Heating in the northeast

Anybody have any economical efficient heating ideas for those of us with greenhouses in the Northeast? I currently heat with a propane wall mounted heater and it is too expensive. I go through a fifty pound bottle just about every week.

Wiggs, what kind of GH do you have and what size is it?

UofMstressbaby

It is a 12x20 polycovered.

Sorry, but poly film or polycarbonate? How many layers or walls?

Wiggs I ran through that much here too. This year I switched to Kerosene with an electric heater added on the coldest days. I think the kero is running me almost half as much as the propane was but there is the smell. Also some plants like tomatoes don't like it and can die.

MollyD

I heat the same way you do Molly. Have found most nights the electric is enough. It's 6degrees here right now. May be headed your way. Had to refill the kerosene heater this morning. Now the suns up it should start warming up out there. It's a lot cheaper than propane. My gh is 20'x20' with double poly, insulated north wall. I use styrafoam insulation around the side walls about table height and lots of water as a heat sink. My DH wants to find a way to switch to wood heat. We have plenty on our property and it would be the most cost effective for us.

try to insulate the North side. Also get some big metal drums, paint them black and put them along the north wall as well. They will absorb the suns rays during the day and at night release it back into the greenhouse.
Stay warm!
Forevereden

Forevereden,

I have both the north wall insulated and black 55 gallon barrels (4 of them) but they don't really keep it warm here in the north. This morning it was 3 degrees. Tonight we expect to go below 0 .
Last night I ran both the kero and the electric heater. Good thing too cause the kero developed a problem and wasn't heating the way it should. It was 40 in there this morning. Paul already fixed the heater so it's now warmed up in there. Somehow Murphy's Law (whatever can go wrong will) always seems to go into effect when it's real cold or snowing hard!

Molly

Thanks for all the advice. This weekend I ended up insulating the north wall as well as the side walls (up to four feet) and then had plans to build a different one this summer for next growing season.

Wiggs are you using bubblewrap or a solar pool cover on your GH? They really help. Mine is installed on the inside since that way I wouldn't have to worry about winds ripping it off. I'm using a clear solar pool cover. The clear lets the light and sun through. The blue ones won't work right.
Folks with small GH's put the cover over the whole thing and wrap it like a package.

MollyD