My house has electric heat, built in 1969. How can I save $. Are solar panels the way to go, or is there something better out there? I'm not sure which way to go . My electric bill is nuts. I have a fireplace and it helps, but it only heats one room. Are there any good solar panels on the market?
I thought about geothermal but I would have to remove my electric registers to put in hot water registers and the cost I think would be too much. I also thought about an outside wood furnace but I have no duct work, more money? So I guess solar panels is the only way, right? Is there anything out there that would help?
Best Answer
Entirely apart from the high cost of electric resistance heat, (that is, regardless of heat source) a 1969 house is almost certainly going to benefit from insulation upgrades and the boring best bang-for the buck stuff nobody ever thinks is "fancy enough" to go for first - caulking, weatherstripping, and generally reducing air leakage.
With the advent of cold-climate air-air heat pumps (mini-splits) that is probably the best direction to look for electric heat replacement - 2.2-3.5 times as much heat from the same amount of electricity. But start with a caulking gun and a can or 12 of spray foam, follow that with more insulation anywhere you can add it (usually the attic) - THEN think about replacing the heating units, since it's unlikely you'll actually get that done during this heating season, while you can be air-sealing in minutes and benefiting from it in minutes - not to mention it's cheap...
Solar electric panels generally don't make sense as a heat source. Direct collection of heat from the sun is far more efficient than collecting a little bit of the suns energy as electricity and then using that for heat. Costs of the relevant types of panels are also rather different.