On May 29, 7:37*am, wrote:
I'm no engineer but here's my question;
we have a log home, approx 3,500 sq ft in PA, we have a great location
for a windmill and I'm seriously considering installing a windmill
that can augment and hopefully replace most of my oil usage.
the oil burner feeds a hot water baseboard system with 7 zones. * We
use the zones to heat only what we need but it's still getting
expensive.
I'm not looking to necessarily come out ahead, breaking even on the
installation of a windmill over 10 to 15 years and sending less $$ to
the Middle East would be very satisfying to me.

Are there ways to convert the oil burner to electric, from some of the
other postings that does not look feasible.
Would it be better to put some large electric heater in the basement
with heat rising throughout the house to reduce oil usage?
Installing all electric baseboard is probably not feasible in a log
home, wiring would be difficult and I don't think I have the capacity
in the existing electric panel.

Any advice is appreciated.
Keith Wolf
Northeast PA

Electricity will go up as does oil, oil may come down alot someday.
Electric rate increases take time. You have to compare the cost of
fuels per BTU to know what makes sence today. Electric space heaters
are cheap and might help out alot. In 5-10 years oil could be cheaper
and your electric company may have gotten its rate increases through.
T Boone Pickens is investing something like 1-10 Billion in wind
farms, if you have the wind, use it if you can sell back to the grid.
Maybe you have oil underground too, alot do and at todays prices its
worth looking into. A guy in Seymore Ind was on Tv showing his
$100,000 rig that pumps 2-3 barrel a day.