Heat from efficient electric sources such as heat pumps may feel "cold" at the supply register because the temperature may be less than normal body temperature (98.6 degrees F). Virtually everything less than normal body temperature may feel "cold" to many people. In fact, however, the supply air from electric systems such as heat pumps is more than warm enough to maintain a 72-degree interior temperature or higher (assuming house is properly insulated and sealed). That said, inefficient electric strip heaters with or without circulating fans, on the other hand, may be able to keep an interior space comfortable and warm, but they are notoriously inefficient and costly ways to heat interior space. Now, however, we're talking about efficiency and operating expense, not how a system "feels" and whether or not it will work properly to maintain a comfortable interior temperature. Gas fired heating sources with forced air supply distribution generally provide supply air that is warmer than body temperature--so they seem "warm" to the human body, but still are governed by a thermostat set to a reach and maintain a given setting. If the ambient temperature in a space is 72-degrees, it really doesn't matter how it got there--from electric or gas sources! With either electric or gas source heating, maintaining comfortable interior temperatures should not be a problem, if the system is properly designed and if the house is built for the type of system being used. System efficiency and operating expense should rightly be major criteria for selecting a heating/cooling system. That said, as humans we all have our preferences and personal choices, so whatever works satisfactorily for heating/cooling is usually a good approach.

I'll be closing down my farmhouse in Maine within the next few weeks. We do this some winters but not others, depending on anticipated winter use and I've done it successfully nearly 20 times over the years, with only a few glitches in the following springs. Some notes from my "shutdown procedure": 1. Turn off the main water valve (also cut power to the pump if the house is served by its own well). 2. Turn off the valves to toilets and flush each one to drain the toilet tanks. Then reopen the valves to help the supply pipes drain. 2. Begin the draining process by opening every potable water valve you can find (i.e., all basins, tubs, showers, etc.). For "combination valves", put handles in the middle position so that both cold and hot are open to some extent. 3. Turn off the valves to toilets and flush each one to drain the toilet tanks. Then reopen the valves to help the supply pipes drain. 4. To drain the hydronic heating system, begin by turning off the power at either the circuit breaker or the "red switch". (I prefer the circuit breaker since some "red switches" control only the oil burner and can leave transformers, circulator motors and/or supplemental fans with power.) Open the boiler drain valve as well as any drain valves installed in the zones/loops. Manually set zone valves into "open" position. 5. If there is an electric hot water heater, turn it off at the breaker and open drain valve at bottom of heater. Do this early in the draining process as it will assist in draining all hot water pipes. 6. Open any hose bibs on the outside of the house. Also make sure both valves hooked to the washing machine hoses are open. (These are normally open, but just to be sure...) 7. While the water is draining, search the basement for "stop and waste" valves and loosen or remove the caps on these. (Some may be at low places in the piping that won't otherwise drain.) 8. Locate every plumbing trap in the house. It isn't just the toilets and basins, but may include floor drains, the washing machine, etc. Buy some non-toxic antifreeze. (This is NOT the same old "Prestone" you put in your car.) The stuff is expensive, and an alternative is the blue "RV" antifreeze. I don't use that stuff, but under the circumstances, YMMV and you might save a few bucks. 9. Use a plunger to push out most of the water in the toilets and traps. Then add antifreeze. I use about a quart per toilet, a little less for a bathtub and quite a bit less for small basins, etc. A 1 1/4" or 1 1 1/2" p-trap gets about a pint. 10. Put about a pint of antifreeze in the washing machine, turn the knob to the end of the rinse cycle, and start the washing machine briefly. This should pump the antifreeze through the pump and into the trap. Turn off washing machine. 11. You can use a similar process for the dishwasher. I also remove the kick panel and unhook and manually drain the solenoid valve. (I got burned on this one year and had a burst solenoid the following spring.) 12. Allow several hours for the system to drain. Assuming you've allowed the draining to happen for at least an hour or so, start going around to each radiator and look for vents. (You may need a little "key" to turn them, depending upon type.) The more air you can admit into the radiators, the better. Also, it helps if you can open a valve at both the supply and the return end of any heating loop. 13. I do one additional step that you probably won't be doing under the circumstances: I use an air compressor to blow out the heating zones. (I have a four-zone system, and this takes a while, but it's surely worth it to me.) Sorry to hear about the foreclosure but I think you're doing the right thing here. Sure, the bank may soon own it, but foreclosure doesn't necessarily make for an "even" settlement. You're doing the responsible thing, IMO.

The water heater is typically 4500 watts which is a lot but it doesn't run that much. Sure you can improve on it but here are a few numbers to chew on - based on national average electric rates. Standby loss for a modern hot water heater - $30 a year. This is what you could save if you shut it off all the time. So if you travel 50% of the time and shut it off then, you could save $15 a year. The average family uses $500 or so to heat the water with electricity per year. So standby loses are a very small proportion of that. Switching to a heat pump model cuts the usage down to about $200 a year. They cost $1000 so if you can do it, it is not a bad idea. Oil heat and electric heat are pretty close in cost depending on your local rates. So adding the duct from the main furnace won't actually save you any money (unless your electric is really high). I say this all the time. If you live in the North in an old house with no access to NG, you should do one of two things - move or install geothermal. Sure geo might cost $40k ($30k after tax credit) but will recover its cost easily amortized over its life. You live in a very blue state so there may be state programs to help you finance it. I'm going to throw out a guess. Your heating costs are somewhere around $5000 a year. Geo could make that $1500. The interest+principal on a $30k loan for 10 years would make that a break even proposition and all the installed cost would be recouped at resale. Strange how the NE states haven't all figured a way to rip out the oil and electric heat at time of sale and wrap geo into the mortgage....

My upstairs floors are pine, and it ran into the bathroom, found it under old carpet, newspaper and two layers of painted hardboard. It was badly stained from water near the toilet, so I covered it up with vinyl until I can afford something more classy--but the diagonal black and white check works period-wise. Your kitchen floor could be maple. I haven't excavated mine to determine species...I'm hoping one of the multiple layers is a linoleum I can live with or paint over. :) I am lucky that a lot of my house is still original: doors, hardware, lighting, trim--a common style door is the five panel, which is what my 1908 house has. For a great book of what works, get a used copy of the Sears Builders Catalog of 1910 from Amazon--it has lots of pictures of hardware, doors, fireplaces, trim, lighting and stained glass in it. One warning though--the prices listed for the items at that time will make you cry--but money stretched further then than it does now.:) You might try something like Fantastik to remove the glue, or hot water and soap...some old glues will come up that way when you think nothing will work. I'd try everything else before sanding as that is far more intrusive--and if sanding is done too far, you risk exposing the tongue-and-groove joints which means the floor is ruined.