Pellet heads!! What's up today?

Yes Bear...da dudes with the weather are always behind the curve...

 

Just wringing out some heating costs with various fuel options with a family member who thinks we are a tad foolish to mess with the nut shell thing..

Per million BTU
Natural gas...(Not available here) $14.71
#2 fuel oil (Would need new furnace) $19.73
Propane (Would need new furnace) $34.04
Electric furnace ( We have this type) $20.51
NUT SHELLS $ 1.76

We burn about 7000 pounds a season.

Hmmmm...I am not really in a hurry to buy a new furnace ...ya know.

Our conversation trailed off and died a quick death...

 

Proud Papa. Oldest son passed his test today and will be a gas pipe welder. Big raise and pretty secure position. (if that is even real today) Happy.

Doggy

 

Congrats to the proud Papa, and your son!!!!

 

Congrats to him!

 

x 3

 

Right On Schoon ! good for him and yes you should be very proud of him that is great news !

 

Good for him, now secure positions are a different issue.

 

Congrats to the son and Doggy

 

I'm gonna agree with you,but,for fairness,everything but your nutshells has delivery and labor added in.You drive and haul them,screen them,now crushing them,all that adds up.When I figure my pellets vs LPG,as LPG is cheap this year,I figure in these costs.1 hour to town and back,about 10 bucks in fuel,no labor,1 ton loaded in old truck by forklift,1 hour to unload 1 ton,and carry into basement.Gotta figure all expenses,and time,to be fair.Even though LPG is cheap this year,still cheaper to burn pellets,might even buy some more if price is still down.

 

As we burn whatever is cost effective here (currently hardwood) and subsidize with the fuel of convenience (currently pellets or propane). We are looking at the new line of heat pumps that can still be efficient down to -15*. The payback period is being seriously considered.

 

Congrats all around..
A big accomplishment for sure...

 

Yess...there is a small cost to haul the stuff in, but we can do the labor easier than trying to scare up more $$$$$

We have the crushing thing figured out now and it takes about 30 minutes to turn a 55 gallon drum of the large round stuff into "Stove ready"

A single drum lasts about 3 days at current weather conditions and running a single stove.

I will be honest, I do not have any idea what it costs to run the big shop vac to unload the shells, and or the little 1/2 hp motor to run the crusher, but it does not seem to change my electric bill much.

The big cost is the actual heat producing material

It's a 10 mile round trip to get the shells, so we can be generous and say 3 gallons of regular to feed the old Suburban $10

Still a super bargain.

The part that is tough is the aching muscles after unloading in the cold weather...

5 tubes of Bengay and an hour in a hot shower

Never used to hurt this much...ah well...

The biggest part of having any other choices is/would be the cost of acquiring another source of heat (Furnace, stove or??)

There is no natural gas even close to us.
If we could go natural gas and I am not crazy about gas, unless it was servicing a water heater, cook stove, oven and furnace.

We had a house in town from 1982 to 1993 that had gas hot water and gas heat.

We did not use the gas heat, but instead used the wood stove and then in 1991 switched over to an Earth stove pellet stove running nut shells.

We have thought about adding a propane type heater that can run without electricity just in case of power failures, but again the added costs of new equipment that we can't really afford enters the picture.

We have entertained the idea of a medium sized wood stove as a backup as we do have wood that can be used here sat the ranch.

We have an outside corner wall in the family room that could be a great spot, and could possibly work for a gravity feed pellet stove.

 

Another reason we cling to using wood and pellets is the need for physical activity. The need to get steps in and other aerobic activities as we get older is a good thing. I’d rather do the “work” than pay some gym $$$ and drive to some distant town that has a gym, also costing $$$.

 

Hmm...looks like we have a stretch of cooler weather coming over the next week or so.

 

Yepper
Sn*wstorm followed with a deep freeze, up & down she swings this year's mother nature

 

it's time for some of those 2 bag days!

 

Yup, looking like we may just have a few coming our way!

 

Or more........

Dan