Heat source cost comparison spreadsheet

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C

ControlFreak

Feeling the Heat
Jan 15, 2008
492
Holden, MA
Hello,

I put together a cost comparison spreadsheet to help me figure out the merit of various heating sources. The forum won't
let me upload a spreadsheet. So the best I can do is an image.

See attached. If anybody finds any errors in this spreadsheet, be sure to let it be known.

Surprisingly, oil, electricity and propane are close to the same price, if the prices I have found are accurate.

Anthracite coal is a very inexpensive heat source, substantially lower cost than wood, assuming coal is $200/ton and wood $160/cord.

Of course wood beats them all if you can cut your own for free.

Enjoy,

Dan
 

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  • Energy Cost Comparison.JPG
    Energy Cost Comparison.JPG
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You're getting a good rate for propane and a great rate for wood. It's much higher here. It seems unlikely that a propane system is going to be running at 95% efficiency, especially if it's a forced hot air system.
 
My forced air propane furnace is rated for 95%. The exhaust that leaves through a PVC pipe is just warm. I only use this system for heating a sunroom when we want to use it. Otherwise in the winter it's closed up waiting for warmer times.

Too bad I couldn't upload the .xls. Then you could change the numbers accordingly.

Maybe Craig will let me put this somewhere, or will allow the .xls.

Dan
 
What's not accounted for is duct loss. That doesn't happen with a pellet or wood stove or electric baseboard heaters which are in the area that's being heated.

You can do a public spreadsheet on Google and then share it. Are the formulas used in the spreadsheet different from the calculator posted on hearth.com?
 
What exactly is "duct loss"? Loss of heat from ducts before it's delivered to the room?

I would think that wouldn't matter because the heat is lost into the house anyway...

Not being a weisenheimer- but please edjimicate me on this
 
Reasonable question. Frequently duct runs are through crawlspaces and/or unheated basements. In our old farmhouse we had a 92% efficiency propane furnace, but the duct runs were no longer insulated (due to rodent nesting). The heat loss was horrendous.
 
I like the idea of an updated thread comparing fuel costs.

I also question the wood price. $240-275/cord is more realistic for cut-split-delivered hardwood in eastern Mass. However, maybe Control's # of $160/cord is not CSD, but grapple load, or more likely, rounds.

Of course if you process your own wood, you have to factor in the cost of purchasing equpiment, gas for saw, car fuel to transport, juice for splitter . . . and time, unless you're a maniac like me and enjoy splitting wood, admiring stacks and HHs, talking about wood, etc.
 
Last year I paid $85/cord for a 4 cord load of logs. The prior year I paid $160 for csd. I'll work on getting the spreadsheet up on Google. Then you can put the prices in that are typical for your area.
 
Add something (maybe about 25%) to the cost of the wood for the saw and splitter. It takes gas, oil, chains and maintenance, plus initial cost which should be accounted for. That is unless you are like my friend that has done 4 cords so far this summer, the hard way, all by hand. (But he still had to buy a serious hand saw and maul).
 
I pay 0.131 for electric. Is that Nstar's 'heating' rate ?
 
billb3 said:
I pay 0.131 for electric. Is that Nstar's 'heating' rate ?
Click to expand...
I know we are higher as well. I want to say we are around $0.141.

The price quoted for wood looks very optimistic. A friend of mine just paid $255 for a cord (if you want to call it that) CSD.



I've never looked into coal... is it even available in CT? If so (and I doubt it), I wonder how close the listed price is???
 
Not to disagree with the mod, not too much, but today's prices for csd cordwood are less than 160$ per cord in the craigslist adds. Typical softwoods of fir, alder, maple, etc. Easy peasy. Log loads like the one I got of fir are less than 100$ per cord.

Duct losses are often 15% or more through a typical forced air furnace with crawlspace or attic ducting. Very difficult to ignore these huge losses. Your 95% furnace makes heat at 95% but can't get it to the room at 95%. The mroe efficient way to burn that expensive gas (2.75 per gallon at my local fillerupper place) is in a space heater like a gas hearth appliance.

I agree though with the question (if that's possible) of isn't this the same fuel cost calculator already available?
 
Wisconsin prices are just shy of 300 for a cord on craigslist. I scrounge so I don't know if thats normal or not here. Have seen more than one add though at 300!@!@@!@
 
Good prices highbeam, though not seen here due to ferry costs. I think the norm that we are comparing is for cord wood split and delivered. If added the cost of my labor to saw and split even free wood, my fuel costs would pretty steep. However, for fun we could compare electricity at hand cranked prices, gas at home-generated methane prices too. Get those cows to work!
 
I just double checked, 215 mixed woods and 300 oak delivered!
 
I am in eastern Massachusetts and my last electric bill (NStar) had a price of 0.19/kwh!
 
Adios Pantalones said:
If buying wood by the cord- that is a spectacular price. $250 is a good price here.
Click to expand...

can get it for $150 a cord all day long in this area.
 
EngineRep said:
I am in eastern Massachusetts and my last electric bill (NStar) had a price of 0.19/kwh!
Click to expand...

I was thinkng about this issue too...I pay 14.7 per kwh here in Western MA, after switching to a 33% guarantee ssupplier cut from Dominion. I think the OP may not have included the delivery charges in his electric pricing...odds are that 10 cent figure is just the generation cost, it costs another 50% to get the juice to your house.
 
10 cents is a conservative figure here in the NW for a per KwH figure including all the BS. I wish they would offer an off-peak rate since most of my consumption is at night.
 
Highbeam, I just checked some craigslist wood prices down your way. They're great compared to ours. Got me thinking of getting some cords and paying for the delivery.
 
I try and use the CL system to locate good dealers and then become a repeat customer if I like the product. I tend to prefer the guy cutting wood as a part time gig or a kid running the wood for a side job. The companies that actually are legal businesses are often much spendier and the product isn't better.
 
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