What Could I Replace Home Heating Oil With?

The cost of home heating oil has surged dramatically over the past few heating seasons. Many families have seen their heating bill rise out of their reach, and some bills have even doubled in size. This is because the price of fuel oil has been steadily rising since 2002 and promises only to get higher.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, heating a home this winter with home heating oil will cost American families approximately $1,500 for an average size home. This same organization has also predicted that cost of fuel oil per gallon will be $.30 or 6 % higher than last year.

To protect themselves against ridiculously high heating bills, many of the millions of consumers that use home heating oil are looking into alternative ways to heat their home. And what they are finding are some surprising, efficient and inexpensive ways that they can replace their traditional fuel oil furnace.

Before we look into the alternative energy sources that you can replace home heating oil with, it should be noted that upgrading to these alternate heat systems costs about the same as replacing your traditional heating system with a new traditional system but costs less to operate. This means that you could actually save money by changing your furnace. And if you need to replace your existing furnace anyway, there is really no reason not to purchase an alternative heating system.

Alternative Fuel Sources You May Not Have Thought Of

Corn, Grain, and Rye – These natural, plentiful fuel sources are ideal for replacing home heating oil. You can burn these materials in an outdoor furnace or an indoor furnace that is specified for these materials. What’s great about using these fuel options is that they burn hot and efficiently heat your home using very little product. And as you probably already know, they are cheap to purchase. You may even be able to grow your own home heating fuel which will further lessen your cost to heat your home in future seasons.

Wood, Wood pellets, and Coal – While these heating fuels are not new, the way we burn them is. Many of today’s wood stoves and furnaces are situated outdoors and pump heat into your home using your existing duct work. The new design also allows for you to burn larger pieces of wood which means that you will be tending your fire a lot let than you may think.

Water: Replacing your home heating oil furnace with a radiant water system is both efficient and cost effective. These systems work by pumping heated water throughout a network of pipes installed in your home.

Solar energy: using solar energy for part or all of your home’s energy needs is also a great way to save money on your winter heating bill. Solar energy is harvested by solar panels and stored until it is needed meaning that you don’t have to worry about not having heat on cloudy, winter days.

It is predicted that the world’s oil supply will be completely depleted in the next 30 to 40 years if consumption continues at its current rate. This means that prices will continue to rise and that one day soon your traditional furnace will be obsolete. That is why now is the time to look into some alternative sources to heat your home.

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What Are the Best Wood Burning Stoves?

What are the best wood burning stoves available on today’s market? Looking for a wood burning stove can be confusing with all the choices and styles, but finding a woodstove that saves money and burns efficiently doesn’t have to be difficult.

High efficiency wood burning stoves come in two basic types: masonry wood burning stoves, which are made with airtight construction for longer burn and more even heat and fit inside an existing fireplace; and freestanding non-airtight wood burning stoves, which are designed for maximum efficiency without creating toxic byproducts like creosote.

A masonry woodstove is constructed of heavy metal and is set inside a traditional fireplace. Masonry wood burning stoves usually require a reinforced floor below them because of their weight, but on the positive side, they are capable of burning a wide variety of natural materials at such intense temperatures that very few toxic fumes are produced and the burn is incredibly energy efficient. Masonry wood burning stoves are often used in places like Russia and the arctic north where bitter cold winters necessitate a fireplace insert capable of producing intense heat over long periods.

Unfortunately, since masonry wood burning stoves almost always have to be custom made and installed they can easily cost five thousand dollars or more for an average sized home. If cost is no obstacle and you like the look of a masonry fireplace more than the look of a freestanding woodstove, a masonry wood burning stove will provide you with a lifetime of efficient and beautiful wood heat. Non-airtight wood burning stoves (for examples and prices visit the C. Johnson woodstove website by clicking here) are engineered to create a high intensity burn without the need for an enclosed fire chamber. This means that the building codes governing their installation are far less stringent than for ordinary woodstoves, and it also means they produce no creosote and no corrosive toxic gases.

The non-airtight wood burning stoves manufactured by the C. Johnson Company produce so little smoke and are so efficient that the amount of ash byproduct is very small; comparable to a high-efficiency pellet stove.

Non-airtight wood burning stoves can also be used for cooking, and are capable of burning very large chunks of wood without any splitting. Since no corrosive exhaust is produced by a non-airtight wood burning stove, the chimney lasts indefinitely and the venting and clearance requirements are much more liberal than for traditional woodstoves.

Although non-airtight wood burning stoves cost a bit more than the kind of freestanding wood stove you might pick up at a home supply store, they cost far less than a masonry insert. When choosing a woodstove, it’s very important to factor in all the costs and all the labor involved over the course of coming years, as well as the aesthetics involved.

Once these elements are taken into consideration, many people find that spending a bit more on a non-airtight wood burning stove or masonry woodstove saves time and money for years to come. Either will provide a high efficiency, pleasant, and practical wood burning experience.

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Water Baseboard Boiler Combines Well With Different Heating Systems

A lot of alternative heating systems available today can be extended by taking advantage of hot water baseboard heating. If you have recently installed one of the newer alternative heating systems such as a solar collector or a wood burner, or if you have installed a coal or corn burner, or a pellet stove or multi-fuel stove, running a water pipe around your heat source to create hot water baseboard heating in another room is not a difficult improvement. Hot water baseboard heating is one good way to get the most out of any of the alternative heating systems currently gaining popularity nationwide.

Unlike most alternative heating systems, conventional oil and gas furnaces are usually centrally located in a home, often in the basement. The heat generated by the conventional oil or gas furnace is then sent through attached air ducts to different rooms by means of a thermostat and a fan. The thermostat turns the furnace on when the temperature in the home falls below a set level, generating heat by burning oil or natural gas. The fan then blows the heat through the ductwork and distributes it throughout the house. Most homes have this kind of forced air heat as their main source of warmth, but with recent increases in the cost of fuel, many people have been exploring alternative heating systems for the first time.

By contrast, many alternative heating systems now available are typically installed in the main living area of the house. A pellet stove, wood stove, or coal stove may not be hooked up to ductwork the way a furnace usually is, and may not power heated air to all parts of the home like those old system did. Because the heat generated by these alternative heating systems is not as easily distributed throughout a house as the heat generated by a conventional furnace, the house may have cold spots and rooms where additional heat is needed.

Hot water baseboard heating is an excellent solution in these situations. Hot water baseboard heat sits flat along the bottom of the wall. Sometimes hot water heat can also be distributed by using a wall, floor, or ceiling panel. A series of fin tubes run from the baseboard or panel back to a boiler or heat source. The boiler or heat source heats and pumps water around the fin tubes, and the air passing over them heats the room. The same alternative heating systems that generate heat in the main part of a house can also be harnessed with special tubing to supply the hot water for the hot water baseboard heating in other parts of the home.

Active solar panels can also be used to heat water for hot water baseboard heating. In all these examples, hot water baseboard heaters heat the surrounding by means of convection. In other words, air is drawn across the tubes filled with hot water and is warmed continuously. The water circulates through the fin tubes without interruption, entering the room as hot water and returning to the boiler to be reheated once that heat has been released into the room. Hot water baseboard heaters tend to maintain a steadier temperature than forced air heaters because the circulation of hot water is constant. Hot water baseboard heaters also tend not to dry out nasal and sinus passages, and they do not kick dust and germ into the air by means of a blower.

Hot water baseboard heaters are especially welcome in bathrooms because of their ability to maintain this steady comfortable temperate. Hot water can also be circulated underneath flooring or inside wall panels. Floors heated with hot water are especially nice in homes with small children. Hot water baseboard heaters can sometimes make it harder to arrange furniture in a room, since they do protrude somewhat from the base of the wall. However, even with this minor limitation, hot water baseboard heaters are much less intrusive that the old radiator-style steam hot water heaters. They are smaller, not noisy at all, and they maintain a lower temperature to the touch than the old steam radiators, making them safer and more family friendly. All in all, hot water baseboard heaters are a great supplement to any of the new alternative heating systems.

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How I Improved Waste Oil Burner Installation basics Simple Steps

Do you dread opening your monthly heating bill? A waste oil burner can put an end to those high rising heat costs. Get the green light on saving both the environment and your budget by installing a waste oil burner.

With each stop at the gas station to fill up making you cringe- quit tossing additional dollars out the window. Go an extra mile with a waste oil burner, getting even more mileage out of your used oil.

A waste oil burner is ideal for a machine shop or garage that generates used oil. The mechanic who services my car uses a waste oil heater to heat his shop. He keeps all the waste oil stored in a 55 gallon drum until he burns it. Used motor oil, transmission fluid, and hydraulic fluid can be used for recycling to supply heat.

Recent court decisions have stated a business owner is liable for his own waste oil, even after its paid removal from the premises, until its proper disposal. A person caught dumping hazardous waste faces fines, penalties and is held responsible for cleanup costs.

A typical household would require two gallons of used oil a day to meet all their electricity needs. Of the 1.3 billion gallons of used oil created in the United States each year, over 200 million gallons are dumped illegally or by accident into our waterways. It only takes one gallon of used oil to contaminate up to one million gallons of fresh drinking water.

A waste oil burner also burns used cooking oil for heat. School cafeterias and fast food restaurants would probably be happy to supply you with free fuel. Units are sold that can even burn unprocessed vegetable oil.

The low end price for a waste oil burner being sold on EBay is from $500 to $1000. There are also more expensive models available. Do-it-yourself plans can also be purchased on EBay. Buying from a reputable dealer like Clean Burn, Burns All, or Shenandoah guarantees you service with a warranty.

Safety features and easy to clean are important factors when deciding on a waste oil heater. A burner chamber made of steel is a better heat conductor than a stainless steel one. A steel combustion heat exchanger is reported up to 87% more efficient. To determine the size unit you need depends on how warm you want the room, how cold it is outside, and the size of the area to be heated. Depending on the climate where you live- a waste oil heater will pay for itself in one to two winter seasons.

The original designer of the waste oil burner, Richard Freuden, built the Mother Earth Waste Oil Heater in 1980. He spent a whopping $2.50 on his invention from discarded junk and scrap metal. In 2006, Roger Sanders re-designed the Mother Earth News waste oil heater. His new design called MEN sounds perfect- quiet, reliable and easy to use.

Leave the high cost of fuel behind in the dust by reducing our oil demand. The less need for oil to be drilled, refined, and transported, should show up in the long run at the pump.

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