Extreme coldness of climate is the only real disadvantage of northern living. Maybe you happen to be someone who finds themselves amiss outside of tropical regions - a sun worshiper as they say. Tropical regions are definitely not my bag babe. There's more than enough minor irritants in my life already for me to have to worry about nasty green reptiles and giant arachnids crawling into my shoes.
Northern living suits me fine, but it's costly to make a northern home cozily warm. Out west in western Canada, the most obvious choices to keep the deadly Jack Frost at bay are firewood and natural gas. Perhaps geothermal - something I know very little about, and you'll probably want to build a house around it rather than attempt it as an afterthought?
I find myself wondering whether geothermal output levels fluctuate. I imagine it would ebb and flow like everything else in nature.
I do believe the provincial government of Alberta collects royalties from the proceeds of natural gas.
Firewood is comparatively inefficient at a molecular level, and not by nature as clean burning. Wood retains moisture, and incinerating it will create greenhouse gasses.
But let's face it. Were not the Athabasca forest fires equivalent to about eight billion firewood burning homes burning firewood continuously for nine years? I just think it'd seem disingenuous to actually charge people for the 'privilege' of burning wood simply to avoid freezing to death. Or is there some plan to see us all move south?
I remember the oil-fuelled furnace in Ontario. Man. That's a dirty way of heating compared to elegant and gaseous natural gas. Not only is oil as a home heating fuel far less efficient than natural gas, there's a need for a tanker truck to make the rounds just to fill-up yer oil storage tank now and then.
Who has room for a big honkin' oil tank in their basement? Well... probably most people, but it's the size of three bungalow-sized hot water heater tanks. Point being, they eat-up valuable floor space if you don't live in some palatial intrigue. Other than that, oil is reliable and affordable. A fiscally prudent choice if natural gas isn't abundant, and modern furnaces are probably quite efficient.
I'm interested to know what you think.
Northern living suits me fine, but it's costly to make a northern home cozily warm. Out west in western Canada, the most obvious choices to keep the deadly Jack Frost at bay are firewood and natural gas. Perhaps geothermal - something I know very little about, and you'll probably want to build a house around it rather than attempt it as an afterthought?
I find myself wondering whether geothermal output levels fluctuate. I imagine it would ebb and flow like everything else in nature.
I do believe the provincial government of Alberta collects royalties from the proceeds of natural gas.
Firewood is comparatively inefficient at a molecular level, and not by nature as clean burning. Wood retains moisture, and incinerating it will create greenhouse gasses.
But let's face it. Were not the Athabasca forest fires equivalent to about eight billion firewood burning homes burning firewood continuously for nine years? I just think it'd seem disingenuous to actually charge people for the 'privilege' of burning wood simply to avoid freezing to death. Or is there some plan to see us all move south?
I remember the oil-fuelled furnace in Ontario. Man. That's a dirty way of heating compared to elegant and gaseous natural gas. Not only is oil as a home heating fuel far less efficient than natural gas, there's a need for a tanker truck to make the rounds just to fill-up yer oil storage tank now and then.
Who has room for a big honkin' oil tank in their basement? Well... probably most people, but it's the size of three bungalow-sized hot water heater tanks. Point being, they eat-up valuable floor space if you don't live in some palatial intrigue. Other than that, oil is reliable and affordable. A fiscally prudent choice if natural gas isn't abundant, and modern furnaces are probably quite efficient.
I'm interested to know what you think.
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