Energy price comparison

[mtnbiker727]

Here's your friendly reminder that burning wood pellets is still one of the cheapest heat sources out there.

One of my friends at church (a mechanical engineer who designs heating and plumbing systems) just told me they are paying $4.00 per gallon for propane to heat their house. This chart doesn't even go up that high, but $3.45 per gallon is equivalent to $580 per ton of pellets!

My parents also told me their heating oil was $4.00 per gallon (they primarily use a wood stove). If I adjust the chart to that it's still equivalent to $475 per ton of pellets.

I winced a little bit when the hardware store told me pellets were $290 per ton last fall, but considering the alternatives, I made out pretty good!

Needless to say, in my 5th heating season I'm still very happy with my stove purchase.

 

[bogieb]

That really depends on where you live and your costs for various fuels. I have my choice of using my ductless mini split, a propane boiler or wood pellets. For me, propane has no way of being in the running (I put in $4.00, but my per gallon price is higher - I'm just too lazy to look it up). Wood pellets can be up to $9/bag here but I can find them for $350/ton if I so choose. However, delivery charges also apply which would add $80-90 per delivery, so I left the ton price at $385. Electric prices dropped in August, so they aren't as outlandish as they were and are actually competitive.

My ace is that I have net metered solar and have banked credits with the electric company so it is "free" thus far (or pre-paid as it were). I do use the pellet stove downstairs since that is the only heat osurce down there. And, I use my main floor pellet stove when it gets in the lower teens (like this morning), or is super windy (old house) as pellet stove is more effective in those conditions.

 

[skibumm100]

As said, it really depends on where you live and what your primary fuel is. When I lived in SE NH fuel oil was ~$4/gal and pellets were $220-300/ton, pellets were a clear winner. In SW MI where I live now, pellets at $300/ton cost me about twice as much as natural gas in my furnace. I bought one ton this year just to keep the chill off in the walkout basement but I don't think I'll buy a second ton. On it's lowest setting I burn a bag in about 21-22 hours.

 

[mtnbiker727]

That really depends on where you live and your costs for various fuels. I have my choice of using my ductless mini split, a propane boiler or wood pellets. For me, propane has no way of being in the running (I put in $4.00, but my per gallon price is higher - I'm just too lazy to look it up). Wood pellets can be up to $9/bag here but I can find them for $350/ton if I so choose. However, delivery charges also apply which would add $80-90 per delivery, so I left the ton price at $385. Electric prices dropped in August, so they aren't as outlandish as they were and are actually competitive.

My ace is that I have net metered solar and have banked credits with the electric company so it is "free" thus far (or pre-paid as it were). I do use the pellet stove downstairs since that is the only heat osurce down there. And, I use my main floor pellet stove when it gets in the lower teens (like this morning), or is super windy (old house) as pellet stove is more effective in those conditions.

View attachment 322376

Natural gas is usually one of the cheapest, but is also not available everywhere. Where I live now, we were told it would cost $15,000 just to run gas service to the house. We wouldn't live long enough to realize savings there. The initial investment for geothermal would probably be just as expensive as changing to natural gas.

 

[bogieb]

Natural gas is usually one of the cheapest, but is also not available everywhere. Where I live now, we were told it would cost $15,000 just to run gas service to the house. We wouldn't live long enough to realize savings there. The initial investment for geothermal would probably be just as expensive as changing to natural gas.

Natural gas is not available for most of NH. And most of the places I know that have NG, I wouldn't want to live in (or can't afford to live there)

 

[Former Farmer]

It definitely makes a difference on where you are. Best price in NE Wisconsin that I have found for softwood pellets was $255 per ton picked up. When I had my propane tanks filled back in July 2023, I paid $1.00 per gallon. Granted, I own my own tanks and took 1000 gallons. That will last me for the entire year.

 

[skibumm100]

Natural gas is not available for most of NH. And most of the places I know that have NG, I wouldn't want to live in (or can't afford to live there)

Yeah, I'm aware it's not available widely in New England. Fuel oil is expensive and propane prices go with oil prices. Even if you had natural gas available where you live in NH, it would be much more expensive than the mid-west as you would get hosed on transportation costs. Energy is just plain high in the northeast but I don't see that changing anytime soon. They fight gas pipelines tooth and nail up there so you're just stuck with paying more. The scenery is way better and the skiing is way better. I planned on moving back to NH after I retired but I'm not sure I can afford it. I looked at raw land pricing in central and northern NH and it has gone insane. Land around Errol and elsewhere is going for $10K and acre. That's nuts.

 

[shtrdave]

No NG where I live, it is about 2 miles away and I had hoped it would come this way but has not in the 15 years I have lived here.
I have a Heat pump with a coil in it. it works nice when the temps are above 35 ish but after that well tome not so good. It also is not a warm heat, like the pellet stove is. Before the pellet stove I had a ventless propane stove, the cast iron enclosure with the gas logs in side. It didn't have a blower on it but I used a small fan to move the air, and I liked it, pretty much no messing around, but propane was not a saving over the electric back then.
I have a gas range and have a 100 gallon tank, last Jan they filled at $5.19/gallon and Sept it was $4.39/gallon when it was filled again. Use 91.4 gallon and averaged $4.65/gallon. Pellets were $325 ton delivered.
I use a small kerosene heater in when it wasn't cold out and it would keep the place fairly warm, once the weather got colder it wouldn't keep it above the thermostat setting so the stove would kick on at times. thats when I stopped using it until closer spring . But Kerosene is $5.00+ a gallon. I filled up the oil tanks for the garage at $3.59 gallon last fall.
Honestly I would just use the electric but as i said it is not a warm feeling heat. My electric is about $0.18kw.

 

[bogieb]

Yeah, I'm aware it's not available widely in New England. Fuel oil is expensive and propane prices go with oil prices. Even if you had natural gas available where you live in NH, it would be much more expensive than the mid-west as you would get hosed on transportation costs. Energy is just plain high in the northeast but I don't see that changing anytime soon. They fight gas pipelines tooth and nail up there so you're just stuck with paying more. The scenery is way better and the skiing is way better. I planned on moving back to NH after I retired but I'm not sure I can afford it. I looked at raw land pricing in central and northern NH and it has gone insane. Land around Errol and elsewhere is going for $10K and acre. That's nuts.

And a NG plant is slated to close in the not-to-distant future.

Land and housing prices have exploded because, since the pandemic, which allowed people to work from home (and now staying that way for a good percentage of those), everyone wants to move here so there is a huge housing and rental shortage. Rental vacancies were under 1% the last I heard.