Heating options

   / Heating options #1  

Tomtint

Elite Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2011
Messages
3,064
Location
Boston
Tractor
L3700SU
We are finishing our walkout basement ( aprox 930 SF) and I'm deciding on how it is going to be heated. For starters, we have FHW by oil for the test of the house and I could add another zone for 2500.00 +\-. A 3 head Mitsubishi would provide heat and a/c for 5000.00 +/- and another option would be electric baseboards. The room will not be used everyday and is very well insulated now. Never drops below 50* even in the coldest days. Anyone have recommendations ?
 
   / Heating options #2  
My house is built into a hillside. The oil fired boiler was/is in the basement. Heating upper two levels with wood insert in old fireplace. Now the the humidity in the basement is my biggest concern.
 
   / Heating options #3  
Is the FHW Boiler in the same area? If it is, you could put in 20-30' of baseboard and cut into the return from your cooler areas like bedrooms so you get some heat down there. Since it's 50* all the time you aren't adding a lot if BTU to the boiler. This should cost maybe $300.

$2500 seems way out of line for a zone unless there is a lot of new piping and new manifolds and circulators involved, and you can buy a lot of electricity for that amount of money.

I have a office in a detached garage, 850 SF and have been heating that with a Monitor kerosene heater for years and considering changing to a split system heat pump for heat and cooling too when the Monitor dies, and seems these units are going to cost $2500-3000 plus installation likely nearly $4.5K but annual costs would be lower than the kerosene.

If you need AC and this can keep your house cool too then I would go the $5K route and with the most efficient units there is a tax credit too.
 
   / Heating options
  • Thread Starter
#4  
My house is built into a hillside. The oil fired boiler was/is in the basement. Heating upper two levels with wood insert in old fireplace. Now the the humidity in the basement is my biggest concern.

Fortunately our basement is very dry. I put 16 mil plastic under the slab before it was poured and we sit on what amounts to perc sand. ( very good drainage) Any humidity could be knocked down very easy with a window ac for the few really bad weeks we get in the summer.
 
   / Heating options
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Is the FHW Boiler in the same area? If it is, you could put in 20-30' of baseboard and cut into the return from your cooler areas like bedrooms so you get some heat down there. Since it's 50* all the time you aren't adding a lot if BTU to the boiler. This should cost maybe $300.

$2500 seems way out of line for a zone unless there is a lot of new piping and new manifolds and circulators involved, and you can buy a lot of electricity for that amount of money.

I have a office in a detached garage, 850 SF and have been heating that with a Monitor kerosene heater for years and considering changing to a split system heat pump for heat and cooling too when the Monitor dies, and seems these units are going to cost $2500-3000 plus installation likely nearly $4.5K but annual costs would be lower than the kerosene.

If you need AC and this can keep your house cool too then I would go the $5K route and with the most efficient units there is a tax credit too.


The boiler is in the basement. Not in the same room but not far. I thought 2500 was high as well, maybe I should get a few more prices on it.
 
   / Heating options #6  
The added loop sounds good. For your limited needs the electric might be the cheapest. You say the basement is dry but you might consider a heat recovery ventilator. In my basement it cut the summer humidity way down.
 
   / Heating options #7  
With your 50 degree temps and limited use it sounds like electric baseboards would be pretty darned cost effective. I usually avoid them except in certain circumstances- I'd say this is one. I like the hydronic ones myself.
 

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