Question:

Our house has a 2nd floor that is serviced by a single forced air vent. Not much heat gets up there from that vent unfortunately. I am getting ready to remodel the upstairs and was thinking of simply removing the vent in favor of a separate heating system.  Since the upstairs is not always in use, this would also allow a separate thermostat.  I am thinking something like an electric powered baseboard setup. Thoughts/suggestions? James

Electric baseboards are easily the simplest solution if you have capacity in your main panel. I added about 40 amps of heat in my basement for use on rare occasions so the high cost of electricity was not significant. You can always find a place to run some romax where plumbing or ducts can be a bear. You will only run the heat on occasion, and only to supplement the heat that already gets there from that single register. The electric utility may be able to help estimate the cost. Good luck

Response:

Electric heat is very expensive and people tend to forget to turn it back when not used.   Try an auxilliary fan in the duct.  –Bill

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Our house has a 2nd floor that is serviced by a single forced air vent. Not much heat gets up there from that vent unfortunately. I am getting ready to remodel the upstairs and was thinking of simply removing the vent in favor of a separate heating system.  Since the upstairs is not always in use, this would also allow a separate thermostat.  I am thinking something like an electric powered baseboard setup. Thoughts/suggestions? James

Response:

Electric can be inexpensive and easy to install, but very expensive to run. If the present system cannot be modified how about direct vent wall mount gas, LP or NG, heaters?

I am not very keen on direct-vent heaters — there are still combustibles and I am not altogether convinced the air as safe to breathe as everyone seems to think.  (Call me a skeptic.) We’re talking 2 rooms, a closet, and a half-bathroom, maybe 700 square feet overall and not heavily used.  Right now there is just a single vent that does nothing to heat the rooms and they stay at a slight chill during the colder weather (it’s actually better insulated upstairs than downstairs, go figure).  Since it’s the second floor it does get some heat from the lower floor as it rises, so I’m figuring we just need to take the chill off– ergo the thought that electric heat would do well and not be too expensive if there were a separate thermostat.  You’re the second person to suggest it may be too expensive though.  Are you aware of any sites that might have some numbers on power usage and such so I could re-evaluate? James

Response:

Electric heat is very expensive and people tend to forget to turn it back when not used.   Try an auxilliary fan in the duct.  –Bill

I had considered that option as well — problem is, the duct really is not designed or placed well.  In fact, the base has a break and needs replacing. <Sigh This house has a number of design issues that we’ve been fighting (placement of doors, windows, vents, and even walls in some cases).  Since the upstairs already gets some heat from the downstairs (just rising heat) and it is actually well insulated up there, I am figuring on electric baseboard heating just take the chill off.  I am only looking to service the 2nd floor, about 700 square feet.  A separate programmable thermostat would help keep costs down as well. Since I have now had 2 persons on this NG mention the expense, I am going to re-evaluate the cost aspect of this upgrade.  Do you know of any sites that might have some stats on power consumption, comparisons with alternative heating sources, etc.? James

Response:

Hi, Have you tried diverting more heat to upstairs or installing booster fan in the duct going upstairs? In coldest days, I have problem in one bedroom upstairs, furthest from furnace in the basement. I just have a portable oil filled electric heater in the room. when it is cold, we just turn it on and let it warm the room. Anyhow, I won’t remove the gas heating vent even with alternate heat. Think redundancy. Some times there is power failure, some times there is gas outage(less likely). Good luck, Tony – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Our house has a 2nd floor that is serviced by a single forced air vent.  Not much heat gets up there from that vent unfortunately. I am getting ready to remodel the upstairs and was thinking of simply removing the vent in favor of a separate heating system.  Since the upstairs is not always in use, this would also allow a separate thermostat.  I am thinking something like an electric powered baseboard setup. Thoughts/suggestions? James

Response:

Hi, Regarding health concern on gas combustion, do a key word searh with natural gas health or NGHIC, I think your concern is valid. Tony – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Electric can be inexpensive and easy to install, but very expensive to run. If the present system cannot be modified how about direct vent wall mount gas, LP or NG, heaters? I am not very keen on direct-vent heaters — there are still combustibles and I am not altogether convinced the air as safe to breathe as everyone seems to think.  (Call me a skeptic.) We’re talking 2 rooms, a closet, and a half-bathroom, maybe 700 square feet overall and not heavily used.  Right now there is just a single vent that does nothing to heat the rooms and they stay at a slight chill during the colder weather (it’s actually better insulated upstairs than downstairs, go figure).  Since it’s the second floor it does get some heat from the lower floor as it rises, so I’m figuring we just need to take the chill off– ergo the thought that electric heat would do well and not be too expensive if there were a separate thermostat.  You’re the second person to suggest it may be too expensive though.  Are you aware of any sites that might have some numbers on power usage and such so I could re-evaluate? James

Response:

Baseboard heating is an excellent choice if: 1. The alternative is running the central HVAC system just to heat one particular area that needs some extra heat. 2. If the room is only used ocassionally (on demand vs. ongoing). 3. If major HVAC upgrades would be otherwise needed to correct the deficiency. If it’s a main living area that always needs heat vs heat on demand than it will be expensive to operate on an ongoing basis. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Our house has a 2nd floor that is serviced by a single forced air vent.  Not much heat gets up there from that vent unfortunately. I am getting ready to remodel the upstairs and was thinking of simply removing the vent in favor of a separate heating system.  Since the upstairs is not always in use, this would also allow a separate thermostat.  I am thinking something like an electric powered baseboard setup. Thoughts/suggestions? James

Response:

He mentioned "direct vent" heaters, not ventless.  Big difference! — Tony – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, Regarding health concern on gas combustion, do a key word searh with natural gas health or NGHIC, I think your concern is valid. Tony Electric can be inexpensive and easy to install, but very expensive to run. If the present system cannot be modified how about direct vent wall mount gas, LP or NG, heaters? I am not very keen on direct-vent heaters — there are still combustibles and I am not altogether convinced the air as safe to breathe as everyone seems to think.  (Call me a skeptic.) We’re talking 2 rooms, a closet, and a half-bathroom, maybe 700 square feet overall and not heavily used.  Right now there is just a single vent that does nothing to heat the rooms and they stay at a slight chill during the colder weather (it’s actually better insulated upstairs than downstairs, go figure).  Since it’s the second floor it does get some heat from the lower floor as it rises, so I’m figuring we just need to take the chill off– ergo the thought that electric heat would do well and not be too expensive if there were a separate thermostat.  You’re the second person to suggest it may be too expensive though.  Are you aware of any sites that might have some numbers on power usage and such so I could re-evaluate? James

Response:

Have you considered a ductless mini split system?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Our house has a 2nd floor that is serviced by a single forced air vent. Not much heat gets up there from that vent unfortunately. I am getting ready to remodel the upstairs and was thinking of simply removing the vent in favor of a separate heating system.  Since the upstairs is not always in use, this would also allow a separate thermostat.  I am thinking something like an electric powered baseboard setup. Thoughts/suggestions? James

Response:

I am not very keen on direct-vent heaters — there are still combustibles and I am not altogether convinced the air as safe to breathe as everyone seems to think.  (Call me a skeptic.) Direct-vent heaters are VENTED.  You have them confused with UNvented aka Vent-Free heaters.  Big difference.

Thank you for the enlightenment Sam.  I realized that I had misread the post as ventless rather than direct-vent shortly after my posting. James

Response:

Regarding health concern on gas combustion, do a key word searh with natural gas health or NGHIC, I think your concern is valid.

Hey Tony, Thanks for the reference.  I realized later that he said "direct vent" not ventless.  :)  I did a search on NGHIC and pretty much all of the hits were Asian sites.  Is the acronym correct?  I do have someone I would like to convince that these ventless units are bad news. James

Response:

Electric heat is very expensive and people tend to forget to turn it back when not used.   Try an auxilliary fan in the duct.  –Bill Since I have now had 2 persons on this NG mention the expense, I am going to re-evaluate the cost aspect of this upgrade.  Do you know of any sites that might have some stats on power consumption, comparisons with alternative heating sources, etc.?

Before you decide against electric baseboard, you should find out from your local utility what the rate ($) of power is. I understand that most places in the states are quite expensive but most people are assuming where you live, that this is the case. I live in Canada and am using electric heat after considering ALL costs of heating. Sure the yearly costs are a little higher (but not excessive as our hydro costs are fairly reasonable) but the cost of the furnace was cheaper and the maintenance is cheaper.

Response:

But don’t the ductless splits use electricity for heat (if we are talking about the same thing…like the MrSlim). And they were mainly designed for A/C I believe, not to mention e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e. (I know as I will be getting one installed in the spring only because I *need* the A/C)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Have you considered a ductless mini split system? Our house has a 2nd floor that is serviced by a single forced air vent. Not much heat gets up there from that vent unfortunately. I am getting ready to remodel the upstairs and was thinking of simply removing the vent in favor of a separate heating system.  Since the upstairs is not always in use, this would also allow a separate thermostat.  I am thinking something like an electric powered baseboard setup. Thoughts/suggestions? James

Response:

But don’t the ductless splits use electricity for heat (if we are talking about the same thing…like the MrSlim). And they were mainly designed for A/C I believe, not to mention e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e. (I know as I will be getting one installed in the spring only because I *need* the A/C)

Well..sure…they are heat pumps. As far as expensive….that depends. Mitsubishi just had a price decrease. Some units can be had for under 1500…just depends. Most are pretty reasonable now. Installed several, and the heat pump units we are talking about were not designed for AC only…they are designed as heat pumps. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Have you considered a ductless mini split system? Our house has a 2nd floor that is serviced by a single forced air vent. Not much heat gets up there from that vent unfortunately. I am getting ready to remodel the upstairs and was thinking of simply removing the vent in favor of a separate heating system.  Since the upstairs is not always in use, this would also allow a separate thermostat.  I am thinking something like an electric powered baseboard setup. Thoughts/suggestions? James

Response:

Our house has a 2nd floor that is serviced by a single forced air vent.  Not much heat gets up there from that vent unfortunately. I am getting ready to remodel the upstairs and was thinking of simply removing the vent in favor of a separate heating system.  Since the upstairs is not always in use, this would also allow a separate thermostat.  I am thinking something like an electric powered baseboard setup. Thoughts/suggestions?

Here is an off-the-wall idea: Go down to the basement and read the label on your hot water heater. See if it runs on gas, and has a label that says "suitable for space heating."  If it does, you could use it to power some radiators. Installing this would be about the same difficulty as installing electric baseboards.  For electric, you would have to run new wires to the second floor; for hot water, you could run 3/8" PEX pipe which is basically the same amount of work.  The initial cost would be slightly higher — you’d need a radiator, some pex pipe, a thermostat, a circulator, and a relay to connect the thermostat to the circulator. You can buy all of this at www.houseneeds.com, and a simple setup would only be a few hundred dollars.  There used to be a faq at www.jademountain.com about using your hot water heater for space heating, but I can’t find it. In general, gas is about 1/5 of the cost of electricity for the same amount of heat, depending on where you live, so this would pay for itself quickly in reduced energy usage.  Note that if your water heater is electric, there is no cost advantage. Email me if you want to flesh the idea out more. Nick Keenan

Response:

Our house has a 2nd floor that is serviced by a single forced air vent.  Not much heat gets up there from that vent unfortunately. I am getting ready to remodel the upstairs and was thinking of simply removing the vent in favor of a separate heating system.  Since the upstairs is not always in use, this would also allow a separate thermostat.  I am thinking something like an electric powered baseboard setup. Thoughts/suggestions? James

Response:

Question:

Reminds me of how I felt back in the early 70’s when the oil crisis hit…  I had 3 wonderful children in college and one Sunday I found myself looking for a pair of gloves to put on while reading the Sunday newspaper… Reality Check…..turned the heat up…. and promised myself that my happiness was more important then anything else…   (vbg) Bob Griffiths – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We keep the thermostat at about 64 degrees and wear sweaters, light jackets, and then heavy blankets on beds. Personally, I’d rather live in a smaller house that I could afford to heat comfortably, than live like that.  I DO NOT want to have to wear a jacket inside my own home. to each their own. -v.

Response:

Presuming that we live in a decently insulated house (which we do) would it cost any more to keep the house at a comfortable (read:warm) temperature, or would it be more effective to do what the current practice is – namely keep the house cooled off and wear sweaters when the tempurature outside dips well below freezing.

We keep the thermostat at about 64 degrees and wear sweaters, light jackets, and then heavy blankets on beds. . "Sell Your Home Yourself – And Save Thousands!" http://www.internet-real-estate.com/

Response:

We keep the thermostat at about 64 degrees and wear sweaters, light jackets, and then heavy blankets on beds.

Personally, I’d rather live in a smaller house that I could afford to heat comfortably, than live like that.  I DO NOT want to have to wear a jacket inside my own home. to each their own. -v.

Response:

Hi there! I was recently having a discussion with my girlfriend about the cost of heating one’s home. We eventually came to a bit of a derailment of our train of thought. I was wondering if anyone here could shed any light on the subject. Presuming that we live in a decently insulated house (which we do) would it cost any more to keep the house at a comfortable (read:warm) temperature, or would it be more effective to do what the current practice is – namely keep the house cooled off and wear sweaters when the tempurature outside dips well below freezing. (aside notes) The house right now is heated with electic baseboards, and plans for a furnace were scuttled when gas prices skyrocketed. I’m looking at putting a gas fireplace in to offset the electic cost. Cheers! gm

Response:

Even with the higher gas prices, gas is still cheaper to heat with than electricity. If you keep your thermostat in the room where you spend the most time, close all the doors and vents except in that one room, you can save energy by just heating that one room. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi there! I was recently having a discussion with my girlfriend about the cost of heating one’s home. We eventually came to a bit of a derailment of our train of thought. I was wondering if anyone here could shed any light on the subject. Presuming that we live in a decently insulated house (which we do) would it cost any more to keep the house at a comfortable (read:warm) temperature, or would it be more effective to do what the current practice is – namely keep the house cooled off and wear sweaters when the tempurature outside dips well below freezing. (aside notes) The house right now is heated with electic baseboards, and plans for a furnace were scuttled when gas prices skyrocketed. I’m looking at putting a gas fireplace in to offset the electic cost. Cheers! gm

Response:

Hi there! I was recently having a discussion with my girlfriend about the cost of heating one’s home. We eventually came to a bit of a derailment of our train of thought. I was wondering if anyone here could shed any light on the subject. Presuming that we live in a decently insulated house (which we do) would it cost any more to keep the house at a comfortable (read:warm) temperature, or would it be more effective to do what the current practice is – namely keep the house cooled off and wear sweaters when the tempurature outside dips well below freezing.

All things being equal, the amount of heat required to keep the whole house continuously at one temperature is more than letting it dip periodically.  More heat == more money.  How much depends on too many factors to predict from a Usenet posting…  And whether its the right thing to do depends on your personal tradeoffs. (aside notes) The house right now is heated with electic baseboards, and plans for a furnace were scuttled when gas prices skyrocketed. I’m looking at putting a gas fireplace in to offset the electic cost.

The gas costs the same, whether burned in a fireplace or a furnace.  The difference is only the capital cost of the furnace versus the fireplace, and how much more-expensive heat you need from electric to make up for using a fireplace only. Given that gas heat is still cheaper than electric, it doesn’t make much economic sense to take half measures.  Unless you don’t mind running the rest of the house without (much) (electric) heat. — Chris Lewis, For more information on spam, see http://spam.abuse.net/spam It’s not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

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