Best pellet price Ever, Even I was Amazed $8.90 / Bag

[drizler]

We needed a couple bags to tide us over the weekend till I feel like getting a truck load of corn so decided to have the wife go grab em at Agway since its next to where she works. Knowing Agways foolish prices I called and asked them yesterday. It was $8.90 / bag. She said they were premium pellets though and there is a discount for buying a ton.I wouldn't even let her tell me how much a ton was. Incredible. Another reason why I never buy anything at Agway. Now that Tractor supply is in town I can't wait to see them go on their face.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

gawd! $8.90 a bag???!! i'd sit in my living rom and rub sticks together before i'd pay that , premium or not, platnum maybe, but not premium

 

[GVA]

We needed a couple bags to tide us over the weekend till I feel like getting a truck load of corn so decided to have the wife go grab em at Agway since its next to where she works. Knowing Agways foolish prices I called and asked them yesterday. It was $8.90 / bag. She said they were premium pellets though and there is a discount for buying a ton.I wouldn't even let her tell me how much a ton was. Incredible. Another reason why I never buy anything at Agway. Now that Tractor supply is in town I can't wait to see them go on their face.

WOOHOO what a price
For that price you would be better off going to the grocery store and picking up some orville redenbacker and pouring that in the stove, at least it would be cheaper :lol:

 

[Xena]

Holy crap they need to put down the crack pipe.
6 dollars a bag was the highest I've been quoted
in my area, and I cringed at that.

 

[nshif]

Saw bags at the local IGA for close to 6$. thought that was high. Glad I burn wood that free, well almost.

 

[Mike Wilson]

I just cross referenced it on Craig's fuel cost calculator... hold on to your guts...

Pellets @ $8.90/bag are equal to:

Oil at $4.30/gallon

Cordwood @ 700/cord

Coal @ $775/ton

________________

Now, last I bought these items, oil was $1.88/gallon, wood was $150/cord, and I checked coal, its $245/ton around here.

So... one more example of the pellet industry screwing itself by screwing the community.

-- Mike

 

[nshif]

From all Ive read on here about pellet stove problems and the prices and availability of pellets I wouldnt have one if you gave it to me . Sorry Pellet stove owners.

 

[Todd]

Holy crap! And I thought $5 per bag at our local Farm & Fleet was bad. I did find a feed and seed place close by that was selling corn at $174.50 and pellets at $175 per ton. Pretty good deal I thought.

 

[GVA]

I just cross referenced it on Craig's fuel cost calculator... hold on to your guts...

Pellets @ $8.90/bag are equal to:

Oil at $4.30/gallon

Cordwood @ 700/cord

Coal @ $775/ton

________________

Now, last I bought these items, oil was $1.88/gallon, wood was $150/cord, and I checked coal, its $245/ton around here.

So... one more example of the pellet industry screwing itself by screwing the community.

-- Mike

It's not all the industry it's places like THAT AGWAY that are screwing the system up.....
They probably jacked the price up so that in a couple of months they could say that pellets are 50% off and still make a killing......

More to the point you just showed the flaws to Craigs fuel cost comparison (need a new algorithm)....... Mike, cut those prices in half
pellets=$4.45 a bag
oil = $2.15 a gallon
cordwood= $350 a cord
coal = $387.50 a ton
With those #s pellets are the way to go......... The price per bag and oil per gallon is about right for around here so wood burners are getting screwed.........
Do any of you pay $350 a cord?????????????
The numbers do not always tell the true story guys!
Sorry :down:

 

[restorer]

I just cross referenced it on Craig's fuel cost calculator... hold on to your guts...

Pellets @ $8.90/bag are equal to:

Oil at $4.30/gallon

Cordwood @ 700/cord

Coal @ $775/ton

________________

Now, last I bought these items, oil was $1.88/gallon, wood was $150/cord, and I checked coal, its $245/ton around here.

So... one more example of the pellet industry screwing itself by screwing the community.

-- Mike

It's not all the industry it's places like THAT AGWAY that are screwing the system up.....
They probably jacked the price up so that in a couple of months they could say that pellets are 50% off and still make a killing......
More to the point you just showed the flaws to Craigs fuel cost comparison (need a new algorithm)....... Mike, cut those prices in half
pellets=$4.45 a bag
oil = $2.15 a gallon
cordwood= $350 a cord
coal = $387.50 a ton
With those #s pellets are the way to go......... The price per bag and oil per gallon is about right for around here so wood burners are getting screwed.........
Do any of you pay $350 a cord?????????????
The numbers do not always tell the true story guys!
Sorry :down:

Nay, you got it all wrong, Agway is counting on having an inventory for next year. They figure they will see that all corn goes for ethanol, then wood will only be cut for better uses, not pulp or cordwood, because of the mild winter, so pellets will be at the $15. level by September. Think there's more than wood smoke in the corporate office?????

 

[Mike Wilson]

In my view Agway is part of the industry. They're in the distribution chain of a product, and, notwithstanding the fact that they're the end of the chain, they're a part. Any weakness in the chain impacts the whole, and that Agway is the weakest link. :lol:

As for the prices, its Craig's math, not mine. Seeing as cordwood is 200/cord at best, the pellet industry isn't getting my business... hell, if pellets are 4.45/bag I'm still going to burn oil, for convenience.



-- Mike

 

[begreen]

Dang, that about twice the price pellets are going for at the local grocery store.

 

[GVA]

Still..... last time I checked The pellets at agway sucked no matter what the price :lol:

I've had this conversation off this forum (i know.... god forbid) Most people who use oil or NG or Propane have the Thermostat set at what 68*...... Now just imagine how much money the pellet and wood burners could save if we kept the house at 68* :wow:
It's all relative....... the pellet and wood burners are warmer and spend less money than the fossil fuel users end of story......
So if it cost me a grand a year to keep my house at 80* with pellets and it used to cost me $1800 a year with NG ( and this is when NG was cheap back in 2003) at 68*
I'm still stickin' it to the MAN anyway.. And to add to this There is no other heat in my house anymore..... while most woodburners will have the oilburner set to keep the house somewhat warm till they can justify lighting up the stove and get a good draft..... So you guy's have to calculate the Oil into the prices too

My final push here is:
If I burn 4 ton a year at $250 a ton
and my neighbor burns 5 cord a year at $200 a cord where's the cost difference????????

ahh who care's??????????????????????

And finally It really doesn't matter guy's, to each his own....... RELAX......... :cheese:

 

[richg]

I take it that with the pellets for $8.90 a bag, you also get a night alone with Shania Twain.

 

[cbrodsky]

It's not all the industry it's places like THAT AGWAY that are screwing the system up.....
They probably jacked the price up so that in a couple of months they could say that pellets are 50% off and still make a killing......

More to the point you just showed the flaws to Craigs fuel cost comparison (need a new algorithm)....... Mike, cut those prices in half
pellets=$4.45 a bag
oil = $2.15 a gallon
cordwood= $350 a cord
coal = $387.50 a ton
With those #s pellets are the way to go......... The price per bag and oil per gallon is about right for around here so wood burners are getting screwed.........
Do any of you pay $350 a cord?????????????
The numbers do not always tell the true story guys!
Sorry :down:

I'm afraid you've misunderstood how the calculator works.

What it is telling you is that when you buy pellets at 4.45 a bag, it is equal to paying $350/cord, which as you state, is a ridiculous price to pay.

The way to read these results: if you can beat any of those other prices, you would be smarter to use those sources instead of pellets at 4.45 a bag. Don't think you can do much better than $2.15 on oil, but people buying cordwood at $150-$200 are saving a ton of cash over pellet users at 4.45 a bag.

 

[GVA]

My final push here is:
If I burn 4 ton a year at $250 a ton
and my neighbor burns 5 cord a year at $200 a cord where's the cost difference????????

ahh who care's??????????????????????

And finally It really doesn't matter guy's, to each his own....... RELAX......... :cheese:

NYS
Reread this.......
in the end there is no cost difference.
That's all I'm trying to say. ;-)

 

[cbrodsky]

My final push here is:
If I burn 4 ton a year at $250 a ton
and my neighbor burns 5 cord a year at $200 a cord where's the cost difference????????

ahh who care's??????????????????????

And finally It really doesn't matter guy's, to each his own....... RELAX......... :cheese:

NYS
Reread this.......
in the end there is no cost difference.
That's all I'm trying to say. ;-)

Apples and oranges. Two different users, two different houses, two different thermal profiles...

My point is that you openly criticized Craig's calculator, but you were not understanding it correctly. In the end, there is indeed a very real cost difference. An energy/cost balance on the fuel itself is much more relevant than anecdotal stories of who paid what where, but a lot of people don't like the result they see once they've laid down money to make an investment in one particular method and pellets now sell for $4.50/bag.

Of course it's been gone through on this forum time and time again and will never go away, because most pellet stove owners are not comfortable with the fact that cordwood is much cheaper per BTU than pellets. Rather than focusing on the ease of use they get for the higher cost, a fair tradeoff they made, the arguments ultimately end in these apples and oranges comparisons.

-Colin

 

[benignvanilla]

Just to add my 2 cents...

I paid, I think $200 for a ton of pellets, plus $25 delivery fee...if I remember correctly. Compared to my current rate of $0.11 cents per kwh of electricity, and the $0.18 cents I expect to be paying by next year, my pellet stove is a dream heat source

 

[Mike Wilson]

My final push here is:
If I burn 4 ton a year at $250 a ton
and my neighbor burns 5 cord a year at $200 a cord where's the cost difference????????

ahh who care's??????????????????????

And finally It really doesn't matter guy's, to each his own....... RELAX......... :cheese:

NYS
Reread this.......
in the end there is no cost difference.
That's all I'm trying to say. ;-)

So let me get this straight... if you pay the same for stuff, it costs the same in the end, right... Okay, I agree.

But, at 250/ton, pellet heat costs $22.14 per million BTU, while at 200/cord, wood costs $11.43 per million BTU... which, last I checked, is something like half the cost of pellets. So, using your logic, a more apt comparison would be "If I burn 4 tons a year at $250 a ton and my neighbor burns 8 cord a year at 200 a cord" then the costs are the same. Oh, and you'll need oil to rise to $2.42/gallon to pay an equivalent price per BTU as Pellets at 250/ton.
Basically, pellets are not cost effective unless you can get them cheaper, or you heat with electric or propane or such.

Now, back on topic, I think anyone who charges almost 9 bucks a bag for pellets is of of his gourd, and anyone who buys them should be locked up. Boycott this Agway.

-- Mike

 

[cbrodsky]

Just to add my 2 cents...

I paid, I think $200 for a ton of pellets, plus $25 delivery fee...if I remember correctly. Compared to my current rate of $0.11 cents per kwh of electricity, and the $0.18 cents I expect to be paying by next year, my pellet stove is a dream heat source

That I don't doubt a bit... that is indeed a good application of a pellet stove as your alternative is very costly. As Mike also notes above, there are plenty of good applications such as what you describe.

And BTW, Craig's calculator agreees with you

-Colin

 

[GVA]

Maybe I should start a new thread but one last thing on the BTU's
How quick is the release of those BTU's?
of cordwood vs pellets.

 

[Xena]

Lol. All those fancy calculations look good on paper -
I don't know if they are fact or fiction....
I do know that last year I saved 100
dollars a month burning pellets since I
kept track of everything myself so I'm
more than pleased with the pellet stove.

Burn what works for you is my motto. Wood sucks for my
situation due to a half dozen different reasons that
have all been mentioned before.
I'd never mess with cordwood but power to ya if thats what blows
yer skirt up. We are all lucky to be able to find alternative
ways to heat our homes when just a couple hundred yrs
ago they didn't have choices.

 

[mgambuzza]

I think Agway believes that if they charge $8.90 a bag, others will follow suit. They can then start selling large volumes of propane again as it will prove to be the superior and cost effective heating source. The public will never know the alterior motive....

BTW - I think (or hope) the public is smarter than they think...

 

[HarryBack]

As for saying the Pellet Industry is whacked because of the anomalous pricing of ONE minor dealer in a market is absolutely ridiculous and single-minded. One guy overcharges, and now the whole industry is corrupt. Hey, guys, its called FREE ENTERPRISE. If the moron running the Agway wants to charge to exhorbitant numbers when pellet prices are actually falling, so be it. I would suggest it isnt right though, to extrapolate his high price, plug it into the vaunted caculator, which Ill hit on in a bit, and then say pellets are a rip-off. Heres an idea....go to the grocery store...get the prices on one of those "I'm (hopefully) gonna-get-laid-tonight" bundles of wood they sell, extrapolate THAT to your cord of wood, and tell me what a deal wood is. Then, in the next breath, tell me that the wood industry is a bunch of crooks, etc. Do you folks see any correlations here? I would really like to know what they are charging for a ton of pellets tho...curious there. Maybe they are trying to get folks to buy only tons, rather than having to tear into a skid, pay a guy to do so, pay a guy to wait while the customer screws around rearranging their already overfilled minivan, pay a guy to load it while the customer stands there, etc. Hey, Ive got an idea! lets go to Seth's website, use some of those pellet numbers, and see how they fare? Heres the link:

http://www.woodpelletprice.com/

You folks maybe might not want to do this, since it doesnt support your argument, but, hey, I cant help that.

Now, Ive a question on the calculator. Its a good tool to get a rough idea, but heres a scenario for you all. A Guy has an OWB, crappy efficiency, and dirty. Another guy has a typical pellet stove. Can we still use the calculator here and rely on its results? I think NOT. Correct me if Im wrong, Craig, but efficiencies arent factored in at all in the calculator, are they? Im guessing the OWb guy will use MUCH more wood than folks like Elk, burning their EPA certified units. The calculator is a FUEL COMPARISON calculator, and the one big flaw there is that the fuel is only part of the equation.....efficiency is another HUGE factor that must be looked at as well. Another factor might be labor. Nothings easier than electricity. Gas and oil would be next, just have to wait for the delivery, unless piped in....so you might actually have to call the oilman. Then pellets and coal...youve gotta hump them bags to wherever you are storing them, then hump them over to the stove to use them when you need them....certainly more labor-intensive than turning a dial on the wall. This labor is worth something, but you cant put a number on it, since some folks put no value on their own time. Then there is wood. Arguably the most labor-intensive fuel of them all (and I dont really think its arguable, Im just throwing the woodburners here a bone)......some folks really love the scrounging of wood, stacking, splitting, storing, covering, and carrying of it all.....therapeutic, and good exercise. There is certainly a feeling of comfort in sweat equity. Unfortunately, for folks like me, I just dont have the time to do this. I work 13 days out of every 14, have 4 kids all involved in sports, and its dangerous to cut in the dark. I am forced to value my time, since I dont seem to have alot of it. Should I scrounge wood, or should I see my daughter play soccer? No conundrum on my part. I choose my daughter. Maybe things would be different if I had weekends off, or actually got out of work when it was light....I dunno.

ok....flame on! :lol:

 

[drizler]

Harryback, are you sayin if I go to the Grand Union and buy those goofy artificial looking dogbone looking logs I am going to get some? Who needs a $6 per pill solution when you have that? Why its the best deal on the planet. That truly is "PRICELESS". For those of you married more than 10 years may we all join hands; for those not yet there all I can say is my condolances.

As for Agway I always found them to be a 1st class ripoff in every thing they sell. How they stay in business is beyond me. All I can do is consider it an honor to spread the bad word to drive another nail in their coffin. They get what they deserve.