There are gas heaters that work without electricity by functioning much like gas water heaters. Their safety circuits are powered by a thermopile generating small currents off a standing pilot. Problems are obvious – no blowers and the utilization of a standing pilot. But they can be useful for an emergency backup in some cases but may not prevent parts of the house from freezing pipes. A better solution is a small gas (ideally natural gas or propane) operated electric generator to run a conventional furnace or blower equipped room heaters.

I have been putting induction cooktops in all my recent homes. Much easier to clean, safer around children with locking controls, no knobs to clean around. I am very pleased with the Frigidaire 36″. Usually under $1000. Combined with walloven/microwave combo unit. Makes for a really great kitchen.

Unfortunately gas isn’t more efficient to use because more of the energy is wasted as excess heat. However gas ranges are incredibly inexpensive to acquire and maintain compared to induction. Gas also comes with control knobs rather than buttons (vast majority of induction ranges do not have knobs).

Induction is the way to go if you can afford it.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/28/climate/how-electricity-generation-changed-in-your-state-election.html

Join us tonight on line when we talk about it:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/monthly-forum-dirty-energy-around-the-world-tickets-165447749673?aff=GHWS

I am in the process of design. The solar is now down to 5 kW when matched exactly with the reduced bills. The effort here is to see if I can generate a net cash flow positive change to the owner, using the energy saved and generated, with local PACE financing. PACE financing should allow 25 or 30 years for a payback term.

I am showing a 75% reduction in local carbon footprint switching to geothermal. No more gas. The solar adds a little more real reduction but mostly a mathematicl one. Also if I switch to batteries I need the least amount of batteries with.

If I use an air sytem the wintertime cold tempwerature reached a minus 20 F in 1985. There are usually a few days at 11 F. If an air system can provide heat and hot water under these conditions I will be glad to examine it. I am unaware of any air to air system with a SEER rating in the 45 range. By choosing geothermal, the average useful life of the loopfield is 50-100 years. so I’ll use 75 years. This increases the weighted avrage useful life of the overall project is making the project financeable and actully pays the owner on anet basis to make the change.

Happy to share this as a white paper when its done.

I am not sure why you would go to the expense of a ground source heat pump when a properly designed and installed air source system in a well built house will use the same or less electricity. I cannot see how your 7.8 Kw of Solar will help the grid when the heat pump is pulling power from the grid at night. Changing from a gas furnace to any heat pump will increase winter peak loads that will not be mitigated by solar.

I agree with Andy, particularly the switch to heat pumps for heating (active a night when the sun is not out). Plus people still are not locking out the electric resistance strip heat (COP 1)!!

I just use net savings, To me this asmeans the bill for the pumps is included.