Coal vs Propane cost

 
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BlackBetty06
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Post by BlackBetty06 » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 7:07 pm

Well, I wasnt sure where to post this but figured Id throw it in here since the stove being referenced is a 50-93. I was wondering if any of you mathmeticians out there would want to check on my thoughts here.

Im trying to figure out which is my more cost effective fuel per btu. I am running a hitzer 50-93 stove burning Stockton nut anthracite at $200.00 per ton. I figured this at 13,000 btu per pound which may be a bit optimistic. Im throwing a dart and guessing the stove may be around 70% eff. My propane furnace is rated at 95.5% AFUE. I purchased my propane at $0.89 a gallon over the summer.

From what I can tell Im pretty much even up between burning coal or propane. I think coal may be saving me around 10 cents per day. All of my fuels i purchase during the summer. I can store 6 ton of coal and have a 500 gallon propane tank that lasts me a long time since I have a heat pump hooked to the furnace as first stage heat and my water heater burns oil! I also have a Jotul 118B woodstove! This gives me flexibility to sit out price spikes and wait for the best prices.

Current prices as of today are $1.59 a gallon for propane and 223 per ton for Stockton. Anybody wanna double check me? :out:


 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 7:38 pm

We have a handy calculator just for this purpose: https://coalpail.com/fuel-comparison-calculator-home-heating

I also attached a spreadsheet I created 10 years ago - have fun.

Attachments

Propane_Cost_Comparison.xlsx
.XLSX | 17.2KB | Propane_Cost_Comparison.xlsx

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 7:43 pm

As delivered anthracite has about 12,250 BTU's per pound. I would guess the "real world" overall efficiency of the 50-93 at 60%. It will extract 7,350 BTU's as heat from each pound of anthracite. One ton of anthracite will thereby yield 14,700,000 BTU's. At $223 per ton that comes to roughly 66,000 BTUH per Dollar spent.

A 95.5% AFUE furnace might be about 90% overall real world efficient. 91,000 BTU's per gallon of propane x 90% = 81,900 BTU's realized as heat per gallon. 81,900/1.59 = ~51,500 BTUH per Dollar spent.

But if you can get propane at $0.89 per gallon you are ahead by nearly 30% if you burn propane vs. anthracite.

The break even point for this specific set of criteria is $1.24 per gallon for propane.

 
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BlackBetty06
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Post by BlackBetty06 » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 7:54 pm

lll check out the charts and play there. Thanks for the number crunching Larry. So I guess Id be saving money if I left the furnace take over. Maybe throttle the stove way back anyway to keep the basement warm and toasty and let the furnace handle the main heating. Maybe this would yeild the best of both

 
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Hambden Bob
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Post by Hambden Bob » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 10:27 pm

During a Power Outage,that hand-fired Hitzer will keep chugging along,not missing a beat! The propane Furnace will not unless You have a generator at the ready! Something to consider in the Grand Scheme of things..

 
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Riddlerlloyd
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Post by Riddlerlloyd » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 7:29 am

I’m more interested in where he’s getting his propane for $0.89.....maybe I need to own a bigger tank?

 
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Post by warminmn » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 8:03 am

theres also the electricity of your furnace, the wear and tear on your furnace, upkeep costs, etc. Those costs are almost non-existent with your Hitzer unless maybe your running a blower. Then there are also rare costs, like a propane tank leaking itself empty without you knowing (one of my friends lost almost 1000 gallons that way once. Cant believe he never smelled it leaking but he didnt).

And which way is your home warmer? Thats the big one with me. I can also get propane at a break even price but dont. Maybe someday.


 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 8:21 am

I figure my break even price at $1.15 per gallon.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 8:52 am

BlackBetty06 wrote:
Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 7:54 pm
Maybe throttle the stove way back anyway to keep the basement warm and toasty and let the furnace handle the main heating. Maybe this would yeild the best of both
That is what I would do.

 
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Post by Qtown1835 » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 9:59 am

Still not cost effective for me to use propane but i did find this.

Evidently you can save about $0.10/gal if you prepay.
Capture.JPG
.JPG | 27.5KB | Capture.JPG

 
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Hambden Bob
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Post by Hambden Bob » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 7:58 pm

You've got to figure,it's Your Ship,and only You can sail it! In fat times of Favorable and Competitive Energy Availability and Pricing,You have Choices. When the crap hit the fan in the 70's&80's,Der Coal Stoves and Coal looked like they were,literally,the Hottest Choice in Town! Things cycle,but Fracking changed everything. Nothing stays Stable. The one thing that always strikes me is that it's extremely rare to have and control Your entire Heating Season's Fuel Supply on You Property. That's Budget Friendly and frees You from Price Spikes,Opportunistic Gouging and Availability Dilemmas and Excuses to Ram it to Ya' at the worst of times. Good Luck,and make this Deal something with no regrets...

 
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BlackBetty06
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Post by BlackBetty06 » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 9:47 pm

I live in Lancaster county Pennsylvania. I buy my propane from either Sauder Fuels or Martindale propane. I have a 500 gallon tank. This affords me the ability to easily go 2 seasons (with coal burning) and keep tracking prices till they hit bottom and then fill up. I think the lowest it dropped this year was 1.00 per gallon. The 0.89 cents was summer of 2017. My furnace, dryer, and grill feed off the propane system. I do HVAC/chiller work for a living so that’s one benefit I do have. I actually put a new Payne condensing gas furnace in this past weekend because the 21 year old condensing furnace I had crapped out and was not cost effective to repair since Payne was running a sale, so a new furnace “ONLY” cost me 750 bucks plus my Saturday. As another member stated there are electricity costs to figure in as well (furnace draws 4.5 amps measured while running).

The fuels I’m currently burning were bought at 200 dollars per ton of Stockton coal and 0.89 cents per gallon propane.

BUT as somebody pointed out, the coal does FEEL warmer and that’s a factor especially for ma.

 
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Post by gardener » Fri. Dec. 14, 2018 9:26 am

BlackBetty06 wrote:
Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 7:07 pm
...
I purchased my propane at $0.89 a gallon over the summer.
...
Current prices as of today are $1.59 a gallon for propane and 223 per ton for Stockton.
...
Does .89 and 1.59 per gallon for propane already include delivery? or is that a separate charge?
Do you own or rent/lease your tank?

Is $223 per ton coal include delivery?

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Fri. Dec. 14, 2018 9:51 am

To my knowledge propane will always be noticeably cheaper for those who outright own their tank.

 
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Post by McGiever » Fri. Dec. 14, 2018 10:25 am

Funny how high efficiency condensing furnaces keep all the installer real busy doing repair work and replacements.
Seems most people are "blinded" by a label saying something like 95.5% AFUE or greater...truth be known, in the end, your fuel cost savings went over to the mfg'r and seller/installer from frequent repairs and replacements...just saying.
But owning one of these hi eff does come with some hefty bragging rights...so maybe there is a price or value there too. :mrgreen:


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