Heating your home....

Hi there! Yes I've heard of of heating your home with hot water, it is actually somewhat common in Japan; where I believe the idea originated, and it is very effective. My father-in-law lived in japan for many years and his home was heated in this way. It is economically sound, as you are heating the hot water anyway for showers, dishes etc. I don't know the specifics of how the system works,but I can tell you that it DOES work! I hope this helps:)

boy, i've heard thats the best way to go.,,but now with the energy costs so high,-i think solar, or wood burning, or pellet burning is one of the best ways. you can actually connect these to your existing furnaces. i'm not sure what type of furnace you had, but those are very much in the news lately. we live in wisconsin, and i am so sick of the gas and electric bills. we recently installed a woodburning system, and it has reduced our gas in half...good luck!

Do you mean that it uses radiators, like in old houses? or a newer system, like radiant floor heat? I've lived in apartments with old-fashioned radiators, and they can put out lots of heat. I've also read a lot lately on radiant floor heat that uses hot water instead of electricity, and it is supposed to be more efficient. I would think a lot of the cost would be tied to how well the system was installed and insulated. Unfortunatly, I don't actually know anyone who has one of these systems in their own house. I do know that radiant systems are supposed to be better than forced-air systems and they don't dry out the air as much, either. You could try calling the power company (or gas, depending on how the boiler heats the water) and ask what the bills have been for the past few months. Sometimes they will give you the info, sometimes not (sometimes it just depends on who answers the phone). It will help you figure how efficent the system is. I hope this has helped you some and good luck with the house hunt.