amary Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Please tell us what you use and how you like it. We have an oil burner in the basement. I can't imagine what are bill is going to look like this winter. We do have a back-up pot belly stove in a side room that would heat up several rooms, but half of us are allergic to wood-probably the mold under the bark. We have many acres of wooded land, so wood seems to be the way to go. I've heard about outdoor wood boilers, but I know nothing about them except what I've read online and it doesn't sound very promising. Indoor wood burning boilers and furnaces seem to be another option, but I wonder if there would be the same problem with the wood smell making the kids sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 We have an electric heat pump. I like it a lot - but I think it costs more than gas. Not sure about oil now that the prices have jumped so much. If I were building a new house and money were no object, I would install one of those nifty geo-thermal heaters that grabs heat from the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 If we had our own home and especially if we had a large lot of woods, we would put an outside wood burning stove. Our second choice would be a pellet stove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punks in Ontario Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 last summer. It costs a lot ($20-25 000 CAD), but Ontario has a rebate program right now. Also we got it way cheap because my husband is in the industry. He tells me that the payback should be in 7 years with the life expectancy of 20 years for those who pay retail cost. Replacement costs are lower too since you don't have to replace the ground loops. We made some other changes too- insulation, new windows and switched to electric hot water from natural gas. From Sept to March, our total energy bills (electric+ natural gas) were 25% lower. I'm told the real savings will be in the summer with the air conditioning. We haven't had a season of this to prove it though. We also use a wood stove. In past years I used it every day, but with the water furnace, we roasted ourselves out on warmer days, so I didn't use it so much. I'm so glad we're off the natural gas. Now we just need to find a viable way to get off the hydro grid! Punks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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