Which is more economical

I think @Henry does have data which suggest that his conversions save money. And I wouldn't argue with that. However... I also seem to recall that he works in or around Montreal, and if what I have seen of heating systems in Montreal, which is a very small sample (half a dozen or so) in most cases you could save money by burning cash in a fireplace. So without knowing the condition of the replaced system, we really don't know very much.

Jamie Hall said:

I think @Henry does have data which suggest that his conversions save money. And I wouldn't argue with that. However... I also seem to recall that he works in or around Montreal, and if what I have seen of heating systems in Montreal, which is a very small sample (half a dozen or so) in most cases you could save money by burning cash in a fireplace. So without knowing the condition of the replaced system, we really don't know very much.

Which is the point I and several others made in that previous thread. Henry's claims so far have no merit because we do not know what was there before, what condition it was in etc. The same is true for every "case study" I've seen. IIRC, the only exception was one in a school, where the steam boilers were being controlled manually. That's right, manually- indicating a complete control failure. Yet the savings were presented as an indictment of steam, when they were actually a sad commentary on the school's maintenance department. I suspect those new mod-cons have lost a considerable portion of their efficiency by now.

Contrast that with others, including mine. Short version is: This is what we found, this is what we did, this was the result. If we don't have all this info, the numbers mean nothing.

Henry has also failed so far to state the heat loss of his house. He does say it's 2,000 square feet, but how much heat is actually needed to keep it warm? Again, for the numbers to mean something, we need this info. Anything less does this community a disservice.

As for obsession- well, some people are obviously obsessed about their mod-cons, aren't they?

hot_rod said:

Mod con envy Steamhead 😏

Do your customers give their guests boiler-room tours, as some of ours do?

hot_rod said:

We all bow to you as the resident steam guru......

How about @DanHolohan , @Dave0176 , @JohnNY , @Gordo , @The Steam Whisperer , @Jamie Hall , @EzzyT , @ttekushan , @JStar , @gerry gill , @Mad Dog and whomever else I forgot to mention? I know I've learned a lot from them.

My fuel & electric use is less than half of all similar (or smaller) homes in my area.

Boiler room tours are mandatory to the point that my wife has to come get us because the other wives wonder where we are, my wife always knows where we are.

My wife refers to my boiler as "my girlfriend".

Steamhead: I give tours of my boiler all the time... To show people what can be done - if done right. I do warn them about the cost and the fact that no one in the area knows how to service my Viessmann Vitodens 200... along with other interesting suggestions.

Come visit if you get to Eastern Wisconsin (that invitation is open to anyone).

Perry