furnace options

[Crouching Tiger]

I am building a 1800 sq. ft. two-storey home with full basement and I cannot decide on what the best option is for the furnace.  I am installing a woodstove on the main floor where there is an open concept from living room to dining room and kitchen.  There is no NG and LP is too expensive around here.  I am going forced air for sure because I am installing an 'A' coil next year, but should I go Hi-eff. oil of electric or maybe bite the bullet and go for LP although with the price is high.  Alternate energy source is not in the budget right now so I will have to keep my options somewhat simple.  Any replies will be appreciated.

[hvacdrd]

Post the current price for LP, Fuel Oil, and Electric for your area and we will compare cost/BTU. Other helpful item would be climate.

Another option is a water source heatpump w/ electric backup- very efficient although equipment cost is a little higher. If you have a source to discharge to like a pond it works very well.

[Crouching Tiger]

Current price on LP and oil are both 79.9 cents per litre (I think there are 3.8 liters in a U.S. gallon) and electricity is around 10.5 cents per kilowatt (that includes delivery and other costs).  The area is south eastern Ontario - very humid in the summer with temp. between 20-30'C from June to August and cold in the winter -10 to -30'C from December to March.  The house is being constructed in an open field front facing north with a tree line to the west to break the wind.  Thanks for the response.

[hvacdrd]

Here is what I came up with converting to US gallons for oil & LP @ $3.02/gal (the LP price seems high, around here it is less than oil)

Oil = $2.69/ therm output at 80% efficiency (125,000 input =100,000 output)0.89gal

LP = $3.65/ therm output at 90% efficiency (111,111 input = 100,000 output) 1.21gal

Electric = $3.08/ therm output at 100% efficiency (29.3KwH)

Heat pump = $1.02/ therm output at COP=3

For a reference, in Michigan my total usage for heat, hot water & a gas dryer was 981 therms.

I'll have to do some homework on the heatpump option,  it looks like design temp for your area(14'F to -22'F) is about 10'F lower than southern Michigan. Given the fact that you plan to have a wood stove I think it would be worth looking at.

[Crouching Tiger]

Thanks for looking into my options.  I have found some information based on average heat load for a 2000 sq. ft. home in my area using oil, wood, LP and electricity.  As I mentioned earlier, current prices for oil and LP are around 80 cents per liter, electricity is 10 cents per kilowatt and and a cord of mixed wood cut, split and delivered is around $200.  Using the formula given by the Ministry of Energy in Ontario, my annual cost wood be $2300 for propane, $1900 for electric, $1600 for oil and $700 for wood (which I can cut and split my own using the trees around the farm so cost would only be my time and renting a splitter).  The average medium sized woodstove purchased with installation is between $2500 and $3000 (more if the chimney is going to be brick) which is not included in the allowances for the house.  Let me know if your results vary from mine hvacdrd - thanks.

[hvacdrd]

At the prices/therm the numbers look pretty close. Looks like the average on their estimated costs per year is based on 600 therms. My numbers come up $1600 Oil, $2200 LP, and $1850 Electric.

I'm not sure if water-source heatpumps are very common in your area, here the technology is catching on. In northern Michigan there is a dealer that has used them for years. Take a look at this Water Furnace brand web site for some info. They have several dealers listed in Ontario

[ebarry]

This is probably too late as yours is a fairly old thread. You should consider the dirt factor as well as the price. Oil heat is a dirty heat. Your waslls windows furniture, floors pets and children will be coated with residue. That has been my experience with using oil heat, although newer furnaces are probably more efficient. OK never mind.:?

[Crouching Tiger]

Thanks for the input - we have decided to go with the high efficiency oil furnace which is rated at 97% efficient.  The unit is a condensing oil furnace made by Adams.  Up here in Ontario they are not that common.  We have also put in a Pacific Energy woodstove (between 70 and 75% efficient) on the main floor with the stainless chimney chased into the interior wall that runs straight up, so we should have a good draft with keeping the chimney warm.  Our move in date is in about 3-4 weeks.

                                                                                                

[applianceman18007260692]

Ever heard of passive heat? a double wall is built on the sunny side of the house

a thermostatically controlled solar powered fan forces heat trapped between the walls slowly into the house. It works great in milder climates