Larry Edgerton
02-20-2011, 8:57 AM
Any insurance people on here?
I am in the process of building a new house, it is roughed in now, and I am looking at what to do with heat.
At my last house I built a U shaped concrete structure under the fireplace in the basement, and in that spot was a woodstove that heated the fireplace from underneath. Four steps away was a concrete room, walls, floor and ceiling, sealed with a steel outside door and a chute on the outside that I could feed the wood into. The room was 14'x21', and would hold a winters wood. I would load it and put in a couple of bug bombs, and never had a problem with critters, and never had to go outside. Once the mass of the real fireplace was heated it held heat for days. Worked great, my ex appreciates it.http://familywoodworking.org/forums/images/smilies/doh.gif
Anyway.... I want to do the same thing with the house I am building now, but am having a hard time getting a straight answer from my insurance agent. Is there anyone here that works as an actuary, or can point me in the right direction?
The house is small, 1180 sq. ft., so an increase in insurance of any size can wipe out any saving I will make. My current house is the same size, and I average 7-800 dollars a year for heat and hot water. The new house will be more efficient, but has taller ceilings[10'8"] and a bit more glass, much of that with a Southern exposure.
It does not make economic sense to spend too much, or there will be no gain, and insurance has to be factored in. Part of it is that I like the idea of independance from the fuel companys in case, or should I say when, they raise their prices significantly. I can heat it with thedead wood on the property indefinately.
Before someone brings it up, an outside wood boiler does not make economic sense for me. There would never be a payback, even not counting my time collecting wood. On a small efficient house they will never pay for themselves before they need replacement, and they lose aprox. 50% of their heat to transfer losses, which means half of the wood I cut would be going into the ground or the atmosphere. Don't like cutting wood that much.
Thanks
Larry
I am in the process of building a new house, it is roughed in now, and I am looking at what to do with heat.
At my last house I built a U shaped concrete structure under the fireplace in the basement, and in that spot was a woodstove that heated the fireplace from underneath. Four steps away was a concrete room, walls, floor and ceiling, sealed with a steel outside door and a chute on the outside that I could feed the wood into. The room was 14'x21', and would hold a winters wood. I would load it and put in a couple of bug bombs, and never had a problem with critters, and never had to go outside. Once the mass of the real fireplace was heated it held heat for days. Worked great, my ex appreciates it.http://familywoodworking.org/forums/images/smilies/doh.gif
Anyway.... I want to do the same thing with the house I am building now, but am having a hard time getting a straight answer from my insurance agent. Is there anyone here that works as an actuary, or can point me in the right direction?
The house is small, 1180 sq. ft., so an increase in insurance of any size can wipe out any saving I will make. My current house is the same size, and I average 7-800 dollars a year for heat and hot water. The new house will be more efficient, but has taller ceilings[10'8"] and a bit more glass, much of that with a Southern exposure.
It does not make economic sense to spend too much, or there will be no gain, and insurance has to be factored in. Part of it is that I like the idea of independance from the fuel companys in case, or should I say when, they raise their prices significantly. I can heat it with thedead wood on the property indefinately.
Before someone brings it up, an outside wood boiler does not make economic sense for me. There would never be a payback, even not counting my time collecting wood. On a small efficient house they will never pay for themselves before they need replacement, and they lose aprox. 50% of their heat to transfer losses, which means half of the wood I cut would be going into the ground or the atmosphere. Don't like cutting wood that much.
Thanks
Larry