building a house need help on ways to heat!

Tyler

Soon i will be designing and building my new home. Unlike now were i have natural gas I am moving out to the sticks! where there will only be propane or heating oil! Im trying to stay away from heating oil becuase i have herd that there is less and less poeple servicing and building them. Im looking for something that gets hot ( not luke warm like electric heat pumps) and efficiant. also the burns clean not like heating oil but then again ive herd conflicting reports on soot with heating oil. so any new ways or ideas would be aprecaited ( also building a wood shop in basemant along with a finished basement! the house will be a ranch around 2,500 sq ft or greater. So i would like to some how seperate the heating source for the wood shop ( which will be in basement < poured foundation)This reason is beuase i dont want dust getting upstairs or blowing around. tnx 4 your opinions!

lchmb

new technology

with today's newer system's you will find that oil is a beautiful choice. with the clean burn technology and the better training that most companies offer, it is an awsome direction to look.....As to hot water or hot air is a thing of preference..I personally like hot water...I have met a number of people who like hot air....some say hot air is faster and cleaner...As to a work shop, have an air intake boot installed on your burner..problem solved..now all of your air for combustion is from the outside, nice and clean...Personally the issue with gas is because you have to have tank's installed by a supplier..once done..they own you till you pay another supplier to come in..They can set a low price to get you and then raise it over time.....Oil you can just call another supplier...good luck and enjoy the new home

flange

go oil. as far as odor, mine is located right in the laundry room off my main entrance. no one has ever told me they smell it. i also like hot water, it gives you more options, and flexibility. if your budget allows use radiant where possible. if you have come here for advice, you picked a good spot, why not ask one of the pros here to help you out on your build?

Joe_13

oil is king

Don't ever say oil is disappearing. As nat gas/LP prices keep incresing and they're no way to import it other then pipeline, you will see more and more conversions back to oil. A nice 275 gal safety tank in the basement will last forever. Go with an oil fired direct vent hot water radiant system. With the same high efficently boiler making your domestic hot water through an indirect tank, there's nothing better.

flange

i say if you are going to use oil, and you are building new you should get the largest tank you can comfortably fit to hold up to a whole seasons worth of oil. why?? around here at least oil is about 50-70 cents cheaper in the summer. you can fill up with any provider you like on the cheap.

GMcD

New House design

The first step is to design the best glass and envelope system you can, then any kind of house heating system is small, efficient and hopefully simple. I am of the school that says you can't spend enough on the glazing. Depending on the climate, triple glazing, Heat Mirror or Visionwall glazing would be a starting point. The lower the house heat losses, the less energy you use, the smaller the heating plant, the more choice you have for comfort heating.

Ex Maine Doug

If you don't want the stuff

in the house or basement, you can add a small no window super insulated room on the side of the house. Divide the room for a really big tank or double tank, the other section devoted to boiler and controls. Install a small backup electric or other heater to keep the room above freezing in case you have a failure of the oil burner if this would make you feel more comfortable with it. My oil burners are in the basement, direct vent with outside air intake. We let one run for more than a year and a half without service (2 winters and a summer) to see what it would do. One day when it was 20 below zero, it decided not to light because the fuel was a bit thick, my tank is outside in an unheated doghouse-like structure built against the building. Took 2 hours to clean the boiler, change filter and nozzle and we are good for another year. We buy oil as part of a group and this winter are paying 1.19 per gal.
In 58 years, I have had them all, oil hot water, oil steam, oil hot air, gas hot water, gas hot air. There is something comforting about having a store of fuel on board.
Now in case of a massive month long electric failure in the entire state, maybe only natural gas would be available since electric is used to pump bulk oil and LPG. At that point I am sure we would burn McDonalds "do you want fries with that" oil.
Go oil, radiant floor, panel rads and towel warmer. Radiant floor is like chocolate, you can never have too much. Panel rads get hot and you can put mittens and jackets on them. Towel warmer, well, it just keeps the towels warm.

Earthfire

home heating

Groundsource heatpump with radiant floor thruout the house. Will also handle your hot water needs. And if you want Ac will handle that too. One utility bill no oil or propane tanks. If properly designed and installed will out perform just about any heating source, and good old Mother Earth is about too cool down too soon. She is an Unlimited BTU Source

BillW@honeywell

Build your house like a system...

in which each component has an effect on the other. As previously mentioned, the "envelop" should be insulated to meet the needs of your area, and the windows are vitally important too... look for the EPA's "EnergyStar" rating, and stick with name brands like Anderson, Pella or Marvin. Tyvek wrap, use the 40 year shingles, make sure the roofer installs flashing and ice dam prevention products if you live in a cold climate. Install gutter guards to keep the leaves out of the gutters, so they don't back up.

Oil or Propane? Oil contains more BTU's than propane, and for the past few years has been less expensive. New "Roth" style tanks, while pricey, give much better performance than the old style metal tanks, and can be matched to your house so that they aren't obvious. Modern oil burners eliminate most of the issues with the old ones, but the key here is to hire a reputable oil company who provides regular service, and sets the burner up using instruments, not by eyeball method. Propane means a big tank in your yard, and is heavier than air, so that any leaking will collect in low spots until it ignites, so some form of gas detection device is recommended, along with the usual smoke detectors and CO detectors.

In floor radiant, or a combo using panel rads in some areas is nice, heated towel racks are a real nice luxury in a cold climate. If you like an older look, cast iron baseboards or either recycled or replica radiators are an option. If you need AC, consider hydroair. Don't forget to provide for ventilation air, and combustion air for you appliances, consider a heat or energy recovery ventilator.

Regardless of how you choose to do it , remember this. Your energy costs are the third largest cost associated with home ownership, after mortgage and taxes. Choose not only your heating and cooling system and building envelop with an eye to conserving energy, but also your water heater, washer/dryer, refrigerator and lighting. Look for the yellow tag, EPA EnergyStar rating and purchase the most efficient product your budget will allow.

hr

in my rural area

LP is the main fuel. You can, and most do, purchase their own tanks. This allows you to shop. However for some unknown reason LP varies only a few cents from company to company. You can prebuy in summer months, also.

Undergroung LP tanks are becoming more common, especially in subdivision areas.

Most of the natural gas and LP is domestic. Some from Canada, and a very small amount tankered in.

Oil is about 53% imported currently, up from 35% during the oil crisis days of 1973, and projected to rise to 70% by 2025. According to ASES figures.

As far as price fluctuations, chose between the Texans or OPEC!

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