by KaiserJeep » Wed 03 Oct 2018, 16:38:18
The latest/greatest on Nantucket is heat pumps with ground source heat. This has become popular since the mainland power feed cut the price of electricity by 1/3rd. There appears to be a glut of heating oil, my 500 gallon tank was less than 1/4 empty after 12 months of thermostat at 50 degrees, plus about six weeks total domestic hot water consumption. A lot of island homes like mine are occupied a few weeks per year.
Backup heat in case of an oil shortage has long been on my mind, especially after we move to the island. My best idea so far is a medium wind generator, sized for 4 homes, all with heat pumps. (That would be me, the Brother-in-Law, my nephew, and my rental property.) My current oil burner would become the backup, with a full 500 gallons of oil, enough for a heating season with a severe Winter.
New England is not the EU, of course. But demand for heating oil - and prices - appear to be remaining around $3/gallon, delivered, for the last 5 years. (Retail price on Nantucket.)
KaiserJeep 2.0, Neural Subnode 0010 0000 0001 0110 - 1001 0011 0011, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix 0000 0000 0001
Resistance is Futile, YOU will be Assimilated.
Warning: Messages timestamped before April 1, 2016, 06:00 PST were posted by the unmodified human KaiserJeep 1.0