Drums of water in the basement as a buffer

psb75

Water is a very good medium to store heat in and you can use it to move the heat to where you want it. But what about masonry mass heaters, like a Russian/Scandinavian stove? But only if you are willing to burn solid fuel. They are incredibly efficient. Most of the time one or two firebox loads a day (depending on your climate) are sufficient. If you have all of that space to store barrels and barrels i.e. thousands of gallons of water, why not consider permanent masonry mass? Oh, and you need a place to store your fuel (nicely seasoned, dry wood).