Pellet Stove - Shop/Garage 40x60

[Dmace]

I bag of pellets average cost $6.00= $6.00 a day to heat. Oil $2.50 gal how many gal a day do you use?

Even running the pellet stove on high is not enough to use as a sole heat source for a large house (ex: 2-story colonial 2500sq.ft) so comparing 1 bag of pellets to a day's worth of oil is not correct. I was going through a bag a day just helping with the heat, not replacing the oil heat all together.

They say for heat alone 1-ton of pellets is equal to about 120 gallons of oil in the same house. So at $300 a ton for pellets vs my last oil fill-up at $2.67/gal, that means $300 worth of pellets is equal to about $320 worth of oil. The difference is for an extra $20 of oil I don't have to deal with loading/unloading bags of pellets, storing said bags of pellets, loading the pellet stove, emptying the ash tray weekly, and cleaning the stove of the pellet ash every other week. For that extra $20 or so, I just set the thermostat and forget about it. Tough decision...

 

[20 20]

Even running the pellet stove on high is not enough to use as a sole heat source for a large house (ex: 2-story colonial 2500sq.ft) so comparing 1 bag of pellets to a day's worth of oil is not correct. I was going through a bag a day just helping with the heat, not replacing the oil heat all together.

They say for heat alone 1-ton of pellets is equal to about 120 gallons of oil in the same house. So at $300 a ton for pellets vs my last oil fill-up at $2.67/gal, that means $300 worth of pellets is equal to about $320 worth of oil. The difference is for an extra $20 of oil I don't have to deal with loading/unloading bags of pellets, storing said bags of pellets, loading the pellet stove, emptying the ash tray weekly, and cleaning the stove of the pellet ash every other week. For that extra $20 or so, I just set the thermostat and forget about it. Tough decision...

Thanks for your reply, I can see we have a difference in the way our houses heat. I live in a 2000sq home and can easily heat with my large pellet furnace on med. Might take 2 bags{high estimate} in 24hr period. I did have an oil furnace for a short time, no comparison between the 2. An oil furnace can burn 1/2 gal an hr{or more} on a cold day, that would come to $32.04 {based at 2.67}for 24hrs. 2 bags of pellets would only come to $12.00 based on $300 a ton. I only pay $225-$250 per ton plus I use a mix 60%pellet 40%corn{maybe this makes a diference in burn time????}. I agree there is some work to pellets and wood heat, but I don't mind. My savings are based on what my neighbors and I have found {they converted from oil/wood to pellet}. Pellet heat for us is way cheaper then oil. For you it seems oil is cheaper, 1st time I've ever heard this, thanks for the info.

 

[20 20]

Damce;
Just out of curosity I figured what it would cost me to heat the way you did. I used your #'s. Fuel at $2.67 a gal. times 300 per month{that would be average for winter}. This would come to $801.00 per month. When I have/do heat with pellets I use an average of 1 ton so that would come to $300 per month. Per month savings would be $501. Per heating year{lets say 6mths,of course it'd be longer} it would be $3,006 saved over using oil. Total between the 2 would be, pellets at $1,800, and oil at $4,806 per 6mth heating year.

Just thought I'd share my personal info about what my heating bills would be. I'm glad my wood furnace is cheap

 

[wjmst]

The other thing to remember is that a pellet stove the temperature is the temperature.

With a forced air furnace (oil, gas, propane, whatever). The temperature is not always the temperature.

With the furnance you are cold, then cool, then comfortable, then warm, then hot, then warm, then comfortable, then cool, then cold, then repeat the cycle!

Wes

 

[20 20]

Wjmst, I agree with wood or pellet the temp is constant unlike forced air that fluctuates 5 or so degrees

 

[Dmace]

Damce;
Just out of curosity I figured what it would cost me to heat the way you did. I used your #'s. Fuel at $2.67 a gal. times 300 per month{that would be average for winter}. This would come to $801.00 per month. When I have/do heat with pellets I use an average of 1 ton so that would come to $300 per month. Per month savings would be $501. Per heating year{lets say 6mths,of course it'd be longer} it would be $3,006 saved over using oil. Total between the 2 would be, pellets at $1,800, and oil at $4,806 per 6mth heating year.

Just thought I'd share my personal info about what my heating bills would be. I'm glad my wood furnace is cheap

Well if your using my numbers, I found that many professionals compare 1 ton of pellets to approx. 120 gallons of oil. So if you are using 1 ton of pellets per month then the oil equivalent would be about 120 gallons not 300. That makes oil cost approx $320 vs. pellets at $300 per month. There is no way that 1 ton of pellets will produce as many BTU's or heat as 300 gallons of oil. It is just not that efficient, no matter how good your stove is or how bad your furnace is.

Even in this below average cold winter in New England, I am only going through approx 150 gallons per month of heating oil with the upstairs thermostat set at 70F and the first floor set at 72F. Also with the forced hot water baseboard heat, there is never a change in temp more then 2F and is not noticeable at all. With the pellet stove, the farther away from the stove you are the colder it is.

I am not an oil dealer or anything, I would love to use pellets alone instead of foreign oil, I just don't find it cost effective yet. I did see a setup at the local fair a while back where the wood pellet dealer has a truck setup to load your house with pellets like an oil truck and then your furnace is automatically fed by the large container in your basement he filled up. Very nice!

 

[framer]

I took my pellet stove out of my shop 34x60x12' walls and had sprayed in foam insulation.Used it two winters in Ks.couldnt get warm fast enough.
Couldn't raise and hold temperature at all used my 155,00 BTU torpedo heater
to get it warm fast then pellets.Just spent more on pellets than i was getting heat from it than it was worth.It was largest unit i could buy.Gave it to my
son who is heat and air man.Going with propane next year.Good luck.

 

[timswi]

I took my pellet stove out of my shop 34x60x12' walls and had sprayed in foam insulation.Used it two winters in Ks.couldnt get warm fast enough.
Couldn't raise and hold temperature at all used my 155,00 BTU torpedo heater
to get it warm fast then pellets.Just spent more on pellets than i was getting heat from it than it was worth.It was largest unit i could buy.Gave it to my
son who is heat and air man.Going with propane next year.Good luck.

That would be my fear as well...It would take forever for a pellet stove to get a large shop up to temperature and then maintain it...A 24x30 with normal ceilings, maybe...Bigger than that, not so much.

 

[20 20]

Well if your using my numbers, I found that many professionals compare 1 ton of pellets to approx. 120 gallons of oil. So if you are using 1 ton of pellets per month then the oil equivalent would be about 120 gallons not 300. That makes oil cost approx $320 vs. pellets at $300 per month. There is no way that 1 ton of pellets will produce as many BTU's or heat as 300 gallons of oil. It is just not that efficient, no matter how good your stove is or how bad your furnace is.

There is no way I'd only burn 150gal per month If that were the case then yes you'd be correct. I'm not sure where the the "professionals" are coming up with 120 gal oil = 1 ton of pellets. For myself and others in this area that would be WAY off, I might believe 120= 1/2 ton??????

Even in this below average cold winter in New England, I am only going through approx 150 gallons per month of heating oil with the upstairs thermostat set at 70F and the first floor set at 72F. Also with the forced hot water baseboard heat, there is never a change in temp more then 2F and is not noticeable at all. With the pellet stove, the farther away from the stove you are the colder it is.

I agree the farther away from a pellet stove the cooler. Placement can make a big difference in this and also small fans to circulate air will help. I personally don't have an issue with this but have seen those that do. 90% of the time I would say their problem is either the stove or placement of. I also have a pellet furnace which can be ducted into duct work. My tiny pellet stove is only intended for 1 room and holding temps in the evening.

I am not an oil dealer or anything, I would love to use pellets alone instead of foreign oil, I just don't find it cost effective yet. I did see a setup at the local fair a while back where the wood pellet dealer has a truck setup to load your house with pellets like an oil truck and then your furnace is automatically fed by the large container in your basement he filled up. Very nice!

I understand 2 different homes, different stove types, pellet cost and quility, different setups etc... all come into play.

I also talked to a guy that runs our local Pellet making plant. He said that {I believe??} in Europe pellets are delivered in bulk trucks. He also said they are trying to get it that way here IF enough folks go to pellet furnace type units. My furnace can hold 5 50lb bags{I get 50lb bags instead of 40} that is more then enough for 5 days unless it is below zero with a wind.

 

[20 20]

I took my pellet stove out of my shop 34x60x12' walls and had sprayed in foam insulation.Used it two winters in Ks.couldnt get warm fast enough.
Couldn't raise and hold temperature at all used my 155,00 BTU torpedo heater
to get it warm fast then pellets.Just spent more on pellets than i was getting heat from it than it was worth.It was largest unit i could buy.Gave it to my
son who is heat and air man.Going with propane next year.Good luck.

If you don't mind me asking was it a pellet stove or pellet furnace?