the furnace fan should have several speeds, select the highest speed compatiable with your noise requirements. run the fan 24/7, remember the heat from the fan motor stays in the house its not wasted. the fan should be 240v for max efficiency. insulating the crawl space is worthwhile, seal air leaks first with foam, you mentioned you have a high water table, it doesn't get any better than that, you have an unlimited supply of heat right under your feet. geothermal heat pumps are very efficient. you get 3 to 5 times the heat out from the energy you put in. the heat pump is in the air handler so that heat stays in the house also, you can use your NG for backup. the geothermal heat pump is ideally suited for northern climates and it heats your hot water all year round but almost for free in the summer if you air condition for temperature or humidty. climatemaster is one company, there are many now. these systems are no more difficult to install than central air. there are slinky coils that can be buried in a trench,shallow well, or lake. i can see the time when wood burning outside of power plants will be discouraged if not out right illegal. you could be losing more heat up the chimney than your gaining unless your combustion air is automatically controlled and comes from outside. reguardless of you heat source non toxic antifreeze (like sierra) is required in any system that could leak on the ground, treated water has scaling concerns, and freeze protection is a must in your climate. sorry, a good news/ bad news viewpoint.
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