quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:

Actually that's what I meant, the newly remodeled shop. So it has its own fuel furnace then.

Yes. I insulated the hell out of it and keep it at 50°

I do need to tweak some stuff on the furnace as it's running noticeably rich, but it's been too damn cold to turn it off long enough to mess with it. Probably a new nozzle and adjust the air shutter a tad. It's a hot air "trailer" furnace of indeterminate age.

My brother lives in a older home and the oil furnace is now eating him alive in NY State. 5 years back he self installed a Keystoker rice coal furnace, tied into existing ducts. That furnace hopper holds 200 pounds of rice coal and is a self feeder. It cost him $2,600.00 for the furnace. That old leaky home stayed so constant warm all Winter. IIRC, his heat bill dropped from near 3 grand to $800.00. Thats a hell of a savings. Now he has health issues and cannot handle the 50 pound sacks of coal. Back to the oil furnace he went.

Every spring I hug my ancient Woodchuck furnace (after it cools down, of course).

I just paid a gas bill for 28 days usage. $20.75 and we keep the temperature in the house at a comfy 72 degrees around the clock.

I just went back and looked up what I had paid in March 2018, the last time I had to pay for oil before we converted to gas that July: $2.19 a gallon


Looked up what the very same heating oil supplier is charging today for a gallon: $3.43

Let’s Go Brandon, indeed

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:


When Trump was in office

No referred to as "the good ole days".

$600 per month for heat?!?! I was upset at my $111 bill this month, but we've had temps in the teens for half the billing cycle. Normally it's $50-85 per month and $15-20 per month when it's summer and it's only used for gas dryer.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
$600 per month for heat?!?! I was upset at my $111 bill this month, but we've had temps in the teens for half the billing cycle. Normally it's $50-85 per month and $15-20 per month when it's summer and it's only used for gas dryer.

Yabbut, what's yer electric bill for AC in August?

Oh, BTW, our electric rates went up about 25% January 1st. Things are getting ugly.

We installed a LOPI AGP pellet stove last year. LINK: https://www.lopistoves.com/product/agp-pellet-stove/
The entire winter supply of pellets costs the same as one full 275 gallon tank of fuel oil.
In the dead of winter, a 275 gallon tank would last about 5 weeks. (minimum of three+ full tanks to get through the coldest portions of winter, plus a couple more for spring & fall)
Now, 150 gallons of fuel oil lasts for half a year. (fuel oil heats the domestic hot water in addition to the house heat)
My quick cost analysis says the pellet stove will pay for itself in two heating seasons.

Pellet stove maintenance is simple. About once a week turn it off and clean/vacuum it out.
Pellet stove stops and starts (ignites) itself with the push of a button. Has variable speed pellet feed and variable speed heated output air blower.
No smoke or ashes/cinders in the house.

We've been buying the premium Canadian 100% hardwood pellets, more BTU per ton and less fly ash. ($300 per ton)
Using my big double axle trailer, (for hauling the Kubota tractor) makes pellet sourcing/transporting easy. I've hauled two pallets at a time. (50 bags, 40 pounds per bag, for each one ton pallet)

Bags of pellets weigh 40 pounds. If your age/physical condition doesn't allow pouring 40 pound bags directly into the pellet stove, you can fill the pellet stove supply hopper using a big coffee can.

So fuck OPEC & Russia with the overpriced oil for home heating. The house is now heated with pellets, and a wood stove at the cabin.

The other members of the household prefer the temperature around 75 F, so my standard winter attire is now shorts and tee shirt as long as I don't have to go out.

26% tax credit for the cost of the stove, venting, and installation is a bonus.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Our soapstone wood stove has a warped door and is prone to puffing a bit of smoke when the wind is gusty. If it was just me, I'd live with it, but you know how that goes. We'll shop for a new stove in the Spring but between what we'll no doubt have to pay for a good stove and the inevitable price hike in firewood, I doubt we'll see much, if any, savings.

Is is possible to purchase a better-fitting door, or have one fabricated? Might be cheaper than a whole new stove.

PH is there any way to get into your attic? From the sounds of it this may be the reason you’re loosing all the heat.

We just blew in more insulation here in NC to about R-50. It immediately made a difference in how often our heat pump comes on. The reason I did this was primarily for the summer though..

@RogueJSK - Possible, I suppose but once Mrs. PHPaul has lost faith in something, convincing her it's fixable is somewhere between difficult and impossible. Not sure that's a battle I want to fight.

@cee-Kamp - We'd considered a pellet stove and may very well revisit that idea in the Spring. 40# bags of pellets are not a problem.

@smlsig - There's one small (16" square, maybe less) hatch in the bedroom ceiling on the South end of the North/South roofline (T shaped house) Some years back (before I met the future Mrs. PHPaul) she had a bat infestation in that area and had it sprayed with something that drove them away. Haven't been real keen on getting tangled up with whatever it was. Getting a bunch of blown in insulation is probably doable, I'll have to check on pricing. Not sure if the cross of the "T" is accessible or not.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
@RogueJSK - Possible, I suppose but once Mrs. PHPaul has lost faith in something, convincing her it's fixable is somewhere between difficult and impossible. Not sure that's a battle I want to fight.

@cee-Kamp - We'd considered a pellet stove and may very well revisit that idea in the Spring. 40# bags of pellets are not a problem.

@smlsig - There's one small (16" square, maybe less) hatch in the bedroom ceiling on the South end of the North/South roofline (T shaped house) Some years back (before I met the future Mrs. PHPaul) she had a bat infestation in that area and had it sprayed with something that drove them away. Haven't been real keen on getting tangled up with whatever it was. Getting a bunch of blown in insulation is probably doable, I'll have to check on pricing. Not sure if the cross of the "T" is accessible or not.

My attic access is 16"x20" I easily added blown in insulation in my attic. $400-500 for the insulation which included free use of the machine for 4 or 6 hours. Additional costs, $50, large pizza, 12 pack of beer for my buddy that loaded the hopper while I sprayed and drove me to pick up materials.

Summer electric bills went from $300-400 per month to $200-300 with the $300 variety only coming for one or two months of the summer. Also shaved money off my gas bill and my electric bill during the winter. I keep A/C set to 70* during the summer.

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
^^^Liberty Utilities, our Natural Gas supplier offered a rate lock option this year...But after it went into effect, they notified everyone they would NOT be able to honor it due to the price increase, and rescinded it!

Is that legal? As in, was the way out part or the contract?

I would think more than a few would / could result in that?

quote:

^^Liberty Utilities, our Natural Gas supplier offered a rate lock option this year...But after it went into effect, they notified everyone they would NOT be able to honor it due to the price increase, and rescinded it! Roll Eyes

That's some real bullshit there. I am sure plenty of folks over your way were really pissed off with that move.

If it makes you feel better last week 255 gallons at my house in Westchester, NY ran me $1021. Ouch!

$3.70 gal here in delco.

SIG forum friends,
In dealing with your Oil & propane Co’s. there is really only one way
To deal with them. YOU get the last 3 years of usage per year. Take an
Average or use the highest number. Provide them to your Dealer.
Set up a budget plan and pay over 8 to 10 months. Do not do a pre-buy. You only have to have
An extra cold year and the next thing you know it, you have expended your pre buy gallons and you are now being charged at rack rate!
There are buying clubs who will charge a small fee. They in turn go to the dealer and say “I have XXX amount of gallons of oil/Propane and get a reduced price and turn that around to members.

I did sales for propane and oil for years.
That is how I do ot and I have yet to get spanked.

It wont happen now, but for next years and into the future !!”
Regards, John…

Neighbor just got fuel oil from the same outfit I use: $4.599/gallon IF he pays within 15 days.

How much more of this insanity are we going to have to endure?

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Neighbor just got fuel oil from the same outfit I use: $4.599/gallon IF he pays within 15 days.

How much more of this insanity are we going to have to endure?

That outfit is doing something wrong (or right for them I guess)... Just got oil myself, 184.3 gal, $3.809/gal, total bill $702

quote:

Originally posted by Gibb:
That outfit is doing something wrong (or right for them I guess)... Just got oil myself, 184.3 gal, $3.809/gal, total bill $702

Dead River. Only option around here except for independents and I'm leaning strongly toward switching if I can find one with a decent reputation for dependability.

Who do you use down your way?