Planning a pole barn for the spring. Already have an area bulldozed and level for a 40x72 bldg. This is max size for when I had area leveled about 5 yrs ago. Interior will be for the most part 6" cement. A buddy has a 36x50 insulated and spent just under $600 in Nat gas to keep barn @ 50 degree all winter. Mine would be bigger so I thought of having a similar propane heater from ceiling and using a wood stove to help on super cold days and when I am working out there to help save heat costs. I assume my costs for propane since no nat gas where I am would be closer to $1000 per year. Anybody have an insulated shop of similar size and what are your heating costs. Ceiling will be 13 feet for a lift.

It is probably cheaper to use electric to heat with, than propane, depending on your local electric company.

I want to better insulate one of my smaller barns or build an insulated area in one of my larger barns, as soon as I can afford it, for brooding chicks in and keeping quail in.

Keith

I will check all pricing B4 I setup the heating.

My uncle heated his shop with a old "fuel oil" drum stove he put a door on one end and a chimney at the other end to burn wood, if you can get the wood for it. It looked like a oversized barrel stove the door was made out of a old spit rim truck rim. It would take some big chunks at one time.

I do plan on using a wood stove while working and during the overnite winter season but will have a salamander for quicker warmup and a propane heater hanging from the ceiling. At least those are my plans.

Did you ever consider putting the heat in the floor?

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, heating a home in the U.S. with a propane heating system in recent years has cost far less than heating with an electric system.

I'm about to add a heat system to my new wood shop and all my research confirmed the Department of Energy's findings; propane is less expensive to heat with than electric. I'm going to be installing a direct vent gas heater, one that draws air from outside as well as exhausting outside. I've been looking at the Modine Hot Dawg® Heaters, they seem like a good option and I'm leaning that way.

I already have propane piped into the house from a fifty gallon tank for cooking only. I heat almost 100% with wood but have a a fuel oil fired/forced air furnace for back-up on days it's not cold enough for the woodstove but to cold for no heat.

I've been thinking about upgrading the old furnace to a propane-fired unit. I've been talking to my supplier as well as others. All will rent or sell me a larger tank and do the tank install and piping to the shop and house for free if I dig the trenches.

I currently pay a little more than a dollar a gallon for propane making it the second best BTU bang for my buck right behind burning wood.

I always tell customers that electric heat is one of the cheapest to install but one of the most expensive to use.

Lugnut--no natural gas there??

No, or that would be my choice. I didn't really do a lot of research because it's not an option for me, but most of the articles I looked at said natural gas was cheaper per BTU than propane.

you know how it is here,that's interesting.

I know there's pipelines in the area, there's a big transfer station about six miles from here.

Yeah, gas everywhere up there. I've been considering putting a well in on camp property. Like the Austin's have. Free heat for life.

Like 3togo said. There are a lot of pole houses and commercial buildings around here that have the heat in the floor. There are many options for the boiler then. One pole barn house near me has this and a ground source heat pump to heat the fluid in the pipes plus the hot water heater.

My 40x60 is well insulated and is built into a hill, so 3 walls are partially poured. I heat it only with wood. It’s 4 degrees here right now, my shed this morning with just coals leftover from last night was 55 degrees.

nice Nick,i'm gonna put one beside this house and heat it and the house with an outside wood boiler,hopefully in the spring.

I have to somewhat control costs so floor heat is way above budget. But will check into finding some used hi-density foam panels to maybe put under the concrete. I do have an outdoor wood boiler but almost 500 feet away. Too far @ $10/ft for pex. will maybe use my salamander and a hanging propane unit to get it warmed up and then switch to a wood stove to maintain warmth while working and to stoke it for overnight along with the propane.