Heated House

We have heat!  We also now posses the ability to retain said heat.  That’s right boys and girls….our furnace woes are finally over.  Seems that the weather held out just long enough too.  The unseasonably warm Autumn was the only thing that saved us through all of this.  Well, that and space heaters.

via http://www.callstevens.com

Last week the furnace was installed.  That was a 2 day project.  Today the last of a 4 day insulation project was completed and signed off on.  It seriously feels like a different house.  It’s amazing what some modern comforts can do for a home.  Our furnace is quieter and stronger…and comes with more options.  The new thermostat seems to be far more accurate than the old one.  With walls packed full of super wonderful fantastical insulation I can no longer hear every person who happens to walk in front of our house.  We also don’t hear the heat kicking on time and time again trying to keep up with all the cold air wafting in.

The house feels solid now.  The heat feels effective.  We really wish we were in a place to have done this when we first bought, maybe I wouldn’t hate it so much….maybe I’ll grow to like it a bit more now.  Time will tell…and we’ll have at least 2 more winters here, so at least they’ll be comfortable ones. Time will also tell how much more efficient the house is.  With full shell and mechanical upgrades, our energy costs should go WAY down.  Especially considering we moved from oil heat to gas.

All in all I’m happy we waited and did the upgrades this way (using the NJ energy audit program).  It took three months from the time we noticed that the old furnace had been destroyed in the hurricane….till now.  I’m grateful we were in a place to spend the extra money to get both projects done at once.  Now we just have to wait for all the paperwork to be completed so the rebates and 0% interest loans can come through to pay ourselves back!

So now it’s on to the next home project….gotta get the place ready for the new baby!  Ah it never ends ;D