[bonehead]

The heating oil truck just arrived and i've no choice but to accept it.Crude's pushing $90 in anticipation of a fed rate cut and the dollar is about to fall further.I don't feel like visiting santa at my local mall.

[dsula]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('bonehead', 'T')he heating oil truck just arrived and i've no choice but to accept it.Crude's pushing $90 in anticipation of a fed rate cut and the dollar is about to fall further.I don't feel like visiting santa at my local mall.

[bonehead]

Way to go dsula,would 20 acres be considered a renewable resource?

[gnm]

Depends on how much you need. I can get through a cold winter on a cord and a half. Some up north need 10.

My damn chain keeps dulling after half a cord. I need a better way to sharpen them or maybe one of those carbide jobs....


"just need to accept it"
Bonehead, ask yourself if you can just accept it if it doubles again from now.... It doubled in the last 4 years you know. If you can't then plan accordingly before it doubles again.

-G

[dissident]

Wood heating is great (and that is what we use) but it is not possible for the whole winter-exposed population to rely on wood. I fear that without the success of alternative energy, all the forests (including on private land) will be poached bare of wood, much as occurs in Africa and elsewhere in the 3rd world.

[Mechler]

In New England the rule of thumb is 1 cord per acre per year - so 20 acres would be fine for just about anyone.

Selling wood in the future might be a good way to make some extra money. Actually, it probably is now. But hopefully dissident's vision of poached wood doesn't come true (but it probably will )

[frankthetank]

Couple of suggestions:

No heat (might get cold/divorced)

Change heat source (best bet)

Move to warmer climate (might not work to well...will pay for it during summer months/zombies).

Heat one room

I've got the wood stove and am still waiting on the pipe. I've already got 60 acres i can "browse" for firewood (plenty of downed timber-hardwoods). Also have a few other sources i could probably go to if needed. Wood isn't in short supply around here. I plan on trying to keep the living room toast. Nice thing about wood is its always ON, but doesn't use any electricity. That way even if you do get cold, you can at the least, go sit by the stove or put your hands close and warm up.

If i was wealthy i'd spend 4 months of the year on a sailboat in the gulf or the Bahamas. Screw this winter crap

[JoeW]

We heat with fuel oil, and our latest delivery (140 gallons to fill up a 275-gallon tank) @ $3/gal was $420. Keep in mind that that is for only half a tank. There are plenty of people who are going to be unable to afford fuel oil this winter when a bill for $800 shows up on their doorstep and they are caught by surprise.

I expect there will be a lot of 'deadbeat' fuel oil subscribers who will just switch providers rather than pay the bill. That just creates false demand and drives up the price for those of us who pay. Hard to faul them, though. It's not like freezing to death is a palatable option.

[dsula]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JoeW', 'H')ard to faul them, though. It's not like freezing to death is a palatable option.

[gnm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dissident', 'W')ood heating is great (and that is what we use) but it is not possible for the whole winter-exposed population to rely on wood. I fear that without the success of alternative energy, all the forests (including on private land) will be poached bare of wood, much as occurs in Africa and elsewhere in the 3rd world.

[frankthetank]

gnm-

You raise some VERY good points. I think this is why cities like Chicago and Minneapolis better start thinking about winter 2030 and beyond. I wonder what they plan on heating these big buildings with once the gas stops flowing? **maybe** LNG will be up and running full steam by then.

Even then 50 or so years from now, most northern cities will probably be barren during the winter. Those who do stay will probably shack up in an abadoned car burning plastics and trash to stay warm (in the back seat).

Britain ran into a firewood shortage back before they made a switch to coal. It wouldn't suprise me if the same thing happens up here. It wouldn't suprise me if they bring in shiploads of firewood or something (Chicago) or bring in barge loads (Minneapolis--Mississippi River). There are bluffs surrounding my town here and when i hike in them the possibility of someday them being barren hillsides does cross my mind.

Even in my area (La Crosse area) you've got 100K people and maybe 30K homes (give or take). Figure in a good 4 cords per house, that over 100K cords of wood. 20 cords of wood an acre, gives us 6000 acres of wooded land needed per winter to keep us warm!

Got wood?

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('frankthetank', 'g')nm-

You raise some VERY good points. I think this is why cities like Chicago and Minneapolis better start thinking about winter 2030 and beyond. I wonder what they plan on heating these big buildings with once the gas stops flowing? **maybe** LNG will be up and running full steam by then.

Even then 50 or so years from now, most northern cities will probably be barren during the winter. Those who do stay will probably shack up in an abadoned car burning plastics and trash to stay warm (in the back seat).

Britain ran into a firewood shortage back before they made a switch to coal. It wouldn't suprise me if the same thing happens up here. It wouldn't suprise me if they bring in shiploads of firewood or something (Chicago) or bring in barge loads (Minneapolis--Mississippi River). There are bluffs surrounding my town here and when i hike in them the possibility of someday them being barren hillsides does cross my mind.

Even in my area (La Crosse area) you've got 100K people and maybe 30K homes (give or take). Figure in a good 4 cords per house, that over 100K cords of wood. 20 cords of wood an acre, gives us 6000 acres of wooded land needed per winter to keep us warm!

Got wood?

[frankthetank]

Electric heat is the worse type of heat you can use. You'd be A lot better off burning the coal directly in a stove then at some power plant.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')hen outdoor temperatures fall below 40°F, a less-efficient panel of electric resistance coils, similar to those in your toaster, kicks in to provide indoor heating. This is why air-source heat pumps aren't always very efficient for heating in areas with cold winters. Some units now have gas-fired backup furnaces instead of electric resistance coils, allowing them to operate more efficiently

[MrBill]

Mr. Tank, I edited your link because the full URL was screwing up the page sizing. Thanks.

Wood heating is a classic case of what works for one cannot work for everyone. The last thing we need is more deforestation, climate change and pollution from everyone burning wood, charcoal and/or coal at home. A very dirty alternative.

However, having said that, I am not having much luck trying to convince my friends and neighbors to freeze to death in the dark either?

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('frankthetank', 'E')lectric heat is the worse type of heat you can use. You'd be A lot better off burning the coal directly in a stove then at some power plant.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')hen outdoor temperatures fall below 40°F, a less-efficient panel of electric resistance coils, similar to those in your toaster, kicks in to provide indoor heating. This is why air-source heat pumps aren't always very efficient for heating in areas with cold winters. Some units now have gas-fired backup furnaces instead of electric resistance coils, allowing them to operate more efficiently

[wisconsin_cur]

I recognize that it cannot work for everybody, I have given up looking for answers that can work for everybody, but our new wood stove is working out great.

I haven't heard the downstairs furnace run at all and with only the kitchen and living room being heated, they are toasty warm. The upstairs furnace runs just to keep some plants from freezing to death, If I came up with a way to move them downstairs (away from two young kids, mischievious cats and playful dogs) then I suppose we could just let be warmed by ambient heat that escaped downstairs. In the next couple of days i will decide if we are even going to fill the LP tank at all this winter. We might just wait until the week before Hurricane season.

Regarding everyone else:

We are going to have to give up this idea of heating every bit of space and keeping it warmer in the house in the winter than we keep it in the summer. The downstairs thermastat is kept at 50F (see above) and the upstairs at 40 (as low as it will go). We have learned to dress warm. The kids do not even seem to notice (their mother tries to get them to wear socks with mixed results) and have invested on a down comforter for every member of the family. As long as you are warm when you sleep you can manage anything else.
------
edit: I should mention that what I will really miss is if/when the grid goes down would be the electric blower that circulates heat off of the wood stove through the rest of the house.

I am considering stopping in some places that sell counter top to see if they have any cheap broken soapstone that I can buy to use as a way to transfer heat in the future.

[FoolYap]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Mechler', 'I')n New England the rule of thumb is 1 cord per acre per year - so 20 acres would be fine for just about anyone.

[FoolYap]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wisconsin_cur', 'I') should mention that what I will really miss is if/when the grid goes down would be the electric blower that circulates heat off of the wood stove through the rest of the house.

[wisconsin_cur]

I have both. The fan that runs on the heat was not worth the money. It makes for a fun conversation piece but that is it.

The fan that really works came with the stove and. essentially takes the heat from the metal and blows it horizontally in to the living room.