Price Predictions 2024 and beyond

[Jim86_Ohio]

Hi All,

Curious if there is any consensus as to what prices will do next year? It looks like prices at Lehigh have dropped a little compared to last season and some brokers are still selling to local customers at~250/ton bulk. At current rates, I've been burning propane instead of coal. We built a new home in 2020 and had a nice hearth installed with a DS Anthramax in our family room and I hate seeing it go unused... I'm in NW Ohio Would love to get a 20+ ton delivery of bulk but can't justify it at current prices of $300-400/ton bulk (non delivered) when I can get propane at $1.70/gallon +/-. Was using Tractor supply for a year or two but their bagged price now is over $600/ton! I've got a couple of tons on standby that I can use in case of an emergency but don't plan on burning until coal prices go down. Let me know what you think- will we see coal go down to pre 2021 prices again?

[warminmn]

It may drop a little but the days of cheap coal are likely over.

[wnycoalier]

Ukraine fiasco is almost over. But will the cutting off of our nose to spite our face continue?

I am not scrapping my Axeman, yet. But Bituminous @$70 a ton is allot warmer than Anthracite at $500

[franpipeman]

I m burning half of the 6 tons i bought two years ago. at 340 a ton . I have been burning propane at 1.32 per gallon like Jim ,but at condensing temps so its efficient . im lucky where i live for propane pricke. I will save some of my anthracite after burning three tons as a back up boiler to the propane condensing boiler that is hight tech so at some time it will have issues. My coal burning has higher labor issues due to my hill side land geography

[Rob R.]

I expect pricing to be flat, or slightly decrease if demand from Europe decreases.

[nut]

Same here. The transportation costs are going to be the main culprit in the future.

[CoalisCoolxWarm]

Depends on the upcoming election.

As for other sources of heat...If you have a stoker, you can idle it with Thermostats and zones set where you want and run 'supplemental' heat in any room or manner you like.

We're thinking of doing this with a wood stove in the living room. Fire it if and when we want and is convenient. Boiler will pick up the slack and take over as necessary.

[linus69]

My supplier Rossi Coal in Hazleton PA no longer does house deliveries and they sold their delivery trucks and their price if you come pick it up at the breaker is $270 a ton for Rice

[vince_126]

Just called my guy yesterday $375 a ton over here in PA. July of this year it was $260 a ton for nut.

[archangel_cpj]

Boslers in Middlefield is at 390 a ton basically for blashak or Atlantic carbide... They think it will drop 10 dollars a ton...

Coalway in Apple creek is 440 a ton Blashak...

[Jeff Van Wickle]

Bosler's has Lehigh too.

[creek44]

Also from Ohio. Did not start up coal boiler this year due to coal price. Using propane boiler. Will likely add another 500 gal propane tank this year.

[swyman]

Boslers in Middlefield is at 390 a ton basically for blashak or Atlantic carbide... They think it will drop 10 dollars a ton...

Coalway in Apple creek is 440 a ton Blashak...
[/quote

Just for reference, I picked up for $384/ton pea at end of October

[xackley1]

I haven't fired up my coal stoker.
It is a very light winter so that might be why I have been heating my house comfortably with a mini split.
Coal is $400 +delivery. The price did drop from $440 advertised last summer.
According to the Fuel Comparison Calculator I am saving money just sitting here letting the heat pump run, not getting dusty filling and emptying the coal stove I ran for the previous 16 years. To break even with the cost of running the mini split the price of coal would have to drop to $350

I do have a full fuel oil tank and a ton of coal if it ever gets really cold again. I think 15* is about the lowest the heat pump can provide sufficient heat. Earlier in this winter we did have night time single digits with mid 20s in the day and it did good enough.

Current price for fuel oil in Western NY is oil 4.64, propane 3.51. Either would cost over $4500 for that 100M BTU, more that 2.5 times either current coal or mini split running cost.

Don

[stokerstove]

I haven't fired up my coal stoker.
It is a very light winter so that might be why I have been heating my house comfortably with a mini split.
Coal is $400 +delivery. The price did drop from $440 advertised last summer.
According to the Fuel Comparison Calculator I am saving money just sitting here letting the heat pump run, not getting dusty filling and emptying the coal stove I ran for the previous 16 years. To break even with the cost of running the mini split the price of coal would have to drop to $350

I do have a full fuel oil tank and a ton of coal if it ever gets really cold again. I think 15* is about the lowest the heat pump can provide sufficient heat. Earlier in this winter we did have night time single digits with mid 20s in the day and it did good enough.

Current price for fuel oil in Western NY is oil 4.64, propane 3.51. Either would cost over $4500 for that 100M BTU, more that 2.5 times either current coal or mini split running cost.

Don

Sadly, we're getting close to doing the same as you...and we're right in hard coal country! Last delivery was $340/ton. Was picking it up myself, but that price went up to $300/ton - for $40 difference, not worth it.

We also have a mini split system. The wife loves the coal heat and that's mostly why I keep it going. The mini split does well, but we never used it for extended periods in the winter.

It's good you have options. We have the coal stove, mini split and elec. baseboard. It's been 36 years since we built this house and the elec. baseboard has almost never been used! I'd like to keep it that way.