Type of Heating System

Electric Furnace or Baseboards Most expensive – All furnaces keep filters clean

Oil, Almost as expensive as electric heating

Propane - Getting more costly. Insurance regulations are often making rural properties switch from oil. Works well with Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP)

Air Source Heat Pumps- extract latent ‘heat’ from large volume of air - newer most efficient units almost as efficient as Ground Source Heat Pump at fraction of the cost- Save 25 to 50% energy cost over electricity, oil, propane

http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/publications/efficiency/heating-heat-pump/6831

Ground Source Heat Pumps - extracts latent heat from ground. Need large area to dig 100-300ft trenches. It is expensive to install, but very efficient. Ground source heat pumps are not very good for very large homes or home with high heating requirements.

Water Source Heat Pump- same as a Ground Source Heat Pump but even more efficient- Need body of water ideally at least 8ft deep. Large pond or lake, river or large creek-

http://www.geokiss.com/consumer-info/HowG&WSourceHeatPumpsWork.pdf

Cost Saving Comparisons-

https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/publications/efficiency/heating-heat-pump/6835