propane vs. heat pump

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Hi, I have a heat pump system and I'm being charged about .07 cent a KW. I found out that propane is running 1.59 per gallon, but what I need to find out is if the pump or the propane logs would be cheaper. I know I would have to invest in the logs, and tank , but does anyone know the benefits of each in savings? I also live in a doublewide that is about 1800 sqft, would the logs heat the whole house? Thanks in advance! Patti

-- Patti (pattid7@mindspring.com), October 19, 2001

Answers

Patti, Where do you live? what are your winter temps.

Keep in mind that a heat pump has two cost. The cost to run the heat pump when the weather is not to cold out and the cost to run resistive heat when its to cold for the pump. If you live in warm areas where temps below 32degs are less common then your heat pump might be a good solution. If you have a lot of or very long cold spells your. 07kw rates may get real expensive. Also, How did you calculate your kw rate? You cant just take your last months bill and divide by kw/cost. There are lots of variables in the picture. Some rates go up if you exceed a specific amount of electric usage over the month.

Before you look at the propane log in your doublewide, check your insurance. It might not meet your insurance requirements or local zoning regulations.

Will it heat your home? Depends on how many BTU's it is and how warm you want it to be. A quick search show's propane logs at 14000 to 35000 BTU's. Most furnaces are 80000 to 150000 BTU's I doubt a propane log will keep 1800sqft warm enough for most people. The propane logs are usually room decorations, room heaters or small area heaters.

Have you look at the cost up upgrading your heat pump to a real propane furnace? The cost of a new free standing propane log stove is going to be similar to what a furnace would cost.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), October 19, 2001.


instead of propane logs, why not a Vanguard type three or five brick heater???? We have a five brick heater and seldom use more than three bricks.

We have also invested in a wood burning heater for this year also (we had one for about 15 years in our prior house). We have a central heat and air unit that is totally electric but it is just too expensive to run. With a propane heater you can turn it down or off or just heat one room so you aren't wasting energy.

Whatever you choose, make sure you have a couple of BATTERY OPERATED smoke detectors!( Most laws require electric smoke detectors but if the power goes off, a lot of them don't work so I have simple battery operated ones too....we survived a house fire in 1983 that was started by electrical wiring)

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), October 20, 2001.


Gas logs that you put in an existing fireplace are a joke when it comes to heat. You must leave the flue open all the time and so even when your not using it, all your heated air is going up the chimney. Check out a DIRECT VENT propane heater . They don't use air from the home for combustion thus cutting down on drafts. They can have efficiency ratings in the high 80's and realistic flames that rival a wood stove. With the great fluctuations in fuel prices its hard to say which will be cheaper. If you decide to go the propane route, I would suggest prebuying your fuel for the year as gas companies have a habit of raising the price of fuel when you need it most.

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), October 22, 2001.

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