How about the heating cost for a 2000 sqft house in winter? (apartment, loft)

[pinkpalace]

Yep, we moved to Georgia, close to Athens.

There are good and bad aspects of Georgia, just like any other place I suppose. I loved living in Maine, but there were definitely problems that'd keep me from moving back. The weather didn't bother me. The winter was cold, but the summer was absolutely perfect.

The cost of utilities (all of 'em) was too high, car registration was too high, and (most important) my wife hated it up there. Too rural for her, I'm afraid. I think even living in the big city of Portland would be "too far from civilization", I'm afraid. Can't say that I agree with her, but... that's not really important, right?

[tkx7]

most Mainers turn their heat on in mid to late october and turn it off in mid April

[lovemaine]

Originally Posted by pinkpalace

Yep, we moved to Georgia, close to Athens.

There are good and bad aspects of Georgia, just like any other place I suppose. I loved living in Maine, but there were definitely problems that'd keep me from moving back. The weather didn't bother me. The winter was cold, but the summer was absolutely perfect.

The cost of utilities (all of 'em) was too high, car registration was too high, and (most important) my wife hated it up there. Too rural for her, I'm afraid. I think even living in the big city of Portland would be "too far from civilization", I'm afraid. Can't say that I agree with her, but... that's not really important, right?

I guess the old saying:"If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" is true ! We moved to NC, and although our property taxes are a little lower, car registration is outrageous too. We paid over $700 to register our 2 cars (a '01 and a '98 model). Our heating bill when we lived in WI usually ran about $200-$225/month, with the heat on from Oct. thru April usually. And that was for a new construction, 1350 sq. ft. house and keeping the thermostat at 66 during the day and 62 at night. Anyway, good luck in Georgia! (Hey, isn't REM from Athens?!?)

[ohho]

Originally Posted by freemejersey

For OHHO: Your heating bill will depend on how cold the winter is. Generally, the nights start to get cold enough for heat beginning in September and will probably stay on through April. Look into Hot Water Baseboard Heat as the most comfortable type of heat, either by oil or gas. However, propane is more expensive that oil right now. Also, you may want to consider a secondary heat source, i.e., a wood stove or pellet stove. Wood stoves are cheap to heat and will offset the temp in the house to keep your main heater from running more often.

Looks like the baseboard by oil is the most efficient heating system, what kind of oil? Could you give me links talking about heating system? Thank you very much.

[tkx7]

I think Monitor heaters are just as good and nice to heat small to medium sized houses as baseboard heating. The added bonus is you have a place to lay out wet items you wish to get dry. It's also nice to warm up by after being outside. Last benefit is it doesnt take up wall space like baseboard heating. I was pleased to find a website... http://www.monitorproducts.com/

[chris]

I don't want to change the subject but has anyone come across any new low cost heating ideas/technology for the winter? I've been looking into a lot of different things from pellet stoves to fans that blow heat down but haven't found anything worth investing in at this point.

[bigchuckie]

It is called #2 fuel oil which is actually nothing but red diesel fuel. Checkout Dead River Company they have a nice website

[Toria]

Originally Posted by tkx7

I think Monitor heaters are just as good and nice to heat small to medium sized houses as baseboard heating. The added bonus is you have a place to lay out wet items you wish to get dry. It's also nice to warm up by after being outside. Last benefit is it doesnt take up wall space like baseboard heating. I was pleased to find a website... http://www.monitorproducts.com/

Monitors generally work well (though it seemed all of ours needed a service call at least once a year)....but price of K1 was actually higher than home heating oil, so they may not be less costly overall...

[tkx7]

the cheapest "alternative" is using a wood stove- but you have to keep getting wood for it. It is a hassle but people do it

[chris]

I'm not even sure if wood is cheaper unless you cut/split it yourself (I had considered it, and actually have about 4-5 cord in my backyard from some clearing I did this year).

In checking out the cost of wood, it's like 150-250 + delivery a cord cut/split (75-150 uncut), and you'll need at least 5 to 10 depending on your needs/weather.

I was hoping people had heard of other alternatives. Right now, a pellet stove is the cheapest solution I've found (about $1-$2 a day - $150 a ton for the pellets, once you buy the stove) but you need electricity to run it and at times they can be a pain to maintain. Where I live now, there is also the threat of burn bans on pellet stoves with the exception of corn pellets, which we don't have in my area.

Not to mention, due to insurance problems with stoves (denying claims for fires caused by improperly installed piping), I'm trying to steer away from it if possible.