Well, We Did It.

[Leta]

DH and I have been looking at pellet stoves for about a year. The standard price was around $2500 installed. We've continued to browse. The very cheapest we found was $1600, just for the stove itself, no installation, and only heated 1000 sq ft.

Then, as I've mentioned a few other places around MDC, we got a $475 gas bill this month. We just got new windows and doors this summer, and our house is only 1500 sq ft (not incl. basement). And it's cold in here all the freaking time- our thermostat is usually set in the 50s. :

Well, before I had been the pellet stove cheerleader, but after this most recent gas bill, DH really got motivated. He heard about a sale at Lowe's (which is brand new here).
So we went to check it out. They had a pellet stove that heats up to 1500 sq ft for $1300... plus 50% off! The installation kit was 50% off, too, so we spent $750 on the stove and the kit. We also bought stove surround board to fireproof the living room corner where it's going, and a sawzall to cut a hole in our house. Altogether, we spent $1072. I am so stoked! We should have it hooked up by the weekend! Warmth is coming...

Granted, we had to put it on credit, but our tax return ($2700) should be here any day, so we should be able to pay it off ASAP.

I am so happy. We spent $1400 less than I thought we would, so I'll still be able to pay off my student loan ($1600) with our tax return. Then, if we can get unshackled from these hideous Semco bills, we should really be able to sack some money away this year.

:

[2cutiekitties]

Congrats :

[Cheshire]

Yeah!!!

[Norasmomma]

You'll really like it. We have a new(er) pellet stove we scored this fall, DH used to be a stove tech, so he knows all the ins and outs to install. We got the pipe from FIL for free-total cost about $400. It has made a difference in our heating bills, because we hardly have to turn on the electric heat. Our old pellet stove was not as efficient.

[Leta]

Ooh, that's good to hear, Norasmomma. I so hope that we can *just* use the stove for heat. That will knock our gas bill down to about $50 a month (hot water and cooking).

Our long term plan is, when we remodel, we are going to install a woodburning cookstove in the kitchen (in addition to a regular gas range for summertime). Our house will be bigger then (by about 300 sq ft), so we will need supplemental heat. We are going to get the cookstove that has a resevoir to heat hot water. Then, eventually we want to replace our gas H20 heater with an electric on-demand tankless version. So we will have redundant systems for heat and hot water.

Hopefully, at this point, we can completely tear out our boiler- it's from 1994, and it's HUUUGE. It takes up probably 25% of our basement and you have to "blow it down" everyday, which means water all over the floor (there are drains). Plus, when we tear it out, will be able to get rid of the asbestos in our basement.

(Please, everyone, critique these ideas. I want to know now, before we spend anymore money, if there are flaws in them.)

Then, all we will use natural gas for is cooking fuel- and, in a stunning reverse of the current situation, our bills will probably be smallest in the winter (when we cook with the woodstove). Ha HA- suck it SEMCO! Sorry, I'm getting a little carried away, but we pay more in gas every year than we do in our mortgage, so I really am so excited about the prospect of that *not* being the case anymore.

So, anyway, Norasmomma- since your DH is a stove tech, maybe he will know- my DH says that we will have to figure something out to keep the house from completely freezing up if we want to go anywhere in the winter- and we usually do leave for a couple of weeks in the winter. I said I was thinking maybe we could get one of those EdenPure electric heaters to use when we are on vacation.

What does your DH reccomend to people who heat primarily with stoves for vacation heat?

[AuntNi]

Congrats on your new stove! If you think of it, I'd love to hear your heating savings the next couple of months.

[slsurface]

Awesome! ::: DH and I plan to add a pellet or wood stove too, but have been waiting till we can afford it...we've gotta check out that sale a Lowes!