My house is in northern Nevada; tract home; 1700 square feet; built 2001; central natural-gas heat; flexducts in insulated crawlspace; winter peak gas bills: $200/month. Annual gas bills: ~ $2500 (gas heat, hot water, and clothes dryer).
I'm looking to lower winter heating costs. As a 2001 home, the envelope is fairly tight; windows are double-pane; R-values reasonable - but as a tract home cheaper specs were used and there is nothing super-efficient and the home is not worth any ultra costly upgrades. I sealed the ductwork and added additional insulation. I also caulked and foam sealed leaks around doors and windows and in the attic. The floor is all airtight stone.
The investment horizon is 7 years. We've already spent 10% of the home's value on remodel upgrades for a loss of 15% in current market value -- in other words, more lipstick won't help. The return on investment in a woodburner in this situation is expected to be zero in resale value, so a woodburner is going to have to pay for itself and rack up savings in 7 years or less.
The neighborhood CC&R;'s prohibit fireplaces and the home does not have one. Instead it was built by the contractor with a "Heatilator" unit that burns natural gas. It's not an insert. It's a vanity unit. I suspect the efficiency is better than a fireplace but the fuel cost is the same as the central forced air unit which is more efficient.
To save heating costs, I need a wood or pellet fuel heater, possibly coal though there is no local source. Since my investment parameters prohibit significant capital expense, I need a low cost unit and a low cost installation scenario. Under these parameters it will not replace, but supplement the natural gas forced air unit. I would DIY the install (no skill concerns).
I'm thinking I could either
1. do an all new install of a standalone pellet stove or
2. rip out the costly and inefficient Heatilator vanity unit and retro-fit a pellet or wood burner in the wall.
If I do a new standalone install, I don't have an ideal location for it, but I could buy a low-end pellet burner or even a used wood burner.
If I were to rip out the heatilator, is there a pellet burner I can install in the wall (maybe 30" deep)? The wall is metal 2x4 studs and sheetrock drywall (no masonry) It's not quite a masonry-fireplace insert type application. I actually don't think a fireplace insert type unit would work at all. Is there anything out there that would work?
I've looked at Heatilator's non-masonry wood burners but they don't look anything efficient like a pellet stove.
I'm looking to lower winter heating costs. As a 2001 home, the envelope is fairly tight; windows are double-pane; R-values reasonable - but as a tract home cheaper specs were used and there is nothing super-efficient and the home is not worth any ultra costly upgrades. I sealed the ductwork and added additional insulation. I also caulked and foam sealed leaks around doors and windows and in the attic. The floor is all airtight stone.
The investment horizon is 7 years. We've already spent 10% of the home's value on remodel upgrades for a loss of 15% in current market value -- in other words, more lipstick won't help. The return on investment in a woodburner in this situation is expected to be zero in resale value, so a woodburner is going to have to pay for itself and rack up savings in 7 years or less.
The neighborhood CC&R;'s prohibit fireplaces and the home does not have one. Instead it was built by the contractor with a "Heatilator" unit that burns natural gas. It's not an insert. It's a vanity unit. I suspect the efficiency is better than a fireplace but the fuel cost is the same as the central forced air unit which is more efficient.
To save heating costs, I need a wood or pellet fuel heater, possibly coal though there is no local source. Since my investment parameters prohibit significant capital expense, I need a low cost unit and a low cost installation scenario. Under these parameters it will not replace, but supplement the natural gas forced air unit. I would DIY the install (no skill concerns).
I'm thinking I could either
1. do an all new install of a standalone pellet stove or
2. rip out the costly and inefficient Heatilator vanity unit and retro-fit a pellet or wood burner in the wall.
If I do a new standalone install, I don't have an ideal location for it, but I could buy a low-end pellet burner or even a used wood burner.
If I were to rip out the heatilator, is there a pellet burner I can install in the wall (maybe 30" deep)? The wall is metal 2x4 studs and sheetrock drywall (no masonry) It's not quite a masonry-fireplace insert type application. I actually don't think a fireplace insert type unit would work at all. Is there anything out there that would work?
I've looked at Heatilator's non-masonry wood burners but they don't look anything efficient like a pellet stove.
