The house is heated with oil, forced hot water. There are 4 seperate heating zones, each with its own themostat. So we only heat the part of the house we're using. (bedrooms at night, downstairs during the day) But the oil heat doesn't come on much because we also have a wood burning stove. It keeps the first floor toasty and takes the chill off upstairs. We cut wood on our land, so is free. And is great during power outages. Not only heats but then also can cook on it. (have an electric cook stove/oven)