Cost efficient heating

Today was an unusual 60+ degree day in Kansas in January.  I visited two homes today (Mary's and her mother's) and their homes were, to say the least, HOT.  After leaving my home, which the thermostat is never above 70 in the winter and seeing my natural gas bill of almost $200, I couldn't help but wonder how much these people must be spending on warmth. 

Then I realized that something was drastically different with their heating sorce as opposed to mine.  Whereas my source is a forced air unit - the homes of Mary and her mother (and come to find out a sister) are heated by way of pellet/corn heaters.  Surprisingly, these stoves are warm to the touch.  I was half expecting old fashioned wall furnace hot or floor furnace hot - which comes with its own set of safety issues.  While these stoves were warm to the touch, you don't have to be concerned with severe burning or scarring if your child came into contact with one.  They also informed me that one to two tons of pellets will heat their homes of approx. 2000+ sq ft for the winter.  The cost?  About $400 for the pellets!  I'm thinking to myself, "but I'm paying $200 for a month to be COLD!" 

So, as you can probably imagine, I practically jumped my husband at the door and started in on how we need a pellet stove.  The only drawback is we live in a stucco bungalow that was built in 1925, which means I have to convince him it won't be hard to make a vent through the side of the house.  He's skeptical, but I think I just might have him.  I also found some amazingly beautiful pellet inserts to go in our fireplace - I'm pretty sure he likes that option the best.  Probably because it is the easiest.  That comment leads to a whole other list of stories, because I have sure put my husband through many, many major remodel projects.  I, personally, think they were all worth it - the hubby, not so much...

BUT, I'm pretty sure that in the near future we will be beaming with pride at our beautiful new corn/pellet stove and its wonderful vintage appearance.  So, though it may seem as I "have it all together" - Mary is the one that discovers all the really cool gadgets that end up saving her a pile of dollars.  That's where I lack - in the tenacity to look for something better, to do the research.  I tend to get stuck in "this is what works, so it's good enough."