Fuel Usage Updates

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MainePellethead

MainePellethead

Minister of Fire
Dec 9, 2007
904
Southern Maine
We had this stove installed on January 8th. Just tallied my usage to date. We have used 9.5 bags from Jan. 8th-Jan. 21st during that time. Not to shabby at all....and approx. a third of those days/nights were below 20. Last night was 0 outside...brrr. lol Have not run the furnace one bit except for hot water. I have ordered that middle finger paper cut out to paste on the oil tank filler pipe when I do need to order oil for hot water. lol lol kiddin. Feels very good though to heat my home for a very reasonable amount of dollars.
 
This last friday the temps took a nose dive. Temps at 0 overnite and below 10 during day. Over a 60 hour period we burned 5 bags. 3000 square feet counting basement which is where the stove is located. That figures 3.3 pounds per hour average.

What size is your home and what temp do you keep it?
 
That's awesome! Don't know how you do it. I haven't done so well. I'm averaging about 1.5 bags/day but keeping the house at about 75 degrees. We like it warm. Moved down here from NJ 30 years ago partly to get away from the cold. I guess we'll have to move to Florida when I retire because it was 12 degrees outside Sunday morning. But I really don't care if I don't save any money heating with pellets, I'm happy just to know that I'm not lining the pockets of foreign dictators and governments. I like the idea I'm burning fuel that was made in America!
 
davevassar said:
9.5 bags in 13 days? Thats pretty good. Do you have a small house with an open floor plan?
Click to expand...
Thats heating the downstairs....not a very open floor plan.....but kitchen and living room have a "cutout" from kitchen to living area....bout 770 sq. ft. total for down stairs. We dont really open the upstairs up unless we use it to entertain with the 7' slate pool table we have upstairs and an exercise room. So basically its for the downstairs.(the stove results)
 
BIGISLANDHIKERS said:
This last friday the temps took a nose dive. Temps at 0 overnite and below 10 during day. Over a 60 hour period we burned 5 bags. 3000 square feet counting basement which is where the stove is located. That figures 3.3 pounds per hour average.

What size is your home and what temp do you keep it?
Click to expand...

1268 sq. ft and approx 770 sq. ft. downstairs and that what we mainly heat. Keeping it anywhere from 70-80...sometimes a lil lower than 70 if we are away. Naturally the further rooms are abit lower than that....but we are happy with what we have used so far.
 
Philip said:
That's awesome! Don't know how you do it. I haven't done so well. I'm averaging about 1.5 bags/day but keeping the house at about 75 degrees. We like it warm. Moved down here from NJ 30 years ago partly to get away from the cold. I guess we'll have to move to Florida when I retire because it was 12 degrees outside Sunday morning. But I really don't care if I don't save any money heating with pellets, I'm happy just to know that I'm not lining the pockets of foreign dictators and governments. I like the idea I'm burning fuel that was made in America!
Click to expand...

I agree 500% on being happy not lining the pockets of foreign countries and that we have our OWN resource right before our nose and its NON polluting :) We like it a lil warm but mostly in the living areas....we tend to like it a lil cool(not cold) in the sleeping areas....We have had some mild(what I consider mild...25-30 days/nights etc....) I notice the stove cranking more when it dips below 20. We have had some near zero days and nights so I crank the crap out of it lol....then back it off for bedtime.
I have to add.....my house was built in 1986...and its buttoned(insulated) in quite well. I also have a good cushion of insulation in my floors even though I have a furnace downstairs in the basement....since the pellet stove it stays chilly down there and i have ceramic floors....so I have a nice cushy layer of insulation and it works quite well keeping the floor area warmer. If I ever finish my basement off....which is in the plans...to put my pool table down there etc....then I will button the basement in more and probably install a gas stove or fireplace. Maybe even a small pellet stove down there for when we are downstairs entertaining etc. Always good to have a few various heat sources :)
 
AwsumSS said:
BIGISLANDHIKERS said:
This last friday the temps took a nose dive. Temps at 0 overnite and below 10 during day. Over a 60 hour period we burned 5 bags. 3000 square feet counting basement which is where the stove is located. That figures 3.3 pounds per hour average.

What size is your home and what temp do you keep it?
Click to expand...

1268 sq. ft and approx 770 sq. ft. downstairs and that what we mainly heat. Keeping it anywhere from 70-80...sometimes a lil lower than 70 if we are away. Naturally the further rooms are abit lower than that....but we are happy with what we have used so far.
Click to expand...


Nothing better than the steady heat either. The basement is about 73* and upstairs is about 65*. A bit cool upstairs but thats where it stays...no up and down.
 
AwsumSS said:
Philip said:
That's awesome! Don't know how you do it. I haven't done so well. I'm averaging about 1.5 bags/day but keeping the house at about 75 degrees. We like it warm. Moved down here from NJ 30 years ago partly to get away from the cold. I guess we'll have to move to Florida when I retire because it was 12 degrees outside Sunday morning. But I really don't care if I don't save any money heating with pellets, I'm happy just to know that I'm not lining the pockets of foreign dictators and governments. I like the idea I'm burning fuel that was made in America!
Click to expand...

I agree 500% on being happy not lining the pockets of foreign countries and that we have our OWN resource right before our nose and its NON polluting :) We like it a lil warm but mostly in the living areas....we tend to like it a lil cool(not cold) in the sleeping areas....We have had some mild(what I consider mild...25-30 days/nights etc....) I notice the stove cranking more when it dips below 20. We have had some near zero days and nights so I crank the crap out of it lol....then back it off for bedtime.
Click to expand...


I buy pellets made 2 miles from my house. The place employs friends and neighbors
 
BIGISLANDHIKERS said:
AwsumSS said:
BIGISLANDHIKERS said:
This last friday the temps took a nose dive. Temps at 0 overnite and below 10 during day. Over a 60 hour period we burned 5 bags. 3000 square feet counting basement which is where the stove is located. That figures 3.3 pounds per hour average.

What size is your home and what temp do you keep it?
Click to expand...

1268 sq. ft and approx 770 sq. ft. downstairs and that what we mainly heat. Keeping it anywhere from 70-80...sometimes a lil lower than 70 if we are away. Naturally the further rooms are abit lower than that....but we are happy with what we have used so far.
Click to expand...


Nothing better than the steady heat either. The basement is about 73* and upstairs is about 65*. A bit cool upstairs but thats where it stays...no up and down.
Click to expand...
You have a healthy bit more sq. footage than I do ....so thats about right.
 
BIGISLANDHIKERS said:
AwsumSS said:
Philip said:
That's awesome! Don't know how you do it. I haven't done so well. I'm averaging about 1.5 bags/day but keeping the house at about 75 degrees. We like it warm. Moved down here from NJ 30 years ago partly to get away from the cold. I guess we'll have to move to Florida when I retire because it was 12 degrees outside Sunday morning. But I really don't care if I don't save any money heating with pellets, I'm happy just to know that I'm not lining the pockets of foreign dictators and governments. I like the idea I'm burning fuel that was made in America!
Click to expand...

I agree 500% on being happy not lining the pockets of foreign countries and that we have our OWN resource right before our nose and its NON polluting :) We like it a lil warm but mostly in the living areas....we tend to like it a lil cool(not cold) in the sleeping areas....We have had some mild(what I consider mild...25-30 days/nights etc....) I notice the stove cranking more when it dips below 20. We have had some near zero days and nights so I crank the crap out of it lol....then back it off for bedtime.
Click to expand...


I buy pellets made 2 miles from my house. The place employs friends and neighbors[/quote

awesome! We have approx. 4 making pellets in maine. One is a huge company making alot of pellets. Love the fact that it helps our local economies :)
Click to expand...
 
I have to say i've been cranking through the pellets at a pretty good clip this year. Very close to 2 bags per day in December and i'm trending pretty close to that this month too. However, this is for 2 stoves heating over 2000 square feet. On the big PLUS-SIDE I decommisioned an oil burner that heated the basement last year and consumed 275 gallons of oil.
I also stopped using one of my Rinnai propane units so I have my propane usage down to about .8 gallones per day to heat the water and run one small propane unit in a remote bedroom.
All in all I can't complain. I expect i'll use about 4 tons of pellets and 200 gallons of propane this calendar year. For the size house that I have I think i'm well below average on the total money i'm spending on heat and hotwater costs.

I am really hoping for a mild February and March!
 
Between December and January we've burned a little over a ton of pellets. Maybe 1 and 1/4 tons. We just picked up two more tons and hoping it will get us through the rest of the winter.
 
In SW Ohio, we've burned thru about 1.5 tons since late September, keeping 2500 square foot house at about 70 degrees, give or take. Sort of a closed floor plan, but with ceiling fans on low, seems to circulate the air pretty decent upstairs and downstairs. About a 5 degree difference between coldest part upstairs and warmest spot downstairs. Gas and electric bill was down 30% for last month, one of our historically coldest billing periods.
 
Wow your usage is very good ! We had days and nights recently where it was down to about -30.. was using about 1.5 bags a day to heat my 1300 sqfoot bungalow. Its back up to about 10-25 range for temperature now so I am at a bag about every day.
 
The stove has exceeded my expectations by a good margin. In 21 days my pellet usage is at 16 bags(72.00 @ 4.49 a bag). Oil at 3.29 a gal. would have cost me approx. 7.00 a day min. (147.00 for 21 days). some days more than 7.00 a day for sure as we had some pretty cold nights etc. I have not run my furnace at all for heat for those 21 days except for hot water and the oil tank level has moved a very small smidgen :)

Very impressed.
 
I've had my stove for a little over three weeks now and couldn't be happier with the heat! Similar to Dave, I live in the Canadian Maritimes and we've seen some extreme low's this winter already (a week at -30). On the colder days, we've been going through a bag and a half and about a bag on all the other typical winter days. The best part is that the oil furnace is off! Couldn't be more pleased with the XXV's performance, I think the biggest key was location it is in our house, heating the entire house (2000sq.ft.). All except the basement which stays cold! I love the fact that I am using a renewable resourse and not oil or any other fossil fuels. I only wish I had done this earlier!
 
Wow, I guess my stove is a pellet eater! I have the Quad Mt. Vernon AE and have burned (1) ton since 12/31 but I am heating over 3,500 sq/ft and have not had to use the propane. That makes me happy! :)
 
Today made exactly one month sice we had our stove installed. We burned almost 18 bags in one months time(30 days) @ 4.46 a bag....totalling $80.00 for the month. Using it for primary heat and furnace did not run at all for heat. If we had ran the furnace...we would have used at least 100 gallons @ 3.29 a gal. totalling $329.00......a savings of approx. $248.72 mixed with a warmer heat :)

Not to shabby... :)
 
Living in southern Maine only 18 bags, your house must be super insulated. I live in a 1300 square house, I keep the house at 70 while there and 68 when not and sleeping, averaging 1.25 bags a day over the last two months. How are you doing it?
 
Deed said:
Living in southern Maine only 18 bags, your house must be super insulated. I live in a 1300 square house, I keep the house at 70 while there and 68 when not and sleeping, averaging 1.25 bags a day over the last two months. How are you doing it?
Click to expand...

Well....as I have posted before. I have a 1270 sq. ft. house 2 floors. My kids are all grown so I have the upstairs(2 rooms). One room is a fitness room and the other is a game room with a 7' slate pool table. Obviously we are not upstairs alot during the week so we keep the upstairs pretty closed off. So we are pretty much heating approx. 760 sq. ft. downstairs most of the time. And alot of the times during the day the temps get warmer outside so I keep the temp down on the stove. For the most part we run the stove on low alot and medium secondly. Sometimes on high, not often. My house was built in 1986 so the insulation isnt bad. I did insulate the floor which I think made a difference. I am going to add to my attic area too . Years ago when I had my new furnace put in I had an old fashioned steam radiator refurbished and installed on its own(non thermostat) zone in the basement so my basement still stays somewhat warm because when the furnace comes on for the hot water then water will flow through that radiator as well. But all in all....I think the fact that we heat mostly the downstairs only is why my pellet usage is low. Where in Central are you? I was raised in Lincoln and my lady was raised in Corinna. :)
 
Deed said:
Living in southern Maine only 18 bags, your house must be super insulated. I live in a 1300 square house, I keep the house at 70 while there and 68 when not and sleeping, averaging 1.25 bags a day over the last two months. How are you doing it?
Click to expand...

I'm in southern maine as well, running an Enviro Empress in a 1900 sq ft colonial. For the month of January the stove heated the whole house (it's well located to send heat upstairs) on 43 bags, so I'd say your numbers seem about right. I spent $2200.00 on oil last year ( most of that Nov. to March) locked in at 2.59. This year I heated for the month of January for less than $200.00.
 
mnoack said:
Deed said:
Living in southern Maine only 18 bags, your house must be super insulated. I live in a 1300 square house, I keep the house at 70 while there and 68 when not and sleeping, averaging 1.25 bags a day over the last two months. How are you doing it?
Click to expand...

I'm in southern maine as well, running an Enviro Empress in a 1900 sq ft colonial. For the month of January the stove heated the whole house (it's well located to send heat upstairs) on 43 bags, so I'd say your numbers seem about right. I spent $2200.00 on oil last year ( most of that Nov. to March) locked in at 2.59. This year I heated for the month of January for less than $200.00.
Click to expand...

Thats a great savings. I estimate if prices stay approx. the same....I would save at least a thousand dollars a season or more. I like it warm except for sleeping.....and to keep it as warm as I have it with pellet stove.....would be approx. 550 gallons. So....very happy with the results I have.
 
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