Since there is no Uniacke Newsletter issued at the end of July, Tony has sent us two c columns in this one issue of the Newsletter to assist people if they wish to make changes in their heating systems for the coming winter.  Do it now and avoid the rush.

COPING WITH RISING COSTS AND LOWER INCOMES

The past three decades have been years of plenty for most Canadians.  Compared to the rest of the world, our cost for housing, food, and transportation have been relatively low. 

Many of us have little idea of how to handle the lean times which appear to loom in our future.  I'm writing this series of articles to help cope with the rising costs of virtually everything, and the shrinking value of our incomes, especially those of us with fixed or low incomes.

Let's get started with energy usage at home.  There are two major requirements for energy in our homes.  These are het, and electrical energy for lights and appliances.

Home Heating:

Current Energy Costs:

The greatest increase in home energy pricing has, not surprisingly, occurred in home heating oil.  From a price of 77.8 cents per liter in Sept 2007, it has jumped over 60% to $1.259 as of June 22, 2008.  For this reason, and the fact that I've heated with oil for the past 20 years, I'll compare other heating options to oil, and give conversion costs to other heat sources for my home.

Energy Costs as of June 22, 2008

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Energy Source                                                                               Annual Cost

Heating Oil                                                               $3,145.60

Electricity                                                                                 

               **direct                                                    $1,946.68

              **ETS                                                      $    973.34

                             **heat pump

                                        *air source                                    $   973.34

                                        *geothermal                                  $   486.67

             Propane                                                                   $2,444.00

             Natural Gas                                                               $1,567.06

             Hardwood

                                         * cut & split                                   $1,485.80

                                         * 8 foot logs                                  $  857.52 

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Converting from Oil Heat....

The fuel or electricity is only part of the cost of your conversion.  You'll also need to buy new equipment, have it installed, and possibly upgrade othe systems in your home.  The most cost-effective solution is a blend of energy cost and the installation factors. 

Conversion Costs:

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Equipment                              $ Total                Payback       

  Oil Fired Boiler vs Oil

  Electrical

          **Direct Heat

              *baseboard         4000           3 y 4 m

              *space heat          279.96            2 m

          **ETS

               *boiler            12,400           5 y 9 m

               *room unit        9,500           4 y 5 m

           **Heat Pump

               *air source          N/A               N/A

               *geothermal   37,000           13 y 11 m

Propane                          4,400             6 y 4 m

Hardwood

               *cut & split        3,350             2 y

               *8 foot logs                           1 y 6 m

               *own woodlot                         1 y 1 m

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Electric Space Heaters

Electric space heaters can be used as a stop-gap solution; provided your home's wiring will support it.  The solution presented consists of four 1500W mid range heaters from home improvement of department stores.  You may need to turn off some of the heaters when using your stove or dryer if you have a 60Amp service or less.  Four 1500W space heaters, all running at once, will draw 25 Amps.  Do not overload your wiring!  Ensure that the heaters are divided between both halves of your incoming power, and ensure that you follow all safety instructions that come with your units.Even if you can't heat your entire home with electric psace heaters, they can be used to take the edge off of your oil bill.  Set your space heaters to the temperature that you want to keep the room at.  Then set your furnace a few degrees lower.  The oil furnace will only deliver heat on the coldest days, when your space heaters can't keep up.

Throw Out the Oil Furnace?

Whoa!  Let's not be so hasty.  Your installer may want to do this, but it may be in your best interest to hang onto it, and to keep it serviced.  Some considerations include emergency readiness, and the flctuating cost of energy.  If you have an emergency generator, you'll be able to run your oil furnace, but not an electric heating system.  Energy is a volatile market.  Oil was one of the cheapest methods f heating your home at the start of the last heating season.  Prices may drop, or other energy prices may increase, and you'll be ready to take advantage of the change.

This article has been severely cut to fit this issue of our Newsletter.  The full article is available on the author's website:  www.biofueldpot.ca/community   Contact me by e-mail This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it and let me know if this article was helpful.