[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

First off, thanks for all the input and suggestions...

Our home is rather new and well insulated. It was one of the homes that was hit by the flood here in Alton when the dam broke in 1997 (?). We weren't the owners at the time. The place was gutted, redone, and an addition done. There's new windows, honeycomb-style shades, great insulation - our only gripe has been there's no storm doors, so we're putting those up this weekend. We've added on a sun room and it solar heats our downstairs alone on a good sunny day - even in the winter. It was about 75 degrees out there today!

Our furnace is less than 10 years old and we have it serviced each year, on schedule. We don't have a water heater but hot water on demand from the furnace. I'm not exactly sure how that works, to be honest. I know it's supposed to be an efficient way of heating the water we need for showers, dishes, etc.

Now, for what we're able to spend on secondary heating options... let me say that a huge project costing thousands of $$$ is out of the question. So, putting up a chimney or any major masonry work, etc. just isn't an option. Yeah, we could finance something but... that would depend on how it might help us in the big picture. My findings so far are that the device that makes the heat isn't the cost issue - getting it installed is the expensive part.

We've been keeping the heat at 60 degrees during the day, and 56 at night. We use electric blankets (except for the kids - but they're small and wear those fleece footie pajamas to bed.)

One thing I've found that I like the "plug and play" aspect of and it seems like the cost of running it won't be too bad, is a new Eden Pure heaters:
http://www.edenpurestore.com/

Anyone have any experience with these? We've got a small quartz heater we picked up at BJ's that we use in the sunroom when we're having supper out there or I place in the baby's room on super-cold nights. It's great and I never see an increase in our bills.

Maybe this is the answer?

(I don't mean to be a pest about this - neither hubby nor I are very handy and I grew up in apartments so this is new to me...)

AW,
I'll throw my 2 cents at this and say that you might want to consider a wood pellet stove. I've had one for 11 years. It replaced my wood stove and I've never looked back. You can spend $1200-$2800 on a pellet stove but it's the payback you really have to consider. Wood pellets are a sustainable energy source in the US and the price is stable compared to the various fuels. I paid $160/ton for pellets in 1996 and paid $210/ton this year. I don't think that even kept up with inflation! You can install a pellet stove anywhere in your home as long as it's on an outside wall and near an electrical outlet. It only requires a "3" pipe through the wall using special insulated pipe, no chimney required. You say you are not handy, but you must know someone who is. The toughest part is carrying the unit to where you want it. They go 350-400 lbs so you'll need a couple of burly guys (or gals!) I burn about 2.5 tons a year and my house is a constant 70-75 degrees. ( I know, that's ridiculous, but my wife is always cold and it's nice to keep her happy) Today's models start and stop by themselves using a thermostat set at a certain temp and if I was going to make a recommendation, which I am, I would look at Harmon Stoves.
There are several members of this Forum who have them and maybe they'll chime in. You can do a lot of research online so grab a blanket (sorry, couldn't resist, I know you're serious) and click away. You can PM me if you have any questions.

Blue Thunder