around 72 deg when its high teens outside, we also have a fire place upstairs but don't use it because of the mess from bringing wood in (not a issue in the basement). Have you done anything to better insulate the house or take care of any drafts/leaks?
I use a Harman pellet stove as my primary heat source during the winter months. We have electric baseboard but it's just way too expensive to run. We spend about a grand a year on pellets and we'll have some leftover. We love it! Also have a ventless propane stove in the basement family room in case of power failure.
- Joined
- May 20, 2017
- Messages
- 109
Ill 2nd the pellet stove.. we have had a wood burning stove for the last 5 years... the cost is decent if u have your own woods to cut from.. if not ... u r paying there. We switched the fall to a pellet stove and i will never go back to a woodstove. No backbreaking hauling logs, bucking them up, splitting and stacking forever. Having to stockpile on the deck and in the house. The mess in the house from the wood, bark and crap in the carpet. The soot and dust in the house, and the awesome cleaning out the stove and walking thru the house with a flaming bucket of ash thats hotter than hell, and babysitting the stove on the real cold nights keeping it stocked, or the waiting forever to get heat when it goes out . Now with the pellet stove i go to tractor supply , swipe a card , pull around back , they load a ton of pellets in the back of my truck, and i drive off. Get home , unload the 50 bags bags into the garage and its done!! Grab a 40 lb bag and pour it in the hopper of the pellet and push a button!!!! It lights itself. Cleaning the ash pan is a piece of cake. And u get way more heat from a pellet stove as oppsed to a wood stove. It was -4 here last night , and using the pellet stove as sole heating the house stayed 74. Its a 2 story home, open concept with 2800 sq.ft
Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app
Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app
Pellet stoves are nice and if we did not already have a wood fireplace that is what we would have. We like the fireplace as it keeps the living area nice and toasty till we go to bed and then the central heat works overnight. Wood is not problem for us since we have acres of woods around but if you do not then there is buying firewood.
Talk to your local heating contractor with good reviews for what works best in your area as far a cost/efficiency.
My brother heats with an external wood furnace and propane backup.
My brother heats with an external wood furnace and propane backup.
Have had a pellet stove for over 20 years they are very nice.
No more cold weather than we get you'll never recoup the cost of a pellet stove and installation. A propane fireplace is a good option though.
ALL GOOD ADVICE ABOVE. heating a house can be $$$...the pellet stove sounds good and like a lot less maintenance than wood. The lesson learned so far: dont heat your home with electricity if you dont have to
27 isn't cold. Gonna be -4 here tonight.
Pellet stoves are a great investment, as long as you use it.
Pellet stoves are a great investment, as long as you use it.
I'm finally going to see about a week of cool weather myself. It will be a nice change. I don't mind 20° nights.
I can always put enough clothing on to stay warm. No one wants me taking off enough to stay cool.
Sent from my [device_name] using the svtperformance.com mobile app
- Joined
- May 20, 2017
- Messages
- 109
We use ours everyday , we have not had our furnace on one time this year. And we are having a cold snap here. - temps and single digit highs. There is a little more cleaning with the pellet stove but not paying crazy prices to the electric company every month is worth it.... last year with our woodstove going non stop plus the furnace our electric bill was in the mid 400's. now its down to 165 , and not using the furnace. And my installation was free. Took me and the father in law an afternoon to put it in. It wasnt bad at all
Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app
Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app
I have a pellet stove insert into my main fireplace and a free standing pellet stove in our living room. I use them both to heat our entire house during the winter months in CT. I love them easy to maintain and pretty cheap to run. They come in 40 ib bags no mess,cut the bag open and pour the pellets into the stove. I picked a pellet stove instead of a wood stove because the pellet bags are easier to store vs wood.
how long does a bag last and how much does it cost?
Really depends on your stove settings but I can get a solid 10 hours or so out of a 40lb bag. Quality pellets can range anywhere from $200-300 per ton.
is it just me and my inexperience or is that a lot?
In my area that's about average. Again, it all depends on the quality of the pellet you're burning. Some pellets have shit for btu's and high ash content. Those are the cheaper pellets and I personally would rather pay a little more for low ash and some kick-ass btu's.
In your area you should easily get through a winter season with 1 ton.
Wood pellet stoves are a good supplemental heat source. As a main heat source it wasn't enough for me being in Massachusetts.
This is a heat and glow FP I installed new with the house 10 years ago. Thing spits out the heat. I only use a 1/2 cord a year and only use it when it’s very cold. I have geothermal but if I was to build again I’d do in floor radiant heat with geothermal and spray foam insulation. I have it at my shop and love it. I’d rather sleep there.
Attachments
Users who are viewing this thread
