On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 01:40:57 -0800, "Dan" wrote:

Paul-Thank you so much for the very informative replies! Extremely helpful,
and I appreciate the time they took to put together.

Dan

You're most welcome. For a personal perspective on this, I live in
Halifax, Nova Scotia and my home is a forty year old, 2,500 sq. ft.
Cape Cod; over the past five years of ownership, it has been
extensively upgraded in terms of its thermal efficiency. My primary
heating system is an oil-fired hot water boiler (Slant/Fin), mated
with a Superstor Ultra indirect hot water tank and a Tekmar control
system.

In August 2005, as part of my efforts to minimize my fuel oil
consumption, I installed a small, 14,000 BTU/hr ductless heat pump
(7.2 HSPF). In the year prior to its installation, I used 1,973
litres of fuel oil (525 gallons) and, of this, I estimate 1,400 litres
can be allocated to space heating purposes -- the balance for domestic
hot water production.

In the following year, my fuel oil use fell to 827 litres, which
suggests my backup boiler demand is now in the order of 250 litres or
65 gallons/year. My total electrical consumption this past year,
including heat pump, is 10,300 kWh.

As I type this, the temperature here in Halifax is currently -16C
(3F).

Best regards,
Paul