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[RSI]

Again, there are many variables and one of the very important ones to consider is one that you have not answered, where are you at? Eldons place in Southwestern VA. Heats a great deal differently than my place here in the Northeast or Marty's place in Indiana.

He said he  lives in Northern Idaho at about 3200 ft elevation and has 55k btu heat load,

[slimjim]

I'm not real familiar with the area but I'm thinking that the heat load seems pretty low for that much space.

[mlappin]

I'm not real familiar with the area but I'm thinking that the heat load seems pretty low for that much space.

Depends, I’ve seen a lot of shops in ag magazines they doubled the insulation up in the radiant, and have a foot in the walls with two foot in the ceilings, minimum of double pain windows and claim to be able to heat it on less than $500 propane for an entire year, these are in places like Minnesota, North Dakota, etc.

Personally I find it hard to believe as these were rather spacious shops, 60x80 and so on, but thats what they claimed.

[RSI]

Isn't this the house we are talking about? I don't think he said how much heat load the shop is.

[mlappin]

Isn't this the house we are talking about? I don't think he said how much heat load the shop is.

Possibly, but how well it’s insulated will effect the end numbers regardless of house or shop.

A person in the next county had a cinder block house, had the absolute best windows money could buy installed, then filled the walls with insulation somehow, then had 2” of expanding foam sprayed on the outside and in the attic, ended up so tight had issues keeping the water heater lit.

[reggart]

sorry, I've been off line for a while.  I used several methods to come up with the 50,000 heat load to the house using online calculators but that didn't include the sidearm for DMHW I calculated at 21000 btu or the future hot tub (no idea yet on BTU).  It's a 2300sf log home, well chinked and very few openings in the walls.  The shop is 1800sf but only heating about 1700sf because some of it will be a walk in cooler for hanging meat.  I came up with 33,000 btu on the shop keeping it at 65 deg.