House Heating - Which Fuel?

[LD1]

I wish we had Natural gas here or had the price you guys have for propane here. Our propane is 3.99 / gal here, plus tax, plus admin. fees, etc.

Have you tried shopping around???????

Either propane has doubled since I last checked, or their is really that big of a difference for you being a little to the east?

But then again, I never price it in the winter and the last I checked ~august it was right aroung the $2.00 mark.

 

[gerard]

from riley roo
I built my house in 1983 and installed a wood/coal boiler with an electric boiler tied in to use if necessary. After burning wood for ten years I tried coal. I have found coal to be the best. I tend it twice per day and keep the whole house at 72*. I also heat my domestic hot water off the boiler. For the heating season I use 3 1/2 tons of coal or about $700 worth. Also have no problems with creosote in the chimney. If you plan on a solid fuel and have to buy the fuel, coal is by far the best choice in my opinion.

Sounds like a mirror image of my situation almost exactly! 3 1/2 tons for $750 delivered in bulk, house at 72-73, tried wood but too much work and creosote buildup in heat exchanger was dangerous as **** (don't ask how I know!). Takes me a about 5 minutes every 12 hours and once a week I dump the ashes. (And coal prices haven't changed in the three years I've been using it)

 

[bp fick]

Guess I'd not be listening to my brother in law anymore:laughing:! 2x6 has been code in upstate NY for over 20 years. Can't beleive it's not in MI - you're even colder than us!

You can hit the required R value on the walls without going to 2x6. An inch of foam sheathing, coupled with high density wall batts, or sprayed in walls, etc.

The code is stated in R value, not in 2x4 or 2x6 here. It's the builder/homeowner choice.

 

[bp fick]

Have you tried shopping around???????

Either propane has doubled since I last checked, or their is really that big of a difference for you being a little to the east?

But then again, I never price it in the winter and the last I checked ~august it was right aroung the $2.00 mark.

Just like your neighborhood gas station prices, propane is way up. Just filled the tank today. $540. Get us through the rest of the winter and cool spring. It's outrageous and going nowhere but up. $2.39 a gallon today. My supplier is warning about $3.00 possibility.

 

[LD1]

$2.39 a gallon today.

That is a little more realistic than the $3.99/gal metioned earlier

 

[jinjimbob]

It would be good to know where "here" is when you are quoting propane prices. But even at the price you mention and all the surcharges, etc, what you are saving in the propane vs resistance battle is pennies.

If you say that the resistance heat almost NEVER comes on, it would be the same with the propane. Like my current set-up. I have a 500gal tank and this is my 5th winter and I am still setting @ 20%. That means I have only used 300 gallons in 5 years.

And again, I dont know where "here" is, but where I live, price is quoted AS DELIVERED as long as you reach the minimum of $150. So NO delivery fees, and I also dont have a yearly fee either.

As to it being safer, thats debatable. Their are more house fires caused by eletricity than propane. I consider propane to be very safe.

But I cant argue with you about the ugly tank and having to have it filled. That IS a PITA.

'here' is in the lower cascades, up against the foothills, an hour east of Seattle, WA.

Looking at these two pictures, I think it shows the heat pump and aux heat running at the same time, as it could be in defrost mode?
Aux state 3 is the lowest level.

A few minutes before, just the heat pump was running in high stage mode. Tomorrow it might to a low of 8 Deg F. This thermostat is handy to see whats going on.
I'm glad I got a dual state heat pump, as in the Summer it mostly uses the lower state.

I just bumped up the humidity level to 45% from 39%. It adjusted its target down as the outside temperature just dropped. I think it does that to stop the moisture building up on the windows inside. I shall see how that target works. Its less than 20% outside tonight.
Any idea what it should be set to?

I see the houses around me with propane and they stick the tank right in plane view, in the middle of the front yard, bizarre.

 

[kenmac]

Looking at these two pictures, I think it shows the heat pump and aux heat running at the same time, as it could be in defrost mode?
.

More than likely defrost mode