Im a gas safe registered engineer so I have no experience in electric heaters. There is no gas in the street so getting it piped up is not an option. I dont know if panel heaters are cheaper then storage heaters etc. Ideally im more interested in the running cost but at the same time solar panels are to expensive to install. So im looking for a realistically cheap install with the lowest running cost possible.Any Ideas
Pellet stoves get some attention in our area. Wood stoves do too, if you live on a lot with your own supply of firewood. Older wood stoves pollute enough to get more attention these days, so check your local ordinances for any issues with legality. These methods are usually backed up with electric heat to keep the house warm enough when you are gone to avoid freezing water pipes. But what most people do in Wisconsin when they don't have natural gas service is have a large propane tank installed on their property, typically in the back yard if it is accessible by a refilling truck. Otherwise screened by some shrubs or a fence or something. It's reasonable in terms of cost, probably more than natural gas due to delivery costs and other factors, but way cheaper than electric heat if used on a daily basis. I believe furnaces can be converted from natural gas to propane, but double check that before you decide. You may need to go with a furnace made specifically for propane all the way through. We have a fairly long and cold winter, so it's worth the investment in a furnace to save on the expense vs electric. Electric is cheaper to install up front, but more expensive to operate. It's very rare to see a house in Wisconsin heated with electric unless it's a cabin or lake house that is only used in warmer months with an occasional visit in the late fall or early spring.
Where I live it is up to the buyers bank to order the property being sold an inspection by a certified home inspector who should have found that. It would have been a condition in the sale and the agents ,again, should have caught that.
Where I live propane companies will deliver and set up a tank in your yard, which you can either buy or lease. You should be comfortable figuring out what type of heaters to install inside your home from there.
I would think oil is cheaper than electric but the install and boiler/tank will set you back thousands. I would call my local electrical supplier and ask them to supply me with specifications on the electric heaters that they supply. You should compare watts consumed to BTU output. That will give you the most efficient models. You could also ask you local electric supplier, mine has an energy efficiency dept. They come out do a survey and help you save money - and its free. As for the installation cost. Once you start pulling wire, the cost will vary very little to pull the different size wires needed for the different systems. Good luck
Cheap install and lowest cost-to-run are more-or-less contradictory. In rank order for central heating systems: a) Super-high efficiency condensing Propane Heater (boiler or forced air). The cost-per-BTU for propane and oil is about the same, but propane-fired heaters are more efficient than oil-fired heaters in general. b) Oil-fired super-efficiency heater (boiler or forced air). Only slightly more expensive than propane due to the lesser efficiency. c) Electric baseboard heat: Least expensive to install by far, but will require a larger electrical service (at least 200A) if for the whole house. Has the virtue of individual thermostats for each room, but electric heat is generally about 40% more expensive than oil or propane all other things being equal. d) Solid-fuel-fired systems. Generally those that can be adapted for central heat are far more expensive than traditional wood, pellet or coal stoves that heat a room or two. And generally those types support radiators rather than forced-air, although there are both sorts on the market as well as heat-exchanger systems to go from one to the other. All expensive. Automated pellet or coal systems are also expensive and still require much more attention than liquid or gas-fueled systems. And, unless you get very-nearly-free solid fuel, it is no cheaper than propane or oil in a central heat application, as well as being much less efficient overall. But, heating one or two rooms at a time is very nearly always cheaper than heating an entire house whichever choices are made. Electric heat - cheapest to install, most costly to run per BTU delivered. But can be individualized to the need of each room - That is what I would suggest if you cannot afford a top-notch fuel system. Less-than-the-very-best when installing new fuel-fired systems will be very costly in the long run as the greatly lowered efficiency will eat up the savings of fuel over electricity very quickly.
