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Sure but most of Maine doesn’t have natural gas service. Outside of Portland, you generally may have some gas service along Rt 1. Otherwise, at best you can get

Sure but most of Maine doesn’t have natural gas service. Outside of Portland, you generally may have some gas service along Rt 1. Otherwise, at best you can get bottled propane, but you have to consume a good amount to get decent pricing. It’s usually tiered. This calculators been around for a long time and gave us a pretty reasonable estimate when we did our system. It’s also not an either/or thing. My house (southern Maine) has oil forced hot water heat, with an older 84% efficient boiler, and a mini split. We have no natural gas service, and propane isn’t cost effective. We run the split through both shoulder seasons, and we turn the split system off when it’s consistently below freezing or oil drops below $2.00/gal (our breakeven point). The heating bill is surprisingly reasonable given the climate. As a bonus we have great AC from the split, and I don’t care what anyone says, it’s needed these days! Are you in Maine or somewhere else?

zdragnar 4y ago
Similar story to the other two in this thread- air exchange heat pumps are available that are rated to work below 20* F. In the end, I switched to wood (natural gas isn't available where I am, and propane is expensive). Currently using a high efficiency stove and a gassification mass heater. Our central heating barely turns on in winter at this point, and the thermal efficiency of both systems isn't too far from the propane furnace either. (The mass heater is stupidly efficient, the wood stove only in the 85% range I think).
Scoundreller 4y ago
Your way is the best way. Even if you did have natural, since you’d now not be using it 9ish months of the year instead of 6, the standby/connection charges make it increasingly uneconomical. I know a fellow who was on oil heat and the nat gas grid was going to extend to them, but they’re going to install mini splits and keep oil as their deep freeze protection.

zdragnar 4y ago

Similar story to the other two in this thread- air exchange heat pumps are available that are rated to work below 20* F. In the end, I switched to wood (natural gas isn't available where I am, and propane is expensive). Currently using a high efficiency stove and a gassification mass heater. Our central heating barely turns on in winter at this point, and the thermal efficiency of both systems isn't too far from the propane furnace either. (The mass heater is stupidly efficient, the wood stove only in the 85% range I think).

Scoundreller 4y ago

Your way is the best way. Even if you did have natural, since you’d now not be using it 9ish months of the year instead of 6, the standby/connection charges make it increasingly uneconomical. I know a fellow who was on oil heat and the nat gas grid was going to extend to them, but they’re going to install mini splits and keep oil as their deep freeze protection.