Ask the, about a million, people who lost power for a week or more in the plains and west coast.
It would help if each one were installed with a big warning sign "Be sure to have a backup heating system if the power goes off".
I seriously doubt if one out of a thousand homes have an emergency generator, and even some that do could not isolate the furnace circuit and run it.
But I am prejudiced, I don't like the noise of the small duct forced air.
Joe Fischer
eeerrrr.... aahhhhh.. . . . end of group.
Not to bad then, I figured with your electric cost that it would have been higher than that.
So how do you run the fan in the furnace when the power is out?
Donald
Ok then,
With most modern every day piece of heating equipment... which one do you recommend, that doesn't require ELECTRIC to operate?
Or are we to go back to the days of Gas Fired SPACE heaters???
Electric or electric controlled is fine for primary heat, but I keep two Gas Fired SPACE heaters just for when the electric is out. :-)
Actually, I have been lucky, power has not been off more than 8 hours at a time.
My baseboard heat isn't working as well as I hoped, even at 6 cents, it is expensive to heat just one room, small kitchen and bath. There really isn't much choice, it seems to be either heat pump or modern furnace, depending on electric rates and natural gas ups and downs.
My utility company offers free truck loads of mulch when they are trimming trees in the area, but I would need to build an incinerator type heating system for that.
The convenience of a modern heating system of any kind really spoils people, the thought of chopping wood seems like too much work, and it is too much for me to think about.
Gas SPACE heaters can be built to be just as efficient as the modern furnace, and I suppose I could put ductwork for flame air and a heat exchanger in the vent pipe, so I may need to do that next summer.
Joe Fischer
If you are going to have a back-up source for heat... and even if you don't... Then don't say "high tech furnace's are a threat".
The fact is, the newer, high tech, modern day furnace's are safer than the old units.
Expensive at 6 cents... something isn't right. Of coarse a heat pump would be more economical than your straight electric heat.
Going backwards in technology again are we?
You're starting to sound like an engineer that is wanting to spend $1000 to save $5. Good luck with that.
What figures would you like me to input for you?
List the fuel types, fuel cost and equipment efficiencies... and I'll get you the end cost per million btu transferred into the space.
Electric or electric controlled is fine for primary heat,
Heat Pump with electric backup.
For many reasons... helps out during the defrost cycle and can be cheaper than burning straight gas. Of coarse, one would do a manual J and a cost analysis to find out. :-)
I think you're dillusional. It is a fact of life that most areas of the country burn natural gas to produce electricity.
It is also a fact of life that electric utilities NEVER decrease the price they charge for electricity, however natural gas prices DO flucuate, depending upon supply & demand.
your 'cost analysis' is effective for one specific point in time.
tell us what your spread sheet cost analysis says about a cord of wood (and the resulting btu's generated to split it into pieces small enough to burn) :)
full cord of tamarack wood. $160.00 delivered. Cast iron stove.
82.5%
Not every power company burns natural gas... try COAL.
Name one natural gas company that gives you a volume discount. Meaning the more you use the cheaper each tier gets.
Screw that shit... I would never burn wood!!!
But if you want a cost analysis on wood... give me your price per cord. :-)
$12.12
My furnace doesn't have a fan, plus I'm off grid, so my power is never out. Propane wall heaters are non-electric. My primary heat is wood, but I have propane heat for when I want to go away for a weekend.
What's wrong with propane wall heaters for emergency backup, or even a nice woodstove?
The thing that most everyone is missing is this...
There are many ways to provide heat without electric, but for the most part... they are inefficient and not as comfortable as other heat sources.
As in my other reply, there are many ways to provide emergency heat without electric. But in most cases, these are inefficient and compromise your comfort.
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