Any Suggestions Regarding Home Heating?
I own a small slab and each year I say I am going to do whatever it takes to re-insulate and address my heating problem. I have a working furnace but the heat isn’t distributed evenly on the ground floor. I have a fireplace but it’s too much of a hassle. I have had people tell me to get a wood burning stove with a fan etc. or an electric stove with a fan…I’m just overwhelmed with options I know nothing about. Since I have a fireplace (not a huge one) would it be practical to use that space to put some sort of additional heat source in that area? Who do I call for an estimate for the stove and installation? I can’t take another winter of only two rooms being comfortable! Thanks!
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January 12, 2010 @ 6:04 pm
It sounds like you have serious draft & air leak issues. Especially if you already know you need to address the insulation soon. The insulation and draft mitigation will be your most effective and least expensive fixes. You have to plug the holes before you can keep any heat in. Here are a couple of simple steps to start things out.
First thing you need to do is plug the fireplace with a chimney balloon. I am willing to bet a big part of your draft issues has to do with that fireplace damper. That will also buy you some time to figure out what you want to do as far as a firepalce insert or wood stove goes. Let me tell you if you think a fireplace is “too much of a hassle” then you definitly dont want to go the wood stove or fireplace insert route. If you are doing wood heat you will be using more wood, producing more ash, having more chimney and stove to maintain and clean, etc… Wood heat is a lifestyle choice and by nature is more complicated than traditional furnace heat.
I was in a similar spot as you a few years back. I had an inefficient drafty home and a small fireplace and an old furnace. I decided to apply my money to insulation, a power vent furnace, and i just plugged the fireplace. Even though I work in the Hearth industry and it would have been easy to get a fireplace insert to supply wood heat. This was the best descision I have ever made regarding the house. I went from using 800 or more gas therms per winter to around 450 therms of gas per winter (and it has stayed down). On top of that I dont have the hassle or work of the wood heat I was considering.
I would really encourage you to look at insulation and upgrading the furnace first. In the long run you will find it easier and more cost effective.
January 12, 2010 @ 6:04 pm
Well, the simple way is using box or ceiling fans.
Place them at the entryway to the rooms that don’t get heated very much, and turn the ceiling fan on counterclockwise to redistribute the hot air that rises from the ceiling.
If you’d like to call someone, look for a fireplace installer in your area, or call a local contractor that can give you a recommendation.
January 12, 2010 @ 7:05 pm
Addressing your insulation problems first will save you a lot of hassle. See this page on insulation types:http://www.building-your-green-home.com/…
Then you can decide on your type of heat. We experimented last winter with space heat in the form of oil filled radiators….and saved a lot of money in electric bills!
For more info, see the Top Ten Tips to Save Energy:http://www.building-your-green-home.com/…
If your fireplace is vented, be sure you close it off if you are not using it! That alone, has saved us hundreds on heating and cooling costs!
See more here:http://www.building-your-green-home.com/…
There are other link off pages on saving energy on this site as well.
Hope this helps.
January 12, 2010 @ 9:37 pm
Radiant heat from tubes embedded into floor’s concrete slab