HELP - Need advice asap!

[Needheat65]

Hello all!
I'm new to this forum so please bear with me!

Please, I need your help, our home is freezing and our electric bill is through the roof. I need opinions, advice, and words of wisdom!

Our story in a nutshell- my wife and I recently purchased our first, new home in June in Connecticut. It's a 2 story colonial style, unfinished basement above ground, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1700sq ft. We had the builder install central AC without a heat pump or heat option (was never brought up, never an option). Our main heat source are zone type electric baseboard heaters, 2 in living room/kitchen, and one in every room with their own thermostat. We quickly found out how poorly these heat and how inefficient they are. We only use the two units on the first floor, master bedroom (excluding bathroom) and baby's room and we are on track for a close to $500 electric bill next month. Keep in mind we use NO other forms to heat the home, we are light and energy conscious in every way. Every other room in the house is freezing! I figure my two options are a pellet stove or install a heat pump in the existing AC system. We are a military family with a strict budget and limited options. My questions are, can I heat my entire home with a good quality pellet stove? Installed in basement or 1st floor? Is it a better option to instal heat in existing hvac system?

I'm looking for any and all types of advice please! Thank you in advance for your time!

 

[Harman Lover 007]

Given what you have described I would consider adding the heat option to your existing system. Doesn't sound like you got good advice on how cold it can get during a Ct winter. Do you have natural gas on your street? If not, propane or oil are options. Find a good HVAC contractor and go from there. Above all else, thank you for your service.

 

[jackman]

Welcome to the forum and thank you for your service. The electric baseboard heaters are perhaps the most expensive of heat sources in a home. A heat pump will be a much more efficient than the baseboard heaters. It may cut your electric bill by a third or even half. A pellet stove will give you plenty of heat and may be less costly than either the baseboard or heat pump. I would recommend installing the stove in the living space rather than the basement. The pellet stove, much like the heat pump, requires moving air to distribute the heat. I have a heat pump for my main living space and a pellet stove in my finished basement. The pellet stove does some of the upstairs heating but not enough gets from the basement to the upstairs to be completely effective.

Heat pump efficiency is dramatically reduced when the outside temperature drops below freezing since there's less heat to be extracted from the ambient air. When that happens heat strips turn on and operate much like the baseboard heater. That's the reason they are not typically used in cold weather climates in favor of other heating sources such as fuel oil or natural gas.

One thing you don't say is how long you anticipate staying in your current home. That and your electric rate may dictate how much of an investment you're willing to make.

 

[jackhammer]

I have a similar style home, just under 2000 sq feet. My stove is my primary heat source, but I supplement it with forced hot air oil heat. Money and time wise, pellet heat will have a smaller investment and faster install, in my opinion. I would hate to have electric as a supplement. Natural gas may be the way to go if available. I agree with Harman Lover though, get some advice from a reputable hvac contractor. Depending on a lot of factors, you may be able to install a pellet stove in your home in a weekend. Lots of experts on this forum who can lend advice.

 

[bostonfan49]

Given what you have described I would consider adding the heat option to your existing system. Doesn't sound like you got good advice on how cold it can get during a Ct winter. Do you have natural gas on your street? If not, propane or oil are options. Find a good HVAC contractor and go from there. Above all else, thank you for your service.

****Hi there Neatheat65 and another Thankyou for your service! I would also highly recommend the Heat Pump addition to your central AC. If you already have the floor and ceiling registers and an air handler then the only real maintenance item to buy and replace is the air handler filter(s) If you end up putting in wall mounted heat pump units, they also have washable filters. My sister and I own a house in southeastern MA with the heat pump option and it is fantastic. Being military, I would think that ideally you need the simplest most practical option, one that requires virtually zero maintenance and very low cost going forward! Most of the folks on this board love their stoves and heat all or most of their home with them.....but, their is a learning curve (one or two winters) They need a lot of cleaning, sometimes daily, definitely weekly, monthly, end of season. Not to mention the candy store world of pellets. My wife and I love our pellet stove but it really is a hobby! You need to take it seriously and maintain your devotion, if not you will have problems. My guess is that you folks have enough on your plate to take on some more work. If you can afford it, go Heat Pump...KISS...or in your case...KIS Soldier, Sailor, AF, MA, CG
Good Luck, Bill

 

[bogieb]

Pellet stoves are great if you have someone who is willing and able to clean/feed/maintain them on a regular basis. Depending on the stove, hopper size, air temp and wind conditions (not to mention how air tight and insulated your house is), then feeding it could be a daily or even 2x/day event. If you decide to get one, I vote not putting it in your basement (been there, done that, got another stove for main floor - I have 1,600 sq/ft total).

But, if you don't have someone willing/able to do the aforementioned stuff, then I see plenty of good suggestions from other people. I don't have experience with heat pumps, but apparently they have come a long way since the '90's. Probably cheaper up front costs too, which may be a huge consideration for you.

Thank you for your service!

 

[Dr.Faustus]

I feel your pain. When i was young and stupid i once rented a place with electric heat. The cold rolled in and not knowing i kept the stats on 68. end of the month.. $850 bucks in electric! i was floored. Heated with kerosene for the next 2 months until I could move out. this was back when kerosene was 1.xx a gallon so it worked out a lot cheaper.

For you, i would go with a pellet stove, but not in the basement. As a previous poster said, put it in the living space. They work great over the long term - you leave them on and they hold the temp well. They arent so great if you plan on turning it off all day and then try to heat the house up quickly when you come home from work etc.

Also do realize pellet stoves are not a set it and forget it deal. They need care and cleaning. some models more than others. I give mine a good cleaning once a week, or 2 weeks if it hasnt run hard. Daily i open it up and scrape the burn pot. Not trying to turn you off to the idea - they are great if you are willing to do the work.

 

[Needheat65]

Thank you all so much for the kind replies and advice! HVAC contractor came today and we both decided a pellet stove is the right solution to our problem. Now to decide which one is right! I'm sure people on here have their favorites, is there any brand to stay away from?

Also, do pellet stoves ever go on sale in the off season? Thank you guys, hope y'all had a great holiday!

Matt

 

[vinny11950]

Go with the major brands that have been in the business for a long time so you can source parts and service easily. Don't just let the HVAC guy sell you what he/she has in stock. Harman, Englander, Enviro are a few that come to mind immediately.

Look for something with a big hopper and a big ash pan, so you don't have to constantly fill the hopper and empty the ashes. If you can afford it, get an oversized stove for you needs, something that will easily keep the house warm at a mid setting, because a few times a year when the cold drops really low, you will need the high setting.

Also, I think I understand that your basement is above ground. If so, and if it is not properly insulated it could be draining tons of heat from your home, especially if the floor joists between the basement and the first floor are not insulated. You want to contain the cold of the basement so it doesn't take heat from the living floors. However, that heat may be keeping the water pipes in the basement from freezing, so watch out for that if you insulate.

Good luck.

 

[vinny11950]

Also, if the builder left you with electric baseboard heat only, I would guess he may have skimped out on the overall insulation of the home. Go look in the attic to see if you have enough insulation. If it is short on insulation according to your town's building code, they owe you more insulation.

As for pellets, there are plenty of CT members on this board that will point you in the right direction for buying pellets, but you are going to be up against it for finding pellets at the big box stores. They carry them to March and depending on demand (how cold it gets) it can be tough to find them. Then you have to go to the smaller sellers and pay a little more.

 

[rich2500]

Like already mentioned I would not waste your heat by installing the stove in the basement, You mention being on a strict budget so if you can give an idea of your budget it will be easier to recommend stoves.

 

[Needheat65]

Our Stove will be going in the living area. We went to a store today, and it looks like we narrowed it down to the Enviro EF2 steel for $2195 or the Enviro Meridian cast iron for $3100. We're contemplating what is the better investment for the long term, multiple house use. We're getting free delivery and installation for $300 (still may attempt install myself). Thanks again everyone!

 

[vinny11950]

Ask how much the Meridian model is? http://enviro.com/products/catalogue/product/?prod=EFMFS-A

It is probably cheaper than the Cast Iron and does the same thing.

Comparing the EF2 and the Meridian, I would go with the Meridian just for the advanced controls, which allow for Thermostat operation. A thermostat helps to save pellets in the long run, saving you money. It doesn't look like the EF2 has thermostat control.

Also, ask the dealer how long the stove has been sitting in the back waiting to be sold? If you want to double check the model you are considering buying, there should be a tag on the hopper lid that has a serial number and a date of manufacture. I would ask for a brand new stove out of the box that's been built in the last 12 months. Otherwise look for a discount.

Also consider that whatever issue you have with the stove, you will have to go through the dealer that sold you the stove for service. Some dealers are good and some dealers are bad. Ask your dealer about helping you out if the stove has an issue.

At the end of this PDF manual is the Warranty info from Enviro http://enviro.com/custom_content/docs/manuals/C-14438 Meridian-1 Owners Manual - R1.pdf.

I have never used a Meridian stove so I don't know how well they work and how easy they are to maintain and fix. Wait for other members to respond, or do Google searches on Meridian pellet stove reviews. Maybe other members can point you to comparable stoves from other brands.

 

[rich2500]

in that price range or slightly less I would also check out a Heatilator Cab 50