A US map on how we heat, as a nation. Pretty interesting.

[OAITW r.2.0]

Why isn't the South pro-solar? If heat is derived from electricity, that's got be pretty expensive. Cheap residential solar should be an option.

https://www.maps.com/home-heating-fuels/

[swong19104]

1. The south is heating their homes with electric heaters

which aren't the most efficient. Yes, they can do better by having roof-top solar, even on apartments (which doesn't directly benefit the apartment owner, who may be responsible for the maintenance and repair on the panels).

Wood is probably the worst option for heating.

[Red Mountain]

2. Wood is the worst?

Why?

[swong19104]

4. Several reasons:

Not efficient (you can't burn wood at a very high temperature, unlike gas/propane; at least not in a typical fireplace with chimney)
Lots of pollutants and particulate matter
Limited locations within a home to use wood heating
Fire hazard

[bello]

6. That's not how wood heat works

I know a fair number of folks that heat with wood. NONE of them use a “fireplace with chimney.”

The modern EPA approved wood stove has made great strides in cleaning up the burning of firewood.

UL approved wood stoves are very safe.

You only need one location in your house for a wood stove in most cases.

All of that is not to say that even modern wood stoves aren’t subject to mis-use due to operator training, maintenance and installation. It’s probably not a good choice for most modern Americans.

[OAITW r.2.0]

8. A have a wood stove with a catalytic onverter.

Last edited Wed Dec 27, 2023, 01:06 AM - Edit history (1)

Reburns the gases before they go up the stack. Bet my carbon footprint for Full winter wood burn is less than the 1500 gals of oil I spend to keep the house base and heat the water.

[localroger]

3. Southern homes use electric heat because the equipment is cheap, simple, and safe

Efficiency isn't as big a deal when the temperature rarely dips below freezing. Electric heaters have one moving part, the fan, which in a central system is shared with the more complicated and important A/C. There are no pilot lights, no danger of explosion, no need for a second source of power, and the danger of fire is minimal. They do not degrade over time or have circulating fluids to maintain or leak. My house was built in 1974 as part of an all-electric subdivision so natural gas isn't even available and there's no room to install a propane tank. A heat pump might save me a hundred bucks or so a year on the electric bill but would cost a lot more than that to install and maintain. This is in Louisiana and the situation is a little less clear toward the middle of the country, and I think other systems are getting some traction there. But my only real complaint is that I can't get a tankless water heater because the electric ones are garbage and there's no gas service to my subdivision.

[OAITW r.2.0]

5. All the more reason to put on solar panels in your roof and store the excess energy.

I get that means a lot of dumping into the grid. Up in Maine, on the 45th parallel, I dump an average of 500Kw a month on the grid. For that privilage, I pay $20.00/mo.

[BComplex]

7. I live in the south, and I can tell you why southerners as a culture are against solar

power: it is because they are told by the authoritarians that it's not in their interest, and there is the fear that if you don't listen to the authorities (i.e., authoritarians), that somehow you don't love Jesus.

Truth is, you can't reason with republican thought processes. Their brains don't work properly.

[OAITW r.2.0]

9. Without any evidence to back my assertion.....

sure looks that way!

[BComplex]

10. Looks that way in most conversations...

and that's all the evidence I have!