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Old 04-14-2017, 05:56 AM
 
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I am considering retiring in Maine but as a single female, am a bit scared of the winter weather. Everything else about Maine is appealing to me though. Are any towns on natural gas? I can't see myself chopping wood and oil is a moving target. I am on a fixed income and need to keep costs down. Thanks for your advice!
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Old 04-14-2017, 07:14 AM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by suaz View Post
I am considering retiring in Maine but as a single female, am a bit scared of the winter weather. Everything else about Maine is appealing to me though. Are any towns on natural gas? I can't see myself chopping wood and oil is a moving target. I am on a fixed income and need to keep costs down. Thanks for your advice!
There are towns that do have NG ran through-out residential neighborhoods.

We heat with wood, though we do not chop firewood. We buy it delivered to our driveway. Our task is to stack it under our roof, so it dries well and we have easy access when we need it.

Welcome to Maine
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Old 04-14-2017, 07:19 AM
 
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We have our firewood delivered also, and we stack it. Firewood is the cheapest alternative. Using the very efficient Pacific Energy woodstove in the living room it heats the whole house(2200 sq. feet) all winter for about $900 to a temperature of about 72-76 degrees. We also have a lot of windows but in the living room and the out lying rooms we have foam shutters which go up against the windows to keep the heat form leaving and to keep drafts down(as the air cools flowing down the windows).
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Old 04-15-2017, 02:39 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
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Home heating is a common topic among Mainers.

Some people have systems that are expensive to run, other people heat at very little expense. There is a lot of variety.
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Old 04-15-2017, 02:53 PM
 
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How many months do you heat for? 10?
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Old 04-15-2017, 07:26 PM
 
Location: Deep in the Heart of Maine
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I'm currently 15 miles outside of Bangor and turn my heat on in mid to late September and turn it off in May.

Wood is a great option for some, but if you're not familiar with it and don't want to deal with the hassle of handling it, I wouldn't consider choosing it as your primary option.

Natural gas is available in the larger cities and suburbs in southern Maine and in Bangor and some of its suburbs. If you wanted to heat with natural gas, you wouldn't necessarily need to live in a big city. If you moved to the Bangor area, for example, you could live several miles away in suburbs, some of which feel like standalone small towns and not really like traditional suburbs. Same with the southern part of the state.

Oil prices can go up and down, but it is probably the most hassle free option where gas isn't available. If you live in an energy efficient home, it might not be so bad.
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Old 04-15-2017, 07:43 PM
 
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Bridles, do you have natural gas? How big is your home and how much is it per month, if you don't mind my asking?
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Old 04-15-2017, 08:03 PM
 
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Most mainers have boiler systems
And burn oil



Many have a wood stove for a back up

And some use wood as a primary
Some use propane
Some use pellets. In pellet stoves
Some use electric heat

From heat pumps to solar - many options
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Old 04-15-2017, 08:09 PM
 
Location: Deep in the Heart of Maine
321 posts, read 483,320 times
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No, I have a hot water boiler powered by fuel oil. Natural gas is a little bit cheaper in my region, even with oil prices being low. But gas is not available where I live, so I burn oil exclusively. It works for me, though I've been considering a heat pump to supplement.
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Old 04-16-2017, 01:08 PM
 
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Glad I saw this before I posted.

As far as oil goes and I know it can depend on how cold it is but does one tank last a whole winter? If not how do you know you need a refill? I would hate to run out during a cold spell.

Also about boilers, which I know nothing about is there maintenance on them? If so how often? Are they an efficient way to heat a house?

Thank you once again for answering my questions.
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