Best Of
Re: Steam Mains Insulate or not?
Thanks Intplm. It is fiberglass. That I am sure of, because I put it in myself.
Re: Heat Pump vs. Furnace energy usage 2024-2025 results
With @jesmed1's anaylsis It appears you did revealed a rough ratio of gas versus KWh. If a therm of natural gas is less than 10x a KWh, then a heat pump is economical to operate.
But, that's some expensive natural gas! In Western NY, I'm at $0.85/therm. I pay around $0.18/kwh for electric. So for me, natural gas is a lot cheaper.

Re: Boiler pressure constantly rises to/past 30psi relief valve trigger
Just wanted to add…at this point I am just kind of thinking out loud and letting my curiosity run wild, making this thread carry on longer than it probably needed to. Hopefully not wearing out my welcome.
It seems like I already hit a point where I can declare the problem solved even though there is room for future improvement if desired. And for that I owe you all a big thanks!
THANKS SO MUCH to everybody that posted such great info and advice! I feel like I learned a ton and saved a lot of money by taking it on myself, which I could not have been confident doing without your help.
Equally important to fixing this issue, I’m no longer completely ignorant about how this system works. That’s a gift that will keep on giving.

Re: Residential Steam Boiler Replacement - EDR Questions
I think those column rads were made by Republic Radiator Co., but they are standard units so any standard 3-column chart will do.
Re: Heat Pump vs. Furnace energy usage 2024-2025 results
Induction is so good. Faster than gas, no combustion gases, and it will shut off a burner element after awhile if there's nothing on it, or if the water all boils out of whatever's in the pan.
Re: Heat Pump vs. Furnace energy usage 2024-2025 results
Yup everyone’s mileage will vary. Our gas supply costs vary widely - between $.25 and $1.10 per therm over the last three years.
The next step for savings is ditching the gas stove. That’ll save me almost nothing energy wise but will save me $180 a year in fixed costs.
Re: Purging Questions on Radiant Heating System
speaking as a homeowner, I guess I have to ask, where is the air purger?
I do not see an air scoop or automatic air vent anywhere in that mess of bad piping.

Re: Heat Pump vs. Furnace energy usage 2024-2025 results
So comparing your heating cost at current rates for the two different fuels:
Gas: 0.11 therm/HDD x $1.77/therm = $0.195/HDD
Heat pump: 1.22 kWh/HDD x $0.16/kWh = $0.195/HDD
So your heating costs turn out to be the same for the different fuels. Obviously the comparison will be different for other owners in different zones, with different COP's and different rate structures.
I had been considering switching our oil boilers here in the Boston area to gas, but with this winter's gas rate hikes, I'm glad that plan didn't work out.
I had also been looking at air-to-water heat pumps with a heat exchanger for our existing hot water heating system with old cast iron radiators, but the conversion would have been so expensive and the benefits so modest that the payback period would have been around 50 years…not feasible.

Re: What boiler service tools do you carry with you?
@clammy has an interesting tool proposal. "Opposite Potential", which is to say that "similar potential" or "opposite impossibility" might be tools that his counterpart might bring to the table. That is not to say that "Similar Impossibility" might not also be considered another tool. This is all based on the theory that "opposites attract", which in turn causes "similars to repel". Although since I have been stuck in this wheelchair, I have not had the opportunity to Repel down the side of a mountain, or climb a mountain for that matter, ...but that is a story for another day, today we need to purchase a steamer trunk to use as a tool pouch in order to carry all these new tools to @RayWohlfarth’s next boiler service call. along with @ethicalpaul 's video equipment in order to document how each and every tool was used in order to figure out that someone just left the switch turned off.
This is what happens to you when you retire and have nothing better to do!!! Nonsensical ramblings.
Heat Pump vs. Furnace energy usage 2024-2025 results
I've posted this a few times now and wanted to update with 2024-2025 numbers.
My house was heated by a furnace for 110 days in 2020-2021, then replaced with a ducted heat pump. Here are the therms and kwhs used for that time period during the furnace period and the following years. A few notes:
- Historically, this Nov. - mid Feb period is about 2/3rds of the 11/1-10/31 period's heating degree days. It's also the coldest 2/3rds.
- In 2023, the gas water heater was replaced with electric resistance, which explains the therms reduction starting in the 11/1/2023-2/28/24 period. That adds roughly 1000 kwh to the electricity usage for the time period (57.5 therms x 60% efficiency x 100,000 btus/therm / 3412 btus/kwh = 1010 kwh).
- The main change for the 11/1/24-2/18/25 period was switching to a time of use rate. I expected to lose some efficiency in exchange for decreased costs, it seems to have worked out. The TOU rates save me more in the summer, so that's the main reason I will continue to use them.
- I've got regressions to determine fuel usage per heating degree day:
- Gas coefficient: .11 therms/heating degree day
- HP coefficient: 1.22 kwh/heating degree day
- Current $/therm gas rates (Feb bill):
- Supply rates: $.623
- Distribution: $1.0055
- Empower MD: $.1087
- Tax: $.039831
- Total: $1.77/therm
- Current $/kwh rates (Feb Bill) (On peak was 13% of usage)
- On Peak/Off peak:
- Supply: $.24324/kwh / $.08198/kwh
- Distribution: $.11714/kwh / $.03426/kwh
- Charges the same for both
- Empower MD: $.01028/kwh
- Franchise Tax: $.00062/kwh
- Local Tax: $.003356/kwh
- Envir Surcharge: $.00015/kwh
- Weighted Average for Feb bill: $.1604/kwh
- On Peak/Off peak:
Heating Degree Days 60 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Start | End | Total | Max | Average | kwh | therms |
11/1/20 | 2/18/21 | 2,092 | 32 | 19 | 1,417 | 295 |
11/1/21 | 2/18/22 | 2,129 | 38 | 19 | 3,304 | 58 |
11/1/22 | 2/18/23 | 1,826 | 47 | 17 | 3,231 | 66 |
11/1/23 | 2/18/24 | 1,929 | 40 | 18 | 3,978 | 4 |
11/1/24 | 2/18/25 | 2,284 | 45 | 21 | 4,739 | 5 |