Hi. I live in no RI. We live in an under-insulated 1940s, 'center-hallway' cape that's about 1300sf. We spent over $1k insulating the attic last winter. The walls are only 2x4 and insulated with rock wool (looks like cotton balls). We can't add insulation in the walls bc the exterior walls have a lot of horizontal framing, randomly spaced. Fortunately the house is buffered from the wind.
my goals are to be OFF THE GRID and reduce our fuel bills to the minimum. we have a 6 acre yard with plenty of trees that can be harvested. my husband has started stacking some of the bigger cedar logs. lots of cedars here, and maple and typical NE trees. and i'm considering adding pv solar panels when we add-on.
The current heating system sux (even though it's only 4 yrs old) - oil forced hw with oil direct hot water heating. we used 1,000 gal of fuel last year (12months March-March). The attic ceiling was open for a couple of weeks though while we were insulating in Jan. we also had a large (6' long!) steam radiator removed from our enclosed porch. I'm hoping that it's removal will also save us a lot of $$, bc this house is crazy $$$ to heat. The porch is now 'heated' by a 6' long piece of copper (it's basically unheated now).
We are planning to add-on to the house (i'm an architectural designer). I want to add a large (16'x20' min) family room on to the side of the house (opening up to the kitchen), and a garage on the other side of the family room, with bedrooms above the new family rm and garage. I might even add a new stair going up. And i might have 1/2 of the new family room have a cathedral ceiling. I want an area for a 10' tall xmas tree, and a REAL fireplace with a mantle for Santa. I also want it to heat our entire house, which will be approx 2,500sf when we add-on.
i've been looking at the quadra-fire 7100, sequoia by vermont castings, montecito estate by lenox, and fireplace xtrodinair online. i'm wondering if the models with venting to heat auxillary spaces are worth it? Do they work? the bedroom and living room on the 1st floor will be on the opposite side of the house from the new family room. they'll be far from the heat source. Can i run one heat line in the crawl space to the other side of the house?
Alternatively, does anyone know about a wood burning boiler? is that an option in RI? only problem with that is the crawl space under our house is very cramped. i'd be hard pressed to find a spot to put it that's 4'x4'x4'.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanx!
my goals are to be OFF THE GRID and reduce our fuel bills to the minimum. we have a 6 acre yard with plenty of trees that can be harvested. my husband has started stacking some of the bigger cedar logs. lots of cedars here, and maple and typical NE trees. and i'm considering adding pv solar panels when we add-on.
The current heating system sux (even though it's only 4 yrs old) - oil forced hw with oil direct hot water heating. we used 1,000 gal of fuel last year (12months March-March). The attic ceiling was open for a couple of weeks though while we were insulating in Jan. we also had a large (6' long!) steam radiator removed from our enclosed porch. I'm hoping that it's removal will also save us a lot of $$, bc this house is crazy $$$ to heat. The porch is now 'heated' by a 6' long piece of copper (it's basically unheated now).
We are planning to add-on to the house (i'm an architectural designer). I want to add a large (16'x20' min) family room on to the side of the house (opening up to the kitchen), and a garage on the other side of the family room, with bedrooms above the new family rm and garage. I might even add a new stair going up. And i might have 1/2 of the new family room have a cathedral ceiling. I want an area for a 10' tall xmas tree, and a REAL fireplace with a mantle for Santa. I also want it to heat our entire house, which will be approx 2,500sf when we add-on.
i've been looking at the quadra-fire 7100, sequoia by vermont castings, montecito estate by lenox, and fireplace xtrodinair online. i'm wondering if the models with venting to heat auxillary spaces are worth it? Do they work? the bedroom and living room on the 1st floor will be on the opposite side of the house from the new family room. they'll be far from the heat source. Can i run one heat line in the crawl space to the other side of the house?
Alternatively, does anyone know about a wood burning boiler? is that an option in RI? only problem with that is the crawl space under our house is very cramped. i'd be hard pressed to find a spot to put it that's 4'x4'x4'.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanx!