Wood vs Propane at Deep Portage

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jebatty

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Jan 1, 2008
5,796
Northern MN
Info from Deep Portage, which heats the Main Lodge with a Garn WHS3200 and Wood Gun E500, and saved over $1000 in one week:

This week at Deep Portage Saturday Dec. 7-Friday 13 we burned seven cords of wood to heat the Main Lodge (54,000 square feet plus). It was between -20F and 6 F for most of this period. Cost $170 per cord x 7= $1190, we used $157 dollars of electricity, $360 in labor ( night and evening burners), for a total of $1707.00.

If we had been using propane -- We used 126 million BTUs of wood - a gallon of propane has 91,502 btus at 100% efficiency, we are at 60% with our slant fins; therefore we would have used 1928 gallons of propane X $1.42 a gallon (with all charges) = $2738 dollars. We saved over 1000 dollars in one week. CO2:1928 X12.69 lbs 12.23 tons of CO2 not released (electricity no subtraction because of the green credit program). Local job ramifications [local wood, local jobs vs propane, most $ goes elsewhere]. Using renewables and saving fossil fuels for future generations… Priceless.
 
LOVE keeping the money local!

Many schools and large plants in Maine or going pellets or chips. Money stays local!

JP
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around burning 7 cord of wood in a week.............. Holy Schnikes....... I know it's 54,000 square feet, but that is A LOT of wood to throw into fireboxes a cord/day!

TS
 
Labor charge seems pretty low.

Also analysis ignores capital expense and depreciation for engineering and the boiler plant, plus the wood storage infrastructure and wood handling equipment, all of which benefited from 501(c)(3) parlay.
 
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Along with EWD, I question why you are only 60% efficient with propane. But you figured 100% so that is not part of the equation.

TS
 
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