To burn or not to burn..

[bryan]

I and the family moved from Wilmington, DE to Wilmington NC a year ago. The insert we had and my wood supply were left with the old house obviously. We bought a house with a nice living room fireplace setup with a vent-less propane log setup in the fireplace. I am debating the economics of putting an insert in. The house is heated with electric and I don't think the bill got past $120 last winter (that includes water heater, dryer, etc). Not surprising given that I think the lowest overnight low was 22°. In DE the insert would have eventually paid for itself, here it would probably take a loooong time. Assuming I can source free wood (I live in town).

Using that money towards solar panels would be wiser right? I loved heating the house with wood, but the wife hated the rows of wood and what goes for the dead winter here is more like a shoulder season for the rest of you. I bring this up I ran across my soot eater. Probably just going list that for sale.

 

[Poindexter]

I would think solar panels to help cut your ac bill might be the better choice.

When your azaleas are blooming ill be lighting the candle on my last cord for the year up here.

 

[jotul8e2]

Yes, the economics are terrible. If you are using electric resistance heating (heat strips, electric radiators), the more efficient use of money would be a heat pump. The second most efficient use is more/better insulation, cellular shades, and draft control (this offers a tremendous side benefit in increased comfort).

 

[jatoxico]

May have to be satisfied w/ a fire pit.

 

[kennyp2339]

Did the welcome wagon in Wilmington give you a box of tampex? Because deep down inside there's a man from Delaware that has wood burning in his blood...First time you don't have power from 2" of snow because someone hit a power pole cause they cant handle snow down there, that insert will pay for itself.

 

[jetsam]

I was in Georgia for a snowstorm one time. Someone told me it was the first snow in 3 years. It snowed maybe 3", but also got cold enough that it didn't melt off right away.

Every intersection featured cars sliding and spinning through, sometimes in all 4 directions at once. The ditches were full. Having been raised driving on ice and snow isn't as helpful as you'd think when everyone else is flying down the road sideways and backwards.

If you want to burn wood down there, maybe you can build a wood gasifier and run your AC off of it!

 

[Jutt77]

The cost of installing a decent sized grid tied solar setup is in a whole other ballpark compared to dropping a K or two for an insert.

So the natural answer is to get an insert first and then focus on solar especially as panel costs continue to drop.

Your wife will thank you on those cool, humid nights.

 

[bryan]

Thanks for the all comments. For reference my electric heat is a heat pump not that cruddy resistance stuff. We'll it actually has both, but the coils are just the "emergency" heat. For the day or two that is below freezing and the heat pump can't keep up.

Last "winter" it snowed in single time and the heavy dusting hung around for the entire day. The locals said that was the first time in years that it snowed and didn't immediately melt.

 

[VirginiaIron]

Did the welcome wagon in Wilmington give you a box of tampex? Because deep down inside there's a man from Delaware that has wood burning in his blood...First time you don't have power from 2" of snow because someone hit a power pole cause they cant handle snow down there, that insert will pay for itself.

Did you mean Kleenex? Lol.
$120 a month is pretty cheap. The heat pump with resistive heat would be the way to go depending on installation costs. Or a heat pump with a fossil fuel kit and gas or oil backup would permit a small gen to heat the whole house during extraordinary events.

 

[Simonkenton]

You won't have much need for a wood stove in Wilmington North Carolina. Skip it.

 

[Texas123]

Given the aggravation and danger of any power outages in the winter, I would install a non flush insert or as an alternative, a medium sized wood stove. Even if you have only a few hours of outages or a couple of days of snow, the capability gives peace of mind.

 

[ddddddden]

. . .a nice living room fireplace with a vent-less propane log setup. . .

Maybe you can huddle around the fireplace during the rare NC blizzards. Some folks have issues with ventless systems, CO + moisture worries, but if propane will keep the living room warm in a power outage, I'd stick with the heat pump the rest of the time. . .maybe update it, if it struggles to keep up when temps dip into the 20's.

 

[begreen]

My sister lived in Wilmington, NC for several years. It's a nice town. It's a very mild climate and rarely sees snow, especially if the house is somewhat close to the ocean. You are much more likely to have outages from severe storms and hurricanes than have snow related issues. A mini-split heat pump and solar is your best investment in that climate, though a wood fire sure is nice for chill chasing and ambience. Maybe install a small freestander a few years from now?