We need to be careful that we don’t become over-reliant on any infrastructure. Becoming too reliant on the electrical grid is one of those situations. We may want to take a page from Hydro Quebec’s book and consider the use of hybrid heating.
Many of us already do this. We have heat pumps and electric baseboards, but when we have storms like we’ve had this winter, it can get cold pretty quickly if you don’t have a Plan C. For many of us, that Plan C is a wood stove or pellet stove.
If you’re just moving out onto the shore, you’ll want to consider going at least one of two routes. The most common is the wood stove and a couple of cords of well seasoned hardwood. Just remember that your appliance needs to be WETT certified as does its installation (including chimney). You should also consider a thermometer that gives you an indication of if its burning hot enough to avoid creosote build up. Finally, make sure you have somebody qualified come in to “sweep” the chimney periodically.
You may also want to have a set of brushes on hand just in case.
This leads to the issue of wood. Make sure you measure the depth and width of your stove. Generally, if your wood is less than 16 inches you should be fine but it’s better to check this before you order the wood just to be safe. The second thing is to get your wood in the spring, stack it, and cover it so that it has a summer and fall to dry out before winter. Finally, split your wood into reasonable sizes.
It’s a bit of a crap shoot as to trying to put an estimate on how much wood you might need. It depends on the volume of the home you are heating, temperature differences, insulation values, etc. If you’re not using wood as your primary source of heat, then two to three cords of wood could be enough. There are more than a few forums online that discuss this and a quick search might help with an estimate.
The other option is to look at a hybrid furnace. This is really about managing the load your furnace can put on your generator if you do have a power failure. Heating elements draw a lot of power. So, when the power goes out, the furnace switches to its backup fuel source (often gas) meaning that only the fan and ignition source need to be maintained.
For here, if you’re buying a home or building one, remember three rules with respect to heat:
- Ensure that each and every source of heat is both safe and maintained.
- Ensure that any backup heat sources have an adequate fuel supply to last.
- Ensure that your backup heat supply doesn’t rely on the same services as your primary source of heat.
Summer storms here get a lot of attention. Winter storms, however, occur and can cause a fair degree of stress if you’re not set up for it.
As with any other advice on this site, if you have questions contact a certified provider. While heating techs and electricians are pretty well known, some may forget about the WETT certification. Take the time to discuss your needs with them to make sure you don’t create longer term challenges.