Cost of pellets vs oil

[becasunshine]

just 5 years ago when I purchased

I love the new siding color and that gorgeous stone wall!

I'm sitting here at the river house with 20+ mph wind hitting the back of the house, straight off the water. Thank goodness it's not cold outside today- it's downright temperate- but it's going to get cold tonight.

This is the house to which we hope to retire in a few years. It has a heat pump with a back up gas furnace, powered by (of course) propane.

We've not yet installed an alternate heating system here because it's not mandatory that we be here during cold weather. Both of us were sitting here last night, and the night before last, missing our pellet stove but not touching the thermostat. After the sun went down, temps quickly dropped to the threshold below which the propane furnace would have fired as opposed to the heat pump.

The house is new, built very well by a local builder whose family has lived in this exact location for hundreds of years. The builder's father was in construction, as was his grandfather. These guys know how to build and insulate a house for this location. We were very, very lucky to fall backwards into this house. The only thing we've had to do to this house in terms of winterizing is to insulate the electrical outlets on the exterior walls, as well as adding those childproof electrical outlet plugs that keep kids from sticking object into outlets.

We were here one weekend last winter when it was indeed cold, and a stiff wind was blowing right off of the water and onto the back of the house. I could put my hand in front of the electrical outlet and feel the cold wind coming in through the prong openings in the sockets.

Yeah, it gets cold here in the winter. We thought we'd hold off on buying a pellet stove for this house until we were closer to retirement, but we're in the process of changing our minds. It's entirely possible that a pellet stove could pay for itself in money saved by not using propane, just in part time use during the winter in the remaining years that my husband hopes to work.

 

[iceguy4]

river house with 20+ mph wind hitting the back of the house, straight off the water

funny my house is also on a river...out front! yep ...wind too

I love the new siding color and that gorgeous stone wall!

I built them.10" block on a 4' deep 8X24 footing, 8" block faced after with free stone from odd jobs. ..proper drainage combined with filling all block holes with re-rod and concrete.

 

[becasunshine]

funny my house is also on a river...out front! yep ...wind too

We aren't water front- thank goodness or we'd be paying waterfront property taxes, heating bills and shoreline conservation, but we are water view, which is nice. We do, however, have a level field between us and the river with no windbreak. When the wind comes off of the water it hits the house. Our weather station has recorded winds as high as 60+ mph not associated with any storm system. (Did I already say that in this thread? if so, sorry!)

I built them.10" block on a 4' deep 8X24 footing, 8" block faced after with free stone from odd jobs. ..proper drainage combined with filling all block holes with re-rod and concrete.

You did a great job. That wall is gorgeous- it really frames the house!

 

[rowerwet]

my outdoor pellet boiler cut my house heat bill almost in half, we kept the house on the same programable thermostat and temps as oil. Unlike those dinky indoor stoves the boiler heated the whole house evenly, and my hot water.

 

[Bioburner]

my outdoor pellet boiler cut my house heat bill almost in half, we kept the house on the same programable thermostat and temps as oil. Unlike those dinky indoor stoves the boiler heated the whole house evenly, and my hot water.

Who's calling my stove dinky, I am doing the same thing. No fancy thermostat needed.

 

[Dgopetactical]

My math does not add up to what I'm reading above, all I can say is I used to burn about 825 gal of oil a year x $3.65 = $3,011 a year keeping my house about 70 deg. Last years pellet usage was 4 ton $865.00 average house temp 76 deg, oil usage about 10 gallons.
Total heating cost for 2012-13 $901.50
Since pellets in my area went up about $30 a ton this year my heating cost will be a little above $1,000,

my savings paid for my stove in 1 season.

I have a 67 yo cape cod 1750 sf walls have minimal insulation r 9 attic has equivalent of r 40
Denny

 

[jlupi]

Ill give you my math. I typically went through 900 g of oil with my old oil boiler. 2 yrs ago I went through 500 gallons with my new oil boiler in a very warm winter. Last year was a cold winter and I went through 3 tons of pellets and 50 gallons of oil while keeping the house warmer than I have in years.

 

[jlupi]

my savings paid for my stove in 1 season.

same here

 

[slls]

Any heating system will keep you warm if the minimum temp is at your comfort level. Oil, natural gas or pellets. A statement that I was cold burning oil makes no sense.

 

[maple1]

Any heating system will keep you warm if the minimum temp is at your comfort level. Oil, natural gas or pellets. A statement that I was cold burning oil makes no sense.

Sure it does - if above the minimum temp gets you very uncomfortable with the extra fuel dollars being spent, you can be cold burning oil.

 

[iceguy4]

Any heating system will keep you warm if the minimum temp is at your comfort level. Oil, natural gas or pellets. A statement that I was cold burning oil makes no sense.

My sense of "cheapness" makes me set my temp lower...hence we feel cold