Electric Thermal Storage Systems

[Jochen]

Has anybody here experience with Electric Thermal Storage Systems. I just stumbled accross them on the Nova Scotia Power web pages. Although I'm not a big fan o electrical heating systems, one adavantage I can see is that Nova Scotia Power will give you a special rate not only for the usage of the Electric Thermal Storage System, but for all the elctricity you are using. Just want to learn moe about these.

By the way, John. The Saltbox plans arrived.

Jochen

[MountainDon]

Only what I've read... you heat a thermal mass (ceramic bricks?) with lower cost off peak power and that is used to heat during peak hours. The theory sounds good for anyone building new.   

[NM_Shooter]

It is interesting.  Take advantage of any discount you can get. 

You are buying heat in anticipation of needing it.  I guess if you buy it during the day and store it for the night, that makes sense.  But what if you buy it during the night, and the next day is warm?   Is there a way to slow the heat radiation source?

I'd also like to know how many BTU hours you are storing in the box.  Is it enough to really provide benefit?

A pet peeve of mine are folks claiming that electric heat is 100% efficient.  That is only true if you measure efficiency at where the energy comes into the heater. 

Burning coal or gas, converting that to electricity, and then back to heat is not 100% efficient when you consider the original source of conversion back at the power plant.  This "100% efficient" electric heat nonsense is mostly nothing more than marketing hype promoted by the electric company and the folks selling electric heaters.

If your electricity comes from gas back at the plant, it is more efficient to just burn the gas at your home to create heat.

So I guess you need to figure out what your discounted energy costs would be, weigh that against the cost of the hardware, and determine how effective and comfortable that system would be.  Yikes!  Sounds hard.  Good luck and let us know how this goes.

-f-

[MountainDon]

Probably the best source of the power for something like this would be hydro electric. They do have a lot of that in parts of Canada. Does Nova Scotia draw from the hydro?

[Jochen]

Yes, I know about the marketing lie that heat generated by electricity is 100% effective. And Don, not much Hydro generated electricity in Nova Scotia. Most of it is by coal. So really dirty energy!

I know that f. e. in Germany, were I'm originally coming from, new installations of Electric Thermal Storage System are not longer allowed due to their bad ecological footprint. They were pretty common in the sixties in Europe. I found also some information's that these system are also hard to adjust. You are storing heat in Of Peak Hours, in the night, and use it then over the day. But you really have to plan in advance whether to store heat or not, although you can't be sure how cold it will be the next day. So you are storing heat, using electricity, not knowing whether you really will need it the next day or not. So I guess I will look into something else. But what I do like is the idea that Nova Scotia Power is offering the reduce power rate for all electricity used in the house. Not only for ETS Systems.

Main heat source will be an airtight wood stove, but we need a back up source which could also heat the house during long and cold winter days when nobody is home. I like the idea behind pellet stoves, but the drawback for me is that the need electricity as well. Power outage is a common feature here. 

Ah, question, questions.  But it is good to be in the planning stage again.

Jochen

[MountainDon]

I like the idea behind pellet stoves, but the drawback for me is that the need electricity as well. Power outage is a common feature here. 

Not to mention that pellet trees are hard to find. None around here for cutting down.   

You know what I mean, it's processed fuel, even though it's from waste materials, it still has to be factory produced and you or I have to buy it.

[glenn kangiser]

I don't ever want the power company to have me by the short hair.

[Jochen]

I have found this handy Fuel Cost calculator at http://www.bruderheim-rea.ca/fuel_cost_comparison_calc.htm You can download it to put in your actual figures.

Jochen