Cost of oil

[ColdNH]

With the cost of oil, how will this affect your burning plans for the winter?

With the cost of oil, how will this affect your burning plans for the winter?


I know around here it’s now below 2$ a gallon. I just filled my tank up about 3 weeks ago at 2.20 a/gal.


If the cost of oil stays at its current level I will only be burning weekends and evenings. Not going to get up early to get a fire going when it’s not really saving me that much money. (Although most of my wood I get is free) it’s still a lot of work and hassle.)

 

[begreen]

We don't have no stinkin oil burner, though I would probably be doing the same as you if it was getting to below $2/gallon. A lot of folks in the pellet mill are facing the same question be it oil or gas heat.

 

[Grisu]

I have natural gas otherwise so cost was never a major factor in burning wood. I estimate that about 2/3 of our heating is done by the wood insert. We use the gas monitor to keep our home ~60 F during the day when no one is at home. In the evening, I get the insert going and it gets us through the night into the morning. Weekends and holidays I run it 24/7.

 

[ToltingColtAcres]

#2 has 138,500 Btu/gal. That's $0.001444 per btu at $2/gal.

I burn mostly white and red oak. 24.6m Btu/cord per cord. At $250/cord, I might as well say its costing me $0.00001 per Btu.

Thus, the price of a gallon of oil would have to drop to $1.385 for me to start using oil and "break even".

 

[simple.serf]

If it gets below $1.50, I'll be thinking about burning less wood. Filled the tank for dhw at 2.34 per gallon a month ago. I take a week off of work every year to do firewood. Id rather do other things with that week.

 

[Sconnie Burner]

I am also on NG but to keep my house at the toasty 72-74ish the wood stove does, it would cost me quite a bit more than the 67 I used to set it at. All my wood to this point has been "free" (with the exception of fuel/oil for the equipment and truck). I'll take the warmth!

 

[firefighterjake]

Wood is still cheaper than oil for me . . . and honestly . . . I have always approached wood burning with the mindset that I will not be a slave to it . . . so while 90-95% of my heating is done via wood, I have and will most likely continue to use oil when I am away, being lazy, need the extra heat, etc. . . . it's just nice this year to know it will not be costing me an arm and a leg to do so.

 

[mass_burner]

Isn't the question, how much more wood is cheaper? So if oil is 1.99, the spread is smaller than when oil is 3.69. Right now your wood is saving you $2 less per gl, than it did in 2013.

 

[colin.p]

Up here the price of oil only goes up, never down, so I will continue to burn anyway.

 

[btuser]

Just bought 500 gallons at 1.89 and the price is still going down. At this price I'd better hurry up and burn it quick so I can buy more!

I won't burn during the week in the shoulder season at this rate.

 

[AmbDrvr253]

All of my wood was free. I recouped the cost of the stove/chimney in about 1 year. Besides, who doesn't like the stove? While i agree it is a LOT of work. Well worth it for me.

 

[johnpma]

interesting....you now have me thinking "honey oil is pretty cheap so instead of spending the morning bringing wood into the front porch for tonight I'm gonna go sit in the duck blind and bring home some delicious dinner" LOL

 

[Nick Mystic]

This is a good question to separate the true wood burners from those who do it mostly to save money. I heat 100% with wood because I'm a true believer! I am also frugal, so I can't ignore the money saving aspect of my desire to burn wood for heat. I live on eleven acres of mixed hardwood forest land. And finally, watching the fire burn on cold winter evenings is much more entertaining to me than watching TV.

 

[ToltingColtAcres]

interesting....you now have me thinking "honey oil is pretty cheap so instead of spending the morning bringing wood into the front porch for tonight I'm gonna go sit in the duck blind and bring home some delicious dinner" LOL

Damn and I thought my wife was referring to something else when she said she wanted to stack my morning wood...

 

[ColdNH]

This is a good question to separate the true wood burners from those who do it mostly to save money. I heat 100% with wood because I'm a true believer! I am also frugal, so I can't ignore the money saving aspect of my desire to burn wood for heat. I live on eleven acres of mixed hardwood forest land. And finally, watching the fire burn on cold winter evenings is much more entertaining to me than watching TV.

Interesting and I agree, HOWEVER, If I am barely saving any money burning wood, then the lazy, frugal, wood-hoarder in me, wants to save my finest hardwoods for when oil goes back up to the 3-4$ a gallon mark

 

[Brian26]

I bought a house 2 years ago. At the time heating oil was $4 a gallon and the first thing I did was install a stove. Saved a fortune on heating oil.

I am drastically cutting back on burning this winter with oil so low. Ill hedge my 3 cords of red oak for when oil goes back up.

These are wholesale prices. My 275 gallon tank is full with $1.60 a gallon oil.

 

[NHcpa]

This is a good question to separate the true wood burners from those who do it mostly to save money. I heat 100% with wood because I'm a true believer! I am also frugal, so I can't ignore the money saving aspect of my desire to burn wood for heat. I live on eleven acres of mixed hardwood forest land. And finally, watching the fire burn on cold winter evenings is much more entertaining to me than watching TV.

I put a "like" on this, but am also burning oil this season and will glowingly watch my check book savings.

 

[BrotherBart]

I will burn the same amount of oil that I always do. I have an all electric house.

 

[begreen]

Likewise, though I pulled the range and put in a propane cooktop after the first winter and its outages.

 

[BrotherBart]

And our co-op made the brilliant move a few years ago to break away from a long term agreement to purchase power from a group because it was depending too much on natural gas. And got us long term committed to generation plants using coal.

 

[Dix]

I've been heating this joint for 5 years with fire wood only, 7 years since I "found the light"

5 years ago was brutal winter, I had added the 13, and thought I was good to go. Neglected to drain the pipes

That being said, I'm in the process of fixing the busted heat pipe, and gearing up for back up oil heat & hot water this winter.

At less than $2 US a gallon, I'll set the T stats @ 62 F, and work the house temps up from there. Save fire wood, save $$$'s? I'm good with it.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like a reasonable plan Dix. I would be doing the same if we had an oil burner as the primary system with current low pricing.

 

[Dix]

Sounds like a reasonable plan Dix. I would be doing the same if we had an oil burner as the primary system with current low pricing.

I've got a 550 gallon tank (currently empty ) .... it's do able, and a win / win.

 

[husky345 vermont resolute]

This is a good question to separate the true wood burners from those who do it mostly to save money. I heat 100% with wood because I'm a true believer! I am also frugal, so I can't ignore the money saving aspect of my desire to burn wood for heat. I live on eleven acres of mixed hardwood forest land. And finally, watching the fire burn on cold winter evenings is much more entertaining to me than watching TV.

I will never stop burning wood. I enjoy the physical aspects and not to mention the final appreciation of looking at it burning in my woodstove

 

[mass_burner]

I will never stop burning wood. I enjoy the physical aspects and not to mention the final appreciation of looking at it burning in my woodstove

If you have oil, it does make the transition times easier. I can set the boiler to come on at 6:30 to 65, gets a quicker warm up time while the stove is getting up to speed.