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Old 06-13-18, 08:09 AM   #11
WyrTwister
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Insulation , weather stripping , caulking . Storm windows & doors .

Wyr
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Old 06-13-18, 11:49 AM   #12
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I'd start with an Home Energy Audit. It helped me decide on the best size HVAC to install, which was smaller than the "rule-of-thumb" values every contractor came in with. {The savings on the smaller unit paid for the audit.} The auditor also told me that adding just 5" more insulation would drop my required unit another 1/2 ton of capacity. So, I added 10" more since insulation is cheaper than electricity and it settles over time.

He went through the house checking things I would've never thought of, and that I made changes to. My $0.02 worth. Good luck with your endeavor.
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Old 06-13-18, 02:38 PM   #13
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Start with sealing all openings in the house to the outside, this would things like outlets, lights, pipes, and windows. You can get foam outlet covers that go under the plate and caulk where needed. That will prevent losing heat.

If you have access to wood but not a lot I would build a Rocket Mass Heater but with them you will need a place that can hold the wight. Search for "Erica Wisner RMH", the book on building them is https://amzn.to/2lbIl9P
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Old 01-10-19, 09:48 AM   #14
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Ok so if you're going to get an energy audit, do it before you start improving the place. Gather some past utility bill data and get a baseline "before" survey completed. That way you can quantify where the home is and what improvements will yield the easy savings. After the first results and associated savings show up, it becomes easier to justify the more labor intensive and or costly projects.

Main idea is like this: the low hanging fruit should be handled first. Usually this consists of sealing big air and heat leaks. Next comes improving heat retention of the envelope. It's a path of diminishing returns, so a long term plan is essential. Try not to do something now that would need to be undone later to improve upon. This first phase of improving the heat envelope is the most cost effective to implement.

After the home envelope is improved, suddenly the existing climate control equipment doesn't cost quite as much to do its job. At that point, the economics have changed for the better, so it becomes more difficult to justify spending x thousand dollars on an alternative to the existing system. I tend to agree with previous comments: a cold climate air source unit uses much less electric bill than electric baseboard strips to provide equal heating performance. How much less depends on a whole lot of details.
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Old 09-27-19, 07:38 AM   #15
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Also , start turning stuff OFF when not using it .

Wyr
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