Cost effective heating

[Butte64]

Now that we are getting into the heating season in FL and I am paying for electricity, what is most cost effective way to heat our coaches? Assuming the supply of diesel is not an issue, generally speaking what gives the most BTU per $?
Heat pump?
AquaHot electric ?
AquaHot diesel?

This ignores wear and tear as well as maintenance but those costs are going to happen anyway.

[pasdad1]

Heat pump is most efficient down to outside temperatures above 40F.

When temps dip down lower, turn on the aquahot.

[lowejug]

In Southern California where it’s not really cold but cold enough to want something to take the chill out of the air our fireplace works great...
Florida I would think would be warmer but this concept works in medium temps..
Plus it’s nice ambiance... the electric heat would be the most cost effective I would think...

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by Butte64

Now that we are getting into the heating season in FL and I am paying for electricity, what is most cost effective way to heat our coaches? Assuming the supply of diesel is not an issue, generally speaking what gives the most BTU per $?
Heat pump?
AquaHot electric ?
AquaHot diesel?

This ignores wear and tear as well as maintenance but those costs are going to happen anyway.

Is a heat pump more efficient than an electric heater?
For climates with moderate heating and cooling needs, heat pumps offer an energy-efficient alternative to furnaces and air conditioners. ... Today's heat pump can reduce your electricity use for heating by approximately 50% - or more - compared to electric resistance heating such as furnaces and baseboard heaters.

What is difference between furnace and heat pump?
A furnace generates heat in a traditional way by burning oil or natural gas and sending the resulting heat into the home. Furnaces can also be powered by electricity. Heat pumps don't generate heat from a fuel source. Instead, they use electricity and refrigerant to transfer heat from outdoor air to the inside.

There you go - the heat pump is a more efficient heat source than from resistance or combustion, BUT if outside temps dip (Usually in the 25-35 degree range then the lower efficiency HP is in need of a supplemental heat source)

New High SEER HP's - 21 - 27 will make heat down to zero - problem is these are not normally on an RV.

Conclusion - Heat Pump is the way to go - almost Green.

When it get really COLD fire up the HH or Furnace.

JMHO,

[Gary.Jones]

Jerry

I think your question boils down to cost per KwH, right? Very interesting question and I will be interested in what you discover.

I usually am at RV parks and usually for shorter periods of times, so am usually paying for all services in one bulk payment (per night)rather than parks where they separate power as a separate charge. Because I usually pay nightly, I usully use electricity as the default during winter (fire place and Heat Pump) because diesel costs me personally, but the electricity is included.

I often check the power rate at home and where I am on the road just for information sake. There are sites which show electricity rates per state or locale. I have paid from 6 cents to 10 cents per Kilowatt hour. It is usually around 7 cents a KwH at home. Most RV parks are in states which say that they are not permitted to charge anything more for power than they pay themselves for the power, but I just left an RV park (Swan Bay RV Park near the St. Lawrence Seaway) what really charged amazing rates for electricity per day for less than a week (either $50 a week extra for a week, or $10/day for less than a week)(and when they quote a price when you call, the electricity upcharge is not mentioned..... it is a surprise upcharge when you check-out or in). The actual charge they paid for the electricity was WAY lower than that level of cost to me, so it is another profit center for them. I started watching my daily electric usage on the meter beside the coach so I knew what I was using versus what I was paying.

So, I hope this thread provides a bunch of information on this issue. I will be very interested.

Gary

[Turbojack]

There was a post somewhere where they compared the cost of heat pump and electric rate along with efficiency of the AH, BTU of diesel, and the cost of diesel as to what was cheapest until it got so cold the heat pump was out of the picture.

[Butte64]

Gary, not just cost per KWH but cost comparison to diesel, cost per BTU. At home my house has a heat pump, but when it gets really cold I can turn on the LP fireplace for a LOT of heat. So I think the cost per BTU is much less with the propane fireplace. There are many snowbirds in FL who pay for electricity directly from metered usage as I am doing. I know I can use the heat pumps but would it cost less for me to use diesel with the AH is the question.

[Butte64]

Originally Posted by Turbojack

There was a post somewhere where they compared the cost of heat pump and electric rate along with efficiency of the AH, BTU of diesel, and the cost of diesel as to what was cheapest until it got so cold the heat pump was out of the picture.

Thanks, that looks like what I want but have not been able to find.

[TripleEEE]

Just curious, what temp would you consider cold enough for using heat in FL?

[Butte64]

Originally Posted by TripleEEE

Just curious, what temp would you consider cold enough for using heat in FL?

It was 46 degrees this morning. Anything below 60 is cold enough for heat. In Fall and Winter there can be a big difference in temperature between Miami and north FL. I am at Polk City, in the middle.

[TripleEEE]

Originally Posted by Butte64

It was 46 degrees this morning. Anything below 60 is cold enough for heat. In Fall and Winter there can be a big difference in temperature between Miami and north FL. I am at Polk City, in the middle.

Thank you!

[Ready2Travel]

Seems I recall a similar discussion a few years back.

Conclusion was that depending on elec costs diesel was slighlty less expensive per btu.

Many different variables like outside temp, cost of diesel, elec., etc.

My question is in a $300K+ MH with with such a small difference in cost to heat at mildly cold temps why not just do what is most comfortable?

With night time temps down to low 30's we generally just use floor (tile) heat on 1, elect only, then in the AM turn on the fireplace for a bit to take any chill off. It's great to get out of bed in the morning and not have to walk bare foot on cold tile.

The well insulated Entegra is so much easier to heat (and cool) than our previous MH.

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by Butte64

Now that we are getting into the heating season in FL and I am paying for electricity, what is most cost effective way to heat our coaches? Assuming the supply of diesel is not an issue, generally speaking what gives the most BTU per $?
Heat pump?
AquaHot electric ?
AquaHot diesel?

This ignores wear and tear as well as maintenance but those costs are going to happen anyway.

https://inspectapedia.com/heat/Curre...Cost_Table.php

Cost Comparison

https://buffalo.uwex.edu/files/2011/...-Fuels-PSU.pdf

http://www.waterprofessionals.com/wh...uel-energy.pdf

There are the Answers - as with most information it needs to be converted to work.

Best of Luck,

[Butte64]

Thanks, excellent info. And maybe putting brain cells to work will warm me up.