Sonny300:

There are some excellent plans for hot air solar panels available on Mother Earth News for free.

If you want detailed drawings, they are about $15.00.

They are made with insulated ductboard and they even show you how to make the specialized knives so you can make multiple units quickly.

You can make one to see if it would be worthwhile for you to make more and the projected cost is under $100.00 per panel.

You could make multiple panels per window or a bank of them with connections to your windows.

They will be a lot cheaper and although they will only supply heating during the day, you can use your boiler with a larger water storage tank for a night time reserve.

Not seeing the exact layout of your building makes it hard to spec a modern alternative and by your post, I get the impression you want something to give you more heating capability with the least amount of expenditure.

Good luck!

Fairyprincess

Thanks Fairyprincess

We live in Canada, on Vancouver Island, the most moderate climate in the country,, its called the west coast, or as many will joke--the "wet coast"--lol

Solar is not really in my budget, nor very practiscibale in this climate "too much cloud and too much rain." And as I have an acre of forest and rhodos, some Douglas Firs as high as 120 feet, not too much sun. but beautiful nonetheless. A paridise in the summer heat. but solar, no, not likely. Cant bring myself to cut down those majestic giants. no way

Unlike some people I burn firewood, cause its renewable, and a natural thing to do. fires in nature have been in exestince for eons. I`m really hoping that puting the grates in the floor will greatly improve the heat rising to our living room, and make the rec room not so stiffling!!

Should tell you , that even though it is more expensive, we do burn bio=fuel. about a $1.12 per litre. its a 20/80mix

Well, there is no easy solution to this, just have to think it out some more, not in a hurry, (this old boiler has served us well for many years) its forty years old.