I just went thru that. I decided to get away from oil all together and went Heat Pump. Oil is just a bad future.

i disagree oil is in! oil should never be counted out

olmanrivah, I could be wrong but from that handle I take it you're a southern fella. Heat pumps are not the way to go up here in New Hampshire. We usually size kids Halloween costumes to fit over snow suits. In other word 30 degrees comes mighty early and hangs around pretty late in the year. And our electric rates ain't nothing to brag about either!
rizzo0904, my own personnel take on the subject is right now oil is a better deal then LP. But considering the amount of maintenance involved with burning oil what with all the cleanings, filters, nozzles etc. as compared to a clean burning gas system that will run for a long time without all that cleaning BS, the cost of running either system really isn't all that much different.

As Eric Clapton sings:

"She don't like, she don't like, she don't like.....PROPANE."

Propane is a very expensive fuel. How are electric prices in New Hampshire? If they're not bad, you could put in a good heat pump with propane (or oil) back-up. This way you'll get the a/c, use the heat pump for winter weather down to 30F or so, then use the propane back-up (or oil) for when it's very cold. You have to run the cost numbers versus consumption to make a smart decision.

A $2400 tankless hot water system or a $300 electric hot water tank from Home Depot? Hmmmm.

garyg, Supposedly our rates are one of the highest in the country. I don't waste time checking things like that out myself though. If the bill is to high I shut things off that shouldn't be on. About the only thing I would have with an electric heating element up here though is a toaster. You just don't see many heat pumps up here with good reason. We're to far north, that luke warm air just don't seem to cut it.

I really hope you guys are right....no oil supply problem. I'm not the kind to wait and see. I just know this 'ol southern fella paid over $2300 just for oil last winter season. The new high seer units extract heat well below 30* and the heat coming from my vents is 100*+.

I wasn't a heat pump fan 2 months ago, but, I feel ready for what ever happens by Mr. Chavez (sp).....

I'm sorry, but, oil or propane is not a long time solution.

Havac man:

I just saw a comparison of rates for the States and you guys in NH are paying 16+ cents/kw-hr generation. Holy sh%t. For those rates I'd get a good woodstove and burn, baby burn. A stove would be great supplimental heat to any furnace up there and I'm sure it's the primary heat for many homes. Not for everyone but great heat for those that have it.

I'm way ahead of you garyg. I usually burn between 2 and 4 cords a year. I got a great surprise from the power company recently. I have 1400 feet of frontage running down one side of my property and its lines with mainly oak and maple. They rerouted the power lines down that road and consequently had to drop a sh--load of those trees. By law the wood has to be left with the owner of the property where it was removed from and they have to chip up the brush. I'll be to old to go out there cuttin and splittin before I come even close to running out.

I'm in Connecticut, and have now done 2 winters with my new heat pump, and 3 with a new System 2000. The heat pump made more difference to me than the System 2000. I regularly run the heat pump to keep my home warm down to 15-20F at night. Once I ran a test at -3F, and the heat pump still provided hot air, though was running non-stop.

My heat pump is a RUUD 14 SEER unit, and I've been amazingly happy with it. Great cooling in summer, great heating for most of winter. This past winter, all but 6 weeks of heat in my home came from the heat pump. About 6 weeks (though about 1/3 of the time in the day I went back to heat pump for at least a few hours).

Oil is controlled by the "emergency heat" setting on my thermostat, or if the heat pump cannot maintain heat.

I wouldn't discount the value of a high quality heat pump and install.

All I'm saying is heat pumps aren't very popular this far north. I wouldn't own one either personally and I work in the trade. Some people that have them are very disappointed, what could I say?

I've been told that the dividing line for heat pumps is Maryland. With new efficiencies, the line may move North, but you have to consider the latest prices and expected life of the unit, which is something I don't do.

No disrespect to pilchard intended but I used to live in Ct. and now live in NH. Even though just a few hours apart you can be talking apples to oranges weatherwise. He once ran a test at minus 3. How about a 10 day stretch at minus 10 or lower? Quite a difference, and with higher electric rates. Add to that the possibility of three feet of snow piling up around that outdoor section. Besides pilchard, you have yourself a pretty expensive system there if you have a heat pump and a system2000. Not that many want to spend that kind of money.

Havac man:

I have a masonry, wood-burning fireplace in my below-grade family room (split-foyer style home, about 1800 sq ft). I have an inefficient insert - it puts out heat but burns a lot of wood quickly. I use it to suppliment my heat pump and the insert will keep the family room at 68F in the coldest of Maryland weather. The layout of the family room does not allow heat to rise easliy to the first floor but I am still putting BTU's into the house and warming the floor of the living room above.

I have a chainsaw and often go on scavenging trips to cut my own wood. As my area north of Baltimore is being developed at a lightening fast pace, free wood is becoming tougher to find. My wife thinks that I should attend FFWA meetings (Free Fire Wood Anonymous). I only bought 1 cord last year (mild winter except for Feb) for $140. I live in a development so I don't want to go too crazy with storing the wood. I am going into next season with about a cord and a half.

Let's see....I95 North to New Hampshire with my Honda Civic hatchback for another scavaging hunt? Nah, I'll wait until fall to entertain that thought.

garyg, I just had a humorous vision of some guy loading up his Honda Civic with genuine New Hampshire hardwood. What do u figure it'll hold about 3 stove fulls of firewood? Even in an economical Honda we got a guy who will spend 100 dollars for gas just to get a good deal on 25 dollars worth of wood. Hey, r u sure you're from Maryland, you sound more like frugal Yankee! LOL
BTW, what ever happened to the guy who started this post anyway? What was the question again????

Thanks for all of the responses...even if it did get a bit off track :)

Since natural gas is not available, we have decided to stick with oil. Our quote did not include getting rid of the oil tank and I really don't want propane tanks in my yard. Just not a fan.

I'll be back in a few weeks after I have all of my quotes to see which oil-burning furnace you all recommend.

Thanks again!!

BTW - I'm a chick :)

rizzo0904, tanks, either oil or LP can be buried if you don't like looking at them. Of course this obviously cost dip into the heating budget though. As for the best oil fired furnace, thats easy, THERMOPRIDE, built like a tank!
BTW, greetings from "the only one on earth" does that tell you where I'm from?

Our house is built on top of slate...so burying a tank would be extremely difficult and expensive.

And no, it doesn't tell me where you are from :)

You should consider integrating the hot water with your new oil burner.

I'm a 'southern guy' and just installed a new 60K/90K propane furnace - Actually, it was a natural gas furnace but I converted it for $100

We've only used it for one 'winter' (nothing like what you have up there) but we like it - We pay $50 a month to the propane company all 12 months of the year and that covers everything. An added 'bonus' is that we have a propane stove in the kitchen and a couple of propane fireplace inserts - We have a small freestanding wood stove just for the times when we feel like toting firewood. Our domestic hot water is all solar, with a little electric backup

My folks had oil heat (in the Seattle Area) when I was a kid - I never liked that, nor would I like to tie myself into the fortunes of the big oil companies. With oil, you're already paying lots more than you should because of the artificial price hikes they insert at the refineries and it's only going to get worse

Don

Mrs. Rizzo,

I would suggest installing a heat pump instead of straight air. Also, the 3.5 ton cooling unit appears to bit a little to much. Here in the heart of the Carolinas, I would suggest a 3-ton unit.

I recommend an Armstrong oil furnace, but only if they are readily available in your area.

Oil heat gives you more bang for the bucks. But, they are fading away rapidly.

Phillip