In our area, pellet prices have drifted up from an average
of $250/ton to about $300/ton, and the price for #2 fuel oil has dropped from
about $3.25 to approximately $2.25 per gallon.
It's always worth keeping an eye on fuel costs. Up until
late last year, it was much less expensive to heat with pellets than with #2
fuel oil, but now the two fuels have flipped, and it is more expensive to heat
with pellets than with oil.
Kiln-dried cordwood at 20% moisture content is highly price
competitive, and air-dried hardwood at 20% moisture content is less expensive
than anything except natural gas, unless you are cutting your own wood, in
which case it is by far and away the least expensive fuel.
Propane and electricity are high cost fuels. The chart below
shows the approximate cost per million BTU's (in our area).
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| Click to enlarge |
So, what can you do with this information?
A
good starting place is to take the middle column (BTUs/Unit), and figure out
how much energy you used last year to heat your home. Take the total BTUs used,
and divide by the number of square feet in your home. Many energy experts
consider 40,000 BTUs per square foot to be reasonably efficient for colder
climates like New England. If you are lower than 40,000 BTUs/square foot, you
are doing well. If you are way above 40,000 BTU's/ft, there are opportunities
to improve the efficiency of your home.
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| Click to enlarge |
If the efficiency in the the sample calculation home were improved to the point where only 40,000 BTUs per square foot were required, then this 1600 s.f. home could be heated very comfortably with about 3 cords of wood and less than $1,000. Check our website for ultra-clean and efficient woodstoves which can heat your home comfortably and save money!
