Home Improvement With Alternative Energy Heating

Home Improvement With Alternative Energy Heating

Alternative-Heating-Info.com

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Just like any other well designed major home improvement, an alternate heating or
energy system will add value to your home. The average is $10 in added home value
for every $1 in annual energy savings.

Resources:
Alternative Heating &
Cooling Videos

Alternative Heating:
Where Do You Fit In?

Do It Yourself Energy Audit

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Wood pellet and corn stoves caught fire as home heating
alternatives in 2004 when the price of oil crossed the $40 per
barrel threshold and didn't retreat until July of 2008.

During this time hundreds of thousands of pellet burning
stoves were sold displacing millions of gallons of fossil fuel.

Wood pellet stoves remain a popular heating alternative due to

the relatively stable price of wood pellets and corn, the availability of stoves for as
little as $1,300, their simplicity of operation, and easy installation.

Depending on the cost of fuel oil, a pellet stove could pay for itself in only 2 to 3 years.

What a pellet stove is to alternative heating, solar power is
to renewable energy - but even more so. The versatile solar
panel can be configured to harness solar energy for a
variety of purposes.

Photovoltaic (PV) panels or solar roof shingles are used to
convert the sun's rays into electricity. The cost to install a

solar PV system is estimated at $7 - $8 per watt or $15,000 for a typical 2kW system.

Solar hot water systems are 2 to 3 times more efficient than solar electric and cost far
less. They can be sized to provide only domestic hot water or a whole house radiant
heating solution.

If you live near a body of water, a mountainous or hilly
region, in the Grain Belt, or any other area with above
average wind resources you should consider wind power.

A well located 2 - 3 kW (kilowatt) residential wind system
requires only half the investment of a similar sized solar
electric system yet generates up to 3 times more energy.

In urban and suburban locations where physical limitations and zoning laws prevent
the installation of full fledged wind energy systems homeowners have turned their
attention to rooftop micro wind systems and home made wind power kits.

Although a rooftop turbine won't put a huge dent in your electric bill the concept is
appealing and affords consumers a relatively low cost opportunity to participate in the
green movement.

Probably the most mysterious and least understood of the
alternative heating and cooling options is geothermal.

Simply put, a geothermal system extracts stored heat from
beneath the earth's surface and transfers it to your home
for winter heating - then reverses the process for cooling by
removing the heat from your home and "sinking" it back into
the ground.

At the heart of every geothermal system is the ground source heat pump. This type of
heat pump has an average efficiency of 300% which is 3 to 4 times more fuel efficient
than a conventional home furnace.

The extraordinary efficiency of a geothermal system means a payback period of only 5
- 6 years if you currently heat with oil.

Radiant heat differs from forced hot air in that it heats
objects (flooring, furniture, etc.) instead of the air.

This method takes longer to bring a room up to
temperature but provides soothing, even, long lasting heat
that eliminates cold spots and keeps dust and allergens to
a minimum.

(Click to enlarge)
Today's radiant heating systems use 95% efficient condensing boilers to heat the
water pumped through plastic tubing which heats the floors. Installation methods
include embedding the tubing in cement or pre-grooved modular panels; or
suspending the tubing under the sub-floor between the floor joists.

Since there are so many installation options available it's difficult to offer a cost
estimate, however a very good modulating boiler can be purchased for less than
$3,000.

Strictly speaking, radiant electric floor heat isn't alternative heating but it's an
excellent retrofit application for heating cold bathroom or kitchen floors and new
home additions.

The term alternative fuel describes wood, wood pellets, corn, wheat, rye and other biomass
materials as well as solar energy, wind power, and water for micro-hydro or geothermal
systems.

No matter which method of alternate heating or power you choose they all qualify for the
ongoing 30% energy efficiency tax credit. In addition to the 30% tax credit many state and
local agencies offer incentives or rebates that could increase your total savings by an
additional 20% or more.

Below is a brief overview of the most popular heating appliances and energy systems. If
you can't find what you're looking for try the Site Search box above.

The combination of tax credits and lessened demand for products and services offers
consumers the best opportunity this decade to green up their homes.

Improving your home with alternative
energy heating will benefit you in 3
ways:

1. Save you thousands of dollars in
heating and energy costs for years to
come.

2. Improve the value of your home.

3. Give you peace of mind from more
predictable fuel and energy costs.

The key to a successful transition from
fossil fuels to renewable resources is
determining which alternative fuel is
most abundant where you live, and
therefore the cheapest.