Electric vs. Oil

[NHPltBrnr]

Greetings all. First time poster, long time lurker.

Thank you all for your generous knowledge sharing.

I burn a St. Croix Auburn and love it.

Here's my question:

The pellet stove heats my house sufficiently. My oil burner is on it's last leg, and I have a FHW system.

I've considered ditching the oil altogether and just installing an electric hot water heater for my hot water needs.

I estimate a professional oil burner install will run me $3-5,000+. An electric hot water heater maybe $1,000.

What do you all think?

 

[imacman]

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for sharing the pic of your stove.

As for the issue of oil or electric, it's tough question to answer.

I WILL say that, as much as you don't seem to "need" a heating system, I don't think it's a good idea to depend just on your pellet stove. God forbid it breaks down with no way to fix it for days or weeks, and you have extremely cold weather up your way, how are you keeping the house warm?

I think if you've paid attention on this forum, and also have read some pellet stove owners manuals, most will agree that a pellet stove should NOT be your primary means of heat.

That's my 2 cents.

 

[Trickyrick]

As much as most of us LOVE our pellet stoves I woudl be willing to bet there are very very few people even on here that woudl purchase a home with ONLY a pellet stove for heat.

I would suggest for resale value alone you need the central heat system. If you can't put it in this year due to budget constraints that is understandable and you may get away with this for the time you own a home but long term when you go to sell you will have to spend the $ to fix it. I know I woudln't buy any house that had a broken furnace and it would be tough for a new buyer to afford this as they are buying the house.

Just my two cents.

 

[harttj]

Are talking about simply putting a DHW heater in place of a boiler? This is a not a good option. These are not designed for home heating needs. If your talking about putting an electric boiler in that is o.k., but your electric service may need to be upgraded.

Tim

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

You also might want to inquire about such things as the effects on your homeowners insurance and mortgage as well.

Most mortgages require that you maintain homeowners and most homeowner policies will not be written if the primary heating system is a pellet stove and some become worthless if you change the primary heating system without their approval.

 

[NHPltBrnr]

Hmmmm. Great points. I didn't really consider the re-sale factor, I have no plans of moving, but it would be obvious that a large percentage of buyers wouldn't be impressed with a pellet only heat source. I certainly didn't think of mortgage or insurance company concerns, thanks for the heads up on that.

Jeez, that puts the end to that proposition. I have a woodstove that could be a back up if the pellet stove went down, but don't have major cordage sitting around currently.

I guess a thank you is in order for preventing a foolish mistake.

 

[imacman]

.....I guess a thank you is in order for preventing a foolish mistake.

No thanks are really needed....we just don't want you to be cold. ;-)

 

[Ladderlieu]

Not sure if this is just a MA thing or not, but there are "HEAT" loans available for energy efficient upgrades/replacements that have a 0% interest rate and are payable over (I believe) 7 years. For those on a limited budget, it's not a bad way to go.

 

[tractorman100]

Here is an interesting little link.
Read the last part

http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/makingithappen/no_regrets/waterheatercombined.html

 

[Pellet-King]

My house has a pellet stove, a oil forced air furnace and uses electric hot water, i'd say go for the electric hot water heater, just leave your furnace there as a backup

 

[NHPltBrnr]

My house has a pellet stove, a oil forced air furnace and uses electric hot water, i'd say go for the electric hot water heater, just leave your furnace there as a backup

This may be the way to go, just tap in a hot water heater. The 'ole burner has no problem heating the house, it's the hot water for showers, laundry, dishes, etc. that's lacking.

Thanks again for the advice and sanity!

 

[Lorne41]

My house has a pellet stove, a oil forced air furnace and uses electric hot water, i'd say go for the electric hot water heater, just leave your furnace there as a backup

This may be the way to go, just tap in a hot water heater. The 'ole burner has no problem heating the house, it's the hot water for showers, laundry, dishes, etc. that's lacking.

Thanks again for the advice and sanity!

Good Evening, if you're just looking for hot water supply for showers and kitchen use, an electric hot water heater might be the way to go. You can buy just a self standing electric hot water heater for around $300.00 +-. add about $40-60 for some heavy gauge 220vac copper wire suitable for the heater, a 220vac 40 amp circuit breaker ( $15.00 -$22.00) for your electrical box and a few copper 1/2 inch water pipe fittings and a couple short sections of 1/2" copper pipe ( $ 15.00 - $25.00) and you could hook it up yourself if you're handy or find a qualified person to help ( licensed electrician or plumber would be best).Your total cost should be under $400.00 for a water heater and parts less professional installation. Hot water heaters are fairly easy to install if you have some electrical experience and there are self help books available at most hardware supply stores. Lowes has a Whirlpool 50 gallon elec. 220vac hot water heater for $311.00, sometimes they have them for less also.
That would get you through the Winter and you could work on the funding for a new oil burner later. Please keep in mind the advice from the other forum members above, many of them are professionals in the business and their advice is from years of service and installation. I have an oil furnace that I haven't run in two years since I bought the pellet stove and I have an electric hot water heater that I installed 4 years ago, it's worked great for me.
Good luck!----Lorne.

 

[yknotcarpentry]

My house is set up with an electric Hw heater ( 2 as a matter of fact as it was a duplex, One for down stairs kitchen and bath and one for up stairs bath and laundry) as Of the start of this year mt FHW(oil) furnace has had major problems. Is old and rusted out and leaking and not running very efficiently. Unfortunatley, I do not have the 5 or 6k to replace the system but have been keeping it active as I hear it running right now. so far this year, I have been through just under 200G of oil and about 4 tons of pellets being feed to my englander and Big E. The house has been fine and toasty, all good. But I agree with what most have said, you need a reliable Heat source that you know will produce if needed and resale value of your home will be greatly effected with-out one. I know I myself am willing to feed a pellet stove daily. do the cleaning every other day or what ever may be needed but you need to think of what other typical homeowners with not as much drive or means of technical experience may encounter. I know that right now my house is at a loss if I would have to sell just due to this factor. you will or should always maintain a reasonable heating means to your home for future residents. If you plan on living there for many years mayby just getting the electric HW heaters are for you but you will need to work towards getting a more relaible heating solution for the future of resale. This is where I am at any way

 

[Wi Thundercat]

My house has a pellet stove, a oil forced air furnace and uses electric hot water, i'd say go for the electric hot water heater, just leave your furnace there as a backup

This may be the way to go, just tap in a hot water heater. The 'ole burner has no problem heating the house, it's the hot water for showers, laundry, dishes, etc. that's lacking.

I would go with an on-demand elec. water heater, only heats when drawing water for quoted uses. Have seen them for around $550 at home centers. As for heat you may be able to use an on-demand elec. boiler for that too! I think both of these items are eligible for the 30 % tax credit for 2010. You may also want to check with your utility provider as they sometimes have rebate programs for these items. T-Cat

 

[mainegeek]

I'm thinking of doing an on-demand heater as well. I have my oil for backup which currently heats my HW and turns on when I forget to fill the pellet stove. I'm thinking propane for the on-demand heater though. I know it is a bit more expensive but I have plans of converting the dryer and stove to propane as well. Plus, when I get a generator I'd like that to be propane as well.

 

[Pellet-King]

So far this winter i have burned less than 1/4 tank of oil, probably 3/16, i've burned under 2 tons pellets so far, i have a 1952 1500 sq ft cape, run my whitfield no higher than a 2 heat setting, my electric bills are high, avg $200 per month, got kids and plasma tv's.
Have a new 50 gal electric water heater surely sucks $60+ a month.

 

[breklaw]

I agree that putting a new DHW heater would be your best bet, and use your existing boiler for backup to your pellet stove, then use your savings to help pay for a new boiler. You can do better than 5K for a new boiler, and remember that you may be able to get some tax relief when upgrading as well. If you have gas in the house, I would go with a gas DHW heater, as they are cheaper to run, but not by much, and also area dependent. Also, electric companies give a break to those who allow them to control your hot water heater during certain hours. If you stop using your tankless on your existing boiler, remember NOT to cap the old connections- the coils can trap a bit of water which may turn to steam and destroy your old boiler in a hurry.
Let us know what you decide, and the costs!
Bill

 

[agrossm]

I'm not sure what your electric rates are or how much you are paying for oil, but consider what is going to cost less in the long run...

www.eia.doe.gov/neic/experts/heatcalc.xls