We are not new to the Full Timer way of life, but we recently purchased a 40' Monaco with three slides. Talk about moving on up, not to mention the comfort we have gained. We travel with 2 small dogs, 1 large cat, 2 birds and Bob, the Beta. Our life is a good one, and we are enjoying the freedom we have to go where we want.
This new coach has gas heat and a heat pump, being fully aware that if the outside temp is lower than 40 degrees, we won't gain much from the heat pump. So for the purpose of this comment, which is more economical for us when we pay for the electricity, the heat pump or our gas furnace. As with most couples, I am always cold, and my husband is always warm, so I tend to like a space heater for evenings and cold rainy days. Any feedback from those of you who have experience with this particular situation?
Our home port, so to speak is Washington State. We will head south in October and north in April and so far that has worked well for us. Thanks for letting me be babble on like the village idiot.
Barbaraok said
11:15 PM Jan 4, 2017
How much trouble is it for you to get propane (I assume that is what you mean by 'gas' furnace). to me that is one factor that always is overlooked. Rule of thumb is that if the cost/gallon of propane is less than 20X cost/KWH go with propane, if more, go with electric; but that doesn't include how difficult is it to refill. We have a heat pump, which is even cheaper to run than space heaters down to about 36-38°, but will use a space heater for just one area (on the low setting) at times. We spend the winter in AZ and don't need that much heat. Actually last year the coldest was in June in Everett with all of the rain, really felt damp and used the furnace more than we had the two previous years.
LarryW21 said
10:26 AM Jan 5, 2017
The cost differences in a moderate climate don't seem that great to me but I do prefer electric heat when I have the option and don't need heat to the tanks...but needing to heat tanks is not "moderate" to this SoCal boy.
bjoyce said
06:15 PM Jan 5, 2017
If your Monaco has 15K heat pumps, they should work down to 30 degrees or so. They will be a bit less efficient below 38 degrees, but still better than a space heater. A 15K heat pump should put out about 11,000 BTUs of heat on 15AMPs above 38 degrees, while a space heater will put out about 5,000 BTUs. At that rate, propane will have to be really cheap to compete. In Mesa AZ, where Barb and I are, most nights are over 40 degrees. We mostly go from Washington State to Arizona and mostly encounter below freezing temperatures on our trips back and forth, where electricity is included in the daily and weekly rates. If we find ourselves in the 30s and low 40s on 30AMP electric, we might need to run the gas heat since one heat pump will not handle our 40'.
For very local heating, like just your feet, multiple companies make small 200-250 watt space heaters, with Lasko's MyHeat and Honeywell's Heat Bud both available from Amazon and many Wal-Marts have another brand. These might "solve" your needing to be warmer than your husband.
We have been down to the mid-20s at night without putting heat into the basement and not had a problem. In our motorhome we have to turn on a switch to run gas heat into the basement and I haven't used the switch in over 5 years.
We are not new to the Full Timer way of life, but we recently purchased a 40' Monaco with three slides. Talk about moving on up, not to mention the comfort we have gained. We travel with 2 small dogs, 1 large cat, 2 birds and Bob, the Beta. Our life is a good one, and we are enjoying the freedom we have to go where we want.
This new coach has gas heat and a heat pump, being fully aware that if the outside temp is lower than 40 degrees, we won't gain much from the heat pump. So for the purpose of this comment, which is more economical for us when we pay for the electricity, the heat pump or our gas furnace. As with most couples, I am always cold, and my husband is always warm, so I tend to like a space heater for evenings and cold rainy days. Any feedback from those of you who have experience with this particular situation?
Our home port, so to speak is Washington State. We will head south in October and north in April and so far that has worked well for us. Thanks for letting me be babble on like the village idiot.
For very local heating, like just your feet, multiple companies make small 200-250 watt space heaters, with Lasko's MyHeat and Honeywell's Heat Bud both available from Amazon and many Wal-Marts have another brand. These might "solve" your needing to be warmer than your husband.
We have been down to the mid-20s at night without putting heat into the basement and not had a problem. In our motorhome we have to turn on a switch to run gas heat into the basement and I haven't used the switch in over 5 years.