The future of heating??

[HammerJoe]

Hi,

I am in the process of upgrading my heating from electricity to something else.

I am pretty much settled on getting a pellet stove for several reasons.

Fuel is relatively cheap compared to others except maybe wood. It is automatic, only needs to be filled with pellets, very efficient, extremely environment friendly, no mess.

It has drawbacks as well but I can live with them.

I am also looking at the future.

To me it looks like oil/gas will continue to increase steadily, while I dont forsee the same for wood/pellets. Sure it will increase as well, but not as bad imo.

But, I would like to read your opinion, what is the fuel of the future for heating mostly pricewise?

[J.A. Michel]

A buddy of mine burns corn in his pellet stove. He says it's better heat and cheaper than pellets.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Solar. The price of sunshine has not changed and will not change. Use the pellet stove for supplements, but in the long run, solar will be the best value.

[FDR]

One drawback is that you may not get delivery of pellets and be stuck in a freezing house. A buddy of mine ordered 4 ton back in April and hasn't gotten nearly any of that yet.

[rz]

Absolutely. Use a Geothermal heat pump. I did. We even get our domestic hot water from it.

Cost is 1/3 that of pellet heat.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I've heard there could be a shortage of pellets this year. A new plant is being built to make them but won't be running until next year. There is a finite supply.

[maradcliff]

Burning useless politicians that keep running up fuel prices !! :)

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[nicksanspam]

The sun is the fuel of the future for heating mostly pricewise.

A $1 square foot of south polycarbonate "solar siding" can provide the heat equivalent of a gallon of oil per year.

Nick

[HeyBub]

Petroleum and its derivatives. Oil prices fluctuate in about ten-year cycles. We're now at a peak, it's downhill from here. Note that even at current prices, oil takes the lowest portion of our disposable income in history.

[Bob]

It wouldn't work well here in Seattle. Sun through clouds is hard to capture.

Bob

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Following up on my own post:

Minutes after making the above comment, the local Channel 30 NBC new was on. They said there is a waiting list for pellet in Connecticut that is 3000 names long. I'd pass on pellets for now.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

State of Oregon even gives tax credits for solar

Still cheaper than oil/gas use of 100% DAY STORAGE

Even on cloudy days passive solar heating designs continue to collect energy from diffused sunlight. However, this greatly reduced and diffuse solar radiation usually does not provide enough energy to keep interior temperatures at 70°F. Well designed thermal mass systems are sized to have carryover capacity and when combined with some auxiliary heating systems, provide for a comfortable environment for a number of cloudy days.

As a rule, direct gain systems can provide comfortable conditions for 1-2 cloudy days if the collecting area is increased by 10-20%, and the interior walls and floors are of solid masonry more than 8 inches thick. If water walls are used in place of masonry, increase the amount of water to two or three cubic feet for each square foot of south facing collecting area.

[Steve Kraus]

I don't know if I would bet on that. With China developing a voracious appetite for oil as it industrializes and automobile ownership there skyrockets* prices are going to go up. They may drop in the short term because indeed there are cycles and short term things affecting prices but the average price over the long haul will go up, possibly drastically.

*China...gunpowder...skyrockets...hehehe

[me]

Excellent site!

Thanks