Pellets are 250/ton this year, and 3 tons is our usual total.

Our old house is a mixture of new and old. I'm proudest of my storm windows and doors(half the windows are original 150 years old), which make all the difference due to how I installed them(a maintenance thing, like brightwork). They're extremely air tight.

I never got the insulation into the walls that I would have liked but built an envelope all around of plastic sheeting and foam board(joints tight) on the interior-walls-ceilings-floors, that makes it pretty tight. I believe it is that air tight envelope, however it's achieved, that is most important(after size!).

The key though is that we get 100% distribution from the pellet stove to all three stacked floors(and that I turn off the back half of the house-1500'- in winter ). The stairway in the 'winter house' was designed and built as an open air shaft that moves a column of air through the three floors. Plus we some solar gain that helps.

Most important part though, is my family likes it cool. We sleep in the mid to high 50's and live in the warmer(mid to high 60's) open kitchen/living area on the first floor all in view of the pellet stove that puts out a max of 40,000 btus(rare it's on high). If we want it really hot, we roast a chicken in the oven.

Like Larry's bathroom, our large second floor bath was a bit cool, so hence the electric space heater.

I think a major problem in many old Maine homes(and other New England houses) is the difficult heat distribution requirements. Too many closed off rooms to use a central-space heating source. Instead, central heat distributed via conduits, with it's lower efficiency(both combustion and distribution), makes them cold and expensive to live in.

I'm working on this old house(pic) on the harbor that we're re-inventing. Biggest help so far is that I can buy Dow Frothpak foam insulation packages to install as we go(no uniform bays, patchy ongoing demo).

The plan is the house will look as built, in 1850 on the outside(we'll restore the old windows and storm them), when we're done. Both the owner and I want to retain the houses part in the old street scape.

But inside will be 2014. Will be easily heated with a simple space source(gas fireplace, small pellet stove) and 2 mini split heat pumps(1 per floor).

Before, it was impossible to heat due to air infiltration, but also impossible heat distribution through air ducts. People froze in this place for generations.