No doubt, fuel costs for propane are higher per BTU than for oil. Installation cost for oil will be higher, and you may need a chimney for an oil-fired furnace. Check local codes.

If your building will be very well insulated, my inclination would be to go with propane, as your fuel usage would be low enough to justify the lower installation and maintenance costs associated with propane.

LP is probably the most expensive way to heat in my area of PA, but I would probably go the LP route too.

Well, I have the rep from Eastern Propane coming out to my site next week, I guess they do oil too, so I'll be able to pick his brain about things.

Baymee, why would would go w/LP vs. oil?

If anybody has any ideas on questions I should ask please throw them at me, this is a totally new experience for me, I don't build houses every day :-) (thank goodness!!!)

For the same reasons as the brewer gave.

I don't know your area at all, but oil is fading away here in NC. No one does new oil systems anymore it seems. Oil is an excellent source of heat, but messy, you know that already. I would go with LP as it is cleaner, less maintenance involved, and can do all you want with one tank and one fuel.

I'm in the south (read 'heatpump country') and I went with propane too - We had natural gas in our last house but we're out in the country a bit now and there isn't any NG avaliable in our local area

We had to have propane anyway for the stove (wife refuses to even consider cooking on an electric stove) plus we like the gas fireplace longs in the wintertime. We've only gone through one winter season so far, but we really like our new 60K/90K Goodman furnace. We keep the house cool at night (65) but then in the morning you want fast heat so you don't freeze in the shower and when the thermostat kicks it on high, the propane furnace really gets the house warmed up FAST

My parents had an oil fired furnace in the house we kids all grew up in back in the '60's and none of the 4 of us have ever considered using oil for heat since we've left the nest - I understand that for some of you in the northeast it's the cheapest way to go, but personally, no matter where I lived, I would find some other way to heat

I think you'll LIKE propane . . . . but I don't know how the $$$ numbers will compare. Down here, the propane companies offer a service where they automatically keep your tank topped off and you pay a set amount each month, every month plus they give you a discount on the gas price. For me, it amounts to $50 per month ($600 per year) . . . . probably a little more than it would cost us with a heat pump, but I don't really care - I LIKE gas heat!

Don

Wouldn't it cut fuel usage by using in-floor radiant heat? A boiler would be able to operate at a much lower temperature, meaning you'd expend less fuel. That would add some serious value to the addition itself.

King Coal is still the cheapest way to heat in PA; half the cost of oil.

We used to have quite a few coal stokers when I was younger. Now we have quite a few customers with rice coal stoves.

Here in the Northeast, oil is the cheapest way to go for space heating, domestic hot water production, pool heating and snow-melt systems for the set it and forget it crowd. Most of our fuel customers have oil fired hydronic systems and many have pellet stoves, wood stoves and fireplaces.

Many people install gas fired forced air systems in some homes since the initial cost of the system is less due to ultra cheap gas fired equipment, more direct vent options and the fact that the skill level required to install and setup a gas fired forced air system is low enough that almost anyone can install one. This saves a lot of money in professional labor charges and the expense of an oil tank, piping or a chimney, stainless chimney liner, power-venter, oil fired condensing boiler or a direct vent boiler in new construction and and retrofit situations.

People that install gas fired forced air work dirt cheap since there's a lot of competition in that market, but skilled hydronics techs and skilled oil service techs command more money so it's reflected in the price.The lightweight gas fired scorched air units are also much easier on the back than hauling large cast iron boilers, heavy duty oil fired forced air furnaces and 500 gallon skid tanks into basements. No need for extra help and you can leave the climbing hand truck at home when you're installing lightweight forced air equipment.

I think you said one time that you were in upstate NY. There is a decent amount of coal heat up there, which is still probably half the cost of oil, even with considering transportation costs from PA. There is also coal heat in NH, VT and ME. There is a man in the Catskills, near Troy that has a corner on the coal market up there.

baymee, we don't see many people burning coal in the Great Sacandaga - Saratoga - Lake George region. From what I'm told more people burn coal further downstate and to the west. Most of our customers are the set it and forget it types and we have a lot of seasonal homes and vacation homes on or near the lakes where people can't tend to a fire.

I haven't checked into coal suppliers lately, but there hasn't been much competition in coal sales and delivery in decades. People that have pellet stoves, gas stoves, coal stoves and high efficiency fireplaces use them more for ambiance, back-up heat and supplemental heat than dedicated space heating.

The fuel burning equipment that requires that you load it, clean it, dispose of waste and tend to a fire is only cheaper if you don't place a value on your time. We burn wood at our camps and vacation home although we also have oil fired boilers, indirects and radiant heat.

I guess you haven't run into the fully automatic stoker yet. All you do is empty the ash pan once a day in the winter and check the coal bin every week.

i would sugest an lp radiant heat system since you are above a garage. the boiler for a system like that is just like a small tankless water heater. the best thing you can do is super insulate it. stagger stud walls with spray foam, triple glazed windows and since it is above the garage run purlins acroos the floor joists so the joist don't transfer the cold and spary foam the floor. for every dollar spent in insulating it will save you many over time, so think of insulating as an investment

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, they are appreciated. I'm going to make sure the structure (which is separate, not an addition) is insulated VERY WELL, the garage will be fully insulated and also have a small heating unit to save the pipes if necessary, and if you want to work in there in the winter, you can be toasty w/a little heater.
I don't know that I want to get into radiant heat, this is not our "forever" place and we are trying to keep costs down as much as possible, but want to also make sure that it's tight and toasty!!!
Will report on what Eastern Propane dude has to say this afternoon.

To look at what is most efficient try converting how much it will cost to buy 1 million Btu's.

Multiply oil costs by .719 then multiply by 10 the result will be what 1 million btu's will cost. Divide the results by the efficiency of the furnace, in most cased it will be 80%.

LP cost is divided by 93% multiply by 10 for 1 million Btu cost. Divide by the furnace efficiency, 95% or what ever furnace efficiency you are planing on.

If you are considering a Hybred system, There are 3420 btu in a kW of electric . 1 million Btu= 292.4 kW. Multiply the kW cost by your electric rate. The result will be what 1 million Btu of electric resistance heat will cost. When shopping for a heat pump , divide the COP into the resistance heat cost and the result will be what 1 million Btu's will cost from that heat pump.

You must find out what your nominal or average winter temperature is. If the temperature is around 40 degrees you can assume the heat pump will operate about 50% of the winter so average the million Btu cost between LP and heat pump. That will be your Hybred number. I believe you will find the LP/ HP combo to be your best bet. Plan on setting the point you switch from electric heat to LP to be about 38 to 40 degrees F. If you use the heat pump below that temp. you will force the unit into defrost mode which will reduce the COP.

Good luck,

Stu

I live in Mass and if I were doing new construction I would go with a Geothermal Heatpump. Screw oil, lp, coal and natural gas. The install is higher, but the payback is amazing. I had it in my first house and still miss it. For some reason it's rare to see that up here, though Geo is very common in Canada. If I were planning to stay in my current house for a long time, I would seriously consider converting, though it would cost me $10k to $20k. My 2cents.