New England (MA, CT, ME, NH, VT, RI) Pellet Price vs Home Heating Oil price

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

rsh678

Member
As the price of oil has continued to stay low and the price of pellets continues to rise it has become a lot more expensive to heat with pellets than with oil. Using a pellet price of $329 here in CT and assuming a ton of pellets is equivalent to 120 gallons of oil , the cost of the equivalent of a 275 gallon oil tank fill up would be $756.70. The cost to fill up with oil at the current price of $2.18/gallon is only $599.50. This is a huge difference. Last year the price of oil was even cheaper and the price of pellets only abut $.10 cheaper so again, not cost effective to heat with pellets. I have chosen over the last 2 years to use my oil heat instead. Anyone else feeling the pinch of high pellet prices?
 
Not here.
Our pellets aren't $329 either, and oil is not $2.18 so the difference is not like yours..

per one million BTU... here..
#2 Oil at $2.41 = $22.39
Pellets at $250 = $19.54

Dan
 
  • Like
Reactions: bbechtel16
Not here.
Our pellets aren't $329 either, and oil is not $2.18 so the difference is not like yours..

per one million BTU... here..
#2 Oil at $2.41 = $22.39
Pellets at $250 = $19.54


Dan

Saw that oil in my area is $2.89/gal (My boiler burns propane which is way more expensive so I'll keep it at oil). Even the NH Energy site says the average price for oil is $2.82/gal.

Ton of pellets, depending on where/what kind you buy is anywhere from $240 to $310/ton in my area. I will admit that we don't get any of the super duper pellets, but they aren't dogs either. 120 gal of oil would be $347. According to this chart, the only thing cheaper at this time is natural gas, which isn't available in my area.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pete Zahria
Propane went up and is now $4.14/gal for the delivery I got a couple of days ago. Although I've paid more in the past (winter of 2013/2014 comes to mind), the price has held steady at around $3.50/gal for the last couple of years. Fortunately only used 62 gallons over the winter for DHW and the pilot light for the boiler.
 
Propane went up and is now $4.14/gal for the delivery I got a couple of days ago. Although I've paid more in the past (winter of 2013/2014 comes to mind), the price has held steady at around $3.50/gal for the last couple of years. Fortunately only used 62 gallons over the winter for DHW and the pilot light for the boiler.
You should look into owning your propane tank. Never rent it from the fuel supplier as the price per gallon is an absolute rip off. Its one of teh biggest scams I have ever seen. I own my own tank and just got 230 gal delivered this week for a price of $1.90 if you don't own your tank its almost double that...
 
  • Like
Reactions: UpStateNY
Live in Suffield, CT.
Not paying $340/ton. Just filled oil tanks with 390gal@ 2.349/gal. Brand new W/M WGO-3 furnace installed last year but only been using for hot water and need to finish a couple things before run heat so need pellets.
Using the 120gal=1ton from above
Oil = $282/120gal
Pellet = $282*
*Using lowes coupons for Greene Team:
15bagsx$6.98/bag -$20coupon=$84.7 $84.7÷15=$5.65/bag
$5.65×50=$282
$9.44 for 4 coupons will get me 60 bags so really $284.11/ton.

Hard to find a decent pellet under $300/ton in CT.
Prices for the better pellets available near me:
 
Average October 2021 heating fuel prices per the NH Gov website

Oil: $2.98/gal, Price per million BTU $26.85
Propane: $3.55/gal, price per million BTU $48.61
Wood pellets" $298/ton price per million BTU $22.61

Oil is generally competitive (since you have to add in electricity costs for the igniter and fans), but propane is not. Going by the contract just awarded for heating my town's offices, municipalities pay a much lower propane price/gal than regular folks (that $3.55/gal above is the average, so to balance out the municipalily costs, others are paying $2.00/gal more than that average price.

Town is paying:
Oil: $2.449/gal (highest bid was $2.539/gal)
Propane: $1.399/gal (highest bid was $1.729/gal)

I have no idea how that price for propane is so wicked low when oil is20% lower than the average price while propane is a whopping 40% lower than average price. I'm not complaining that the town gets lower prices since the tax payers are paying for it one way or another.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lynn0101
My propane is locked in at $1.75 a gallon for 2021-2022 season. Last year I paid $1.45 a gallon. I own my own 325 gallon propane tank, which makes it possible to shop around. I have a 3 year old Navien hot water boiler with on demand domestic tankless hot water. Got to love these small new condensing propane boilers that hang on the wall.

Currently during the shoulder season, I am heating with mini-split electric heat pumps until the outside temp goes below 30F. With current temps 45F or above outside the mini-split heat pumps runs me about 10KwH a day at 15 cents a KwH it comes to $1.50 a day or $45 a month. It sure would be nice if outside temp stayed above 45F for the entire winter. But that would mean no snow for skiing.

I may burn 6 bags of pellets this year just for old times sake. ;) I miss the 74F heat in the living room sometimes.

Stay warm.
 
Home Depot Worcester, Mass. Northeast Pellets now 190/ton. Looks like nobody likes Northeast Pellets 😂
 
  • Like
Reactions: aviator79
Actually 199.00/ton. They have them all moved out from in back. I wonder if they’re getting ready to move them out.
 
Same deal here, but the they have Greene Supremes. 3 tons or more and they are $169.
 
At the Home Depot in South Merrimack, the Green Supreme pellets they have are NOT the Northeast Blend that are made in the Jeffrey NH plant, they are clearly labeled Allegheny Mountain Hardwood and are made in the Mifflintown PA mill. Labeled as mill # 16012 right on the bag.
I bought 4 bags to try and WOW are they better than the Northeast Blend. The sale is $199 a ton and $176 per ton if you buy 3 or more tons. I just pulled the trigger on that deal. Now I’m set for next winter too.

Their stock status says they have over 300 tons.

Ken
 
At the Home Depot in South Merrimack, the Green Supreme pellets they have are NOT the Northeast Blend that are made in the Jeffrey NH plant, they are clearly labeled Allegheny Mountain Hardwood and are made in the Mifflintown PA mill. Labeled as mill # 16012 right on the bag.
I bought 4 bags to try and WOW are they better than the Northeast Blend. The sale is $199 a ton and $176 per ton if you buy 3 or more tons. I just pulled the trigger on that deal. Now I’m set for next winter too.

Their stock status says they have over 300 tons.

Ken

I may have to make a trek there over the weekend and see. Unfortunately my road is poasted at a 6 ton limit. I know, I know, wood pellets are heating fuel and exempt but drivers won't chance it .
 
We had a new LP gas company come to the area 2 years ago. They've poached a big share of customers from every other supplier.
I locked in with them at $1.09 for 2021 and $1.19 good until June 2022. I'll be getting the tank filled before June hits, you can bet on that.
 
We had a new LP gas company come to the area 2 years ago. They've poached a big share of customers from every other supplier.
I locked in with them at $1.09 for 2021 and $1.19 good until June 2022. I'll be getting the tank filled before June hits, you can bet on that.
Wow that is an awesome rate. My propane is locked in at $1.75 here near Kingston, NY . I use about 750 gallons each year.
 
Wow that is an awesome rate. My propane is locked in at $1.75 here near Kingston, NY . I use about 750 gallons each year.

That happened in summer 2020, so we'll see what happens when my agreement expires this coming June.
So far they've been a good company to deal with. They have operations in PA and have begun to expand. 2020 is when they started operating in my area of NY and built a new plant just outside of Watertown.
I have the owner's cell number and have spoken with him on a few occasions. He bought a place in my hometown and he's even been out himself delivering on Sundays if he wanted to clear a few stops off the list.
He knows that I have a CDL and that I shut my own business down for the winter months so he even offered me a seasonal job. I told him that I'm too old to drag that hose around through snow up to my knees or higher.
 
He knows that I have a CDL and that I shut my own business down for the winter months so he even offered me a seasonal job. I told him that I'm too old to drag that hose around through snow up to my knees or higher.
I hear you Poncho. I am nice enough to always snowblow the snow to provide a clear path to the propane tank. The propane deliver guy always puts a thank you on the receipt.
 
I can hardly wait to find out how much teh 120 gals of propane that were delivered yesterday cost me. I'm on automatic delivery that is the 1st delivery since 4/2/21. That is for a year of DHW and the pilot light for my boiler for 3 months.
 
I hear you Poncho. I am nice enough to always snowblow the snow to provide a clear path to the propane tank. The propane deliver guy always puts a thank you on the receipt.

Fortunately, with the pellet stove in operation most of the time in a small home I only see them about 2 times per year. But I do the same as you. The way the house & attached garage are it's further than I'd like to walk through the snow dragging that hose.
If there's frost in the ground I clear a path with the skid steer I use in the driveway. If not I use a small tractor with a bucket and turf tires.
 
I can hardly wait to find out how much teh 120 gals of propane that were delivered yesterday cost me. I'm on automatic delivery that is the 1st delivery since 4/2/21. That is for a year of DHW and the pilot light for my boiler for 3 months.
$5.50/gallon was the price for a total of $660. Glad that is a once a year thing!
 
$5.50/gallon was the price for a total of $660. Glad that is a once a year thing!
Wow you paid $660 for 120 gallon. I used 808 gallons of propane this year at $1.76 a gallon for a total of $1422. You need to use more propane to get the discoUnt rate. 🤔 Seriously I never undrstand why propane cost so much when you use only 100 gallons.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bogieb
Wow you paid $660 for 120 gallon. I used 808 gallons of propane this year at $1.76 a gallon for a total of $1422. You need to use more propane to get the discoUnt rate. 🤔 Seriously I never undrstand why propane cost so much when you use only 100 gallons.

To be fair, I don't think even large users in NH have seen your kind of price for a long time. The average cost for those using at least 1,000 gallons was at $4.17/gal according to the state's website. IDK, maybe those near the seacoat, near the holding tanks might see decent prices, but since everything comes by ship or truck (not pipeline), gets stored, then gets trucked to the customer, it adds to the cost.