WhyNot?

Multiple Source Home Heater

Category: Utilities
Responses: 3 (3 in support, 0 neutral, 0 in opposition)
Number of views: 285
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I frequently hear ads on the radio encouraging people to switch from "clean" oil-heat to "safe" gas-heat (or is it the other way). I don't know if they already have this or how expensive it would be, but it would seem that the best thing would be to have multiple ways of heating your homes. A small Internet enabled device would check the current price of heating your home by oil, gas, or electricity, and would choose the best option.

Curious Cat, Nov 29 2003

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The appliance setup would be a litlle complex.Perhaps a forced air electric furnace, with a hot watercoil (like the A coil for AC), connected to an oil and a gas boilder, with a heat exhanger for DHW, connected to a storage tank with electric heat elements.

You'd have to purchase/maintain at least 3 boilers/burners,and have the appropriate one come on line based on spot rates.

Oil would be different, since you keep a stock of that, rather than receive it as you use it, like gas or electricity. You might have a kind of meter to montor oil useage, so that a local (your tank) shortage will deafult to other energy sources until the tank gets re-filled (which the order could go out when oil prices are adequately low)

Also, you'd need near instant reportback of the meters, to account for the savings you'd make on not using energy at high spot prices.

classicsat, Feb 14 2004