Heating your home represents one of your largest uses of energy and probably one of your largest annual expenses as well. The energy professionals at Taylor Electric Cooperative can suggest a dual fuel heating solution to help you hold down costs without giving up comfort or convenience.
A duel fuel heating system provides you the best of both worlds: cost savings and comfort. This system gives you the power of choice by combining electric heat with a fuel heating system such as LP gas or fuel oil. This qualifies the system for a special low electric rate.
Occasionally, the electric heat is interrupted during peak load conditions, typically on the coldest days of the winter your fuel backup then handles the load. Benefits include cost savings of as much as 25% or more, reliability and heating system choice.
There are some additional up front costs with the installation of a dual fuel system. Being able to take advantage of the off-peak electric rates with a dual fuel system will quickly make up for the additional costs.
There are several electric heating systems to choose from when designing your duel fuel home:
- Geothermal Heat Pump
- Air Source Heat Pump
- Electric Thermal Storage
- Electric Plenum Heaters
- Electric Resistance Heaters
You're home is sitting on top of all the energy you need to heat and cool it. A geothermal heat pump lets you tap into it.
Throughout the year, the Earth stores heat from the sun. This heat is available to anyone who is equipped to use it. Even in the dead of winter, there's enough heat below the frost line in the ground to keep your home cozy and warm.
Now You Can Heat and Cool Your Home Dirt Cheap.
A geothermal thermal heat pump is all you need. In the winter, it uses a system of buried pipes carrying a special liquid to collect heat from the earth, then pumps it into your home. In the summer, the process is reversed. With a geothermal heat pump utilizing off-peak rates, you can heat and cool an average home in our area for as little as $200-$300 a year. This kind of savings will easily justify the cost of equipment. You will be able to enjoy cost savings winter and summer for years and years. In fact, the geothermal heat pump is so efficient, the U.S. Department of Energy strongly recommends it.
It Conserves Natural Resources As Well As Your Financial Resources.
Because the geothermal heat pump doesn't burn any fuel, it helps conserve our precious natural resources. It's non-polluting. It's clean. And it's safe. There are no flames inside your home. No fumes. No vents required. Whether you are building a new home or considering a new heating/cooling system for your present home, a geothermal heat pump is the most efficient technology in the market today.
A Heating System So Advanced It Pulls Heat Out Of Thin Air.
The new air source heat pump was designed to efficiently cool your house in the summer, and then provide supplemental heat for your furnace during the cold winter season. The modern air source heat pump is clean, quiet and extremely cost effective.
In the winter, a special refrigerant absorbs heat from the outside air which is then pumped indoors by a high-tech compressor. Air in the home passes through a heat exchanger and is heated by the refrigerant. It is then circulated throughout your home at the temperature you desire.
In the summer, the process is reversed to turn the air source heat pump into a high-efficiency air conditioner that cools your home. You get low-cost air conditioning as well as home heating in a single, efficient system.
An air source heat pump can be installed to working in conjunction with your existing forced air furnace. At temperatures down to 25°F, it's more than twice as efficient as the highest-efficiency gas or oil furnace. In fact, it supplies two to three times more heat for your family than the electric energy it uses. Below 25°F, the pump allows your existing furnace to take over.
A Breath of Fresh Air.
An air source heat pump operates on clean, efficient, and safe electricity. It has no flames or fumes to pollute the air inside your home. Because it requires little energy to operate, it not only conserves your money, it conserves our precious natural resources.
An electric thermal storage (ETS) system is an excellent, low cost way to add warmth to cold and drafty rooms or heat an addition to your house without disrupting your present heating system. An ETS system is clean, quiet, easy to install, and very efficient.
Break The Cold With Bricks.
One type of electric thermal storage heating system consists of specially made, high-density bricks, inside a tastefully designed cabinet. Electricity is used to heat the bricks during off-peak hours when electric rates are lowest. The bricks are protected with high-tech insulation and store the heat until it is needed. Then, when the thermostat calls for heat, a fan blows air across the bricks to distribute heat throughout the room.
Concrete Savings.
Another type of ETS system is designed for use beneath concrete floors of new homes or room additions. Electric cables or tubes are embedded below the floor. They heat the concrete at night when the rates are low. All day long, the heat then radiates in the room to keep your family cozy and warm.
Safe, Clean and Inexpensive.
Whichever type of ETS system you choose, there are no flames. No fumes. Nothing to pollute the air inside your home. So it's safer, cleaner, more efficient, and definitely less expensive to operate.
An ETS system is a cost-effective way to solve specific heating problems or to heat new areas without buying a whole new furnace.
The Power of Choice.
Electric plenum heaters are electric resistance heating units that give you the power of choice. They mount in the plenum above your fuel forced air furnace. During off-peak times the plenum heater supplies the heat for your home. The fuel furnace heats your home during peak times. The electricity used by the plenum heater is metered at a special low rate, saving you money. Electric plenum heaters are 100% efficient, clean, safe, flameless, and have lower operating costs. You can enjoy the best of both worlds with a duel fuel system which combines an electric plenum heating system with an LP system. This combination will keep both your home and wallet comfortable.
There are several types of electric resistance heating options on the market. Baseboard units can be installed in any room of the home and are sized according to room dimensions. Individual room temperature can be controlled at the unit or by a thermostat mounted on the wall.
Another option is an electric forced air furnace. Air is circulated over electric resistance heating elements and heated. A blower circulates the heated air throughout your home. There are different sizes of electric forced air furnaces depending on your home's heating requirements.
Electric resistance heating systems are 100% efficient, clean, safe, comfortable and have low operating costs.
| Consider Electric Heat on your next Home Project |
