[Greenbuilding] Heating Options

Lawrence Lile LLile at projsolco.com
Sun Jan 30 15:46:50 CST 2011


>Please look into the Fujitsu Mini-split systems.

My idea exactly, except be careful about low-temperature performance.  I am more familiar with Mitsibishi's "Mr. Slim" "hyper heating" units which will make heat at full capacity down to -5F outdoor temperature.  Fujitsu may be able to go as cold.  But Upstate New York may get colder than that. But how often and how long?

What happens below those temperatures?  The unit's capacity falls off.  It will still make some heat, just not as much.  Now if temps below -5F are a rarity, and maybe happen for one night, and your unit isn't sized too tightly to your load, you'll probably be fine.  IF they happen for days on end with no letup, then you won't get enough heat out of the unit.  In that case you have a couple of options:

1.  Use a different technology

2.  Add some backup backup heat, like a small conventional wood stove or (gasp!) electric baseboard.  If you are only using electric baseboard for a few nights a year it won't make much difference on your bill.

I'm a fan of having a couple of different ways of heating my house, both for the inevitable power outage/ice storm, and to play the utilities off against one another.


I had one house with electric baseboard as a backup backup heating source.  (The house came that way, that's my excuse).  I set the thermostat on 50F and left it that way, to keep a bathroom from freezing.  It finally came on one frigid January night when it was about 0F outside.  I had not used it in so long, someone had dropped a spray can behind a piece of furniture, and that spray can was laying against the heater when it finally fired up.  I was treated to a mysterious "BOOM" in the middle of the night, and in the morning there was a big mess of paint all over the room.



From: greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org [mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Kathy Cochran
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 11:18 PM
To: 'Green Building'
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Heating Options

Please look into the Fujitsu Mini-split systems.  They are excellent for zone heating - and they also do air conditioning, which you may not need in upstate NY.  When I lived in Tarrytown, NY, I don't think I knew the meaning of the word "air-conditioning!"  You will be very happy with them.  I would write more, but I am typing with 1 finger because I nearly chopped off a finger with an axe today splitting kindling.  My Fujitsu is now running again.  Thank God for it.  It is my backup.

Good luck,

Kathy Cochran
San Andreas, CA



From: greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org [mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Frank Cetera
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 7:09 PM
To: greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org
Subject: [Greenbuilding] Heating Options

I'd like to pose the following question to the group:

Whereas I am renovating a home from a vacant shell condition in which it is currently inhabitable;
Whereas I desire a Finnish Masonry ContraFlow Stove as the eventual primary heating source of my home;
whereas I likely won't have the time to have one installed before the next heating season at which time I desire to be living in this house;
As well as I likely won't have the funds to install one immediately as I will need some extra cash to install a foundation block of concrete below where the heater will be positioned;

What would be a good heating system that:
Doesn't rely on ductwork
Would be able to heat by zone or room (it would just be me living in the home at first)
Would function as a backup/secondary source once the Masonry stove was in place

Upstate NY
Single Family, 2-story, 1300 sq. ft.

~ Frank Cetera
www.alchemicalnursery.org<http://www.alchemicalnursery.org>
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