Hoping you can help me out: my wife and I are moving from the Binghamton NY area to Clayton NY which is on the St. Lawrence. The house has an oil-fired boiler, and we are going to install some other heat source, as oil is pretty expensive. I had originally thought: pellet stove, but since power loss is not uncommon in winter up there, I would need a small inverter generator for backup, which would be acceptable. But then I thought: maybe a large propane stove would be better since it would work, (at least without the fan) during power outages. But my question is, would it be far more expensive to heat with a propane stove than a pellet stove? Which would you recommend, and why? I'd rather stay away from battery backup for the pellet stove, since power outages in that area can sometimes be lengthy. Thanks a lot for your help.......tony
pellet stove vs. propane stove
- Thread starter tony guthmuller
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I researched gas stove a month ago, so I also might have another back up plan for a power loss.(I also have a Honda inverter generator) The bottom line... gas stoves don't come equipped with a blower unless you buy it as an expensive option. You would have to have a fairly open floor plan to heat without a fan. Next, the cost of a gas stove without a blower is equivalent to a pellet stove. Blower options will run $350+. If you do decide to go gas, the best way to go is with a Rinnai gas heater. The pilot isn't on all the time and the unit is much more efficient that a traditional style gas stove as well as having a room fan. Most fuel companies will sell and service the Rinnai. A whole house Rinnai would run about $2500 installed. The Rinnai is more contemporary in appearance, but is the best way to go. And there's no pellets to lug around or store.
By the way, my Honda generator will power my pellet stove , microwave and fridge for 8 hours on a gallon of gas. It's small, weather proof and runs about $1000 new.
no natural gas available......only propane. I'm leaning heavily toward a good quality pellet stove. Thanks. tony
Putting your wood pellet and propane costs into a calculator like this may change your thinking on Propane.
(broken link removed to http://pelletheat.org/pellets/compare-fuel-costs/)
(broken link removed to http://pelletheat.org/pellets/compare-fuel-costs/)
They sell oil stoves too probably get a used one pretty cheap 
Its possible its cheaper then propane.
Buy a generator and pellet stove.
Its possible its cheaper then propane.Buy a generator and pellet stove.
Try this calculator. It seems coal is the cheapest.
http://nepacrossroads.com/fuel-comparison-calculator.php
http://nepacrossroads.com/fuel-comparison-calculator.php
mepellet
Minister of Fire
Yup. Propane is more expensive than oil when comparing BTUs/$. At least around these parts.
mepellet
Minister of Fire
Yes, looks like coal is cheapest. I was just pointing out that propane is more expensive than oil. Many people see that the price per gallon of propane is much cheaper than oil. But the BTU/gallon is not the same…. Of course appliance/equipment efficiencies also come into play.
Coal is less than $250 a ton around here. About $150. So Cost per Million BTUs would be around $6 I use between 3 and 5 ton a year to heat a leaky 3000SF 100Yr old house.
What about coal gas from an improperly burning coal stove? I hear the gas is deadly.
About the same as an oil furnace or gas furnace malfunctioning. You need a carbon monoxide alarm for any of these stoves which i have. We had a few people die about 2 blocks from me several years back,from a blocked chimney with a gas furnace.
Coal is filthy. dumping a bag of that is like being a miner. Come out with black lung. lol
it heats like a banshee though.
pellet all day over propane.
look into some other options like battery/solar backups as well.
it heats like a banshee though.
pellet all day over propane.
look into some other options like battery/solar backups as well.
It dont have to be. Mine loads automatically.Not from bags.I dont handle the coal at all.
Theres some $1 Million homes around here with coal heat.
I Pay about $50 a month for heat and hot water a year so,Im keepin it.
Is coal more regional? I see bagged prices around me for 330+ for a ton seems like maybe a little more BTU for your dollar at that price then pellets but not a huge amount.
WHen i was doing cost comparison between coal and pellets, pellets were more than 2x the price of coal and you needed at least 50% more pellets by weight to get the same BTUs. IF they were anywhere close i would have a pellet stove.
And yes coal is VERY regional. I happen to sit in the middle of one of the few hard anthracite coal regions in the country.
we argue all the time about what the best fuel is here.....usually pellet versus coal......hard to argue with the wood burners and their free wood, and natural gas isn't available here.....pretty much agreed propane is a $crew job, given service charges, tank rentals, etc. Anyhow, I digress.....coal is pretty cheap for the folks who live in coal country, like Seasoned Oak does.....but otherwise, retailers have to pay to have it trucked up, for us its $50-$60/ton just for the shipping. Keep in mind that there is great heat potential with coal, but, its less efficient than pellets. Also, you will almost religiously take your ash out every day....and that's the dirty component of coal, not the actual fuel itself. Since you take out the ash every day, you get air born fines, etc. Pellets, well, you simply have ALOT less ash......ALOT less. But, nothing has the raw heat of coal, its amazing.
What it comes down to is the user really....do you have somewhere you can dump all that coal ash? You'll need it. Do you live close to coal country? Do you have retailers near you?
What it comes down to is the user really....do you have somewhere you can dump all that coal ash? You'll need it. Do you live close to coal country? Do you have retailers near you?
oh, please Scott- she died of CO poisoning......which can occur from any device burning fuel....in fact, I believe she committed suicide by stocking her head in the oven (GAS, by the way), and sealed the doors to the room with wet towels.....in short, she committed suicide by CO poisoning....
If someone has a helpful reply or the original poster wants to update, start a private conversation with me and I'll open the thread back up.
Otherwise, closed.
Otherwise, closed.
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