Heating Costs - How do you heat your home?

[Electronrider]

Originally Posted by indyjoe

I've looked at the outdoor wood furnaces from Central Boiler. It is a multi-day burning "shed" that gets heat to your central air and water heater via insulated pipes. This seems like the easiest retrofit for wood burning in a house not designed for it. I wonder if it would be hard to use the same loop for going through the solar water heater to do hot water only in the summer, without wood burning, and assist with pre-heating the return in the winter. The price is a little steep, at about $5k to start.

The only thing that I do not like about woodstoves outside of the home, is that you are absolutely reliant on electricity.

I grew up in the U.P. of Michigan, and a lot of people I know up there went to the outdoor system, because there is a lot less cutting and splitting involved with the fire.

[indyjoe]

Originally Posted by Electronrider

The only thing that I do not like about woodstoves outside of the home, is that you are absolutely reliant on electricity.

I grew up in the U.P. of Michigan, and a lot of people I know up there went to the outdoor system, because there is a lot less cutting and splitting involved with the fire.

True. I guess if you had radiant heating and just needed a circulating pump, you could get by with solar and battery pump system fairly cheaply.

[4sarge]

Originally Posted by indyjoe

I've looked at the outdoor wood furnaces from Central Boiler. It is a multi-day burning "shed" that gets heat to your central air and water heater via insulated pipes. This seems like the easiest retrofit for wood burning in a house not designed for it. I wonder if it would be hard to use the same loop for going through the solar water heater to do hot water only in the summer, without wood burning, and assist with pre-heating the return in the winter. The price is a little steep, at about $5k to start.

Looks good, I especially like the A coil heat dispersement using existing furnace and ductwork. I live in a log cabin, metal roof with 0 roof cuts. The propane furnace is HE with outside air and cool exhaust. Basically, a squirrel with a match heats the house :rolleyesedit: Not my favorite but it is allegedly efficient.

The cost on these puppies is the killer. My electricity fails more in the summer than the winter. I am also looking at a LP generator for those failures. It only takes money

[indyjoe]

Originally Posted by 4sarge

The cost on these puppies is the killer.

That was my decision as well. It is cool, but the system takes so many years to pay back the investment.

The pallet burner would be a great idea for a large place with many buildings. So many places around Indy will give you pallets for free if you pick them up. Much easier than chopping firewood. Occasionally clean out the left over metal that didn't burn.