What's The Best Way To Heat A Mountain Cabin?

HOME CLINIC: We aren't able to have a gas line run to our winter ski cabin near White Pass. What is a good heating alternative for us during the winter? The cabin usually stands empty in the summer months. - K.G., Seattle

DEAR K.G.: You have several fuel choices. Possible heating sources include electricity, oil, propane, cord wood, pressed fuel logs and pellet fuel. Convenience, installation cost, reliability, operational cost, availability, safety and aesthetics will all affect your choice.

Electricity: Let's look at convenience first. Electricity wins here hands down. Just set the thermostat on the wall and you have just the amount of heat you want. If it is a programmable thermostat you can even set it to warm up the cabin before you and your guests arrive. As long as the power stays on, electric heat will help keep your pipes from freezing while you're in the city.

If you have electricity, baseboard heaters are cheap and easy to install. Forced air furnaces are more expensive. Heat pumps would not be suitable for cold mountain sites. Even though electricity is often the most expensive heating fuel option, it may not be too expensive if you don't use the cabin frequently. On the other hand, if you don't have a power line near the cabin, the cost of bringing it in may be too expensive.

Oil and Propane are almost as easy to use as electricity. Smaller wall furnaces or room heaters for either fuel are available with thermostatic control and automatic ignition. They will both prevent frost damage as long as you don't run out of fuel. Finding a supplier who will deliver to a remote site may be a problem.

Installation costs will be a bit higher than electric base boards for either fuel, and both will require outside fuel storage. Propane will cost about as much as electricity, but oil will be around a third less. One advantage to either of these fuels is that you are not as dependent on a utility company during bad weather.

Wood heat. When it comes to aesthetics, wood heat is a high scorer. After a day of skiing it is hard to think of anything more pleasant than a blazing hearth. If you choose wood, find an efficient appliance that suits your tastes. Wood heat now comes in three alternatives. All of them require packing fuel, starting, and feeding the fire.

Pellets and presto logs relieve you of stacking and splitting chores associated with cord wood. Installation of any of these units is typically less expensive than oil or propane, but more than electric baseboard heat.

Newer products offer some level of thermostatic control, but cannot be relied upon for freeze protection while you are away. Pellet stoves require electricity to run. All of them require careful maintenance. Pressed fuel logs and pellet fuel costs compare favorably to oil. Cord wood can usually be purchased locally at favorable prices, often making cord wood the cheapest heat for this application.

If you have enough property to maintain a wood lot, proper tools, and you treat wood cutting as recreation, your fuel costs are insignificant. Remember though, even some ski areas are developing wood smoke problems.

Home Clinic answers questions about home maintenance, repair and energy conservation. It is prepared by the Energy Extension Service, a division of the Washington State Energy Office. It appears Sundays in The Times Home/Real Estate section. This column was written by Mike Nelson.