Home Heating - my reality

[playoutside]

We all have commented on the rising costs of fuel, my reality just hit. I heat the house in NJ with oil and normally pre-pay for certain amount of gallons. My price is really a per gallon cap, which is nice when occasionally the price during the season is less than the lock. I get the lower price when this happens. Last year my cap price was $2.79/gal...drum roll...this year it is $4.99! I'm not really shocked, but it sure is a dose of reality as I write my check to reserve 525 gallons for next winter. Hurts now, but it always feels better knowing we are set during the cold days of winter. Hopefully the cost of gas which I use in the MA house rises more slowly!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

My cost for winter 08-09 will be $5,500. We are installing a second wood stove this fall. Last winter was 2500 with 3.5 cords of word supplemented. Plan to burn at least 7 cords this winter (we have a wood lot). We now use minimal hot water, brief showers only, until we convert our hot water heating system to a stand-alone electric-fired tank.
**** "Life in Full Manual Mode" ******
DH will do this whole conversion himself. He's an engineer, should be able to manage, as fluid power is his specialty (i.e., pipes and the stuff in it) Will cost at least a few thou to convert (with free labor), but in the long run, cheaper than oil-fired furnace heated hot water.

Forever and always, I miss the Midwest..............have been comparing heat and electric bills with old friends back "home." They were less than half what we were last winter, and next winter will be double for us. And my thermostats are at 55.

 

[altagirl]

My cost for winter 08-09 will be $5,500. We are installing a second wood stove this fall. Last winter was 2500 with 3.5 cords of word supplemented. Plan to burn at least 7 cords this winter (we have a wood lot). We now use minimal hot water, brief showers only, until we convert our hot water heating system to a stand-alone electric-fired tank.
**** "Life in Full Manual Mode" ******
DH will do this whole conversion himself. He's an engineer, should be able to manage, as fluid power is his specialty (i.e., pipes and the stuff in it) Will cost at least a few thou to convert (with free labor), but in the long run, cheaper than oil-fired furnace heated hot water.

Forever and always, I miss the Midwest..............have been comparing heat and electric bills with old friends back "home." They were less than half what we were last winter, and next winter will be double for us. And my thermostats are at 55.

If you're converting to electric anyway, have you considered a tankless water heater?

We love ours and it's even more energy efficient since you're only heating water as you use it, not paying to keep a tank heated up all the time when you only need it once in a while.

 

[vanhoskier]

We were very fortunate to install a geothermal system when we built our house in 1994. We upgraded the geothermal furnace just 2 years ago, and it's pretty darn efficient. We do supplement with propane - we have a fireplace insert in the great room and a small gas stove in our entry room/mudroom that we use when the temperatures grow frigid.

The A/C created by the geothermal system is even more efficient than the heating, as the "leftover" heated water created by the cooling system is stored in a tank and used for our hot water needs.

Our next big expense with our house will be solar - we want to install solar panels and try to get ourselves as "off the grid" as we can. We have some good southern exposure for panel installation. I've put this project above most other projects because it will pay back more in the long term, as our state's electric companies have been deregulated and rates will skyrocket in the next year or two.

 

[ski diva]

What a fitting heating system for a geologist!!!

I envy you your geothermal. That's a terrific method. A neighbor of our's back in PA had one, and it was wonderful.

 

[vanhoskier]

What a fitting heating system for a geologist!!!

Yup, DH was totally into it when we built the house. The company that services our system is a new one started by the guy who originally installed our furnace - he named his new company "Volcanic Heat" and my DH is dying to get a baseball hat with its logo!