Oil vs. pellets
- Thread starter stillersnut
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
Lake Girl
Moderator
Not sure of the state of heating oil in Canada but, gas prices have increased ... in theory since crude oil prices have dropped so much that cost should have gone down big. Reality is not so much ... we have the crude here in Canada but little refining capability.
Lake Girl
Moderator
Ouch! Oil is half the cost of pellets right now....Going to be very difficult to convince the wife I need another ton of pellets...
Papelletman
Member
Either way I'm set, I have 7 tons of pellets and a full tank of oil, also i was on a monthy payment plan for oil so I will not have to pay for the next couple of deliveries.
Maybe just run the pellet stove on low instead of medium or high and use oil to keep the temp where i want it. We'll just have to see what oil does once we get into the heating season.
I would not like having my pellets take up a bay in my garage all summer, but if I have to I will, after all they won't go bad!
Maybe just run the pellet stove on low instead of medium or high and use oil to keep the temp where i want it. We'll just have to see what oil does once we get into the heating season.
I would not like having my pellets take up a bay in my garage all summer, but if I have to I will, after all they won't go bad!
Peterfield
Minister of Fire
Pete Zahria
Minister of Fire
But in the state that we live in, there were only 6 ads.
Wood Pellets.com
Dick's Stove center
Pro Lawn Supply
A guy with 11 damaged bags for Best Offer
One guy with one ton for $265
That guy with the Blazers
I don't see a panic situation... at least in our neck of the woods..
Michael6268
Minister of Fire
If things continue the way they are, pellets IMO will soon be a thing of the past. When pellet stoves first came out, pellets were made out of scrap wood that nobody wanted. Pellets were cheap. I remember paying $74 a ton. Now they are growing and cutting trees to make pellets because of high demand. That and the current price gouging all are going to lead to the demise of pellets. People will soon realize the work and cost just are not worth it.
A friend of mine who steered me towards pellets was paying $169 per ton here in 2012. There are tons of good pellets to be had still from $205-$235 per ton around here but the prices have jumped. HD & Lowe's are at $250 per ton this season so they have gone up $81 per ton.
Pellets are still cheap here comparatively speaking but that's still a decent increase in a short time. I have a feeling HD & Lowe's might be sitting on some this coming April. I hope so and they will offer them at a discounted price.
I will get away from them when they hit $300 a ton. Maybe less than that. That is of course there are cheaper or better alternatives. I may just say the hell with it all and move somewhere warm or transplant seasonally missing Jan.- March here. Sick of the cold crap after the last three nasty winters here. I wouldn't want to live in Florida year round but there would be no complaints during the winter. Plus I'd still get in some fire time Oct.- Dec.
Peterfield
Minister of Fire
It's odd but you see in the northwest pretty good prices for douglas fir pellets compared to the northeast and folks say it's because the trees are in that area and they cost more here because of transportation costs and the like. Well, we have the Great North Woods in Maine, extensive forests in NH and Vermont, so would the same logic apply? You're talking about a former waste product (sawdust) that used to be discarded and now people think it's made of gold. It's not like they have to "manufacture" the stuff.
Peterfield
Minister of Fire
But in the state that we live in, there were only 6 ads.
Wood Pellets.com
Dick's Stove center
Pro Lawn Supply
A guy with 11 damaged bags for Best Offer
One guy with one ton for $265
That guy with the Blazers
I don't see a panic situation... at least in our neck of the woods..
Should have added that I was using SearchTempest to look at New England, not just NH. I certainly expect folks to cull their supply in the Spring, just can't recall folks doing it in the fall but maybe I just didn't notice before.
Pellets also seem a bit more abundant around here as they are arriving at places and there is not any type of demand I have seen thus far but it is still warm. The first cold snap may shake the pellet heads out. I agree about how the fluctuations in prices people here pay per ton really makes little to zero sense if you think about it.
Just another way recycling waste has turned into another cash cow for some. I have a friend that heated his auto shop with waste oil and eliminated disposal fees and such. Now there are companies that pay for that same waste oil that he previously had to pay to get rid of.
They will always figure out a way to sell ice to the Eskimos......
Just another way recycling waste has turned into another cash cow for some. I have a friend that heated his auto shop with waste oil and eliminated disposal fees and such. Now there are companies that pay for that same waste oil that he previously had to pay to get rid of.
They will always figure out a way to sell ice to the Eskimos......
Pellet-King
Minister of Fire
When I bought my stove $134 a ton for several yr was the norm Including delivery, I paid a few times $100 a ton at Walmart early 2000's, spring sales, I remember seeing $180 a ton at a small dealer and thought, i'll never pay that!, this winter may be the first I don't buy pellets in 18 yr's, I have maybe 1/3 ton left from past few yr's
Grisu
Minister of Fire
Really think that our grandchildren will have enough oil left to waste it for heat?
Michael6268
Minister of Fire
No one really knows how long oil reserves will last. Estimates are 60 years give or take. I personally don't think our grandchildren and their children are going to be messing around with solid fuels in the future. With wind power, solar etc, there will be too many options that are easier, cleaner and more convenient.
Nukes are going to be making a comeback real soon. Soon being a relative thing.
Peterfield
Minister of Fire
My brother-in-law who is in the energy business told me the focus is already shifting to natural gas and not oil in terms of exploration efforts.
Grisu
Minister of Fire
So when we burn oil instead of pellets will those reserves last more or less time?
When my children should hopefully still be alive.
Nothing yet invented is easier than pulling a gallon of liquid containing 140,000 BTU out of the ground. And nothing is more convenient than having that dense of an energy source fill up your tank. Ask the airline industry what they think of solar, wind etc. for their future fuel needs. I give you cleaner, though.
Why a guy almost wrecked his car in Dallas one day in 1978 when we were coming back from lunch having this discussion and just to mess with him I said "Don't care. I don't have kids.". He went nuts and almost wrecked us.
Michael6268
Minister of Fire
GS7
Member
There should be reactors in EVERY state/county IMO.... Best form of energy ever.
Wilbur Feral
Minister of Fire
Sorry to pull up a post from two weeks ago, but just getting back to the forum. An on-demand electric water heater pulls an incredible amontt of energy when it's needed, so even running the cable is a chore. If possible, NG or propane better for on demand systems. May I propose a heat pump style hot water heater if you're going electric? It takes heat from the surrounding air and uses it to heat hot water, very efficiently. We installed one last year and are thrilled with it. Removes excess heat from the house in the summer, and in winter our pellet stoves are producing plenty of heat, and we certainly don't notice the "heat loss" from the air. Amd if demand is high (e.g., guests all taking showers, etc), they have an electric heating element just like a regular electric water heater.
Those water heaters are commonly used with geo systems around here which both are becoming increasingly popular but have a large initial investment. I looked into the geo's 13 years ago and all said and done it did not make it worth while at the time for me. Looking back I wish I would have gone that route.
That said I would have still been paying for electric heat $$$$ during the winter to a large degree. Geo's are GREAT for AC. They assist with heat up until it gets cold, cold. Much like a heat pump but with the geo's the starting point is 53 degrees or so coming in from the loops. Anything above that is heated with an electric $$$$ heat pack that sits inside the unit directly above the blower motor. In fact when a heat pack is installed the blower is taken out and the heat pack goes where the blower came from and then the blower is attached to the heat pack.
Geo's are good but they also have their short falls. The costs of the equipment, loops and excavation, etc. Geo's are also much like any other HVAC air handlers meaning they sometimes go caput and die in 10 - 20 years and need to be replaced. AT that time you are set up for Geo and therefore going to pay more for a replacement. I have friends in the Geo business and am fairly familiar with them.
Ironically many of the Geo techs do not have one in their homes. This is a fact I know. Some of these guys do but the majority prefer older simpler style systems for numerous reasons.
- Status
Similar threads
