If it's cold where you live, what are you heating with and what is it costing?

[5030]

Myself, we heat with biomass (pellet and corn stove) with propane as the backup fuel. Processed wood pellets and dried corn is much less expensive per realized BTU than propane or NG and especially less expensive than electric heating, but it comes with a price and that price is, the units have to be maintained as in cleaning and ash removal on a regular basis.

With fuel costs climbing almost every month and being cheap, I'm always cognizant of heating costs, how about you?

 

[MossRoad]

We have a 30+ year old forced air natural gas furnace and a wood burning stove in the basement. When winter gets going, the wood stove provides about 75% of the heat.

We have an automatic set back thermostat that used to kick the heat way down while we were both out at work and kick it back up right before we got home. That saved a lot of natural gas. But those days are gone. My wife has been working from home for 2 year now, so we go through a lot more wood AND natural gas.

We are fortunate that we can afford it.

 

[m7040]

We use a large furnace when very cold that use oil or wood or coal. Usually we fire it with wood on very cold days. The upstairs wood stove is usually all we need but we supplement with the big furnace in the basement on arctic days. It can fire up on oil and get the wood logs on fire and then cut off the oil fire and let continue the wood fire regulated with the thermostat

 

[Jstpssng]

Wood, with electric backup. The latter brings my power bill up about 10-20$/month, depending on how much time I'm away from home. The wood is free, except for my time. Well, almost free, I have to buy gas and oil for the saw and wood splitter. Also a chain and files occasionally. Plus the cost to build my woodshed, but that's long been depreciated.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Three propane furnaces, propane wall heater garage bathroom/laundry, propane stove.
500 gallon tank $2.39/gal. Roughly $1,500-$2,000 propane fall to spring.
Horse stable 240v IR ceiling heaters, on when needed (rarely). Garage furnace set at 45°F, outside cats have insulated upstairs room in their pen thermostat set to 60°F (beds+blankets), house is set to 62°F (very nice with sweater). Garage has 240v ceiling heater on only when working (50°-55° is fine). Electric bill about $30/month higher in winter.
House going from 72°F to 62°F propane savings was tremendous and less shock going outside.

 

[kenmbz]

We use Oil heat right now at locked in $3.31 for the next few months.
A little of $5000/year. Once this lock is up, it's going to go through the roof.

My boiler takes wood/coal too, and I may burn some wood, just have to figure out how to use that part without blowing it up...

 

[hosspuller]

It's not the Artic here in NC but, it's too cold to be comfortable. We heat with wood with heat pump back-up... As for the cost:

Wood is free for the taking.
Truck: $35,000
chainsaws (plural) $1200
log splitter: $500 (got a deal)
tractor to load & move wood $25,000
Annual Fuel for above $200
wood stove insert $1800
Misc. costs $200
Chiropractor & Physical Therapist $233 (Medicare deductible)

We're comfortable... at 72-75 degrees

 

[jyoutz]

For 20 years I heated with a wood stove. Then I heated with a wood pellet stove for 16 years. Both times I had a forced air propane furnace for backup when we we out of town. We heat for six months a year (mid October to mid April). Last year I had natural gas run in to the house (1500’ of line) and converted everything to NG. After one year of use the gas company offered me a year round level payment plan of $58 monthly. Now we heat exclusively with the forced air furnace when it’s really cold and the gas fireplace with blower during the fall and spring periods.

 

[LouNY]

Here is a link to a fuel cost calculator which is very good as you can enter the cost of your fuels, the efficiency of your unit and then it gives the value per million btu.
Fuel Comparison Calculator for Home Heating | Coalpail.com

My primary heat is an oil fired boiler, my back ups are coal and my mini-splits.
So far this year the mini splits have done all the heating.

The costs that I see are these,
my oil was locked in at $4.049, my electricity is $0.18 kwh (arrived at by dividing the total bill by the kwh), my coal was $450 ton this year.
Coal $450 per ton @75% eff. $2400 per million btu
Wood Pellets $308 per ton @75% eff. $2489 per million btu
Fuel Oil No. 2 $4.05 gal (what i paid) @80% eff. $3650 per million btu
Fuel Oil No. 2 $5.80 gal (current) @80% eff. $5228 per million btu
Kerosene #1 $7.30 gal @90% eff. $6008 per million btu
Electric (Resistance) $0.18 kwh @100% eff. $5275 per million btu
Electric (heat pump) $0.18 kwh @250 eff. $2110 per million btu
Electric (heat pump) if it goes up to $0.21 kwh @250 eff. $2462 per million btu
Electric (heat pump) if it goes up to $0.25 kwh @250 eff. $2931 per million btu

So even at $0.21 I'll likely stay with the mini-splits till it gets to cold,
With $0.25 electricity I'll be lighting the coal insert up.

 

[Carl_NH]

These are unique times here in NH - electric costs just went from .22/KWH to .34/KWH this fall over 50% increase from last year, and fuel oil is $5.60/gal which is 100% increase from last year.

We have 7.2KW of solar (generates 8000KWH), 2 Mitsubishi mini splits that do the bridge season heating, and oil boiler 90% efficient that heat a 3000 SF house, and also minisplit to heat detached 1000SF office in garage with fridge and freezer.

We use 500 gal oil a year, we prebuy and this year locked in at $4/gal, then the 50% increase in electricity it's going to be an expensive heating season!

Our total cost heat/ac/oil per month up to this year averaged $180 month or $2200/year, with these increases I would expect we will be $270 per month $3200+ this year.

If we didn't have solar we would be around $5K per year total energy costs.

 

[5030]

The issue is, all energy costs are climbing so even if you are 'locked' in, next heating season could be a real bust and like Mossy, we can well afford to heat with propane (no ng out this way), no matter how much it costs but I like having an alternate fuel to heat with. I see coal is really climbing in as much is the EU is sucking hard on domestic supplies currently.

While most of us can afford the cost at least now, there are a lot of people who cannot and are having to make hard decisions about staying warm or not being hungry.

Besides, the cats and the dog like the bio mass stove as they are congregate around it toasting their bodies.

The problem with solid fuel heat (and NG or oil) is the drier it gets, the colder it feels. We spend a good amount on water for the humidifier as we cannot use our well water in it. Too much dissolved calcium and it destroys the filters quickly.

For us, we like the RH around 50%

...and Mossy, too bad you don't live a bit closer, I have a couple good cords of Mulberry and hard maple saw logs in the side yard I'll never burn. Been trying to give them away with not much luck.

 

[5030]

Here is a link to a fuel cost calculator which is very good as you can enter the cost of your fuels, the efficiency of your unit and then it gives the value per million btu.
Fuel Comparison Calculator for Home Heating | Coalpail.com

Your chart is a bit off on some fuels. For one, corn (12% or less) is not even close to the BTU output of hardwood pellets and the cost of coal has risen exponentially as of late, especially rice coal.

 

[ptsg]

Currently, we're getting wood for free. However, this is on the remote propriety about 45 miles North. Moving that wood, costs a decent amount of money in fuel with diesel at $7.039/gal and considering I have to go get it from one of the pieces of land with the tractor, haul it to another place where I have the metal building to store the equipment and then haul it back home with the pick up and trailer.

Adding to this, is the gas for chainsaw and wood splitter now that I have it setup with a small gas engine, although 5 liters, which is what I typically buy, lasts a long time. Gas, surprisingly, is now slightly cheaper than diesel at $6.992/gal. Gas always run about $2/gal more than diesel. One of the reasons as to why most of the engines in Europe are diesels, even on small cars.

We also burn pellets for the really cold days. However, in the last couple months, the prices for a 15 KG bag of pellets went from around $3.50 to $10. We have a little bit left for an emergency but won't get anymore until the prices come back to real down.

 

[jjeff]

In the u.p. when we're there I use wood in a high efficiency Drolet stove when we're not there electric baseboards set to 40 degrees never winterized the place nothing has ever froze, When we get up there depending on temp I'll turn the mini split on to help get the place comfortable quicker. Off topic Fortunately I splurged a little when I built it and hired a spray foam contractor for walls and roof
, after much debate, research, and consultation went with a hot roof, rather than me installing fiberglass bats and vapor barrier, vents, no drafts plus a better r value, more importantly no mice or critters to make my wife freak out I justified the cost of spray foam by using in stock vinyl sliders at big box builder stores, used sliders mostly for egress purposes vs more efficient and pricey double hung or casement windows. I also ran two inch high density foam under slab and ran a thermal break on top perimeter of frost wall. Once the slab heats up it stays comfortable for a few days in negative degree temps without a fire. Even with the crazy high prices for electricity up there I pay around 50 a month for heating with electric at 40 degrees, never had to use the electric baseboards when the temps are subzero and we're there. It's a little over 1000 sq ft cape cod design.

Downstate I use natural gas furnace occasionally a wood fire in the fireplace mostly for nostalgia. Imo insulation has a lot to do with the efficiency of your heating devices in your home.

 

[polo1665]

Natural gas, free from the well on our rural property.

 

[fatjay]

My oil tank is empty, I'm not paying $6/gal to fill it. Have a wood stove that I usually have wood bricks to feed it, but no wood bricks this year. Fell'd 2 100' tree's in august, long dead. Have been splitting a few wheelbarrow's a day by hand. I like splitting wood by hand, great exercise. And the temps being in the 30's during the day keeps me from overheating.

 

[5030]

HHO is crazy priced everywhere, especially in the east. I don't understand the diesel deal at all. It should be less that gasoline but it's substantially more.

 

[oosik]

I heat with electricity. Three months - Dec, Jan & Feb will be $90 to $100 over base rate.

BELIEVE ME - somebody understands the high price of diesel and HHO!!!

 

[JJT]

We burn 600-800 gallons of fuel oil annually. My last fill-up was at $5.39/gallon, now it's $5.79/gallon. I expect to spend $4,000+ on heat this year. I have a 20 acre wood lot, but grew up on wood heat and hate it with a passion. I may need to rethink my vow to never use wood as a heat source.

 

[Deere Dude]

I burn about 4 full cords of wood per year and run the propane backup about one day a year to make sure it is working. I have about 10 acres of hardwood and have a couple friends with 80 acres of oak with plenty of mature dead ones so as long as I can run a saw, I am set.