Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania
    (Berks County)
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    I have gas heat and hot water. My electric bill even in winter in $150 and that's just dryer, fridges, regular stuff.
    Gunowner99 - NRA Benefactor Life Member

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Poconos, Pennsylvania
    (Monroe County)
    Posts
    171
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    1495929

    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    Our house has baseboard electric and a coal stove. First thing I did after moving in was switch off all the breakers for the baseboard heaters. While coal has gone up it still costs me less heat the house all winter and maintain the stove than most people pay for one tank of oil or gas. Down sides are the labor of hauling in the coal and taking the ashes, coal dust and the potential for carbon monoxide. For the part of the year when it is too warm during the day to run the coal stove, I picked up a large radiant electric heater when Tractor Supply had them on sale a couple small ones for the bedrooms to take the chill out at night. A temporary solution might be to pick up a couple of them to help the base boards keep up as they are less expensive to run and the oscillating fans do a better job of keeping the air warm along with sealing up any windows or doors that leak. The insulating kits that use double stick tape and shrinky-dink plastic can make a big difference on windows you don't need to open. Speaking of windows, we actually have some of ours open today to let the heat out as its easier than shutting down the stove, lets fresh air into the house and coal is so cheap.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Levittown, Pennsylvania
    (Bucks County)
    Age
    69
    Posts
    842
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    4386769

    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    Beware the electric heat pump with out a backup. Our 'flip' in Levittown ripped out the oil and baseboard and installed a heat pump/forced air system.
    Below around 30 - 28 degrees the heat pump cannot function and the auxiliary heat comes on, that's an huge electric grid inside the interior air handler. It makes the electric meter really spin!

    I'm shopping for a pellet stove now.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Pennsyltucky, Pennsylvania
    Posts
    8,076
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    21474861

    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    LOl.......And let me guess the real estate agent told you electricity is cheap in the Pocono's.

    Well it is, or was, comparatively speaking, but that bill isn't bad for electric....but it hasn't been cold either
    Honestly I don't know how anyone, especially today with all the answers at your fingertips, can buy a house with electric heat and be clueless as to cost.

    Houses in the Pocono's are rife with electric heat. Unless they were built when fuel oil was cheap.
    My first house was electric and I put in a pellet stove before my first winter. Used the electric only in the late spring and early fall.

    I have to ask.

    Where did you move from?

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Pittston, Pennsylvania
    (Luzerne County)
    Posts
    4,844
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    21474857

    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    There are things you can do to improve the system. an off peak system or solar but there is the up front cost associated with them. get a pellet stove and use the electric as a back up.
    troll Free. It's all in your mind.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Dover, Pennsylvania
    (York County)
    Posts
    2,352
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    21474850

    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    If you have central air ductwork you can go to a traditional heat pump fairly easily. As noted above make sure you get a backup strip heat in the unit for when it gets very cold.

    If you don't have ductwork, consider some of the multi zone ductless heat pumps from Fujitsu, LG, or Daikin. They have multiple wall mounted units and a single inverter driven (often 4 pole) compressor. They are so efficient they don't need backup heat; they are also a bit more expensive.

    No matter how you slice it, straight electric (resistance) heat gives you a kW of heat (3413 btuh) for each kW used. A heat pump will provide between 2 and 4 kW of heat for each kW consumed, based on COP, or coefficient of performance. Do the math!
    Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    ., Pennsylvania
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    i wont advertise where i work nor do i work where i live, but if anyone comes in, i'm always happy to discuss benefits and drawbacks to various fuels.
    we basically don't carry electric, oil, heat pumps or outdoor appliances. everything else is pretty much available. wood, coal, pellet, gas.
    the past two winters have been pretty darn good for heat pumps and geothermal simply overcomes the cold temps by drawing heat from the ground. our ground often does not accommodate it well. lots of rocks, often need to drill wells. lots upfront but when you look 20yrs down, probably best choice as prices drop and subsidies come and go.
    There is no way to make it out alive...

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    carbon cty, Pennsylvania
    (Carbon County)
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    2,305
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    .

    electric heat sucks.....period
    Ecclesiastes 10:2 ...........

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    warminster, Pennsylvania
    (Bucks County)
    Posts
    2,877
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    short of having a heat pump. you could not have a more inefficient way of heating.

    a propane furnace would be an improvement. woodburning stove,

    shit, burning your furniture would probably be cheaper after 3 months.
    There is no greater sorrow than to recall in misery the time when we were happy - Dante.

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    ., Pennsylvania
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    Quote Originally Posted by jakebrake View Post
    short of having a heat pump. you could not have a more inefficient way of heating.

    a propane furnace would be an improvement. woodburning stove,

    shit, burning your furniture would probably be cheaper after 3 months.
    well thats the thing. electric converts all energy used into heat, heat pumps make more heat than the energy they use, which is also turned into heat... outdoors. electric is the most efficent but also the most expensive with exception of heat pumps in mild climate.
    so dollar efficency, coal is king. especially if you can get it from coal country at $100+/- a ton. up here i pay damn near $240+/-
    There is no way to make it out alive...

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