Your choice of heat source for your new home will affect both your bank account and your comfort.
My story is a good reason for planning ahead and considering all the angles.
When we built our home in 1998 we installed a propane furnace and a propane fireplace. Propane was affordable at 92 cents per gallon.
But by late summer 2008 it was $2.30 per gallon, and a friend said he paid $2.49. I was not happy about the idea of sending $400+ every month to the propane company.
The second problem with our propane heat was that my work space in the basement was always cold. I sat here all winter with an electric space heater aimed at my feet, even though the furnace was running. Yes, the heat was piped down here, but it came from overhead, so my feet and legs never got warm.
When we built this house, I didn't know that in a few years I'd quit selling real estate and work full-time from an office in my basement. It was plenty warm for sleeping, doing laundry, or playing pool - just not warm enough for sitting still for hours every day.
So, we decided to install a wood stove. But since we didn't plan ahead for that possibility, figuring out where to put it was not easy. We had to choose a place in the basement, since a stove upstairs would do nothing to warm my basement office.
That meant choosing a spot where the chimney wouldn't pass any of the upstairs windows. All things considered, we didn't have many choices.
Next, it entailed using a jack-hammer to pound out a hole in the cement wall of the basement. You haven't seen dust in your home until you try that one!
We also didn't have a suitable place to store the winter's wood - so my downstairs patio became a wood shed. We used sheets of plywood to protect a downstairs bedroom window from breakage. Not very pretty, but I did stay warm this winter, and did shock the propane man when he arrived time after time only to find we didn't need a fill-up. (It was OK, his trip wasn't wasted because our neighbors heat with propane.)
I'm glad we have the furnace - if we want to go away for a day or two in winter, it will keep the house from freezing. And if for some reason I don't want to build a fire, I have the choice of using the furnace.
Right now, in planning a new home, it would be wise to give yourself choices and build them in to your home. For instance, in addition to an oil or propane or natural gas furnace, you could install electric wall heaters in key rooms, or choose a fireplace (with an insert for efficiency) that burns wood. You could also install a free standing wood stove, as we did after the fact.
If you decide to install wood heat, have your contractor build a good sized wood shed with easy access to the door nearest your wood burning stove or fireplace. If you live in snow country, get a covered walkway so you don't have to shovel before you bring the wood inside.
One gentleman I know uses a wood furnace located outside of his home that sends hot water through pipes in his floor. Many favor this plan because it keeps the heat source - and possible fire hazard - away from the house itself.
Others use a heat pump.
If you choose all electric heat, or even a furnace or heat pump that depends upon electricity to run the ignition system and fans, consider installing a high-quality generator to keep warm during power outages.
If you have the generator installed during the construction phase, your electrician will set it up for a quick change-over from your panel box any time the power goes out.
As you plan your new home, you have the ability to plan comfort and convenience as well as good looks. While you're planning, think ahead to how you might use your home in the future.
I don't know about you, but staying warm is at the top of my list of necessary conveniences!
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