Need to buy some heating oil soon...aggggr

davidmcbeth3 · Post by **davidmcbeth3** » Thu. Jan. 12, 2023 4:43 pm

current price : $3.80 / gal

Bought 100 gal in Sep @ $4.20 .. about 35 gal. left when I bought.

Down to 50 gal now...so in next 6 weeks I'll have to buy some...

Figure to buy just another 100 gal, hope price goes down.

Its only used to heat water. 85 gal used since early Sept. / 4 months...so about 25 gal/mo. used.

300 gallons a year for hot water .. at $4/gal, that's 1200 bucks.

Its an on-demand water heater .. I was going to buy a new hot water heater but hot water doesn't need heating.

Anyone got any extra free hot water for me ?

ColdHouse · Post by **ColdHouse** » Thu. Jan. 12, 2023 4:51 pm

Cold water is invigorating!

waytomany?s · Post by **waytomany?s** » Thu. Jan. 12, 2023 7:02 pm

No, but Biden does. Larry the cable guy called people waterheads. And boy does Biden get steamed when you ask him a tough question.

mkline · Post by **mkline** » Thu. Jan. 12, 2023 8:10 pm

I just buy 5 gals at a time from a gas station close to me. I get the off road diesel so it "cheaper" than diesel. It usually lasts me 2 weeks heating up the water. I don't leave the boiler run. I have a storage tank that stays hot and I can get a couple of showers , dishes washed, ect. Then the next day I'll run it again.

Mike

Hoytman · Post by **Hoytman** » Sat. Jan. 14, 2023 12:32 am

-Coal was $500/ton this year for me.

-A truck load…23 ton at that price is $11,500 at that price of $500/ton (but 23 tons of bulk is actually cheaper, but let’s entertain that figure).

-That 23 ton truck load would last me 15.33333 years. $11,500 or $750 year.

-Oil here was $2.67/gal when I moved in here. We used well over $2500 worth that year (found a few more receipts I haven’t yet figured in). 2500/2.67=936 gallons/1yr.

-Dad just had the church tank filled for $4.40/gal.

-So 936gallons x $4.40/gal.= $4,118.40 just for one hearing season.

The same money ($11,500) for the truck load of coal, spent on fuel oil, would only last me 2.79 years if I bought enough fuel oil at $4.40/gal.

So the bottom line…
-$11,500 buys 15.333 years of heat with coal.

-OR-

-$11,500 buys 2.79 heating seasons with fuel oil.

Here’s the kicker…
Coal in bulk per truck load is cheaper than $500/ton and so a truck load of 23 tons is far less than $11,500…

Oh the beauty of burning black rocks!!!!

However the real beauty comes when using real figures for bulk coal. Spending for a truck load of coal isn’t feasible for some though, including me, but it’s a goal.

Hoytman · Post by **Hoytman** » Sat. Jan. 14, 2023 12:54 am

It won’t be long and my son will likely get married and have his own life. I’m thankful he’s learning about anthracite coal and coal stoves. If he settles into a place he thinks he might stay in for 20 years 1 truck load could last him the biggest part of that time.

Would be a good way for a young couple to save a lot of money and get ahead.

I see a coal another coal stove in my garage in the near future just to pass on to him. That alone will give him a good start.

davidmcbeth3 · Post by **davidmcbeth3** » Sat. Jan. 14, 2023 2:53 am

Hoytman wrote: ↑
Sat. Jan. 14, 2023 12:54 am
It won’t be long and my son will likely get married and have his own life. I’m thankful he’s learning about anthracite coal and coal stoves. If he settles into a place he thinks he might stay in for 20 years 1 truck load could last him the biggest part of that time.

Would be a good way for a young couple to save a lot of money and get ahead.

I see a coal another coal stove in my garage in the near future just to pass on to him. That alone will give him a good start.

I see "wedding present " ? Buy it now and start burning it and tell him rest that is left is wedding present. Maybe get married and moved out next week !

ColdHouse · Post by **ColdHouse** » Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 6:49 am

The best thing I have done recently was to stop heating water with my oil boiler and install a hybrid electric water heater.

The oil boiler uses more than oil to operate there is electricity used for the oil burner and circulating pump. I think my new water heater actually uses less electricity than my boiler used to burn the oil to heat the water.

No more oil boiler required in this house. My electric utility bill is less than ever before but I cannot say it is because of the hybrid water heater. Too many other variables such as less people here, eliminated a sump pump that ran often, no boiler running.

Connecticut gives instant rebate on the water heater and there is a Federal Income tax credit also. Net cost for water heater I installed was around $500. My guess is that it has already paid for itself. I burned a lot of oil heating water. I even had the boiler on a timer so it would only run when people used hot water and we had a quality indirect hot water heater with a dedicated boiler zone.

davidmcbeth3 · Post by **davidmcbeth3** » Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 1:18 pm

ColdHouse wrote: ↑
Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 6:49 am
SNIP

The oil boiler uses more than oil to operate there is electricity used for the oil burner and circulating pump. I think my new water heater actually uses less electricity than my boiler used to burn the oil to heat the water.

My hot water on-demand tank is inside the oil burner .. no circulatory motors run when heating the water. There is electricity used to run the burner. Time for another Doctor Kill-O-Watt examination !

How is your water heater "hybrid" ?

ColdHouse · Post by **ColdHouse** » Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 2:01 pm

davidmcbeth3 wrote: ↑
Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 1:18 pm
My hot water on-demand tank is inside the oil burner .. no circulatory motors run when heating the water. There is electricity used to run the burner. Time for another Doctor Kill-O-Watt examination !

How is your water heater "hybrid" ?

It is heat pump technology. Takes the heat from outside the tank and uses it to warm the water.

Hoytman · Post by **Hoytman** » Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 2:37 pm

ColdHouse wrote: ↑
Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 2:01 pm
It is heat pump technology. Takes the heat from outside the tank and uses it to warm the water.

Great technology where there is a stove present like in our situations.

I’m wanting to get less dependent on gubberment utilities though and more to total independence. Something like these…

https://hitzer.com/our-products/stoves-furnaces/h ... ks-canners

https://dsofpa.com/waterheaters/

If I can figure out a way to keep water from freezing in my situation I could use something like that and enjoy it without too much trouble.

I’d love the water Hitzer unit but I’m not sure how much moisture the “open style” lid would allow into the house during the winter time. Plus, my existing Hitzer or the one above really doesn’t work for mom-winter use…not to mention I am not drilling a hole through my hearth wall or my stove.

So that leaves the only option to an outside unit unless of course we remodel and I can change the hearth wall completely. I’d still want an outside unit for 2 1/2 seasons unless installed a cool stove. Too many scenarios to be considered for anything but an outside or garage unit at this time.

ColdHouse · Post by **ColdHouse** » Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 2:49 pm

I would still go with the hybrid. No effort. Cheap to run!
I designed a solar water collector that would heat hot water and run thru an old oven where I would have a hot water radiator element that could be use to dehydrate or cook before going to the hot water tank. Also considered making a solar oven I probably posted a video on that here. Regardless the best solar oven and solar hot water is to have a solar panels running my hybrid water heater or my indoor oven.

davidmcbeth3 · Post by **davidmcbeth3** » Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 4:23 pm

ColdHouse wrote: ↑
Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 2:49 pm
I would still go with the hybrid. No effort. Cheap to run!
I designed a solar water collector that would heat hot water and run thru an old oven where I would have a hot water radiator element that could be use to dehydrate or cook before going to the hot water tank. Also considered making a solar oven I probably posted a video on that here. Regardless the best solar oven and solar hot water is to have a solar panels running my hybrid water heater or my indoor oven.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rheem-Performance-Pla ... /312742067

in Q/A says $120 yr on electricity / 13 cents Kwh basis = about $300 at 30 cents/kWh. That's $25/mo. Seems to be cheaper than my oil cost. A 240V unit (not an issue - I'd have to move some circuit breakers to get another 240 v line - deal with that spaghetti monster of an electrical panel).

I estimate my $$/yr oil at $900. That's $600/yr savings.

The hybrid heating unit is about $2000 (figure $$ for electrical/plumbing DIY). That's about 3 1/2 yr ROI.

For appliances like this, I seek 2 yr ROI.

If one wants to go the rebate and tax credit route, that ROI becomes about 1/2 yr. Based in $500 ColdHouse noted for unit. Its possible that these credits/rebates are not the same as before.

A regular all-electric heating, per Q/A of all electric one, is $420 / yr. Hits the ROI in 1/2 yr too.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rheem-Performance-40- ... /205810725

The hybrid would continue to outperform , cost-wise, after that 1/2 year point in time from the all-electric.

All based on current oil and electrical rates, of course.

davidmcbeth3 · Post by **davidmcbeth3** » Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 4:27 pm

Hoytman wrote: ↑
Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 2:37 pm
Great technology where there is a stove present like in our situations.

I’m wanting to get less dependent on gubberment utilities though and more to total independence. Something like these…

https://hitzer.com/our-products/stoves-furnaces/h ... ks-canners

https://dsofpa.com/waterheaters/

If I can figure out a way to keep water from freezing in my situation I could use something like that and enjoy it without too much trouble.

I’d love the water Hitzer unit but I’m not sure how much moisture the “open style” lid would allow into the house during the winter time. Plus, my existing Hitzer or the one above really doesn’t work for mom-winter use…not to mention I am not drilling a hole through my hearth wall or my stove.

So that leaves the only option to an outside unit unless of course we remodel and I can change the hearth wall completely. I’d still want an outside unit for 2 1/2 seasons unless installed a cool stove. Too many scenarios to be considered for anything but an outside or garage unit at this time.

And the costs of the coal water heaters ?

Hoytman · Post by **Hoytman** » Sun. Jan. 15, 2023 4:33 pm

There you go again wanting me to do the work for you.

Kidding aside…
I honestly have not checked. Although… you just jogged my memory…somewhere around this confounded place I think I have a Hitzer price list from a few years ago. I have no idea where that would be at the moment.