when to run which type of heater in the shoulder season

[maverick06]

In the middle of winter, i heat as much as possible with my inset (probably over 80%).
In the middle of summer, I use my air conditioning

In between its harder to identify.

I have a air source heat pump with the oil burner as a backup. The thermostat only operates oil below 20F, the heat pump is super efficient. In the warm shoulder season (above 45F) I try to let the heat pump run, below that I try to run the fireplace (I pay for wood, and pay for electricity). Since the heat pump efficiency varies with outside temperature, I am guessing that is a reasonably lower temperature.

I also have a thermosat controlled electic space heater i will run in my daughters room. But thats horribly inefficient compared to the heat pump, but its a small room compared to a big house. I havent figured when I will let that run in the shoulder season. In winter I will use that in her room to supplement whatever heat the fireplace isnt providing to that room.

What are your thoughts? When do you run the centeral heat/fireplace/electric space heaters in the shoulder season?

 

[BrowningBAR]

It's different for everyone. For me, I am 100% wood from this point on. I have high electricity rates and high oil costs. It just makes more sense for me to burn wood during mild weather.

 

[BrotherBart]

I am using the space heaters for now. In a couple of nights the temps will be dropping into the 30s every night so the stove will fire up for the first time this year. The electric is pricey but I will get to be entertained by feeding the stove enough soon.

 

[Coach B]

I think fall is perfect heat pump weather. With two different woodburners its painful to run it but in the shoulder seasons is when the heat pump shines imo. As long as we are getting some sunshine and warmer afternoon temps I'm fine with the heat pump. When it starts getting below 25 or 30 pretty regular the heat pump stinks and I shift into serious woodburning mode. That said, I've already burned the Jotul a few times but only when I had the time to be home and enjoy it. My OWB will carry the load when the cold and dreary kicks in for good sometime later in November. In addition I'll go 24/7 with the Jotul weekends/holidays or when we have some snow.

 

[Pagey]

We use an electric heat pump as well as small fires during the shoulder season. Last night, for example, was a heat pump night. If it's cool enough in the AM, I usually light a small pine fire just because the kids have sort of come to expect it. LOL, they break your wood supply as well as your wallet!

 

[Coach B]

If it's cool enough in the AM, I usually light a small pine fire just because the kids have sort of come to expect it. LOL, they break your wood supply as well as your wallet!

Isn't that the truth! One afternoon last week it was sunny and 65 or 70 and my little ones couldn't understand why I wouldn't "build a fire" for them. Winter will get here soon enough, even in the upper South.

 

[begreen]

I use the heat pump until temps drop into the 40's. The electrical costs should be reasonably low with a high-efficiency unit. We barely notice the change on our Oct electric bill and part of that is from using more lights due to shorter daylight hours.

 

[Blue Vomit]

Oil heat here, in addition to the wood stove. Electric space heaters in the kids rooms. My magic number is the 40's. If the temp is forcasted to drop into the 40's overnight I'll build a late fire and go to bed. If I get an overnight burn, great. If not, no big deal, its the shoulder season and the house is still warm enough. Oil burner in the 50's, wood stove in the 40's (night temps), with some exceptions of course. Space heaters always run in the kids rooms because the doors are closed and it gets cold in there.
This practice continues until 24/7 burning time.

 

[Dune]

Wood always and only.

 

[Dix]

Just wood.

 

[egclassic]

I use both small space heaters and every once in awhile, I will turn the furnace (NG) on if the temps have dropped to the lower 60's in the house.
Once the furnace gets the house back up to around 68-70, a small space heater will maintain it for the evening.
When the temps outside consistently hit the 30's, I will use wood as much as possible.

 

[NH_Wood]

Just wood here too - partly to not pay for any oil that I don't have to use, but also because I like the woodburning lifestyle. Shoulder season burning has its challenges, but still less work than feeding the stove during the winter! Cheers!

 

[shawneyboy]

I try and use only wood. There is the occasion that I exercise the furnace, gotta make sure it still works, but unless it is brutaly cold, it is All Wood, All the Time.

Shawn

 

[pen]

It's going to also depend on your wood supply. I have lots of wood so I don't mind burning it this time of year. Others find it makes more sense to spend the money on oil / electric now, rather than run out of wood when it's really cold.

I know I've had more shoulder season fires already this year than I probably have had in the last 2 years combined because I changed my habits a bit and purchased some fire starters. Before it wasn't hard to relight the stove just a pain messing w/ the newspaper so I'd end up loading the stove on coals and overheating us (wasting wood) or would turn on an electric radiator or the furnace for just a bit to keep things comfortable. For me, these fire starters are well worth their nominal cost.

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

For me, these fire starters are well worth their nominal cost.

pen

There it is. They took the pain out of letting the sucker go out. That is what sold me. I am the one quoted on Thomas' site as saying that a Super Cedar is like finding hot coals in a cold stove.

It is.

 

[begreen]

Back to the OP. I think the answer is when it makes economic and practical sense. If you are busy, have a job and have a reasonably tight house, use what is efficient, clean and gets the job done.

 

[BrotherBart]

And also back to the OP. Lit off the pellet puppy doing its first year in the basement this year about sundown. I think it is gonna be the new shoulder season heater around this place. I will call in the big guns upstairs when needed.

 

[BrowningBAR]

And also back to the OP. Lit off the pellet puppy doing its first year in the basement this year about sundown. I think it is gonna be the new shoulder season heater around this place. I will call in the big guns upstairs when needed.

Is this your first time using a pellet stove?

 

[karl]

In the middle of winter, i heat as much as possible with my inset (probably over 80%).
In the middle of summer, I use my air conditioning

In between its harder to identify.

I have a air source heat pump with the oil burner as a backup. The thermostat only operates oil below 20F, the heat pump is super efficient. In the warm shoulder season (above 45F) I try to let the heat pump run, below that I try to run the fireplace (I pay for wood, and pay for electricity). Since the heat pump efficiency varies with outside temperature, I am guessing that is a reasonably lower temperature.

I also have a thermosat controlled electic space heater i will run in my daughters room. But thats horribly inefficient compared to the heat pump, but its a small room compared to a big house. I havent figured when I will let that run in the shoulder season. In winter I will use that in her room to supplement whatever heat the fireplace isnt providing to that room.

What are your thoughts? When do you run the centeral heat/fireplace/electric space heaters in the shoulder season?

Will your heat pump really heat your house down to 20F just on the heat pump? No resistance heat? What type do you have and what are the ratings on it.

 

[maverick06]

Sure do. The centeral AC we had died a few years back and we put in a 3 ton trane XR15 ac/heat pump. The heat pump option was only about $500 more, talk about an awesome choice! We had it put in my homedepot, who subcontracts that stuff out to horizon services. They were cheaper than anyone else and definitely the most intelligent (relatively) of all the people we had out to the house, cheapest too, which was surprising.

Anyways, if I let the thermostat run (no fire) it will run the heat pump down to 20F. Below 20F or if you call on it to raise the temp more than 3F it will run to teh oil burning (the previous heating system in the house, its now the backup). When the temp is in the 40/50 range, it does a great job. As it gets close to 20F, the heat pump runs longer and longer, but it works and is massively cheaper than the oil burner. The house is a poorly insulated (relatively) 1850ft^2 split level. But since wood is way cheaper, and I like burning it, I will use the stove if the temp for the next 12 hours wont be above 45F, otherwise i let the heat pump run. I have chosen ~45F because, if i built a fire then, I get the house hotter than it needs to be, also the heat pump performs very well then. I dont recall what the SEER is, but its nearly a meaningless number, as that is based on your climate, but since I try not to let it run much below about 45F, the SEER is probably something rediculous, like 15 above whatever it is rated as, if you are caculating the operating cost.

sounds like most everyone is doing about the same as I am... except for you wood-only guys. Thats the way to do it, but I cant, I buy my wood and my daughters room has to be warmer than I want to keep the house overnight. But good for you, thats where to be!

 

[daleeper]

In the shoulder season, the heat pump and propane gas furnace run. When it gets cold enough the stove starts up 24/7, usually around Thanksgiving time through March, then back to the heat pump/furnace.

Usually the heat pump will operate in the afternoons, and the furnace will run early morning. When the gas furnace kicks on in the afternoon, it is cold enough to be running the wood stove. I think the heat pump is off at 32F. We have had it set at 20F, but I think our gas furnace is more efficient than the heat pump at that temp. Really, I just hate hearing the heat pump run so much worse than the furnace. I've never liked the heat side of the heat pump as well as the ac.

I do run a small space heater in my office, right in front of the wood stove for 2-3 weeks prior to firing up the stove, or at least I have in the past. I have been running my wood stove earlier in the season now that I have a blaze king cat stove, but if I were buying wood, I would probably stick with the space heater for a few weeks rather than fire up the wood stove.

 

[jharkin]

I have two considerations for deciding whether to light the stove -

#1 Outside temp.
If the daytime high is going to be above the high 40s and cloudy or low 40s and sunny i don't bother - stove will just overheat the house.

#2 NG price
This one probably not everybody faces. Right now NG is stupid cheap and our utility does winter/summer rates that switch on Nov 1. Since my wood is partially bought, Im only saving money vs gas once we switch to winter rate in Nov. In October we are still on summer pricing (which is even cheaper - something like 50 cents a therm!) and the gas is much cheaper than wood so I generally wont bother.

This weekend I might make an exception as we are forecasted to possibly get snow and i just cant resist lighting up the first time.

 

[firefighterjake]

I pretty much run the woodstove . . . just adjust my load size, what I put into it (punks, chunks, uglies and lower BTU wood) and avoid reloading it during the shoulder season.

Occasionally my wife will turn up the thermostat and run the oil boiler for a bit to just take the chill out of the air before lowering it again . . . which I don't mind this time of year . . . it's a good way to make sure the back up heating system works before the dead of winter sets in and I figure she is pretty diligent about running the woodstove during the winter months and doesn't complain so why should I complain if she burns up a wee bit of oil.

 

[BrotherBart]

And also back to the OP. Lit off the pellet puppy doing its first year in the basement this year about sundown. I think it is gonna be the new shoulder season heater around this place. I will call in the big guns upstairs when needed.

Is this your first time using a pellet stove?

Yep.

 

[begreen]

I'll be curious to get your impressions. We liked out pellet stove, but having a small furnace in the living room was not the best for noise or fireview.