Insulation is key to lowering cost of home heating

While Washington County residents may hope for a significant gesture on the part of state or federal government as they plan for the coming heating season, it is more likely that the help they find will come from a variety of sources that start close to home. Albie Barden, owner of Maine Wood Heat Co. and a member of the Masonry Heater Association of North America, has definite views on home energy use and conservation. "Changing fuels is not the right first step for a homeowner. The first step is to radically insulate."

State agency and federal websites provide considerable information on energy savings tips, safety concerns, low-income loans and federal and state programs for the elderly, low-income households and interested homeowners. The information can be cumbersome to navigate and prioritize, especially for those without computer access. But this information can be helpful once the homeowner has conducted ground level research to familiarize themselves with home heating issues and is ready to find out more about loans, programs and business services to address their specific concerns.

Homeowners will find a wealth of more easily accessible information from neighbors, local nonprofit branches and businesses. Allan Slater, energy conservation manager at Washington Hancock Community Agency (WHCA), understands the importance of direct contact when homeowners are seeking agency support or information. "I'm here to help, so please call anytime."

Slater recommends that homeowners start with an energy audit, a service that WHCA provides free for their low-income clients and also provides for a fee ranging from $150 to $300 for others. "We're seeing residential and commercial owners and lots of churches using this service," he comments.

"There is nothing that will save you more than insulating," Slater adds. His own homeownership experience parallels others in Washington County. Using 100 bags of blown in cellulose, his 3,000-square-foot, two-and-one-half story colonial house has gone from using 3,000 to 800 gallons of heating oil.

Lissa EuDaly, director of Eastport for Pride, a nonprofit that is dedicated to the preservation of historic buildings, understands the importance of insulation. When she and her husband bought their current home, they gutted the 1,100-square-foot space and started from scratch. Spending approximately $4,000 on the insulation, they replaced all the old insulation and upgraded with a combination of spray foam and batting. They also replaced all their windows and doors. They used only 450 gallons of heating oil for the year. EuDaly remarks, "We used the heat much more liberally than we needed to. We're planning on being more conservative this winter."

Another couple who have seen remarkable results from insulating are Pat and Sven Oftedal of Eastport. Like EuDaly, when they purchased their 2,200-square-foot wood-frame home they had the opportunity of gutting and starting over. They chose to use a double-walled system that created an exterior wall thickness of 12 inches. This allowed for insulation values of R-32 in the walls and R-40 in the ceiling. They also installed high R-rated foam board on the interior of the basement walls. "We used 500 gallons during the 2007-2008 heating season keeping the house at a steady 72 degrees." The Oftedals are quick to add that they expect to reduce their fuel consumption by another 100-150 gallons after they complete some interior finish work. They say that the previous owners had used half the space that they currently use and had consumed 1,100 gallons of heating oil and 450 gallons of propane in one heating season.

Not all homeowners have the ability to gut their homes. Wade Lemery, manager of Builders Insulation of Maine, located in Brewer, recommends that the best place to start is the attic. He observes that many homes have inadequate insulation in the attic. "Attics should be insulated to R-49, if at all possible. Laying bats on top of existing insulation will work just fine," he adds. He calculates that for an insulation company to bring a 1,500-square-foot home up to R-49 attics and R-21 walls would cost the homeowner approximately $4,000-$5,000. He recommends that do-it-yourselfers familiarize themselves with ventilation requirements to counter any moisture problems that might develop.

Slater also comments on moisture build-up. "We often don't realize how much moisture we generate. Homeowners need to consider the number of people in the house, whether the basement has a partial or full dirt basement, and how much air flow exists." Another large contributor to moisture is firewood. "There's about 2,000 pounds of moisture in one cord of wood, and many people keep firewood in their basement."

Pellet stoves

Once a homeowner has insulated to the best of their home and budget's ability, there are a number of options for whole or partial house heating systems. For the homeowner looking to supplement or replace a conventional heating oil furnace or boiler, costs range from about $1,500 for a modest pellet stove to $20,000 for a bells and whistles hand-built masonry stove.

EBS of Calais, one of the businesses in the area that sells pellet stoves, has two priced from $1,450 to $1,999, which heat from 1,200 to 1,500 square feet. The difference between the two is the hopper capacity. Pellet stoves have an electric hopper that feeds the pellet fuel into the firebox. The smaller stove features a 150-pound capacity hopper, or approximately three bags' worth of pellets, enough to run the stove for two to three days. The larger stove has a 55-pound capacity hopper, which is enough to run the stove for one day. Pellet stoves are considered anywhere from 78-85% efficient, compared to a newer wood-stove with a catalytic converter that might achieve 80% efficiency.

Steven Pineo, owner of Coffin's Hardware in Machias, feels that his customers buy pellet stoves because they offer a great deal to the homeowner considering a back-up or alternative heating system. "The big reason is convenience. They're safer, more efficient and easy. They've got a push button, and unlike a wood-stove the heat range is easily adjustable." Pellet stoves use a simple venting kit that is purchased separately.

Pellet availability is a potential issue that homeowners will need to consider when weighing their options. Rich Sady, an employee of EBS in Machias, notes that in the past customers have been able to pre-order pellets, but that, because of supply issues, pellet fuel cannot be pre-ordered until after the first fuel shipment arrives in mid-July. A ton of pellets had been selling at EBS for $260.

Calais Fire Chief Dan Carlow is particularly concerned this year about safe installations. He recommends, regardless of the type of heating unit, that it be Underwriters Laboratory (UL) listed and that manufacturer clearance requirements be carefully followed. "It seems that the smaller the appliance, the less the safety clearances are adhered to. That's where the greatest problems seem to happen." He notes that homeowners often forget that wood-stoves need at least 30" clearances, so storing firewood, kindling and newspaper close to the stove will put the stove out of code conformance and place the homeowner and house at risk. Carlow also recommends that maintenance of any heating appliance, including electric, be done on a regular basis.

Homeowners are often reluctant to contact their insurance company about the installation of a wood-stove. Judy Mitchell of DownEast Insurance Agency recommends that homeowners call their insurance agent before they buy anything. "Your agent isn't going to raise your rates, they are going to help you find out what you need in order to buy and install a stove so that it is safe for you and your home," she says. Insurance agents will supply do-it-yourself homeowners with a form that will be signed by the municipal fire chief or other appropriate code inspection officer. As for newer technologies, Mitchell recommends that the homeowner do some research. "If the broker is not familiar with the technology, provide them with websites or other information that they can share with the underwriter."

Heat from the sun

A new and innovative technology that is gaining attention is the solar hot-air collector, a boxed panel that looks similar to the more familiar solar hot-water collector box. "They work really well even in the dead of winter, as long as you've got sun; and you can even make them yourself," enthuses Allen Grey, owner of Sunrise Construction. Retail models range in price from $1,200 to $1,800. The homeowner or contractor places the solar heater on a south-facing wall or roof with a small venting system connected to the house. As air is heated in the solar collector, it is drawn into the house. Even in partial sun, solar collectors have the potential to raise indoor temperatures 5-10 degrees during the height of a sunny winter day. Richard Fortier, solar program manager for Efficiency Maine, is a big fan. "They're cost-effective, have a fast payback, and can be self-installed."

Another solar option for homeowners with south facing walls with good sun exposure is passive solar heating. Instead of utilizing a hot-air collector, EuDaly has created a south-facing passive solar wall on her home. EuDaly placed four 7' double-paned argon gas glass panels and a glass door on the south side of their house. This allows for the 5" of adjacent concrete flooring base and overlaid dark tile to act as a thermal mass that collects the sun's rays during the day. This stored heat is then released during the night.

Heat from wood

A technology that has been used for 200 years and is one of the primary home heating sources for Finland is the masonry stove. The Finnish government, recognizing the need to conserve natural gas, oil and electricity, encourages the use of masonry stoves through tax incentives. Approximately 90% of new homes built in Finland incorporate this technology into their building plan.

Masonry heaters today, whether pre-manufactured by such companies as Tulikivi or Green Mountain Soapstone or hand-crafted by skilled specialists, rely on a variation of principles developed two centuries ago. A typical small to medium-sized masonry heater weighing 3,000 lbs is fired by a 25-35 pound load of wood. The fire burns at a high temperature and fast rate of about two hours and is up to 90% efficient. If properly run, a masonry stove's efficient combustion leaves little in the way of ashes and virtually no creosote buildup. The high temperature fire is absorbed by the masonry stove's thermal mass, with the heat gradually released over an 8-12 hour period. Masonry heaters are a significant investment, ranging in upfront and installation costs from $8,000 to over $20,000. But because of their clean-burning efficiency, Barden believes they can be the right choice for homeowners who have an open floor-plan, who have significantly insulated their homes, or are starting from scratch with a fully-gutted or brand new home.

Another fire-wood based technology that is gaining in favor with homeowners is the Norwegian Tarm wood gasification boiler. Tarm boilers uses high combustion wood firing coupled to different types of thermal storage units, with the heat then used in various configurations such as radiators or radiant flooring. Similar to masonry heaters, they operate at about 85% efficiency. One Washington County couple installed such a system in their 1,400-square-foot home. Like many homeowners, they are gradually replacing their windows for increased energy efficiency. Even with less than efficient windows, their furnace used 4 1/2 cords of wood during the last heating season for both their home heat radiator system and hot-water household needs. On average, they have found that one six-hour firing will store enough heat in their 600-gallon water tank to last between 18 and 36 hours, depending upon the time of year. They feel that this type of system is perfect for the two-person or small family that is careful with their hot-water usage. Tarm boilers that burn wood pellets are also available.

Energy conservation

And then there is getting back to the uncomplicated basics of energy conservation. Linda Sisson of Eastport swears by her insulated curtains. "We had a porch converted into a work/dining room, but there were no doors between that space and the rest of the house. The expense of installing French doors made me look for some other options. I bought two large insulated curtain panels, hung them in the doorway and closed them during the winter. They made a huge difference. I'm going to get some for the rest of our windows and see what happens this winter."

Neighbors and friends may end up being the greatest source of information on energy tips, examples of successful insulation installation and a show-and-tell of the newfangled contraptions running on hot air. As Steven Pineo suggests, "We all are changing the ways we are thinking, and not just about home heating."

Information about local, state and federal home-heating assistance, services, tips and programs can be found at <www.whcacap.org>, <www.maineenergyinfo.com>, <www.efficiencymaine.com>, <www.mainehousing.org>, <www.eere.energy.gov>, <www.mha-net.org> and <www.mainesolar.org>. For a chart of conventional heating source BTU comparisons, go to <http://mainegov-images.informe.org/msep/PDF/Comparingheatingfuelcosts.pdf>.