Yowzers. My last utility bill was $239 and that's for all utility services (gas, electric, trash, water) I believe the average temp for the month was less than 5f. We heat the house to ~72 without adjustment 2400sq.
One thing that has made a huge difference is new siding and house wrap. Saving us a bundle.
Holy crap! I live in Winnipeg, Canada and it was very cold during Janurary. My bill was under $200. I have natural gas. Mine for Dec was 130 i think.
That's crazy!
I'm also thinking about coal. My GF and I are living in a 2 unit house with tenants upstairs, that we intend to move out and get tenants on both floors. Its natural gas for heating, hot water and cooking so its perfect from a rental perspective. We live in NH and oil/propane is shockingly expensive. Coal is not dirty as some people would like to believe. Our next house, if it happens to be oil/propane or in a place where no natural gas is present, we will get a central coal boiler or a stove. Look at this video of this guy receiving a 3 ton shipment. Down the coal chute and into his bin, no dust. This is hard coal aka anthracite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlOFA81rhxg Soft coal aka bituminous can get sooty and dusty.
I also looked at pellet but it has too many disadvantages. If you are going the solid fuel route (coal, pellet, firewood) and have decided that loading a stove/boiler, tending to the fire and ashing it out is within your capability, then do it with the superior fuel and use coal.
What disadvantages did you see re: pellet vs coal? I know coal burns hotter and is cheaper than wood pellets, but coal stoves and boilers are generally much dirtier (from an emissions standpoint) and (call me a tree hugging hippie if you want) far less environmentally conscious.
What disadvantages did you see re: pellet vs coal? I know coal burns hotter and is cheaper than wood pellets, but coal stoves and boilers are generally much dirtier (from an emissions standpoint) and (call me a tree hugging hippie if you want) far less environmentally conscious.
$50 last month in gas/electricity.
About $450 for the entire year.
:whiste:
1. Coal contains almost twice the BTUs of pellets. 1 ton of coal = approx 24,000,000 BTUs. 1 ton pellets = approx 16,500,000 BTUs. Ton of coal near me is $280 - 320. Ton of pellets is $210-250. That means you will be lifting 1.45 times more 40 lb pellet bags than coal. If you decide to buy coal in bulk and have a few tons delivered at once, you will save even more per ton. As far as I've seen, pellets are sold in 40 lb bags and by the ton. Some friends an I are talking about splitting a tractor trailer load of coal, roughly 20-30 tons for even more savings. I have not seen bulk pellet delivery but perhaps somebody out there is doing so.
2. If pellets get wet, they lose structure and decay into a mush. Now they are useless. pellets need to be stored indoors and in non humid locations. With added humidity, you can get mold. Coal is a dense black rock and you can dump it outdoors and come back to it 100 years later, it will still burn. You can burn wet coal.
3. I've noticed some pellet qualities are inconsistent. Some pellets are mostly bark which doesn;t burn well and is not really my definition of 'wood". Coal quality can also vary but in general, coal is coal unlike pellet which is a manufactured product.
4. Pellets can be dusty if excessively handled and so can coal. I'm not aware of any dust control strategies for pellets other than handling it carefully. Many coal dealers sell their coal washed and some offer oiled coal. A light coating of oil helps to keep the dust down. Can't do this to pellet since it would turn to mush.
5. Pellet and wood burning creates creosote in chimneys. Gooey tarry creosote is a cause of chimney fires and requires frequent sweeping and cleanings. Coal does not produce creosote when burning Coal does produce fly ash which can fill a chimney and eventually clog it. Fly ash typically accumulates in horizontal flue runs and corners. You can clean this with a shop vac. Creosote removal in a chimney from wood requires brushing and sometimes chemicals.
6. Anthracite coal burns with a hot blue flame and zero to little smoke. When the whole coal pile catches, it glows red hot and is much like wood charcoal except it is far longer lasting. Your neighbors won't know you are burning anthracite unless you tell them. Given the negative stigma and perceptions everyone has about coal, I'd keep my mouth shut about it and nobody will bother you. The negative perceptions about coal are from a different kind of coal used to power industry, power plants and locomotives. You will not get a belching smokestack effect out your chimney. Actually, I think wood smells stronger and produces more visible smoke than anthracite. Anthracite emissions include CO2, no smell and far less particulates than wood.
7. Buddy of mine has a coal stove and has recorded easy 24 hour burn times between ashing and adding fresh fuel and a few times he can go to 36 hours. Try that with a wood stove.
1. Coal contains almost twice the BTUs of pellets. 1 ton of coal = approx 24,000,000 BTUs. 1 ton pellets = approx 16,500,000 BTUs. Ton of coal near me is $280 - 320. Ton of pellets is $210-250. That means you will be lifting 1.45 times more 40 lb pellet bags than coal. If you decide to buy coal in bulk and have a few tons delivered at once, you will save even more per ton. As far as I've seen, pellets are sold in 40 lb bags and by the ton. Some friends an I are talking about splitting a tractor trailer load of coal, roughly 20-30 tons for even more savings. I have not seen bulk pellet delivery but perhaps somebody out there is doing so.
2. If pellets get wet, they lose structure and decay into a mush. Now they are useless. pellets need to be stored indoors and in non humid locations. With added humidity, you can get mold. Coal is a dense black rock and you can dump it outdoors and come back to it 100 years later, it will still burn. You can burn wet coal.
3. I've noticed some pellet qualities are inconsistent. Some pellets are mostly bark which doesn;t burn well and is not really my definition of 'wood". Coal quality can also vary but in general, coal is coal unlike pellet which is a manufactured product.
4. Pellets can be dusty if excessively handled and so can coal. I'm not aware of any dust control strategies for pellets other than handling it carefully. Many coal dealers sell their coal washed and some offer oiled coal. A light coating of oil helps to keep the dust down. Can't do this to pellet since it would turn to mush.
5. Pellet and wood burning creates creosote in chimneys. Gooey tarry creosote is a cause of chimney fires and requires frequent sweeping and cleanings. Coal does not produce creosote when burning Coal does produce fly ash which can fill a chimney and eventually clog it. Fly ash typically accumulates in horizontal flue runs and corners. You can clean this with a shop vac. Creosote removal in a chimney from wood requires brushing and sometimes chemicals.
6. Anthracite coal burns with a hot blue flame and zero to little smoke. When the whole coal pile catches, it glows red hot and is much like wood charcoal except it is far longer lasting. Your neighbors won't know you are burning anthracite unless you tell them. Given the negative stigma and perceptions everyone has about coal, I'd keep my mouth shut about it and nobody will bother you. The negative perceptions about coal are from a different kind of coal used to power industry, power plants and locomotives. You will not get a belching smokestack effect out your chimney. Actually, I think wood smells stronger and produces more visible smoke than anthracite. Anthracite emissions include CO2, no smell and far less particulates than wood.
7. Buddy of mine has a coal stove and has recorded easy 24 hour burn times between ashing and adding fresh fuel and a few times he can go to 36 hours. Try that with a wood stove.
These are all valid points, but since I live in the northeast (closer to pellet producers) I'm able to get pellets a little cheaper than what you quoted. There are also several companies that provide bulk pellet delivery, though you need a silo to store the pellets to prevent them from getting moist. I buy ~5 tons of pellets (roughly three pallets) at the end of October to save money. I have two pallets delivered directly into my garage (no carrying required except to the stove), and one sits outside until late February, at which time I unload it into the Garage.
Also, you are arguing that the heat content of coal is ~1.6x greater than pellets. That is true, but from a cost perspective they are roughly the same. Per your quoted prices, one ton of coal is ~1.5-1.6x a ton of pellets. Coal is even more expensive in my area than what you quoted. Anthracite is ~$380/ton, which makes it uneconomical for me.
I can't argue with your comparison to a wood stove, because I have never used a wood stove. BUT, I routinely run my pellet stove continuously for 168-192 hours (7-8 days) before cleaning. I have to add fuel every 10 hours or so, but that is a limitation of my hopper size and not the heat source itself. After a 7-8 day run I have an ash pan load (~12"x12"x6") of ash to clean out.
Wow $380 a ton? I'm in Northeast too (Southern NH) and my price is much lower and more of what I found after googling around for a few minutes. I'm sure I could find better anthracite prices if I did some more thorough shopping around. I'm also looking into bituminous coal that a friend of mine burns for $105 a ton. f I can burn this correctly and with no smoke, it won;t get cheaper than this.
BTW it sounds like you get some good pellets. Completely different experience than some people I've spoken to that purchased inferior quality and then had a ton or so of useless pellets that wouldn't burn properly or not stay lit etc... etc... Care to share the brand you purchase? You also buy when the market favors you which is better than needing pellets in dead middle of January.
That is another admitted advantage of coal over pellets. The market for pellets (at least good pellets) fluctuates enormously depending on the time of year. Have to plan ahead.
Yeah, $380/ton is what I saw. But like you said there are probably better deals around.
I burn the "LG granules" brand of pellets. They are expensive as hell now but I buy in the fall or even the summer when they are cheap. I bought them this year for ~$210/ton. That is another admitted advantage of coal over pellets. The market for pellets (at least good pellets) fluctuates enormously depending on the time of year. Have to plan ahead.
Where in NH do you live? We might be neighbors.
A manually loaded stove can be dangerous too. Two winters ago after refilling the stove with coal I left the ash door open which allows more air into the fire. Usually I open it for 10 mins to allow the fresh load of coal to establish itself then close it once its starting to burn. This one time I got distracted phone rang .... then the doorbell rang it was the mail carrier bringing a package that needed signature. Instead of going back in the house to close the ash door I went outside to pick up some twigs when i got around to the backyard i lsaw a bright orange glow thru the window. I ran back into the house and the living room was 98degs parts of the stove were red hot. I had to use a short piece of pipe to close the ash door because the stove was too hot to touch even with leather gloves. Luckily I didnt damage the stove .. just the bearings on the blower motors needed to be replace. The stove has a stone hearth around it and even the stone was very hot.
That's in England.
Duh.
SMH.