Our home in Seattle contains a dozen or so electric heaters. We would like to get rid of these and upgrade to something more efficient/attractive/economical. It seems our two options are 1) Central gas heating or 2) ductless heat pump. To make gas heating work, we would have to install ducts. Does anyone have any experience with adding ducts to a ductless house? One possibility that has been suggested is to put the ducts on the outside of one side of the house. This would probably work in our case since all of the large rooms in our house share a common wall. What are your thoughts/experiences with installing either gas heating with new ducts or ductless heat pump heating? I'm assuming that central gas would work just fine in a Seattle winter but I'm not sure if a ductless heat pump system would be adequate in the winter ( considering that our hope is to replace - not just augment - the existing system ).
posted by metadave on Jan 21, 2013 - 14 answers

Getting a draft despite having weather stripping and a door sweep. How can I fix this? [more inside]
posted by asnider on Jan 1, 2013 - 12 answers

Can you tell me how to buy a boiler? [more inside]
posted by A Terrible Llama on Aug 9, 2012 - 23 answers

Do I really need to have my furnace and AC inspected once a year? [more inside]
posted by feelinggood on Feb 13, 2012 - 12 answers

Converting my home from fuel oil to natural gas heating - how to do it? My 1890s house is heated with radiators and run on fuel oil - which has been steadily getting more and more expensive. I have natural gas already running to the house for appliances and water heating. [more inside]
posted by waylaid on Nov 2, 2011 - 13 answers

I'm looking to buy a spaceheater for my girlfriend's apartment. Anyone have any recommendations on ones that won't burn the place down? [more inside]
posted by decrescendo on Feb 18, 2010 - 19 answers

How do I determine why vent is not sending heat & A/C to one bedroom? [more inside]
posted by glenngulia on Nov 30, 2009 - 7 answers

Replacing the AC and furnace -- is now the time to buy? Tell me what you know about rebates! [more inside]
posted by amanda on Jul 28, 2009 - 10 answers

Is leaving the windows in my attic cracked beneficial for keeping my air conditioning bill low? [more inside]
posted by JFitzpatrick on Jun 22, 2009 - 4 answers

What can I use to dampen vibrations from a water pipe? [more inside]
posted by bondcliff on Dec 2, 2008 - 8 answers

Does bamboo burn in fireplaces and wood stoves? I'm wondering if I can use it to heat a house, since it's far more renewable than trees.
posted by Galen on Jun 5, 2007 - 15 answers

Househeatingfilter: Saladpants is a city boy from major east coast city, who recently moved to smaller west coast city, Portland, OR. He and Mrs. Saladpants are looking at a house which, while only 15 minutes from downtown, is essentially out in the country. This means that the house has no gas line running to it and no sewer either. In this particular house, the Saladpantses have two potential heating options: Propane or Electric. They have no experience with either, and are uncertain as to which is better. They seek opinions, wisdom and experiences of fellow mefites. [more inside]
posted by saladpants on Apr 20, 2007 - 15 answers

What's the minimum oil will it take to keep our new apartment warm through the winter? We're in a relatively moderate climate (Pacific Northwest). [more inside]
posted by croutonsupafreak on Oct 10, 2006 - 3 answers

I'm looking for a take-no-prisoners strategy to reduce home heating bills. [more inside]
posted by Gordion Knott on Aug 14, 2006 - 9 answers

Home Heating Oil question. I've never lived in a house heated by oil, so I have no idea how the whole thing works. [more inside]
posted by SheIsMighty on Aug 4, 2006 - 16 answers

Tomorrow I sign a lease for a huge old house built in the 1800's, and I am worried about how much oil will be required to heat the place. How can this be predicted without appropriate historical data? [more inside]
posted by brundlefly on May 14, 2006 - 10 answers

How can I keep my apartment humid with the window open? [more inside]
posted by condour75 on Feb 11, 2006 - 20 answers

Our (rented) house seems to have been built without insulation. Tips on keeping the house as warm as possible this winter? [more inside]
posted by Wolfie on Dec 9, 2005 - 31 answers

Should I sign a natural gas contract? [more inside]
posted by GuyZero on Oct 18, 2005 - 5 answers

Hot-air heating systems...anyone in the UK know a stockist of spare parts for 'central-air' systems in the UK? [more inside]
posted by mattr on Sep 26, 2005 - 1 answer

What might cause a hot water boiler's pilot light to repeatedly go out? We've replaced the thermocouple, inspected the pilot assembly, and had the boiler cleaned. Twice. [more inside]
posted by zogbie on Aug 17, 2005 - 6 answers

Owning a home is fun! Our latest adventure in homemaking involves our heating and cooling system, so we're having to make some long-term decisions with very little first-hand experience. [more inside]
posted by grabbingsand on Apr 22, 2005 - 3 answers

How much oil is left in my 300 gallon underground home heating oil tank? I stuck the measuring stick in, and it came up wet from 15" on down. Assuming a standard, what is the general rule(r) of thumb?
posted by ValveAnnex on Dec 13, 2004 - 7 answers