Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Home heating is on everyone's mind these days

Needless to say, our forefathers didn't worry too much about heating their log cabins. Now is not too soon to be thinking about this years home heating oil and gas costs. The recent spikes in oil and natural gas prices have put the topic of alternative fuels for home heating at the forefront of discussions around the country. There are energy efficient break throughs that you can use in your home, and the result is a home that can slash as much as 50% of your home heating bills as well as be your castle in a very real sense of the word.

Often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause your heat pour out and the cold outside air pour in – costing you higher heating bills, causing cold drafts, and wasting energy. This can be the most, simple and cost effective ways to reduce your heating costs. hen preparing your home heating plan for the winter season, it is not enough just to turn the furnace on and hope for the best, it needs to be serviced on a yearly basis to ensure its safety and reliability. Being armed with the knowledge of alternative types of heating sources will make you a more educated consumer when it is time to replace an old, worn out furnace.

With solar gain heating, the idea is to maximize sun penetration into the home, covert the sunlight into heat, and circulate it through the home. There are two types of panels and the right one for you will depend on your local climate. Your particular savings are difficult to quantify as it will depend on your local climate, house insulation, heating system, and the type of panels you install. The same goes for geothermal heating, which can be used to reduce bills also and should be looked into for your area of the country.

Maybe you can also consider improving your home by adding a fireplace or two. The are beautifula nd can even add value to your home along with a lot of charm. Wood and pellet stoves can reuce your hetaing costs also. New plant-based fuels like wood pellets and corn pellets can also provide heat when used in specially designed, clean-burning furnaces and stoves. Pellet stoves are very simple to use and by loading pellets into a hopper, they can provide heat for 24 to 72 hours or more depending on the hopper size and heat output desired makes it much easier to use than a wood stove. Stay warm this winter while you do it as inexpensively as possible.

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