I have a small, detached shop. Stick built, trusses, insulated. I'm looking into options for heating it, but not full-time. I don't anticipate I'll work out there every day once this kitchen remodel is done (if it's EVER done…).
I don't have natural gas available back there and it would not be cost effective for me to trench it and PUT natural gas back there. So… I think I'm down to propane and electric. I looked at the possibility of an outdoor wood furnace, but a decent one is a lot of money and a crappy one is… well … crappy.
Looking at the cost of propane, it looks like it would be cheaper for me to heat this with electric. So… I was looking at radiant cove heating. Kinda goes where crown molding would go, and radiates like sunshine heat. It warms objects (and people) not air. The best I can figure on the electric cost to operate looks like about $78 a month if I'm trying to keep it warm enough to work. Something less than that if I let it set back to about 45 or 50 when I'm NOT out there. That's 3000 watts of heaters (2×1500 watt) on a programmable thermostat. Electric here is about 11 cents a kilowatt hour.
So, anyone with a similar sized shop in the northeast (or other northern area where you get snow and cold from Oct/Nov through March/April)? I'm trying to gauge if the operating cost is a reasonable estimate.
I don't have natural gas available back there and it would not be cost effective for me to trench it and PUT natural gas back there. So… I think I'm down to propane and electric. I looked at the possibility of an outdoor wood furnace, but a decent one is a lot of money and a crappy one is… well … crappy.
Looking at the cost of propane, it looks like it would be cheaper for me to heat this with electric. So… I was looking at radiant cove heating. Kinda goes where crown molding would go, and radiates like sunshine heat. It warms objects (and people) not air. The best I can figure on the electric cost to operate looks like about $78 a month if I'm trying to keep it warm enough to work. Something less than that if I let it set back to about 45 or 50 when I'm NOT out there. That's 3000 watts of heaters (2×1500 watt) on a programmable thermostat. Electric here is about 11 cents a kilowatt hour.
So, anyone with a similar sized shop in the northeast (or other northern area where you get snow and cold from Oct/Nov through March/April)? I'm trying to gauge if the operating cost is a reasonable estimate.