the home is fifty years old, brick and, is presently, being heated by an electric/oil furnace. The house is approxinately 1500 square feet.
2007-09-25 12:08:23 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Geo thermal can be up to 400% and any gas furnace is at the most 96% there the best but they cost alot. Air to air heat pump with a gas furnace is the next best and it is priced near a standard system.
2007-09-25 15:24:33 · answer #1 · answered by Mark N 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutly the cheapest way to heat a home is a Heat Pump.
Heat Pumps are rated by the National Energy Association. The ratting is called it's SEER = Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. The rating is based on electric heat because electric heat is 100% effecient. A 14 SEER heat pump has a Coeffecient of performance of 4.2 ay 37 degreees. This means that it is 410% cheaper at this teperature to produce the same ammount of heat. You can buy up to an !8 SEER with a COP of 5.6 at 37 degrees. No brainer. I am HVAC TECH. 15 Years. Average savings is 35% over system being replaced. Reduce heat bills by 1/3 and it is your new A/C unit as well. With a high SEER does same for cooling.
2007-09-25 12:22:05 · answer #2 · answered by Kevin D 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
geo-thermal is the most efficient, and you can get a reheat coil in it for domestic hot water use. It is not cheap to install but will pay in the long run. Heat pump's seer ratings of 13 up to 18 only apply in a/c mode. In heating mode they range from 8 to 13. They never tell you that though when the salesman is trying to sell you the higher efficiency ones. Read the yellow energy guide on the system for exact numbers.
2007-09-25 12:31:29 · answer #3 · answered by candyman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, the most economical system I know of is geo-thermal heating system. It uses the difference in temp between the outside and few feet below the ground... I know it is very economical but not cheep to install. If you have duct system in the house I would go with a good oil heater like TRANE. Since yours runs on oil now, you do have an oil tank. So the only thing you would need is the heater itself, everything else is in place.
Just in case here is some info on the geo-thermal stuff
http://www.powerhousetv.com/stellent2/groups/public/documents/pub/phtv_se_he_bu_000595.hcsp
2007-09-25 12:13:55 · answer #4 · answered by Derek 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Despite the hype, heat pumps are not as efficient as a gas heater with electric a/c. A ground source heat pump is more efficient than a regular heat pump, but still not as efficient as the natural gas heater. Worked on state campaign to promote ground source heat pumps for OSU. For a gas heater, look for the highest SEER or energy efficiency rating.
2016-04-06 01:03:53 · answer #5 · answered by Barbara 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hot water or steam radiant heat ---either under-floor---(expensive) or baseboard type----is clean and quiet---you'll have to compare oil or gas price per BTU to determine which is cheaper in your area....Electric is not very efficient and is costly. Forced air systems use more energy and don't retain heat like a radiator/radiant heat system will--also have cold spots or drafts but do offer air filters for people with respiratory problems.
Best to compare systems for price per BTU....and insulate attic and walls to the highest level possible, install energy-saving doors and windows.
2007-09-25 12:26:36 · answer #6 · answered by paul h 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Find all the corners that seems to suck in cold air from outside first. Then, try to seal it - depends if it needed temporary sealing or permanent. I will just tape areas like window seal that has air leak then remove the tape after cold season.
Set your heater to just a cormfortable temperature and use layers of sweat pants and shirts and also always wear socks. Don't open the windows and doors all the time so that cold air will not get in. Cook a bunch of food and put them in a container to stock in the freezer so that you minimize the use of your stove - instead heat the food in microwave. This will sure lower your bills too.
2007-09-25 12:17:27 · answer #7 · answered by earth angel 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the cheapest heating system we had was a steam/hot water system in an older home. it was efficient and cost efficient. we hung wet clothes on the radiators to dry in winter.
2007-09-25 12:11:34 · answer #8 · answered by dslu99 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Baseboard type radiant heat from a boiler.
2007-09-25 12:10:49 · answer #9 · answered by snowman 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a ground source heat pump system , extreemly expensive however.. most efficient
2007-09-25 17:07:24 · answer #10 · answered by ken G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋