I am working on a 1915 - 2 1/2 storey home with steam heat. In light of natural gas costs this does not seem like the most economical system. I want to redo the home and am thinking of removing the steam heating system and going to electric baseboard heat, throughout. I am planning on putting, on the inside of the outer walls, stariform insulation that has foil on both sides (3/8 in thick with an R-Value of approx 14), then gyp-rock over that. Also installing new windows PVC Dual Pane Low E. So I am wondering has anyone done this changeover before? Am I going in the right direction? Any other suggestions or points of interest? Started tearing apart already so am needing advice sooner than later. This project is in Saskatchewan, Canada where the weather goes from one extreme to another.

Hello everyone, Excellent forum. I have learned alot by browing the questions and answers. There's a couple of questions I have about installing the air handler with a new heat pump system. There are two types of air handlers: standard and variable speed. Is there a preferred one for a heat pump? My other question is about heater coil sizing. Is there a guideline or rule of thumb used to choose the correct heater coil sizing? I have done my research on heat pump sizing and have decided to go with a 2.5 ton unit. It's a little oversizied, but it's going into an old farm house (1,200 sq ft located in Kentucky). The primary purpose of the unit will be heating. I will be working with a HVAC technician on installing this, but I want to be informed before work begins. Thanks, Robert