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What is the best type of heating to have in Massachusetts?

user-942656 | Posted in Mechanicals on

Our house was designed by my Architect father and was built in 1979. It’s in Groton, MA. Currently we have the original 33 year old HS Taum tankless oil/wood boiler with 7 zones. The oil company that services it says it needs to be replaced. I wanted to use the wood side but they said the door is rusted out and can’t be used. The house is 6700 sf currently used as a 3 family. It’s a passive solar hybrid with solar hot water-two 125 gallon holding tanks, FHW BB, 2×6 construction, 2×12 rafters, fiberglass batt insulation, Anderson windows and a wood stove. The second floor is cathedral ceiling with an open galley to the first floor.

I was looking at alternatives as in combination heating. I was thinking of Mini-Air splits but all the HVAC companies told me that they don’t work in cold weather. And the house has to be extremely well insulated. They also told me to get rid of the solar hot water. And that cathedral ceilings are the culprit of why we are burning so much oil.

Our unit is the largest unit at 4500 sf and has 4 zones, 2 up and 2 down. I’ve been keeping the thermostats on the lowest setting between 55-60 degrees-which is the off posiiton. I have saved over 100 gallons of oil in 6 weeks according to our oil company.

They said to either go with gas or oil fuel and to have a boiler with an 80 gallon super store hot water tank that would act as an 8th zone. Tankless systems burn too much oil because it constantly has to keep the water at 160 degrees. They said the current tank has about 65 gallons of water that’s why it’s burning so much oil. The newer boilers hold less water about 10-15 gallons and require less fuel.

We pay our tenants utilities because nothing is split. Cost is a huge factor for both the heat unit(s) and heat type. What are my alternatives for heat/hot water sources?

Thank you

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Replies

  1. homedesign | | #1

    Hi Maria,
    I remember your house
    https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/qa-spotlight/green-building-everyone
    I think an Energy Audit should be done before considering equipment

  2. GBA Editor
    Martin Holladay | | #2

    Maria,
    In your post, you refer (indirectly) to the question of "why we are burning so much oil." If you want to burn less, the first thing to do would be to close your bedroom window -- but perhaps you have already done that. (The last time you posted a question, back in 2011, you noted that “I keep my bedroom window open 24/7.”)

    Q. "Currently we have the original 33 year old HS Tarm tankless oil/wood boiler with 7 zones. The oil company that services it says it needs to be replaced. I wanted to use the wood side but they said the door is rusted out and can't be used."

    A. Before you give up on the Tarm boiler, you might want to contact:
    Tarm USA
    Nichols Hardware
    P.O. Box 285
    Lyme, NH 03768
    800-782-9927
    Fax: 603-795-4740
    http://www.woodboilers.com
    [email protected]

    The people at Tarm USA might have more information about the door on your old boiler.

    Q. "I was thinking of Mini-Air splits but all the HVAC companies told me that they don't work in cold weather."

    A. The HVAC companies are wrong. Several manufacturers of ductless minisplits (including Mitsubishi and Fujitsu) make units that work well in Massachusetts.

    Q. "They also told me ... that cathedral ceilings are the culprit of why we are burning so much oil."

    A. If your cathedral ceilings are insulated with fiberglass batts -- and it sounds like they are -- it's possible that your ceilings have a very low-R-value. I agree with John Brooks: investing in an energy audit, air sealing improvements, and better insulation will probably result in major savings on your energy bill.

  3. user-942656 | | #3

    Thanks for writing. When I had the window open I had my heat off-last year. We are burning the same amount of fuel with windows closed but the cost of fuel has risen over $1/gallon which hurts. I need to speak to Eco-friendly HVAC companies. I am also looking at Pellet Boilers. What do you think of them verses oil or natural gas? I will look into an energy audit as well.

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