Electric vs wood heat

[DaveK]

We are building a new home and planning to go with radiant floor heat, but I'm trying to decide how to power the system.  I have been contemplating the idea of a OWB, but we live here in western washington where we have mild winters and our electricity rate is $0.0646/KWH.  Cold for us is mid 20's with lows usually around 40 and we typically only heat for about five to maybe six months out of the year. 

We just received the quote for an electric boiler system which includes everything but the labor to install the tubing in the floor (I'll run the loops) and it was $10,500.  Based on the worse case situation with the heat load calculations, we are probably looking at about $150/month to heat our home.  Typically it looks like we would expect to be closer to $100/month.  Considering the costs, I'm trying to decide if it is worth it to go with wood when it looks like our annual heating bill will run about $650.  There is also the convenience of electric since both my wife and I work outside the home.

In this situation, which direction would you go??

[Kirk Allen]

Electric is definatly less work and if your only looking at $650 a year, I think I would go the easy way, Electric. 

Do you have natural gas?  I would think natural gas boiler would be cheaper than electric.

[DaveK]

Unfortunately, the nearest residential gas hookup is almost seven miles away.  I spoke with the gas company a while back and they said the customer base was too small to justify running a line out here.

[Kirk Allen]

What about propane?  We get the same answer here on the natural gas issue so most of us in the rural area have propane. 

[DaveK]

We thought about propane, but historically the propane prices around here always seem to be higher than other areas.  When I spoke with some folks that sell propane appliances, they said they have lost a lot of customers due to propane costs and don't expect to see them back.  One dealer even suggested I consider electric since it was cheaper than heating with propane.

The more I think about this the more electric seems like the right way to go.  If electric prices start getting too expensive, I can always install the OWB later.  Most of the plumbing will be in place and it probably wouldn't take much to add the wood boiler.  I can always use the time I would be cutting firewood to cut boards and probably make enough to pay my heat bill for the year

[Stevem]

If you go with the electric you might think of installing extra valves and hookup fitting so you could change over later if electricity getts too high.

I can remember Gold Medallion Homes.  If your house was all elecrtic I think you got a special rate and a gold colored plaque to put on your front porch.  They did such a good job of marketing the electricity demand drove the price up so lots of people switched to gas where they could.  But you got to keep the plaque!  

[Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner"]

Dave, we have PP&L service and the idea of paying the electric bill when we had all this wood really hurt my Scottish heritage.  When I married Alice and the Tree Farm. I jerked out the wall units and installed Blaze King wood stove.  I later installed a Taylor hotwater furnace when I put on a double level addition, 24' square.  I place tubes in the lower section cement floor and a heat echanger in the original part of the house.  I have never ben sorry.  Sure I have to feed the funace a couple times a day, but I get to use the fall down from the mill for most of the wood that is burned. I prsoduce about 15 to 20 cords of slab wood a year.  Some of that I sell and most I burn.

[Buzz Sawyer]

I wonder, do you have free wood available, do you enjoy cutting wood, ??
I do and wood works when many weeks of power failure etc. occure....and initial cost around here is much less.....

[mike p]

you need some kind of back up heat for power outages in 02 we were with out power for 14 days ,ill never  be with outsome kind of wood heat in the early 80's power went out for 4 days came back on bec 26 all my pipes & well were frose & busted by then
my dad has a propane wall heater he uses when the power or central goes out
you could run one on a 100 lb bottle to save tank cost realy important during these ice storms

[DaveK]

Well....we decided to go with the electric boiler since it's the best choice for us right now.  To deal with the power outages, we'll start saving some money after the house is finished and look for small used stove to heat during power outages.  If we don't try to heat the whole house, a small stove will work to keep the living room and kitchen plenty warm when the power is out.  Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions.

[Frank Pender - AKA "Tail Gunner"]

Dave, set the furnace up so that you can connect a generator up to is and operate, for heat.  That is what I did for my Taylor furnace.  I just unplug it and and hook up to the generator, wahla heat for the whole house.