Back to heating oil?

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G

g1mb

Member
Feb 15, 2011
25
central CT
I just took delivery of heating oil at $2.99 per gallon.

I checked the current price for Okanagan wood pellets; they are $339.00 per ton, plus another $25.00 for delivery per ton if I order 4 tons.

I have plugged these prices into five fuel cost comparison charts and oil wins three out of five.

The cutoff date for reserving pellets for the following season is only a few months away.

If these prices are the same this spring, I may just do a coin flip.

What do you think?
 
Yea. I think my heating oil company pounds me, but I don't buy a lot of oil. I think if I were to consider using oil again for heating I would do some shopping first.
 
I'm using both, set the tstat to 70 and if the pellet cant keep up the furnace will kick in maybe once a hour for 3-5 mins, keeping the pellet on med low #2
 
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Yeah, at $3 for oil, that's BTU-equal to $360 a ton, give or take depending upon your setup. That doesn't include any of your labor for filling the hopper or cleaning the stove. That pricing breakeven quandary is why so many of us seek out the best least expensive pellets. I'm burning Blazers and FSUs for $239 delivered, which makes my oil breakeven $2 a gallon. In my neck of the woods, oil is still $2.59, so I'm still burning pellets, but I'll do as I did last year, and wait until September to decide.
 
The pellets are more eco friendly and carbon neutral. That makes it a no brainer for me.
 
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chken said:
Yeah, at $3 for oil, that's BTU-equal to $360 a ton, give or take depending upon your setup. That doesn't include any of your labor for filling the hopper or cleaning the stove. That pricing breakeven quandary is why so many of us seek out the best least expensive pellets. I'm burning Blazers and FSUs for $239 delivered, which makes my oil breakeven $2 a gallon. In my neck of the woods, oil is still $2.59, so I'm still burning pellets, but I'll do as I did last year, and wait until September to decide.
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My benchmark in the Oil/Pellet debate is on pellets I keep my place at 74 degrees constant.
On oil if I was to keep my thermostat anywhere near 74 degrees,
My furnace would drink l ike a drunken sailor, cause more Oil drops thus blowing any savings in the long run.
I'm done keeping my place in the mid-upper 60;s JUST to conserve oil.
 
Im right at the point where oil and pellets cost about the same. My adult son has recently moved in with me and his room is downstairs from the stove. I was originally planning to put an insert into the fireplace I have down there but it no longer makes economic sense. He likes it on the cool side and keeps the oil heat down there set to 60 but im sure that having an effect on my upstairs pellet consumption but not alot since we keep upstairs at 69. Its not a question of if but rather when oil prices go back up, ill buy that insert for down stairs.
 
TimfromMA said:
Im right at the point where oil and pellets cost about the same. My adult son has recently moved in with me and his room is downstairs from the stove. I was originally planning to put an insert into the fireplace I have down there but it no longer makes economic sense. He likes it on the cool side and keeps the oil heat down there set to 60 but im sure that having an effect on my upstairs pellet consumption but not alot since we keep upstairs at 69. Its not a question of if but rather when oil prices go back up, ill buy that insert for down stairs.
Click to expand...
In the mean time you can look for a nice used insert. One on CL, a 52 used two years for $1700. If we had a fireplace for it I would be on it.
 
After three weeks I just emptied the ash pan and did a quick clean on the ignighter chamber glass and front. Had the oil on during. Had forgotten how quiet and even oil baseboard hot water heat is and how much fun it is to contribute to the myth of Global Warming, BUT, with oil at $2.35 a gallon and my pellet buy at $235 a ton, oil would have to be around $2.10 a gallon for me to break even.

And there IS the ambiance of a nice fire. . . . .
 
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Woody1911a1 said:
you paid $2.99 ? i just paid $2.34 not that far from you . still happily burning pellets though .
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CT is always much pricier. Can't figure out why unless CL&P has their hands in it.
 
Oil has dropped below my break even point, but that means storing the remaining 2 tons till it becomes cost effective again. Pellet manufacturers are laughing their way all the way to the bank!
 
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jackman said:
The pellets are more eco friendly and carbon neutral. That makes it a no brainer for me.
Click to expand...

Never seen a pellet tree. Unless the pellet factory is next to Hoover Dam they are most likely using some fuel in their production. Then end up on a truck burning diesel.
 
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moey said:
Never seen a pellet tree. Unless the pellet factory is next to Hoover Dam they are most likely using some fuel in their production. Then end up on a truck burning diesel.
Click to expand...
You mean like what it takes to produce the electricity to charge an electric car?
 
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Im staying with pellets since I prebought oil in july for 3.60. First time i prepaid in 10 years and I got burnt.
 
F4jock said:
*Sigh* Oil burner is in the basement. Pellet stove is in the great room. You figure it out.
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Plus factor in the noise the distribution blower puts out and it's compounded!
 
Price of #2 fuel oil here in the Hudson Valley is down to $2.55 a gallon from Economy Oil, which covers a lot counties. Prices on pellets just keeps going up. Go figure.
 
Be Interesting to re-read all these Pro -Oil post when The Prices start back up someday...
ya know it's gonna happen right?
 
Tonyray said:
Be Interesting to re-read all these Pro -Oil post when The Prices start back up someday...
ya know it's gonna happen right?
Click to expand...


Yupper. I don't think anyone here is selling their pellet stove just yet
 
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