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

[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 MossRoad, 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 MossRoad, 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.