Should I buy more pellets?

[apandori]

Coming into this season we bought 4 tons. We started burning mid October and we currently have 1.95 tons left according to my calculations. I'm wondering if I should pick up some more or try to ride it out. We do have a full oil tank worse comes to worse.

 

[CladMaster]

Never hurts to have extra on hand for when they are needed.

I plan to get some more myself in the next week or so. I'm down to 1.25 tons myself.

 

[bags]

X 2 with CladMaster. You can always burn the remainders next winter. Never know what kind of weather is around the corner.

 

[doghouse]

What kinda question is that! Of course you buy more pellets. Always buy more pellets. By the way, it looks like you may qualify to be a member of the Pellet Pig Club.

 

[bogieb]

Yes buy more; no, don't try to ride it out. Especially since pellets seem to still be available and the price hasn't risen.

I just picked up 10 more bags of FSU's for the St. Croix from HD yesterday. Still have almost 2 tons of other pellets (mostly Currans but some Maine's Choice and Heaterz) in basement and another 40 at the place I pre-buy and they store. Figure I might as well keep buying the pellets the St. Croix likes best since I get them for $4.73/bag (with my 5% discount). Will keep buying 6-10 bags of the FSU's weekly; I will burn leftovers next year.

 

[kappel15]

Depending on price, you always buy pellets. Esp. if you have the storage space. Burn what fuels cheapest at the time. kap

 

[claydogg84]

Isn't oil cheaper/more efficient at this point? I just got a price of $2.35/gallon. Sure, oil will go up, but for now I have absolutely no idea why anyone would be buying pellets over oil with these prices.

 

[CladMaster]

Isn't oil cheaper/more efficient at this point? I just got a price of $2.35/gallon. Sure, oil will go up, but for now I have absolutely no idea why anyone would be buying pellets over oil with these prices.

As an option to burn / use either, simple.

 

[claydogg84]

As an option to burn / use either, simple.

I'm confused. What benefit, aside from seeing the flame, are you getting from using the pellet stove? Some people may have an outdated and inefficient furnace, but still. I'm not a pellet guy, so maybe that's why I don't get it. The pellet stove frenzy started when oil prices were $4.00 +. Those days are gone, for now. From what I've seen, pellet prices have maintained, which isn't right. They should fluctuate with oil in my eyes. I think it's a creature of habit thing.. I enjoy feeding my wood stove, watching the flames, and enjoying the radiant heat. But I could tell you for sure - If I was buying the firewood, I would be burning oil this winter, without question.

 

[apandori]

We've still beat oil with pellets this year. $1000 for pellets, even with lower oil prices it would still be $1500-1700 for the season if we kept the house where I can with the pellets 68-72.

 

[kappel15]

I burn whatever is cheapest. I have natural gas, which is .93 a therm. Doing a fuel cost comparison, corn and natural gas are neck and neck pretty much. I supplement both with each other. Furnace is on a programmable thermostat that comes on at 5:30 am before we getup and warms the house. Goes back down to 62 at 8:00am. Comes on at 4:30 pm before we get home from work. At 10:00 pm, it goes back down to 62. If we are home, the stoves run as I like it warmer. It is a tad of a hobby also burning corn or pellets, but I enjoy it. Plus I am giving my money to a local farmer instead of oil company. Pre-buying pellets is just being prepared for the future. Nothing stays the same. Esp. prices of fuel. And if the electricity goes out, my AE has battery back-up to keep me warm. I should mention that nothing runs at nite, unless house gets down to 62 before 5:30am.kap

 

[apandori]

Oil in our area is $2.75 at the cheapest currently from what I could pull online.

 

[Wilbur Feral]

Assuming the OP is asking about inventory management, and not desirous of the various opines about what fuel he/she should be burning:

You have likely consumed about 35-40% of what you will burn for an entire heating season by early January, if your use is like mine (I am in Eastern PA, so a few degrees warmer overall, but a similar use pattern, I think). My 1/2 way point in use occurred on Jan 21 last year, and an old saying Smokey reminded us of recently - that helped people in older times manage their inventories of various things needed throughout winter - says that you should half the inventory needed still remaining as of Candlemas Day, Feb 2. Hope this helps, and yes, you probably need more pellets if your use is similar to that of many others on the forum.

 

[TimfromMA]

Ive used just shy of 1 1/4 tons so far and im about a week away from my usual halfway point.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Depending on price, you always buy pellets. Esp. if you have the storage space. Burn what fuels cheapest at the time. kap

Pellets basically keep forever (if yoiu keep them dry and stored inside) so they are an investment in the future. I'd but them if you have the money too.

 

[Tonyray]

My Oil furnace would use up the Oil so fast if we kept the thermostat at 73 degrees which where the pellet stove keeps us.
Not going back to 67 degrees just to Skrimp on Oil .....Faster we go thru Oil, the faster any savings from lower oil prices EVAPORATES....

To the OP:
Always buy pellets ahead even if it's for next year if price is good...
no different than having wood pile seasoning Now for next winter.

 

[mralias]

should pick up some more

Now that's funny. Rule of thumb, if there is room around the stash, lay down the cash.

 

[mass_burner]

We've still beat oil with pellets this year. $1000 for pellets, even with lower oil prices it would still be $1500-1700 for the season if we kept the house where I can with the pellets 68-72.

Why do you add that part about keeping the house at 68-72, BTUs are BTUs.

 

[apandori]

Must be the efficiency difference from the oil burner to the stove that's causing the price difference.

 

[GeHmTS]

Isn't oil cheaper/more efficient at this point? I just got a price of $2.35/gallon. Sure, oil will go up, but for now I have absolutely no idea why anyone would be buying pellets over oil with these prices.

To watch the fire and imagine all the thing we can do with fire.... hehe