Total Cost?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

ActonME

New Member
Oct 4, 2012
3
Going to be building a new home in maine soon and I'm
looking to do radiant heat for a 2000 sqft colonial with 28x40 garage. Interested in the vigas 40 with two 500 gallon propane tanks for storage. The system would be with a back up oil boiler (dont need anything fancy like boderus).Was just seeing what this is going to cost me ball park installed? I would like to
Do some of the work.
 
I'd plan on 10-15k for the vigas with storage, 5-7 for the oil boiler and tank. And tHen depending on your house more for the heat distribution system. Could easily be over 30k for the whole system. Don't forget the chimney flues, another 3k.


Personally if I was building new I'd consider a garn and skip the oil altogether. And use a couple propane rinnai's for backup. No chimney, no oil tank,don't have annual cleaning of the oil boiler etc.
 
I'm in the process of installing a vigas 40 with 1000 gallons of storage and I am going to be around 12k
 
I'm with mikefrommaine, other than if you don't have some sort of oil/propane/nat gas back up. The banks sometime have a hard time offering good finance rates. Some won't even consider it unless you with a more "traditional" heat source included.
 
Yeah I defiantly want oil back up, right now in my current house I have a g115 Boderus and it is a real nice boiler but I just need a standard model oil boiler (Burnham or something in that range) to save a few bucks on that end. I planned on having a center 4 flue chimney to fit the style of the house, and a walk out basement to have the ease of lugging in wood/room to fit the large storage tank. I have radiant heat in my current house and would not have anything else. Depending on how much it would save me I would consider getting a heat exchanger mounted in the corner of the garage, just for that space. The thing is I’m not schooled up on those units.
 
Yeah I defiantly want oil back up, right now in my current house I have a g115 Boderus and it is a real nice boiler but I just need a standard model oil boiler (Burnham or something in that range) to save a few bucks on that end. I planned on having a center 4 flue chimney to fit the style of the house, and a walk out basement to have the ease of lugging in wood/room to fit the large storage tank. I have radiant heat in my current house and would not have anything else. Depending on how much it would save me I would consider getting a heat exchanger mounted in the corner of the garage, just for that space. The thing is I’m not schooled up on those units.

I'd say your doing fine so far. I have used the G115 in my home for 5 years. This year it became backup only. It sure seems a tough pill to swallow budgeting in TWO heating systems while your building. Radiant isn't cheap... a LOT of labor in the piping install. I'm like you... wouldn't have it any other way. The lower temps sure do help out with wood boiler storage. I almost wish I had a different setup for domestic.. as a coil in the tank, then flow thru a tankless probably would be more efficient.. but now we're really picking the fly chit from the pepper.

Love my setup now. Anxious to see how it operates in practice during winter. As it is now.. I'm short firing too much.. I'm ready for a burn much before the tanks are. :)

JP
 
If u do the install yourself I'd guess around $15,000 . If you hire it done I'd guess around $23,000 .
Just a guess ,but I bet it's in the ballpark.

Edit : that is without the oil boiler so add a couple grand for that probably.
 
IMHO, if I was doing it all over I wouldn't touch oil with a 10 foot pole.

Look into a direct vent LP boiler, they're the size of a suit case. Yeah it's more then an oil boiler but they're also more efficient. Then you have an excuse to put an LP range in (if you needed one) or even an LP generator.

K
 
  • Like
Reactions: mikefrommaine
Just for the chuckles have you looked at ground source heat pumps? The going rate for installed is 15 to 20 K. The federal government rebates 30% of the installed cost. If it is a new home built to tight energy standards, GSHP is the cheapest way to heat unless your wood is free and you dont have to spend any money to hauls it or process it. If you have sun go grid tied solar PV and then you wont even have an electric bill.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.