Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Hilltown, Pennsylvania
    (Bucks County)
    Age
    63
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    Quote Originally Posted by toddxtyboy View Post
    More adventures in my new home in the Poconos!

    so our first electric bill came in at $260, and we were shocked! we changed our high use lights to LED bulbs and changed our thermostat from 68 to 63 degrees in the occupied rooms. The next bill came in and it was $420!! thats almost as much as my mortgage!

    I wear we couldn't be using that much electricity so today I went breaker by breaker to determine what was using so much. sure enough it is our electric baseboard heaters. In our unscientific test it brings the rotation of the analog electric meter from 20 mississippi's to 3 mississipi's.

    Could something be wrong with the wiring? or is this just how much it costs for electric heat?

    About the home: 2600sq ft, individual room thermostats and a propane fireplace in the kitchen. Thermostats are set to 63 where we stay, night time and bathrooms set to 50. I'm not sure if i need to keep heat on in the bathrooms to prevent pipes from freezing,

    Thank you guys!
    There were the cheap resistive base boards with the basic Honeywell thermostats when we moved in years ago and no wood stove. One month that winter we had a $900 electric bill.
    We replaced them with a combination of Fahrenheat and Cadet Softheat hydronic base board heaters along with a woodstove.

    What really made the difference is 7 day programmable thermostats. Once they were dialed in, the house is always comfortable and very economical considering it’s base board heating.
    The heaters run only when you want and our unused upstairs rooms only heat if the temp drops to 50 and you can set that lower if you want. Upstairs bathroom heat only runs two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.

    From Dec 2012 to the billing cycle that ended yesterday avg annual monthly cost was $218.91 for the same size (2600 sf) house. This is an alternative to heat pump or mini-split systems, but relies on the wood stove to supplement heating.

    Here are the thermostats:

    http://www.supplyhouse.com/Honeywell...FRBXDQod6doHhg

    Good luck.
    Politicians who fear the people seek to disarm them.

    People who fear their government's intentions refuse to be disarmed.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Ford City, PA, Pennsylvania
    (Armstrong County)
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    If you don't currently have ducting, getting a heat pump is going to cost you a pretty penny, depending on you easily ducting can be put in. I would only go down that route if you are interested in having central air conditioning as well.

    Since you don't have natural gas, I would probably look into a boiler, if you don't want air conditioning. It's considerably easier to install pipes in a house, than ducting.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Pennsyltucky, Pennsylvania
    Posts
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    I think the OP needs to talk with this man
    hank hill.jpg

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    DeepInTheWoods, Pennsylvania
    (Warren County)
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    The outside boiler is a popular item around here in the boondocks.
    Cheap to burn logs and when you burn outside, the dirt and ashes and soot all stay outside.
    Domestic hot water is included, so that's a savings.
    Chimney is about 4 feet tall, so cleaning is easy and safe.
    You can get a coal compatible boiler also.

    Down side: you are tied to feeding the thing all winter long. Want a vacation? better get a neighbor to stoke it - you DON'T want your pipes to freeze.
    American by BIRTH, Infidel by CHOICE

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    ., Pennsylvania
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    Quote Originally Posted by markshere2 View Post
    The outside boiler is a popular item around here in the boondocks.
    Cheap to burn logs and when you burn outside, the dirt and ashes and soot all stay outside.
    Domestic hot water is included, so that's a savings.
    Chimney is about 4 feet tall, so cleaning is easy and safe.
    You can get a coal compatible boiler also.

    Down side: you are tied to feeding the thing all winter long. Want a vacation? better get a neighbor to stoke it - you DON'T want your pipes to freeze.
    except until 2015 they were often glorified metal boxes that were often stuffed with garbage and unseasoned wood "because it burns longer" Edit: i've also heard the odd story of people throwing dead deer and kerosene soaked materials in there.
    so they've been banned all over and got bad rep.
    the new efficent and gassification models are where it's at. however, my basement is a little dusty mostly from cutting wood down there and hardly from my coal furnace. the floor often needs swept. i frequently spill coal, sweep and throw in hopper.
    There is no way to make it out alive...

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    Mitsubishi Hyper Heat.

    You're welcome.

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Ford City, PA, Pennsylvania
    (Armstrong County)
    Posts
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    Quote Originally Posted by DukeConnor View Post
    Mitsubishi Hyper Heat.

    You're welcome.
    I believe that was already discussed?

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Dover, Pennsylvania
    (York County)
    Posts
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    Quote Originally Posted by DukeConnor View Post
    Mitsubishi Hyper Heat.

    You're welcome.
    Quote Originally Posted by danhr View Post
    I believe that was already discussed?
    It was, but let's talk about it some more. It's simply a heat pump with a different kind of motor driving the compressor, the pair of which is powered with an inverter, something similar to a variable frequency drive (VFD). The combination allows the compressor to spin up to about 120 hertz, or about twice the speed of a motor on a standard 60 hertz electrical service. More compression = more resistance = more friction heat and slightly more heat from the actual heat pump cycle. The net result is a heat pump that doesn't need a backup strip heater, nothing more.

    They do work well for heat, and they provide some of the most efficient cooling too. The downside is they are expensive. Did I mention they are expensive? All major ductless companies (all Asian too) offer an inverter driven system of some kind, mostly to meet increasing AHRI efficiency standards.
    Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    East side of the ANF, Pennsylvania
    (Elk County)
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    Quote Originally Posted by fallenleader View Post
    well thats the thing. electric converts all energy used into heat, heat pumps move more heat (from outside to inside to heat the house) 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+/-
    FIFY.

    Noah
    Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    ., Pennsylvania
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    Default Re: electric heat problems?

    Quote Originally Posted by Noah_Zark View Post
    FIFY.

    Noah
    Ty.

    With these 120hz systems. How much efficency is lost when its 10F or -15F?
    The less outdoor heat, the more thwy struggle. Is it still of benefit then? I'd still want an aux like wood.
    Not to mention, the greater temp difference betwwen in and out, the greater the loss, substantially. Many more btu required.
    There is no way to make it out alive...

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