As the primary or backup?
Other than the mentioned "back-up", to my knowledge, Heating Oil has always been the most expensive.As the primary or backup?
If this is just a cost question,. you can look up the typical heat output (in therms) per unit, then dollar per uinit, and derive cost per therm. That at least tells you what costs more to heat the house.
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If its only backup to be used rarely... oil does have the advantage that you can get it in small batches cheaper by going to a country gas station with farm diesel and get yourself 10 gal at a time or whatever and burn that, its usually way less than the delivered cost. Hard to do similar w/ propane.
Full time use. BTU wise hardly anything beats heating oil. But a recent article I read says a projected 16 percent increase this winter.As the primary or backup?
If this is just a cost question,. you can look up the typical heat output (in therms) per unit, then dollar per uinit, and derive cost per therm. That at least tells you what costs more to heat the house.
Energy units and calculators explained - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
Basic units of measure for energy, fuels, and types of energy sources.
If its only backup to be used rarely... oil does have the advantage that you can get it in small batches cheaper by going to a country gas station with farm diesel and get yourself 10 gal at a time or whatever and burn that, its usually way less than the delivered cost. Hard to do similar w/ propane.
Coal.
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All the ones I've been around needed lots of TLC pending the fuel source. I also like the idea of insurance not bailing because of a Frankenstein heat source. Even if I did wood heat in a stove or wood furnace that sucker will be UL rated or whatever. If it hits that fan I need a home and I sure can't afford one.
Its nearly impossible to find free waste oil now sicne it became so popular.
Coal.
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Its was both easy and fun.
Outdoor burner away from the house/shop and run waterlines to the air handler?
Really? Dude that slaps like a middle finger. I'm worried about pipes freezing and my ass needing eight blankets. I can't afford coal to blacksmith as a hobby.Coal.
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Directions for Fuel Cost Calculator: Enter the costs in Column "Unit Price" for the various fuels or use the default values as listed
Funny we had a solar, wood unit. Efficient but I spent every single free moment cutting wood or feeding that thing. It rotted out so badly patching it would have been a yearly exercise.
A man down the street [I never meet] has or had, an outdoor building almost like an outhouse. I'm told it was a wood chip burner, that I guess heated a water tank, which was plumbed to the house. Radiators or radiant heat? I don't know what he used it for. I don't think it's in service now. Many of the fireplace wood chip burners, went the way of the Edsel.
Guess it’s the choice of labor vs. $$. I know I never like cutting spring wood to season for the winter but I know it was a lot cheaper for my folks while I was growing up than paying for 1,000 gallon of fuel oil that would maybe make it through 1/2 the winter. Few years back they got a NG line past the house and dad switch the boiler over to run gas. Way cleaner and cost effective so they haven’t used wood except for the fireplace on rare occasion since. Also, even though the fuel oil was in a confined burner it was noticeable the cleanliness in the house not having the suit that we never even new existed from the old burner.
They make corn burners too. I was hoping to get feedback on the real question. You know Propane or maybe Natural Gas. If we had a line I would have already tapped on.
I'm afraid you're at an impass then.
I can’t seem to find a distributor around here but up north the outdoor hot water burners are all the rage. Of course the temp requirements for an actual winter and the source of good burning hardwood is better too.
Sorry just throwing alternatives out there that don’t require being tied to “the man”. But I get it for sure….
I'm with you on wood. It's all my cool weekends where since I was a little feller carrying wood and limbing trees with a hatchet. I got plum worn out feeding two families needs for several seasons as Davie resident. Before that four families, my kin would share the load between them. When I married the two mentioned heated exclusively with wood. Father in law and my wife. Her dad, "Old Feller" refused to spend a dime on maintenance chemicals and both stoves fell apart within a year of each other. The oil was in place so the switch was flipped. He was in his eighties.
I've got 20 gallons in the barn. Are you saying you don't want it?
It would take a campfire and a bottle to fully explain the fuckery I'm in with this house. When I built my shop it was the worst mistake ever. Me and the wife should have relocated.
FWIW I do know straight cut/split wood is better (cheaper) than pellet wood and the buildup is way less due to the lack of burning the bonding agents in the pellets inside of a burn box. All the ones I’ve been around a real heavy gauge stainless with the water coil over the box and pipes underground to the house then another coil in the heat exchanger. Pretty simple really but they do require maintenance.
He lives up there in hippie land where it’s probably illegal to talk about burning (re-burning) fossil fuels. Needs more Elon -esk types of energy sources
