Home heating oil hit $3.80 a gallon in n/e Ohio. Pellets would need to be $500 a ton to compare BTU

[kinsmanstoves]

Home heating oil hit $3.80 a gallon in n/e Ohio. Pellets would need to be $500 a ton to compare as per BTU. Electric would need to be $11.50 per kWh. Natural Gas at $2.90 a therm or 100 CF. Corn at $8.80 for 50 lbs. Coal would need to be $660 a ton. Just saying.

Eric

 

[hossthehermit]

You trying to say yer raising yer prices, Eric?

 

[kinsmanstoves]

You trying to say yer raising yer prices, Eric?

Lets not read between the lines. I am holding them as long as the mill and shipping will.

Eric

 

[webbie]

This would obviously depend on the honest efficiency of the particular appliances in question......

it is the nature of "sales" to try to put things in the best possible light for a profit, but the real equation would have to take into account.

1. Cost and longevity of the appliance.
2. Efficiency of the appliance
3. Work required to keep the baby going
4. Yearly costs in maintaining and parts as the years go by.
5. etc.....

Let me give a rough example. I buy a top of the line pellet stove installed for $5K.
Realistically, it lasts me 12 years if I am lucky without very major repairs (this seems average, some go sooner, some go later)
I burn 5 tons of fuel a year.
That's 60 tons of fuel.
It costs me $100 a year for the first 5 years to have it cleaned and maintained, and then $200 a year from year 6-12 (inflation, more parts, etc.)

OK, so total cost to burn that 60 tons is about 7K in addition to the pellets. Divide the 60 tons into 7K, and there are over 100 per ton of extra costs in the pellets......beside the work involved.

This is just one example. Obviously, if you have a $1,000 pellet stove you installed yourself and you do all the repairs, it may end up being only $40-50 a ton in extra costs.

As with all such things, it depends........

Pellet stoves have still not yet shown themselves to be anywhere near the reliability of oil and gas furnaces....my guess would be they are not even in the same ballpark. That is a major sticking point....along with future service and parts availability. I like the idea of the independents starting to work on pellet stoves (like Pelletstoveservice.com, etc.) because that solves one part of the equation.

Also, pellets have gone up 20% in recent weeks...right along with oil. There is very little reason for this, but pellets have always tracked closely to the price of oil....that is, went up when oil went up...sometimes dramatically.

Here is our fuel cost calculator - the default efficiencies should work fine, but you have to change the prices......
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/

 

[kinsmanstoves]

I used the one from Penn State http://energy.cas.psu.edu/

Eric

 

[webbie]

Yeah, they don't figure efficiency differences or other stuff in there...just a raw calc, it looks like.......

In any case, my NG is cheap, cheap, cheap......
:lol:

Haven't spent one dime on service over 6 years.....for either of two fireplaces or the furnace or hot water. Such a deal.

 

[will711]

Yeah, they don't figure efficiency differences or other stuff in there...just a raw calc, it looks like.......

In any case, my NG is cheap, cheap, cheap......
:lol:

Haven't spent one dime on service over 6 years.....for either of two fireplaces or the furnace or hot water. Such a deal.

You are fortunate to have NG not an option for me.

 

[gbreda]

Home heating oil hit $3.80 a gallon in n/e Ohio. Pellets would need to be $500 a ton to compare as per BTU. Electric would need to be $11.50 per kWh. Natural Gas at $2.90 a therm or 100 CF. Corn at $8.80 for 50 lbs. Coal would need to be $660 a ton. Just saying.

Eric

SSHHHHH Dont let the pellet dealers around here hear that Prices are high enough. :cheese:

 

[slls]

Yeah, they don't figure efficiency differences or other stuff in there...just a raw calc, it looks like.......

In any case, my NG is cheap, cheap, cheap......
:lol:

Haven't spent one dime on service over 6 years.....for either of two fireplaces or the furnace or hot water. Such a deal.

NG not cheap up here, company too small.

 

[jtakeman]

With the rise in oil we all know whats next! Even NG will increase, Just the way it is!

Weened off the dino juice a long time ago and no plans to ever go back! We are warmer with pellets.

 

[Bigjim13]

HHO is at$3.90/gal here, gas almost to $4/gal and pellets are close to the same prices they have been. S&P announced that if the US doesn't get a handle on the deficit they will lower our credit rating, if that gets lowered than the ability of the Govt to borrow and lend gets more costly. If lending gets more costly interest rates on mortgages go up and the cost of buying a home gets more expensive and our already fragile "recovery" will stall even more and possibly even crash the economy...again.

I guess what I'm wondering is how much more prices can go up before people say enough? And after typing all that I forgot what my original point was going to be... so you think I should grab pellets now? LOL

 

[Bigjim13]

With the rise in oil we all know whats next! Even NG will increase, Just the way it is!

Weened off the dino juice a long time ago and no plans to ever go back! We are warmer with pellets.

Problem is that not enough people have weened off the Dino juice to make a difference. My house went from 500 gallons of oil to around 100 and I couldn't be happier.

 

[buildingmaint]

My pellet guy told me that NOW will be the lowest price of the year [$210.00 A TON ] , he also said that the price usually goes down $40.00-$50.00 a ton in the spring, which in the 6 years I've been burning pellets has NEVER happened. Well maybe a few years ago when they were selling for $275.00 a ton and NO ONE was buying, and he was left with 30-40 tons in the spring that he had bought in October.

 

[Amaralluis]

Also, pellets have gone up 20% in recent weeks...right along with oil. There is very little reason for this, but pellets have always tracked closely to the price of oil....that is, went up when oil went up...sometimes dramatically.

Thank you for the small dose of reality check.
Thats why I switched from Pellets to heat pump source.
It worked great this winter. Lets see what the next one will look like.
The pellet industry looks like a cartel. Thats why I want to get out of anything that uses heating fuel that I cant control like oil/gas/pellets.
Electricity is a good solution, prices cannot skyrocket because its a necessity and they are usually stable. And with the advances in power generation its not inconceivable that I will be able to produce enough electricity either from solar or wind to feed the heat pump.
Its getting there and I want to be on that boat.

 

[Flammam]

HHO was 4.05 a gallon here last week, I had to hear the whining from one of my co-workers. Hes looking at converting to pellets before next winter. I wish NG was an option here, what the hell I wish cable tv was an option here...LOL.

 

[Alternative Guy]

Yeah, they don't figure efficiency differences or other stuff in there...just a raw calc, it looks like.......

In any case, my NG is cheap, cheap, cheap......
:lol:

Haven't spent one dime on service over 6 years.....for either of two fireplaces or the furnace or hot water. Such a deal.

I use propane, because NG isn't available. I also love the fact that a gas furnace has very low maintenance costs. I've run mine for 11 years, and it works like a top. No chimney needed becuase it is condensing. My woodstove isn't going to make me call for service either - ok, so I clean the chimney once every few years. Good deal!

 

[North of 60]

$3.80 is still a deal in my book. It was that cheap for us a year and a half ago.
Hope that makes you feel better.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

My pellet guy told me that NOW will be the lowest price of the year [$210.00 A TON ] , he also said that the price usually goes down $40.00-$50.00 a ton in the spring, which in the 6 years I've been burning pellets has NEVER happened. Well maybe a few years ago when they were selling for $275.00 a ton and NO ONE was buying, and he was left with 30-40 tons in the spring that he had bought in October.

Hook up that trailer and coome see me. I will save you $$$.

Eric

 

[save$]

Price of pellets still holding at $210 in central Maine. No shortages mentioned about not being able to get pellets or stoves. So far, the industry seems to be in a better position then it was in 2008. Competition, and better access seem to be working for us for now. Still see pellets available at Lowes, but not at HD. Most of the other outlets still have them available. I haven't heard anything indicating they will not have them available all year long. NG not yet an option for most of Maine. New lines coming to the capitol area, but those seem destined to be for large consumers such as schools etc. "Bargain" oil available for $3.59
I haven't done the hard math on how much I am saving by using pellets for my heat, but what I can say it I know it is a lot and that I am much warmer. As far as the cost to get into it, that didn't really hurt because I used some $ from cashed in unused leave when I retired to per diem. I got a far better return in savings home heating cost then I would have had I put the money in savings. As far as factoring in the cost of your time, I don't know any way to put a price to that. If you like what you are going, I don't see how you can figure cost to that. If you don't like it or mind keeping the stove clean, then this isn't your thing.

 

[will711]

Price of pellets still holding at $210 in central Maine. No shortages mentioned about not being able to get pellets or stoves. So far, the industry seems to be in a better position then it was in 2008. Competition, and better access seem to be working for us for now. Still see pellets available at Lowes, but not at HD. Most of the other outlets still have them available. I haven't heard anything indicating they will not have them available all year long. NG not yet an option for most of Maine. New lines coming to the capitol area, but those seem destined to be for large consumers such as schools etc. "Bargain" oil available for $3.59
[I haven't done the hard math on how much I am saving by using pellets for my heat, but what I can say it I know it is a lot and that I am much warmer. As far as the cost to get into it, that didn't really hurt because I used some $ from cashed in unused leave when I retired to per diem. I got a far better return in savings home heating cost then I would have had I put the money in savings. As far as factoring in the cost of your time, I don't know any way to put a price to that. If you like what you are going, I don't see how you can figure cost to that. If you don't like it or mind keeping the stove clean, then this isn't your thing.]

I agree I haven't done the math either . I know my electric bill is less I know I got a $1500 tax credit ,bottom line is like you say I'm warmer the family is warmer that's what really matters. As far as the time and effort to maintain a stove it's not work for me it's therapy I like it. There is a fellow on the forum I think his name is Big Jim ( from Vermont) his signature is " I've turned this stove into a nice little hobby". That sums it up for me .

 

[Bigjim13]

Yup that's me! I bought the stove to save money, but in the 3 years of owning the shove innate yet to go a year where I havent learned something new about it. I also enjoy talking about heating my home and the differing opinions on this site.

Truth is, nobody knows what oil is going to do, what the economy is going to do and while there have been strong suggestions that pellets are going up in price they have held pretty steady here in VT where NG isn't really an option either. Bottom line is that my house is warmer with pellets, I'm not a slave to the oil man and pellets are less expensive. Cleaning the stove every other week or so is a small price to pay. Also, I can troubleshoot my stove- I'd the furnace goes out I have to call a service tech.

 

[BrotherBart]

People ask me if I have any hobbies. I tell them that my hobby is heating my house.

 

[Countryboymo]

It is easier for me to stack and store pellet bags than deal with wood. I only use pellets when it really starts dropping below 30 or we are doing things in the basement. I let the pellet stove be the supplement to the heat pump or if we have an extended power outage a small generator will operate the pellet stove and quite a few other items in the house.

My parents have a drive in basement that allows them to back the wood right in the basement where the furnace is. If I had the option I would go the wood furnace route in a heartbeat. Wood heat is hard to beat I don't care if your burning it out of a bag or by the stick.

I also have to admit I purchased a Craigslist unit.... but after having it for a season and a half I wouldn't think twice about buying new and I originally only intended to burn when it approached the teens or lower and during an outage.

 

[humpin iron]

My pellets have not gone up 20%, they have actually gone down A LITTLE. But they get moved by truck, fuel is now well over $4 per gallon so it ends up being a wash.
Yes pellet stoves require maintenance and up keep, but it is a rare person that keeps their home as warm with oil as they do with pellets for the same $$ spent.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

My pellet prices have stayed the same, actually dropped $5 a ton. Now shipping is slowly on the rise. Will the price of pellets go up, I would bet my last dollar on it. As of when they will go up I estimate two-three months.

Eric