Most Reasonable Home Heating Sources (water heater, electric bill, oil)

[Vintage Sunlight]

If I decide to move to upstate NY, I know that the cold is nearly as cold as Maine and the snowfall is higher. I'm only looking at utility gas no matter what house I purchase. Utility gas is hands down the cheapest way to heat a home. I fully realize that its rarely available outside of populated areas, so I'm looking at a small, village house.

My old home in Northwestern NJ (which has got 70" of snow so far this year) had electric heat for a little over 1200 sq. feet. Cost $450 a month in the winter. No maintainence costs though. I have utility gas heated house now, $80 a month combined electric and gas. Can't beat it.

[Ode]

A masonry fireplace is made to heat a house, and as long as the house is properly insulated it will do the job. If the floorplan is rather open, it only helps it do the job even better. A masonry fireplace is not like a typical open type. They have doors, and are designed to burn a hot fire that heats the thermal mass of the fireplace and radiates it afterwards to warm the home. As a bonus, you can get one designed to let you bake bread or pizza in it too. You don't have to have a fire burning all the time, like in a wood heating stove, rather they are meant to have a small fire once or twice a day at most, so they are very frugal.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Union Federal

If I decide to move to upstate NY, I know that the cold is nearly as cold as Maine and the snowfall is higher. I'm only looking at utility gas no matter what house I purchase. Utility gas is hands down the cheapest way to heat a home. ...

Really? I had not heard of that.

[beltrams]

Originally Posted by Ode

A masonry fireplace is made to heat a house, and as long as the house is properly insulated it will do the job. If the floorplan is rather open, it only helps it do the job even better. A masonry fireplace is not like a typical open type. They have doors, and are designed to burn a hot fire that heats the thermal mass of the fireplace and radiates it afterwards to warm the home. As a bonus, you can get one designed to let you bake bread or pizza in it too. You don't have to have a fire burning all the time, like in a wood heating stove, rather they are meant to have a small fire once or twice a day at most, so they are very frugal.

I have a Tulikivi prefab masonry heater so I know of what you talk about. It is by far one of the best ways to heat with wood. In general, however, most folks haven't heard of masonry heaters or know how they differ from ordinary masonry fireplaces.

Here is a trade organization of masons that build the things. They explain quite a bit. We in Maine also have several highly experienced masonry heater builders as well.

[Vintage Sunlight]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Really? I had not heard of that.

I'm sorry, by utility gas I mean natural gas that's piped into the house (as opposed to bottle gas like propane that has to be delivered). Usually only available in developments or city/village areas.

[beltrams]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

Timberland properly managed won't turn into what was seen a century ago.

I agree.

A lot of forests back when were felled not simply for fuel wood but for wood chemical uses such as alcohol and potash making. As well, among the fuel wood uses was demand for charcoal in the early years for iron smelting. For what iron processing still occurs we have coal and electricity now.

Out right harvesting of cord wood for heating need not be the disaster that we think it might be if only because most homes are far tighter and better insulated, windows are better, and modern wood stoves and masonry heaters burn more efficiently than Back When, this even though the population is much higher.

We'll also be seeing a trend towards more people living under one roof as economics forces people away from the one and two person households that have become acceptable and normal in the US, (small households running against what has been the norm for most all of human history.) This grossly inefficient living arrangement won't last. That will save on household heating and energy use as well.

[beltrams]

Originally Posted by Union Federal

If I decide to move to upstate NY, I know that the cold is nearly as cold as Maine and the snowfall is higher. I'm only looking at utility gas no matter what house I purchase. Utility gas is hands down the cheapest way to heat a home. I fully realize that its rarely available outside of populated areas, so I'm looking at a small, village house.

My old home in Northwestern NJ (which has got 70" of snow so far this year) had electric heat for a little over 1200 sq. feet. Cost $450 a month in the winter. No maintainence costs though. I have utility gas heated house now, $80 a month combined electric and gas. Can't beat it.

Wow, you won't heat most homes in New England on $80 combined gas and electric. Electric rates alone are so high that most free standing homes will use $60 to $100 per month for that bill alone. Gas isn't cheap in New England either, even in the villages, towns and cities as New England is at the end of virtually every natural gas pipeline and what doesn't come via pipeline comes via LNG tankers. Either way, it's $$$. Maybe it isn't quite what pure electric resistance heat or oil would cost, but running any kind of house on $80 total utility energy just doesn't seem too likely and I say that as a home owner in both suburban Boston and then central Aroostook County, Maine.

[mainebrokerman]

I have a woodstove in the livingroom, and love it-it doesnt take long to take the chill off

on sunny days, the sun does a good job, keeping the house above 65 (we put the thermostat at 55-60)

I enjoy, cutting and splitting wood- will soon put a woodstove in the basement with air-ducts

[Jellybean50]

I'll come back to this thread with my electric heat discussion, since the other thread was closed lol...

The reason i say it's an affordable choice (for ME, anyway) is that most of MY electric bills are also around $65 a month, as the other poster said (I believe it was retiredtinbender). He must be very frugal! Becuz i know i am!

Most of the people i know with a couple kids who take a couple showers a day, do tons of wash, have pools, etc. have a normal electric bill that runs $200 or more a month - without heat or A/C. My $480-ish bill has been maybe two months a winter, every other winter. And when i run the central air it's maybe $360 a month. I dont have "thousands of dollars" in oil bills for my heat, which many people talk about.

Just wanted to maybe explain it better.

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by Jellybean50

I'll come back to this thread with my electric heat discussion, since the other thread was closed lol...

The reason i say it's an affordable choice (for ME, anyway) is that most of MY electric bills are also around $65 a month, as the other poster said (I believe it was retiredtinbender). He must be very frugal! Becuz i know i am!

Most of the people i know with a couple kids who take a couple showers a day, do tons of wash, have pools, etc. have a normal electric bill that runs $200 or more a month - without heat or A/C. My $480-ish bill has been maybe two months a winter, every other winter. And when i run the central air it's maybe $360 a month. I dont have "thousands of dollars" in oil bills for my heat, which many people talk about.

Just wanted to maybe explain it better.

We have about everything in the world plugged in, and our electric bill is no wheres near the $200 amount. That's an expensive bill.