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Home Is Where the Hearth Is

With winter weather rolling in and temperatures dropping, it's time for homeowners to explore home heating options. There is certainly no shortage of choices if homeowners want to supplement or replace their current heating source.

"The key factor is what the customer wants to do in their home," says Wayne Krasnow of AirInc. HVAC in Branford. "What they choose depends if they want to see a pretty, decorative fireplace that also does heating or if they are just looking for function."

In addition to traditional oil, gas, and electric heating systems, other options include　wood, pellet, and gas stoves, as well as ductless heat pumps. The stoves all come in different styles and finishes and even more personalization can be done on the surrounds and hearth areas.

"The stoves are all about the same in terms of efficiency," says Stephen Bradley, owner of Pondside Kitchens & Hearth in Deep River. "It really comes down to a fuel source – do you have the logs for the wood stove? Are you used to buying pellets, and do you have a good way to store them? Each has advantages and disadvantages."

Wood-Burning Stove

Wood-burning stoves or inserts continue to be popular because wood is a plentiful fuel source. Many people who choose wood stoves have access to wood on their property.

"Wood has a lot of advantages," says Bradley. "You can harvest your own wood so your fuel source can be free and there is heat with or without the electric blower."

For those who like a wood-burning stove, but don't like the dirt, dust, and bugs that can come in with logs, BioBricks were created for use in wood stoves. The product, which was created in Connecticut, is a densified wood fire log and burns cleaner and longer than typical firewood.

Even if customers have to purchase wood by the cord, Krasnow pointed out that it is a cheaper fuel source than oil, but customers must have somewhere to store the wood. In addition to stacking it, wood must be continuously loaded into the stove and ashes must be cleaned out.

"Wood stoves are very labor intensive, not like pressing a button to start a gas stove or turning a thermostat up or down," says Krasnow. "Customers should look at it as a pet that you have to take care of."

Pellet Stove

Krasnow said that pellet stoves peaked in popularity in the mid-2000s when oil prices were around $5 a gallon. Since then, the price of other fuels has dropped, resulting in less of a demand for pellet stoves.

The advantage to a pellet stove is that it doesn't require a chimney; just a vent straight out of the wall. Pellets are also readily available, coming in 40-pound bags, often delivered in one-ton pallets.

"Pellet is a really easy way to add that second heat source and the venting is really easy, but the stoves tend to be a bit more expensive," says Bradley. "You also need to have a waterproof place to store the pellets."

Like wood stoves, pellet stoves also must be cleaned out on a weekly basis. Cleaning the ashes from a pellet stove requires a special fire-rated ash vacuum.

Gas Stove

If homeowners already have natural gas or propane at their home, gas stoves are the most cost-efficient and easy to use option. Even homeowners without the fuel source already built in can have a tank and line installed to take advantage of the ease of use for gas stoves.

"Gas stoves are very easy to run and you never have to touch the fuel," says Bradley. "You hit the remote control and have immediate flame and heat. Many customers are switching to gas because of the simplicity and ease of operation."

Ductless Heat Pump

One unit that is gaining in popularity is the ductless heat pump, an air system that runs both heat and air conditioning. Ductless heat pumps run on electricity, but as they are designed to be high-efficiency, they can be a better alternative for homes with electric heat.

"Running the heat pump uses very little electricity so it costs a lot less to heat a home with that than oil or straight electric heat," says Krasnow. "It is also more efficient because it's a zoned system."

Units for the ductless heat pump systems must be installed on the wall in every room that is closed off with a door, like bedrooms, as well one for open areas like living rooms and dining rooms. Each unit filters dust from the air as it runs and can be controlled independently to control the temperature in each area.

While the cost of installing ductless units can be high, Krasnow notes that many homeowners that switch from electric heat end up saving money due to the efficiency.

"Some people with electric heat are paying $500 to $900 a month for electricity so if you finance a system for $150 a month, you are cutting down your electric bill and saving money each month," said Krasnow. "We have a showroom where people can check out the units and see how they work. As far as saving money and efficiency, you're better off changing to a heat pump or propane."

Maintenance

Any home heating system should be inspected by a professional once a year, but certain systems require more maintenance than others. Ashes must be emptied from wood-burning stoves into a galvanized steel ash bucket that is kept outside in a non-combustible environment.

"Pellet and wood stoves need much more maintenance and it's up to the customer to clean and maintain the stoves weekly," says Krasnow. "All systems should have yearly maintenance to check the safety controls, as well as be professionally cleaned to be sure it's running at peak efficiency."