4 ms·

Also he mentioned they have to run on propane in winter. I wonder how much would that cost.

voisin 5y ago
Most people in Canada use natural gas (if the network exists near one’s home) or propane (if not) for heat in the winter. Electric is considered too expensive. I think things like electric heat pumps are more cost effective nowadays to something like -5C, but alas, much of Canada is far colder for many months.
- xavieralexandre 5y ago
  Dig a few meters and your soil will be 13C, a great starting point for your heat pump.
jacquesm 5y ago
About the same as electric, but a bit more hassle if it can't be delivered by truck. The most economic option is an outdoor woodstove, about $10K to install a big one and after that you need to keep it fed, a heat pump is another viable alternative. Another option is fuel oil (essentially: diesel), in an oil burning furnace. The best way to cut your heating bill in Northern Canada is insulation, wooden houses are pretty good at this to begin with, you can get pretty close to neutrality by some solid engineering (South facing windows, take advantage of thermal mass), then you only need to add additional heat besides what you already generate when cooking on long stretches of overcast days, which don't happen all that often there.
bregma 5y ago
Where I live (rural Ontario), propane costs somewhere around $2500/year for heat. Hydro costs about $4000. The sane people stick to wood, which if you cut and split it yourself will keep to under $1000. We have disconnected all the electric heaters in my house (except for the newly-installed radiant-heat floor in the bathroom, because it's a luxury I'm willing to splurge on) and only fire up the second woodstove for those weeks it drops below -20.
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Have a look at heatpumps, you may end up with a very pleasant surprise, assuming your lot is large enough. Even shallow grids to really well.
  - birdman3131 5y ago
    They are in the north. Heat pumps are worthless below a certain point. I think around 10-20F.
    - ericd 5y ago
      I’m guessing in-ground heat pumps with their heat exchanger liquid lines below the frost line still work…
    - flyingfences 5y ago
      Ground-source heat pumps take advantage of the fact that the earth stays at reasonable temperatures below the frost line.
    - jacquesm 5y ago
      They work just fine, you're just going to go a bit deeper then. I put a thermal sensor down an old well head in mid winter, it was -20 Celsius at the surface and a 'balmy' 12 degrees at 10 meters down. That gradient will allow you to do a lot of good stuff if you use a freeze proof working fluid for your heatpump.
  - bregma 5y ago
    Heat pumps don't work so well without some way to circulate the heat inside the house and are useless without electricity. I have a large acreage but the water table is under 250' of granite, and there are no ducts in my house. I would be very pleasantly surprised indeed if I could harness geothermal without electricity, extreme home renovations, and $100k in well-drilling costs.
    - jacquesm 5y ago

Most people in Canada use natural gas (if the network exists near one’s home) or propane (if not) for heat in the winter. Electric is considered too expensive. I think things like electric heat pumps are more cost effective nowadays to something like -5C, but alas, much of Canada is far colder for many months.

xavieralexandre 5y ago
Dig a few meters and your soil will be 13C, a great starting point for your heat pump.

jacquesm 5y ago

About the same as electric, but a bit more hassle if it can't be delivered by truck. The most economic option is an outdoor woodstove, about $10K to install a big one and after that you need to keep it fed, a heat pump is another viable alternative. Another option is fuel oil (essentially: diesel), in an oil burning furnace. The best way to cut your heating bill in Northern Canada is insulation, wooden houses are pretty good at this to begin with, you can get pretty close to neutrality by some solid engineering (South facing windows, take advantage of thermal mass), then you only need to add additional heat besides what you already generate when cooking on long stretches of overcast days, which don't happen all that often there.

bregma 5y ago

Where I live (rural Ontario), propane costs somewhere around $2500/year for heat. Hydro costs about $4000. The sane people stick to wood, which if you cut and split it yourself will keep to under $1000. We have disconnected all the electric heaters in my house (except for the newly-installed radiant-heat floor in the bathroom, because it's a luxury I'm willing to splurge on) and only fire up the second woodstove for those weeks it drops below -20.

jacquesm 5y ago
Have a look at heatpumps, you may end up with a very pleasant surprise, assuming your lot is large enough. Even shallow grids to really well.
- birdman3131 5y ago
  They are in the north. Heat pumps are worthless below a certain point. I think around 10-20F.
  - ericd 5y ago
    I’m guessing in-ground heat pumps with their heat exchanger liquid lines below the frost line still work…
  - flyingfences 5y ago
    Ground-source heat pumps take advantage of the fact that the earth stays at reasonable temperatures below the frost line.
  - jacquesm 5y ago
    They work just fine, you're just going to go a bit deeper then. I put a thermal sensor down an old well head in mid winter, it was -20 Celsius at the surface and a 'balmy' 12 degrees at 10 meters down. That gradient will allow you to do a lot of good stuff if you use a freeze proof working fluid for your heatpump.
- bregma 5y ago
  Heat pumps don't work so well without some way to circulate the heat inside the house and are useless without electricity. I have a large acreage but the water table is under 250' of granite, and there are no ducts in my house. I would be very pleasantly surprised indeed if I could harness geothermal without electricity, extreme home renovations, and $100k in well-drilling costs.
  - jacquesm 5y ago