im going to add a heater to heat the bedrooms portion of my house (about 1000 sq. feet) 3 bedrooms. Would adding a propane wall furnace cost less to operate or would an electric fake fireplace be better?
It depends where you live. In Hawaii electric is around 47 cents a KWh and in Missouri it is around 6 cents. However when the gas/oil went up so did the propane cost and for a while electric was cheaper here. Propane gas kind of has a set price with the whole USA with in a few cents here and there, but electric is different where ever you live. Idaho has the cheapest electric rate so there electric would be cheaper where as California propane may be cheaper.
To run a stove on a 5 gallon size (25 pound tank) will last about 2 months. This is cooking two meals a day for 4 people and running the oven once a week. So it does go a long way I am sure you can ask your sales person about BTU’s and how long it will last on the size of tank you have.
If you looked at propane this way as liquid form one eye dropper size of liquid will be 64 times larger in a gas form and will cook about two pots of Top Ramin soup or two pots of macaroni and cheese. It also depends on your altitude as well.
An electric heater can be plugged into the wall where as propane will have to piped in and it must meet building codes and when the tank is empty you will have to take to have it refilled. However if you already have propane to your home it maybe worth you while. to run a pipe a few more feet over to your bed room, and have the truck come out to refill your large permanent tank. The other thing with propane is it will have to be vented to the outside and electric you do not.
They both smell like a dry vent when you first turn them on. A gas heater may last longer where as an electric may need repairs after a while.
If you have the time to research it I am sure you will find that a Geo thermal system will best the best option and then you can have central heating and cooling throughout your whole home. The new systems now days are tax deductible and they are very clean and efficient to use. Here is a web site that you can see if your state offers a program for this system. http://www.dsireusa.org/index.cfm?EE=1&RE=1 Geo Thermal is considered a renewable energy like solar or wind power.
I hope, I have gave you more information then what you asked for. I hope I did not forget anything?
