Pellet comparison tool -- New & Improved (just new).

[movemaine]

Hey All,

for fun (I'm a web developer/programmer - this constitutes fun) I created a pellet comparison tool.

http://jsfiddle.net/jasonday/zNxRQ/embedded/result/

The tool calculates your heated space BTU needs, and then takes the entered pellet info to determine how many pounds of pellets it takes to reach that BTU.

Using that information, I then determine if you burn x of pellet A then based on the above btu/lb amount - you'll burn y of pellet B.

Try it out and let me know what you think, or if it could use some improvements.

Thanks.

 

[bbfarm]

Very cool thanks!

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

Very nice!

 

[jtakeman]

Neat!

 

[movemaine]

I should probably add info, indicating the formula I'm following.

 

[mepellet]

Once again, thanks!

 

[movemaine]

ok, updated with my formula under each step.

 

[jtakeman]

I don't often get to see the test results from the mills. Anyway you can fiddle with something to assist with pellets we burn. Maybe Temp and pounds per hour average?

 

[Northwoodneil]

Nice!

 

[movemaine]

I don't often get to see the test results from the mills. Anyway you can fiddle with something to assist with pellets we burn. Maybe Temp and pounds per hour average?

hmm. I'd have to think about how to factor those in (or should they be a separate calculation. )

 

[jtakeman]

hmm. I'd have to think about how to factor those in (or should they be a separate calculation. )

Probably seperate. I will use it and maybe ihatepropane? Maybe see if others might be interested before you trudge through it. I think what you have done already will work for many burners.

 

[movemaine]

Probably seperate. I will use it and maybe ihatepropane? Maybe see if others might be interested before you trudge through it. I think what you have done already will work for many burners.

I'm open to put something together. I just need to know the approach/methodology and what the plugin information would be.

 

[jtakeman]

I'm open to put something together. I just need to know the approach/methodology and what the plugin information would be.

Now that I think about it I really don't know what we'd need. Once I have the heat and the pounds per hour figured out. I was just using the the most heat with the least p/h. I tried to ratio to proportion, But its probably not that easy. I don't have a clue on the dollar factor.

I guess its figuring out the dollar factor. Maybe some others can input some logic.

 

[Ironhorse74]

Good job

It would be interesting to see a cost comparison btu input at % efficiency, fuel costs and expected maintenance costs for pellet, wood, gas, electric and oil.

Peace

Brad

 

[jtakeman]

Uh oh, I might a opened the flood gates on ya! Sorry. Don't over do things if you don't have the time. We appreciate what you've done and can make that work for us!

Thanks for all the effort and time!

 

[movemaine]

Uh oh, I might a opened the flood gates on ya! Sorry. Don't over do things if you don't have the time. We appreciate what you've done and can make that work for us!

Thanks for all the effort and time!

I'm happy to do it.

I can put together just about any equation, I just need to know what the equation would be or what we're trying to figure out based on the data we have.

Keep the ideas/approaches coming. This is my day job after all, so it doesn't take me much time to put it together.

 

[movemaine]

Good job

It would be interesting to see a cost comparison btu input at % efficiency, fuel costs and expected maintenance costs for pellet, wood, gas, electric and oil.

Peace

Brad

Hey Brad, where would the data come from - for example, where would I get % efficiency? stove efficiency? pellet efficiency?

As for the other data points, we may be moving into gray areas (maintenance costs is fairly subjective from owner to owner, stove to stove)

 

[Ironhorse74]

Efficiency would be filled in by the user based on manufactures data. I would think we could come up with an average cost per year based on appliance type. I think that is often left out of the cost to heat with a particular fuel. Electric base board being probably the least expensive to maintain working up to pellet which I believe to be the most expensive to maintain over the life of the appliance.

Peace

Brad

 

[Eatonpcat]

I was gonna make of of these last year...Then I remembered I have no idea how to do it!

Very cool...Thanks for taking the time to make it and share with us!

 

[sandpipe]

Great job on the calculator MoveMaine! I have a suggestion/question:

Why is square footage used for the calculations and not cubic feet? My heating area has an 18' cathedral ceiling mixed in with more normal room heights.
Just curious about this additional factor and if it would be relevant to others.

 

[Ironhorse74]

Great job on the calculator MoveMaine! I have a suggestion/question:

Why is square footage used for the calculations and not cubic feet? My heating area has an 18' cathedral ceiling mixed in with more normal room heights.
Just curious about this additional factor and if it would be relevant to others.

I agree with you. Square footage is a lousy way to figure heating capacity. With an 80% or so efficient appliance, I figure 4 BTUs per cubic foot in new tight homes and 6 BTUs per cubic foot in older construction.

Peace

Brad

 

[movemaine]

The square footage zone estimator takes into consideration cubic feet. It based off of the column of air above that square foot for average ceiling height.

But, if you have a large vaulted ceiling room you can still adjust for the estimator by using the same calculations that Realtors use.

So if you have a 20' x 20' room with pitched vaulted ceiling, you would add 1/2 of the room's square footage to your total square footage (so an additional 200 sq ft).

If all of your ceilings are 10 ft instead of 8, then I would multiply the square footage by 1.25 which would give you roughly the same "heating space"

Hope that helps!

 

[TheMightyMoe]

You forgot the biggest and coldest state -_-

 

[movemaine]

You forgot the biggest and coldest state -_-

yeah, I didn't include Hawaii either.

If you live in Alaska, then my calculator is pretty much useless. You have no hope of figuring out how many pellets you'll burn - you might as well order 20 tons, and hope it lasts you through the year.