The size of foreign aid in different countries

Would be interested in any input regarding how to heat a home off grid...Could install a wood stove, but would incurr a lot of costs. City permits, construction, materials..
This house was constructed without insulation in the walls. Found this out when pulling speaker/security wire. Fish tape was pulled by gravity. Usually have to force tape down wall insulation. Looking for a hot lump of uranium to keep house warm without cost to wallet.
TG for our chinooks here. Otherwise, heating/ electricity would be verily more costly.
Any tips to heat a house for cheap would be considered.

 

1) Insulate. The primary, first consideration. Otherwise, any and all your expenditure is disappearing through your paper thin walls.

2) Heat Pump; cheapest to install would be an air source heat pump. This should ideally be a secondary, complementary solution. Air source heat pumps can function as air conditioners during a heat wave. Earth-air or water-air heat pump could also be considered. They cost more and are far more extensive to install, able to fulfill the role of primary heat source.

 

Sounds expensive.
I looked into pumping cellulose fibre into walls. Would have to cut a large hole inbetween every stud space, pump fibre into each...Have put up dozens of record albums on living room walls, looks good (to me, bachelor), and seems to create a barrier for sound, and possibly insulation. Noticed some spiders living in new environment though... Who vacuums their walls, 'cept me. Some spiders are so big, can feel them travelling up the hose.

 

Hay bale insulation...or shredded paper, works like a bastard...And dont change when you get home...I had a heated water bed when i lived in Canberra, was excellent to sit on during the night...

 

Dang...a heated water bed sounds amazing to me right now, with the cold weather up here in northern Kentucky.

 

Have seen bale insulation. Wondered about its' properties. Must be treated with something in order to reduce flammability? Also the walls would be so thick...I see in my house, the plaster they used has horse hair in it. Hoping horse hair.

 

Think back to England in the 17th century...now that was cold! You cant beat a pot belly stove oven for warmth...too much sometimes...

 

...more gruel please sir...
It feels like 17th century sometimes. 17 pounds of blankets gently suffocate one to sleep.

edit:
need to learn not to stray off topic. Apology to Kj.

 

Well down where I'm at it, 30 degrees is cold to us "drama queens" in northern Kentucky . Alrighty I guess its time to get back on topic I guess :unsure:

 

Just to pi*s everyone off...its 32C here at the moment...90% humidity...puffy white clouds...thousands of feet tall...

 

My understanding was that at some point heat pumps are no longer the most efficient means of heating a home. Here in Michigan it gets cold enough to hit that point on a fairly frequent basis. Of course one can use ground water or place the heat pump in a burried tunnel so that it's not working against the air temperature but the construction cost of the latter are fairly high the former depends on having a supply of liquid water available in an energy efficient manner during any cold weather.

Building codes may be a serious concern. From what I recall hearing the Canadian codes (possibly for new construction only) mandate a spun rock insulation. It's a bit pricy but you can put some in your hand and turn a blow torch on it and not get burned nor does the insulation deteriate.

 

In Sweden, they are generally used as a complimentry system, reducing overall running costs significantly. Earth-air pumps are used as primary solutions, but are expensive, as they require, amongst other things, boring a hole some 60 ft (IIRC) down. At this depth, the heat is consistent enough to be utilised, regardless of your air temp. Of course, in neighbourhoods with small (close) blocks, this cannot be utilised, as each house may significantly affect the surrounding bore holes.