Quote:
Originally Posted by thinkxingu
Hi All,
We have an all-electric split-level home, which we love (quiet, no maintenance, etc.) but as you can guess, it's getting expensive. I always thought we'd go solar, but I'm not sure our house orientation will work well. My basement is finished and we don't have an easy place for an oil tank/boiler, etc. A few years ago we had central air installed by installing ducts in our attic, which, with cold air falling, keeps the downstairs cool as well.
The attic has 24" of blown-in insulation and we replaced all the doors, windows, and siding in the last five years. We use a wood stove upstairs, so the individual thermostats in each room work well to keep far away rooms balanced. We currently keep the upstairs at 65 all the time, which is comfortable for both us and the doggie when we're at work. The downstairs is kept at 60.
Thoughts on heating/cost-saving options?
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You already have the duct work and it should be sized correctly and insulated per code, install a propane fired non condensing or condensing Rheem warm air furnace if it is to be installed in a conditioned space. I am also assuming you don't have access to NG. If for some reason the basement area needs heat you already have it with electric strips or you could install a Rinnai. Don't waste your money on any of the expensive wall hung boilers or instantaneous water heaters ... both require expensive yearly maintenance(which most people never do) and have short term warranties, typically 10-12 years. Wall hung boilers are designed for low temp application, they are a poor substitute to conventional boilers as most are expected to provide the 180* water baseboard is designed around. It is my finding that it dramatically reduces the life of the boiler due to the continuous extreme high temps for the BB. (remember they are designed around 130-140* systems) Course with a new system you can design a lower temp baseboard by installing much more. Make sure the design temp is based on at least 0*. All in all I'd go with the warm air furnace. Good luck and do your home work and research.