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Samurai Appliance Repair Man
Admin
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Posted: Tue Dec 20th, 2005 06:09 |
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| ... and oil will continue to dwindle in supply and increase in cost. No surprise there. Alternatives are discussed. (200Kb, pdf file) Attachment: kiplinger_energy.pdf (Downloaded 5 times)
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dyneq
Survivor
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Posted: Tue Dec 20th, 2005 18:49 |
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Thanks, Samurai. Nicely written, but I see no sources quoted, etc., although I doubt they have any reason to misreport or distort this kind of information.
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Samurai Appliance Repair Man
Admin
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Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2005 02:40 |
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You're right, no sources, it's all done in-house, I think. Are you familiar with Kiplinger Reports?
http://www.kiplinger.com/
I get their personal finance newsletter, very insightful.
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dyneq
Survivor
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Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2005 03:03 |
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No I had never heard of their reports, but didn't they offer an income tax software package at one time? Or is that a different Kiplingers?
I guess I should start saving up for my geothermal heat pump now. My oil boiler which provides hydronic heat and hot water is only a few years old, but I think the PO's knew that they were going to sell soon and didn't get a high-efficiency boiler (we just bought the place this summer). The house has no fireplace, but we do have a 14K kerosene heater which works great in case of power outage (and some down sleeping bags  ).
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Samurai Appliance Repair Man
Admin
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Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2005 03:17 |
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dyneq wrote:
No I had never heard of their reports, but didn't they offer an income tax software package at one time? Or is that a different Kiplingers?
I think I do recall that. Dayyam, that was years ago!
I guess I should start saving up for my geothermal heat pump now. My oil boiler which provides hydronic heat and hot water is only a few years old, but I think the PO's knew that they were going to sell soon and didn't get a high-efficiency boiler (we just bought the place this summer). The house has no fireplace, but we do have a 14K kerosene heater which works great in case of power outage (and some down sleeping bags ).
Winter up here in Yankeeland is tricky! Not much room for error. The kerosene heater isn't bad but a better choice would be catalytic propane heaters. You can store propane much safer than fuels such as gasoline or kerosene. And these catalytic heaters are 99.96% efficient and so don't require external venting. I run one all winter in the basement of our house to keep it warm. Makes a huge difference in the heating load for the rest of the house.
Several good variations on this theme at Northern (a very good supply shop, BTW).
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dyneq
Survivor
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Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2005 03:38 |
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OK, now that I see them, I recognize those units. I have a friend who has one in his place, but never asked him about it. Thanks for the link and recommendation.
Am I correct in assuming that they are not a viable alternative to other whole-house heating methods? I think I read in another thread of yours that you are a fan of propane as a good, safe long-term source of energy. I have also talked to some that use it for dryers. Would that be inherently cheaper than an electric dryer in today's energy costs?
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Samurai Appliance Repair Man
Admin
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Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2005 03:52 |
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They might be viable as a way to heat the whole house; you'd need several units and would have to run gas lines to them, so could be an inelegant install. But not safety or inefficiency drawbacks that I know of.
The other thing I like about propane is that it doesn't break down like gasoline or kerosene; it's a stable product in that respect and makes it suitable for long-term storage.
As for dryers, I don't think dryers are a significant enough energy hog to justify the plumbing required for a gas dryer, not to mention the cost of a new gas dryer itself. If you're already plumbed for a gas dryer, that changes things.
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dyneq
Survivor
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Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2005 04:28 |
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We currently have no gas service, but there is evidence that it was here in the past. There is a gas line with valve right next to the washer/dryer and you can see the neighbor's meter right outside the nearest window. The valve looks pretty old and has a red, dried out rubber hose hanging off of it!
I've thought about getting it hooked up if only for a dryer and the rangetop because I prefer a gas rangetop for cooking. I have read that gas dryers are more efficient than electrics, but have recently been scared off by gas prices. I suppose if I am only using it for those 2 things, it probably wouldn't be much of a bill? We currently have an older Maytag electric dryer with the filter at the bottom of the door. It's OK, usually takes about 45 mins. to dry a full load from the Staber.
Maybe we should move this topic over to the energy area! For emergencies, line drying is the only way to go obviously.
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Samurai Appliance Repair Man
Admin
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Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2005 13:25 |
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Here's a Kiplinger follow-up report on biofuels:
http://www.kiplingerforecasts.com/home/stories/biofuels_will_be_some_help_in_fuel_crunch.html
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dyneq
Survivor
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Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2005 14:56 |
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FYI, that link leads to a login screen.
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Samurai Appliance Repair Man
Admin
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Posted: Wed Dec 21st, 2005 18:43 |
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| Ah, must be a subscriber-only article. Sorry.
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