alternative heating system?

[pocono_couple]

You can imagine that I was pretty surprised to get an estimate of $10,000 for a heating system for a small 650 sq ft cottage that we are planning on building this summer.  I have to believe that there is an alternative.  The proposed system was oil/forced hot air and would be expandable when we double the size of the cottage, but still..   is anyone aware of a system where i could cut the vents into the floor and simply put a stove in the basement and leave it at that?  we could then install a full system later when we put on the addition.  i thought about a gas stove in the basement, but i would prefer to use oil if possible.   thanks!

[Kodakjello]

Just put an efficient woodstove in the centre of the house and install an HRV with a recirculating mode. Place the return air ducts at ground level to remove cold air, plug-in portable electric heaters with freeze protection for backup and you're ready to go! About $4,000

If you want to use the basement you could even install a masonry heater down there with a simple air duct system to move heat around the house. Couldn't be more than $8,000 total and it would be completely sustainable and adjustable (air flow).

Kodakjello

[Daddymem]

Feel free to check our blog out for info on our system.  We have a woodstove but we also have a direct vent propane heater that is more than enough for our 1344sf and we have no vents cut in our floors.  I would think a smaller unit would work and you may/may not need the vents cut in so wait and see.  Cost installed is ~$2k for the big ones around here.  You could always use another unit in your expansion if it works out well.

[MountainDon]

In a place that size if you just put in a wood stove for heat that would work as long as there was someone available to keep it stoked. Most insurance company probably wouldn't underwrite you if a wood stove was your only heat though.

A direct vent propane wall heater (propane or nat gas) would keep them happy and allow you to be absent without worry.

[Freeholdfarm]

It's good to keep in mind that we are either at or very near Peak Oil, and probably also at Peak Gas (nat. gas).  While we won't be running completely out of either fuel right away, the prices are going to continue to go up, probably pretty drastically.  Personally, I wouldn't even consider putting in a heating system that used either fuel.  I would build passive solar as much as my climate allowed, and supplement with wood heat (making certain that my property had a good supply of firewood).  If insurance requires some other form of heat, put in a few electric baseboard units.  You don't have to ever use them, though if you have to leave home for very long in the winter, they may come in handy to keep the pipes from freezing.

Kathleen

[Preston]

I've been looking into Electric Radiant Heating.  If you do it yourself I don't see if runing more than 5,000.  But i'm not an expert on it, that's based on what i've read...

[glenn kangiser]

Welcome to the forum, Preston.  Are you talking - under floor radiant with water?  I've read that electric water heaters won't do the job or won't do it well.

[Preston]

Thanks for the Welcome!  I've heard mixed results for the underfloor heating with electric.  I think it depends on people's needs.  What i've heard is that for harsh climates it's hard to keep up but for moderate and mild heating it does the job very well for very cheap and energy efficient.

[MountainDon]

I have read that electric tankless water heaters can be used for radiant floor heat if the unit is properly sized to the job. I suppose that could be said for a boiler as well. I like the idea of tankless myself as it would reduce the mass of water to be heated and held "at temp" I would think.

For me the real question is what is the best choice of fuel, now and in the future?

Here in NM nat gas is still cheaper than electricity by a long shot.

I read in today's paper that Germany produces more solar electric than any other country in the world. But the article neglected to state what they pay.

[desdawg]

I have always favored gas over electric heat. I have an electric heat pump which is an entirely different animal than what is being disscussed here. It stops working at about +30 degrees F. I have a friend who has an electrical resistant heater in his heat pump. It has to be switched on manually when you want to use it. He used his last winter during a cold spell and it tripled his electric bill. From what I know gas is more checkbook efficient.

[MountainDon]

If I was going to go with radiant floor heat I'd check with some pros to see if tankless is a good bet, see what else they might recommend. Then go with gas and to cover my a** make certain I had enough electrical capacity available so I could convert to electric if the price of nat gas went to he** before I died.  JMO

[glenn kangiser]

Linked elsewhere here is an article that says that even gas tankless heaters have problems with this - need push and pull pumps to work best - but a tank type is ideal.  Electric can really use a lot of power - even making you double the size of service to make enough hot water.

[John Raabe]

In a small house you can run a floor heating system and a domestic hot water system from the same boiler or tankless heater (this would be gas as electric tankless heaters are undersized). You would need some way (such as a heat exchanger) of keeping the two water system separate. Read these concerns of combined or OPEN LOOP systems.

Here is an interesting source of information and products:
http://houseneeds.com/shop/products.htm

While I think electricity is the long term fuel of the future, natural gas and perhaps propane or even oil, are lower cost heating fuels in all but a few places that are blessed with lots of cheap hydoelectric power.

[optionguru]

One other thought.  My neighbor just put a pellet stove in his basement, he has a few floor vents.  His basement was spray foamed and the whole system keeps his 1800 square foot house warm with a forced hot water baseboard back-up.  For a smaller place I think the pellet stove would be great and you can load up days worth of pellets all at once.

[Billisnice]

My camper heats so well with little propane using a wave 6, they make wave 8's too.

http://www.amazon.com/Olympian-Catalytic-Heater-Wave-6/dp/B000B60DZU/ref=sr_1_3/002-9206466-2648058?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1180003907&sr=1-3


I wonder how it would heat a home?

[John Raabe]

Optionguru:

Using an underfloor heater in an insulated basement or crawlspace and then allowing airflow exchange with the floor above is a time proven technique for comfort. I have something similar in my house and the technique goes back to Roman times and was used to heat the bath houses via an underfloor plenum.

[MountainDon]

My camper heats so well with little propane using a wave 6, they make wave 8's too. I wonder how it would heat a home?

The only thing I don't like about those is they're non-vented and I don't care what the manufacturer says about it not producing any harmful gases.  :-/  I want to wake up every morning.  

[Preston]

My camper heats so well with little propane using a wave 6, they make wave 8's too. I wonder how it would heat a home?

The only thing I don't like about those is they're non-vented and I don't care what the manufacturer says about it not producing any harmful gases.  :-/  I want to wake up every morning.  

I'd like to wake up too!

[Amanda_931]

I've used one of the Coleman catalytic heaters down at the barn.  That one is a lot pricier, but looks good.  The Coleman can be used with batteries to run a fan, but IIRC, won't heat my travel trailer.  I have tried.

The barn was so open at the time (no door, two holes where windows ought to be--part of that is fixed now) that venting was not an issue.

But for insurance purposes, you need a thermostat that won't let your toilet break.