Quote:
Originally Posted by Art Burtt
I am installing solar panels in an effort to lower our utility bills. I would like to get rid of the oil burning furnace that heats our water and baseboard heaters.
If anything I'd like to keep the curent furnace as a back up system. Does any one know if there is an electric powered unit that would achieve this? |
Sounds like an interesting project, Art.
I once mentioned to a co-worker, that when I was a kid, my dad and I incorporated a used auto radiator to run well water through, as we watered part of our huge lawn and garden daily. With a window fan behind the radiator, it cooled our family room for free, using a crude form of geothermic application. Back then, only bars and grocery stores had AC.
The co-worker related that he had done a similar thing in his previous garage. He hooked up a common household water heater and routed lines up to an overhead radiator with a fan behind it. He claimed it warmed his garage just fine with no water pump used, but convection water circulation only. He used a natural gas heater and said it only cycled on occasionally once the garage was warm.
So I wonder if you could use an electric water heater as innovative supplemental heat? The reserve water capacity could easily provide heat when the solar panels fell short at night or rainy days.
I have a fast recovery, high efficiency natural gas water heater in my home that is rated for 50K btu's. That is nearly enough btu's to heat my home in North Dakota winters, and I believe the btu rating translates. A btu is a btu. Another thought is that super-insulated homes only need about 20K btu for heat, even in super cold climates. What is the rating for your
oil burner and do they downrate btu rating in newer high efficiency models for the same service, like in forced air furnaces? The older burner is likely rated for what also goes out the chimney and this loss is less with newer boilers and
zero with electric heat.
It would be possible to convert my type water heater to propane when natural gas pipeslines are not available in a community, if that's an option. A benefit here might be that propane (or gas) doesn't necessarily require electrical power, if water will circulate satisfactorily by convection. Such home heating becomes self contained during electrical outages.
I think electric water heaters are usually rated less btu's than gas, but for back-up in a slightly milder climate, maybe OK. One could always double them up. Utility companies usually furnish a discount when watts are used for heat. And if used for recirculated heat-only, they would not corrode and die from minerals if distilled water were used. One other benefit, water heaters are often competitively priced, while heating companies charge a premium for dedicated boilers.
Heat is heat in my book.
Food for thought.
Wes
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