trying to decide all electric or use some propane

[fishman]

stevenf,

I'll echo some of the same comments already found here. I also have an all electric house with a heat pump. I really like it a lot, with the only downside being that the "hot" air that is produced is actually quite cool. However, the house doesn't get so dry as has been my experience with gas or wood heat.

I wish I had a propane stove though. In all fairness, the stove I have is very high quality and cooks almost everything very well. It just doesn't have the max heat output we need when cooking things like stir fries.

As a point of reference, the electric bills for my house (1900 sq ft) averaged about $130 for the past year, including the outrageous "power cost adjustment" that my coop has been tacking on for the past year or so since fuel prices went up. We set the heat at about 68 during the winter and the cold at about 75 during the summer. My home is pretty well insulated too, and about 6 years old.

We have a wood fireplace for emergency heat if needed.

 

[heehaw]

if its not to late, i have a dvd i would send you that covers a lot of information about building new houses to have the lowest possible heating/cooling bills.. all i ask is you look at it and make notes and mail it back to me...the guy that makes this dvd, says he built his @ 3000 sq. ft house a couple years ago, and the h/c bills are averaging about $65 a month. i hope i have quoted that correctly....any way, if your interested, and its not to late...let me know..
i'm willing to share this dvd with any of you that are about to build a new house...
heehaw

 

[GerardC]

<font color="blue"> I wish I had a propane stove though. In all fairness, the stove I have is very high quality and cooks almost everything very well. It just doesn't have the max heat output we need when cooking things like stir fries.
</font>

That's when you need to break out the BBQ Grill, crank it up and get'er done! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. We use ours all year round /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. Gerard

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

<font color="blue"> "i'm willing to share this dvd with any of you that are about to build a new house.." </font>

I would love to borrow that if I could. I'll send you a PM. Thanks so much for the offer.

 

[fishman]

I use mine all year round too, but for some reason never thought about sticking a wok on it. Are you saying that you have done so? Those burners do put out a lot of heat and I bet one could take the grid off and put the wok right on the flame.

 

[GerardC]

Yup. Works great too. After all, it is a gas stove. Gerard

 

[fishman]

All right then, I'm going to try it Sunday. Thanks. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[PBMAX]

here in Bama just NE of Bham, we fortunatly don't get to many realy cold spells that last long.Cold being below 40deg to me... But My wifes sister has all electric and we have propane. They use a fireplace and or a kerosene heater to keep the power bill down and the casa warm. There electric (emergency back up heat)(heat packs) what ever you chose really spins the meter. Plus they have a split level so they have 2 units.... She was at our home last winter and commented on how much warmer our air was coming out of the vents. If you would rather have a heat pump, I know severasl folk that use them and have natural gas or propane heat packs for the really cold nights and are happy with it.

If you go with a propane stove make sure you hood vent has a stove (vent pipe)
The new stove in our house 3yrs old does not, because we have a window in the kitchen. I plan on installing one this winter. The new stove's oven does not burn constantly while in use. Rather it cycles on and off to maintain the cooking temp and each time you get a fresh burst of SKUNK... after a while it gets tough on the eyeballs... Also it has a safety cut out that will not let you light the oven if there is no power.

The wife loves it though it has 2 high temp burners for stuff like Woks and deep frying and 2 simmer burners for warming and low heat cooking. MMM and boy the cakes come out of the oven realy nice.... My real reason for a gas stovetop is cooking with out power. Which buy the way we used 4% of our gas 150gal from may to october just using the stove to cook. We have electric water...

 

[stevenf]

Hey Fishman if your into putting something together get a big round plow disk weld a threaded 3/4" bolt, 4" long on it centered on the bottom get a 3/4" nut and a 2" pipe nipple about 8" long and weld a flat piece of metal to the nut and weld it inside the 2" pipe and then weld up 3 legs to desired working height then about 1" up the bottom of the 8" pipe nipple drill and tap it for a regular propane orifice insert the orifice fitting and connect propane hose, regulator and tank. Congrats you now have the worlds finest deep fryer or wok cooker be careful when lighting this puppy around here its called a jet burner and when you get it to going you won't have to ask why it sounds like a rocket getting ready to take off. Sorry no pictures as the camera is on the blink.

 

[fishman]

Now that sounds neat. One question, does the orifice have to be pointed up towards the bottom of the disk or just straight on as drilled in the pipe? I don't weld (yet) but I bet I can get someone to build me one of these. My wife would go ga-ga over it.