the Augusta store is very aggressive in making sales. They start calling last years customers to get their sales lined up. Don't ever go there after hours, lunch time or weekends. Dumb Dumbs work then and never get a right answer.
Just got the TSC flier. $25 off a ton. Gonna hit em up and see what they got in stock(Please be AWF)!
I stopped at the local TSC this evening and put a ton on layaway using the $25 off sale. While I was there, I took a stroll out into the caged area to get a better look at what they have on hand. Turns out my earlier estimate was a little bit off; they actually have about ~240 tons! I've never seen that many in stock before.
We notice ours has chit loads too(looks to be 200 tons or so)! I ordered 2 tons at the sale price w/coupon. Gonna head down and see just what they have. Hoping for AWF..........
is 240 tons a lot? For us, 240 tons, at this time of year (July), wont last us 5 days. Im getting nervous about pellet supply this fall....get yer pellets soon....heard it here first, folks......
Local HD in Fishkill, NY has had pellets advertised by a roadside plywood sign for about 1 1/2 months now.....$239/ton.
Yes, for my local store 240 tons is a heck of a lot. Never seen that many on hand before. I drive by every day on my way to and from work, and they don't appear to be moving. Today they had moved a bunch out by the road and stacked them in a pyramid with a big sale advertisement drawn across the front of them. Probably see the same thing as last year. They sit on a huge supply until mid October - early November, before you really start to see folks picking up their pellets and putting a dent in the supply.
yea, everyone picking up at the same time is one thing, but a lot of folks requiring delivery at the same time is a logistical nightmare
Save$, Sorry to hear you're still not moving to well. I called HD the other day, they're still not stocked for this year yet. They have 2 truckloads of FSU in stock from last year. but that's it. Selling them at $239.
Thanks for the heads up. I am trying to keep informed. I may buy a few tons, but then keep buying them about 12 at a tine. They pull them an put hem in my van. We can back up to the porch and pull them into a pull wagon then into the porch which is only a few feet from the stove. Tried that some in Feb and it worked out well. I ended up with a half ton left over in the garage.
Last year was my first season heating with pellets and after having to call around every couple of days in March to find out who could sell me another ten bags at inflated prices I don't think I'll be heeding anyone's prognostications either way about what's going to happen with this season's supply. I think I'm probably not the only one who feels this way. It's just too bad that not everyone can afford to buy a whole season's supply all at once.
And we also have a fair amount of folks who come in every day/every other day and just buy bags...yea, it sucks, but you get to know them pretty well anyhow! You know, there isn't really a lot of up-side to waiting....do you feel the price is going down from here till winter? (unlikely).....I think the chance of likelihood of lack of supply earlier this season than last season is enough reason NOT to wait, but ten again, maybe I have an ulterior motive, I sell pellets!
Prolonged wet weather in the NE has mill decks at lows. Unless we get a dry fall raw material supply is going to be short. As of right now prices remaining where they are at doesn't look good. I think the big box pellet supply shelves will sound like a billion toilets flushing come cool weather this fall.
The pellet game is a bit different than oil, But similar in that you get a better rate during the slack season. #2 oil is generally cheaper during the off season IIRC, Due to slower sales and bulky supply. Once the cold sets in the prices generally rise as demands goes up and supplies go down. Same goes for pellets and the best way to combat this is bulk up during the slack season. Most of us pellet burners have become pellet pigs and hoard our stashes full to the brim during the slow season. Last season was a bit off the norm. Usually supplies are more stable than what we saw. When we see pellet crunch's or shortages. You can bet the prices will go up more than expected. When demand surpasses the supply, Its a whole new ball game. Its a good bet this season will be similar with slacked supplies and another colder than normal winter projected. I was also a wood burner before the pellet venture, I got used to having a good seasons supply with a buffer JIC the winter was colder than expected. I though I was safer with pellets and did OK the first season. We bought our stove late and were able to just buy pellets as needed! The next was not so good and mid winter pellets were tough to find. We had to do some digging to find them and when we did, they were much more expensive than we had planned. We learned that we are better off having our stash full when the supplies are in our favor. And we also keep some extra or buy more to keep the stash topped off while the prices our in our favor. Our issues isn't so much about the $$, but space to store them. Pellets don't like to be stored outdoors in the elements, Where fire wood was OK to store outside. We kept 2 cords inside while the rest was stored out under cover. 4 tons of pellets is a bit of room to loose when space is limited. But we look at it as money saved as the price of pellet during the off season is easily $30 to $50 per ton saved. So we heaved and hoed out some junk we didn't really need(I also hoard other things!) to make more room. So in short, If you plan a head. You can save a bit of money if you buy in the off season. Plus you have piece of mind knowing you have all you pellets without a pellet shortage to worry about. Although it isn't recommended, You can keep some outside if you can keep them from getting wet. Best to keep the ton as it was delivered with its original wrappings and cover intact. I'd also suggest some sort of moisture protection on the bottom and an a good heavy tarp for extra protection. If water makes contact to the bags, They will most likely absorb moisture due to the vent holes in the bags. Another thing would be to drag in the whole ton once you break into it JIC.
Fishin trip got cancelled due to heavy rain and thunder storms. Please say its not too early to drink beer yet!!
I've called around and the prices per ton seem to be about what they were during the last heating season. The big box stores of course have no supply but the pellet dealers prices don't seem to be much better than they were in January. Maybe I just have to call more. Another thing I've heard mentioned from knowledgeable pellet people is to ask the dealer if they are double stacking the pallets as the added wieght upon the pellets at the lowest level can crush them into dust. I've seen a couple of bags were there were an exorbitant amount of "fines" but I'm not sure how those bags got that way. Beyond the pellets themselves, the stoves and the boilers I hope there are lot of people on this site that enjoy discussing how to view your home holistically as a system or set of systems and what one can do to make it more energy efficient and cost effective. When I bought my boiler I also did a fair amount of research on other topics such as insulation, air sealing, thermostat setbacks, blower door tests, wind damming attic baffles, rim joists, etc etc etc Pretty much if anyone on this site ever has an idea that they want to share as to how the average person can save a little then I'm all ears, or should I say eyes.
Pre season pellet prices at the pellet house/dealers are generally based on what the mill offers them. Most mills also reduce the cost to the dealer during the lean times and some pellet dealers pass the savings on to the end user. Pellet pricing and what you might save is different regionally. This link shows the early season deal and normal(what they expect to be in the fall) prices. Fall prices will most likely go as the season gets started and supply dwindles. http://www.ctpellet.com/products_pricing.asp You might be lucky and have a retailer that is keeping prices stable? Box stores don't usually offer pre buy specials or pre season deals. For the most part they do not want to carry a non seasonal item. They usually begin there deals in the fall as the season starts. This season TSC offered a $25 per ton savings on up to 8 tons(with coupon). Base price in my area is $239/ton making the sale price $214/ton. Just an example. Only tip I can pass on is looking into an energy audit. Its a good place to start when trying to seal up a drafty older house.
