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

[NoTrespassing]

From the US Energy Information Administraion

Btu content of common energy units (preliminary estimates for 20211)

• 1 barrel (42 gallons) of crude oil produced in the United States = 5,691,000 Btu
• 1 gallon of finished motor gasoline (containing about 10% fuel ethanol by volume) = 120,238 Btu
• 1 gallon of diesel fuel or heating oil (with sulfur content less than 15 parts per million) = 137,381 Btu
• 1 gallon of heating oil (with sulfur content at 15 to 500 parts per million) = 138,500 Btu
• 1 barrel of residual fuel oil = 6,287,000 Btu
• 1 cubic foot of natural gas = 1,039 Btu
• 1 gallon of propane = 91,452 Btu
• 1 short ton (2,000 pounds) of coal (consumed by the electric power sector) = 18,934,000 Btu
• 1 kilowatthour of electricity = 3,412 Btu

View attachment 772253

Fuel Oil No. 2 Gallon $ 5.50 138,690 btu/gallon @75% eff. $5,287.57 per million btu.
Kerosene Gallon $ 7.59 135,000 btu/gallon @95% eff. $5,918.13 per million btu.
Propane Gallon $ 3.12 91,333 btu/gallon @95% eff. $3,595.86 per million btu.
Propane Gallon $ 3.12 91,333 btu/gallon @85% eff. $4018.91 per million btu.
Electric (heat pump) kiloWatt-hour (kWh) $0.18 3,412 btu/kwh @250% eff. $2,110.20 per million btu
or my supplemental heat being coal;
Coal Ton(2000 lbs.) $550.00 25,000,000 btu/ton @75% eff. is $2,933.33 or just a bit more then my mini-splits
which are doing the heating at this time for me, coal will likely come on next week or so when it gets too cold for the mini-splits to maintain eff.

So yes this year propane would be less expensive then #2 oil,
So all I need to do is buy a couple of 1000 gallon propane tanks at $2500 -$4500 each,
And $2500 - $3500 for a new boiler plus installation and fill the tanks,
So for $10,000 to $15,000 I can have a new heat source that may save me $1500 a year

I paid $2.09/gallon of propane this year and the tank rental is included in the price. I've paid as low a $1/gallon in the past 10 years, that's cheap heat.

 

[LouNY]

I paid $2.09/gallon of propane this year and the tank rental is included in the price. I've paid as low a $1/gallon in the past 10 years, that's cheap heat.

It was advertised around here this past summer at $2.05 per gallon with a 1000 gallon minimum purchase.

 

[Oaktree]

I paid $2.09/gallon of propane this year and the tank rental is included in the price. I've paid as low a $1/gallon in the past 10 years, that's cheap heat.

It was advertised around here this past summer at $2.05 per gallon with a 1000 gallon minimum purchase.

Propane prices vary considerably by region. Also seems to be the one fuel where you get a lower price if you use more. We paid $3.49 in September, but we don't generally use more than 150 gallons/yr (if that), so no discounts for us (other that a 5¢ senior citizen). Our present supplier does not charge tank rental (previous one started to, so that's why they're our "previous" supplier )

 

[Hilbilly]

I burn wood with electric backup. Go through about 5 to 6 cords a year for the house and the shop combined. I get all the firewood myself and store it in the woodsheds that I built myself. My first woodshed is 16' x 24' x 9'. I built that when we first moved here 14 years ago but do not really like the way the wood use flowed. I would use the wood from one side this year and the other side next year. Always refilling the side that was used last year. Problem with that system is that I would always end up with 1 or 2 rows on the outside that never get used. So this year I built another wood shed that is 8' deep x 8' high by 32' wide. It is broken down into 4 equally sized stalls and so far I love this set up waaaaaay more than the old one. Right now I have the old shed almost full with about 13 cords of wood and the new one has about 4 cords in it. All of this wood was dry standing when it was cut down. I should be good for at least 3 years.

I love getting firewood and really like the the wood heat. Especially when coming in from the cold and running over to the wood stove to warm up. Nothing like that feeling. Kind of like a nice campfire, just inside.

I get a chuckle out of these arguments that always crop up about which way is the best way and the people that think their way is the best and if someone uses a different method they are idiots. The only thing that really matters is what makes you happy. I can afford to sit on my butt and heat with electricity, propane or another method but I choose to heat with wood because it makes me happy. I don't need to please other people, only myself and my wife.

Cheers.

 

[stumblinhorse]

I burn wood with electric backup. Go through about 5 to 6 cords a year for the house and the shop combined. I get all the firewood myself and store it in the woodsheds that I built myself. My first woodshed is 16' x 24' x 9'. I built that when we first moved here 14 years ago but do not really like the way the wood use flowed. I would use the wood from one side this year and the other side next year. Always refilling the side that was used last year. Problem with that system is that I would always end up with 1 or 2 rows on the outside that never get used. So this year I built another wood shed that is 8' deep x 8' high by 32' wide. It is broken down into 4 equally sized stalls and so far I love this set up waaaaaay more than the old one. Right now I have the old shed almost full with about 13 cords of wood and the new one has about 4 cords in it. All of this wood was dry standing when it was cut down. I should be good for at least 3 years.

I love getting firewood and really like the the wood heat. Especially when coming in from the cold and running over to the wood stove to warm up. Nothing like that feeling. Kind of like a nice campfire, just inside.

I get a chuckle out of these arguments that always crop up about which way is the best way and the people that think their way is the best and if someone uses a different method they are idiots. The only thing that really matters is what makes you happy. I can afford to sit on my butt and heat with electricity, propane or another method but I choose to heat with wood because it makes me happy. I don't need to please other people, only myself and my wife.

Cheers.

I guess I am different, all I like out of my heat is… heat. I burn a lot of wood compare to most people I guess. Both because it is very cold here compared to most and I run a gasification outdoor wood boiler. I burned 12 cords of wood last year. All in heat costs me about $500 and about 100 hours of my time annually Not counting loading the boiler 2x a day. This is much less $$ than propane that I could use instead. But some can’t spend or won’t spend the 100 hours of time. I don’t particularly love cutting, splitting and stacking 12 cords of wood. I don’t mind it enough to stop doing it. I do hate cleaning my OWB. That is about 40 of the 100 hours. The newer OWB are better, I hope, for cleaning time. Mine is from 2010 and is impossible to clean. And is probably taking years off my life with soot inhaled and in my eyes and ears.

But I don’t complain about the money since it is a fraction of other peoples cost. But what make me happy is a warm house when it is cold….

 

[LD1]

From the US Energy Information Administraion

Btu content of common energy units (preliminary estimates for 20211)

• 1 barrel (42 gallons) of crude oil produced in the United States = 5,691,000 Btu
• 1 gallon of finished motor gasoline (containing about 10% fuel ethanol by volume) = 120,238 Btu
• 1 gallon of diesel fuel or heating oil (with sulfur content less than 15 parts per million) = 137,381 Btu
• 1 gallon of heating oil (with sulfur content at 15 to 500 parts per million) = 138,500 Btu
• 1 barrel of residual fuel oil = 6,287,000 Btu
• 1 cubic foot of natural gas = 1,039 Btu
• 1 gallon of propane = 91,452 Btu
• 1 short ton (2,000 pounds) of coal (consumed by the electric power sector) = 18,934,000 Btu
• 1 kilowatthour of electricity = 3,412 Btu

View attachment 772253

Fuel Oil No. 2 Gallon $ 5.50 138,690 btu/gallon @75% eff. $5,287.57 per million btu.
Kerosene Gallon $ 7.59 135,000 btu/gallon @95% eff. $5,918.13 per million btu.
Propane Gallon $ 3.12 91,333 btu/gallon @95% eff. $3,595.86 per million btu.
Propane Gallon $ 3.12 91,333 btu/gallon @85% eff. $4018.91 per million btu.
Electric (heat pump) kiloWatt-hour (kWh) $0.18 3,412 btu/kwh @250% eff. $2,110.20 per million btu
or my supplemental heat being coal;
Coal Ton(2000 lbs.) $550.00 25,000,000 btu/ton @75% eff. is $2,933.33 or just a bit more then my mini-splits
which are doing the heating at this time for me, coal will likely come on next week or so when it gets too cold for the mini-splits to maintain eff.

So yes this year propane would be less expensive then #2 oil,
So all I need to do is buy a couple of 1000 gallon propane tanks at $2500 -$4500 each,
And $2500 - $3500 for a new boiler plus installation and fill the tanks,
So for $10,000 to $15,000 I can have a new heat source that may save me $1500

I think your decimal is off a couple of places. Those prices are for 100,000,000 btu

 

[LD1]

From the US Energy Information Administraion

Btu content of common energy units (preliminary estimates for 20211)

• 1 barrel (42 gallons) of crude oil produced in the United States = 5,691,000 Btu
• 1 gallon of finished motor gasoline (containing about 10% fuel ethanol by volume) = 120,238 Btu
• 1 gallon of diesel fuel or heating oil (with sulfur content less than 15 parts per million) = 137,381 Btu
• 1 gallon of heating oil (with sulfur content at 15 to 500 parts per million) = 138,500 Btu
• 1 barrel of residual fuel oil = 6,287,000 Btu
• 1 cubic foot of natural gas = 1,039 Btu
• 1 gallon of propane = 91,452 Btu
• 1 short ton (2,000 pounds) of coal (consumed by the electric power sector) = 18,934,000 Btu
• 1 kilowatthour of electricity = 3,412 Btu

View attachment 772253

Fuel Oil No. 2 Gallon $ 5.50 138,690 btu/gallon @75% eff. $5,287.57 per million btu.
Kerosene Gallon $ 7.59 135,000 btu/gallon @95% eff. $5,918.13 per million btu.
Propane Gallon $ 3.12 91,333 btu/gallon @95% eff. $3,595.86 per million btu.
Propane Gallon $ 3.12 91,333 btu/gallon @85% eff. $4018.91 per million btu.
Electric (heat pump) kiloWatt-hour (kWh) $0.18 3,412 btu/kwh @250% eff. $2,110.20 per million btu
or my supplemental heat being coal;
Coal Ton(2000 lbs.) $550.00 25,000,000 btu/ton @75% eff. is $2,933.33 or just a bit more then my mini-splits
which are doing the heating at this time for me, coal will likely come on next week or so when it gets too cold for the mini-splits to maintain eff.

So yes this year propane would be less expensive then #2 oil,
So all I need to do is buy a couple of 1000 gallon propane tanks at $2500 -$4500 each,
And $2500 - $3500 for a new boiler plus installation and fill the tanks,
So for $10,000 to $15,000 I can have a new heat source that may save me $1500 a year

Example....electric heat pump at $0.18/kwh and 250% eff would be $21, not $2110 for a million BTU

 

[LD1]

But using YOUR numbers for 100 million btu....

Firewood is a wildcard because of so many variables in wood type, wet or dry(quality) and stove efficiency. But....

Average cord of firewood is $250 and 23 million btu and 70% eff in my area.... So $1552 per 100M btu

And if you have an efficient geo like me pushing 350% but we will call it 300%, and $0.14 electric
That's only $1366 per 100M btu. Just can't justify burning wood

Still a lot cheaper than HHO or propane or even resistance electric. But not the best option

 

[npalen]

Around here because row croppers have quit using AN, there are a lot of AN nurse tanks available for pretty cheap and all it takes to convert a nurse tank (bottle) to propane is a changeout of the dip tube and of course removal of the under carriage.

Many years ago, farmers had propane tanks on wheels, at least in KS, to fill their tractors in the field.

 

[LD1]

I guess I am different, all I like out of my heat is… heat. I burn a lot of wood compare to most people I guess. Both because it is very cold here compared to most and I run a gasification outdoor wood boiler. I burned 12 cords of wood last year. All in heat costs me about $500 and about 100 hours of my time annually Not counting loading the boiler 2x a day. This is much less $$ than propane that I could use instead. But some can’t spend or won’t spend the 100 hours of time. I don’t particularly love cutting, splitting and stacking 12 cords of wood. I don’t mind it enough to stop doing it. I do hate cleaning my OWB. That is about 40 of the 100 hours. The newer OWB are better, I hope, for cleaning time. Mine is from 2010 and is impossible to clean. And is probably taking years off my life with soot inhaled and in my eyes and ears.

But I don’t complain about the money since it is a fraction of other peoples cost. But what make me happy is a warm house when it is cold….

To each his own, and no one is trying to change anyone's mind.

But you feel good about only spending $500/yr plus 100hrs, and not spending thousands on propane....

But I'd simply ask, how much is 10-12 cord of wood worth in your area? Cause add that to the $500 +100 hrs.

And how much $$$ wouldn't really take if you decided to heat a whole winter with propane?

Only then can you know the true cost or savings of heating with wood