That is the winter I installed my first pellet stove as the oil and propane prices surged. Pellets were around then. The next winter, a second hard winter in a row, was when the pellet shortages hit around me.
My good friend in Stockton Springs, Maine took an 85% increase in his electric bill and he just told me they are going to increase it another 25%. Told him he needs to invest in a ton of LED lights.
Speaking of pellets, TSC just increased their per ton price to $285 bucks. Menards is at 250. Gonna do a price match at TSC. I have the Menards ad printed. TSC will price match plus an additional 5% off. Menards will deliver too for 45 bucks. TSC won't. Finally, TSC is limiting the quantity to 2 pallets, they told me their deliveries are spotty. Gonna buy 1 extra pallet as I never have enough. I need to cut a deal with TSC and deliver pellets. be a nice side gig. I can load 10 pallets at a time on my gooseneck. Here they get Michigan Hardwood mostly.
I keep my damper completely closed all the time and my draft fan on setting one, no matter what I have the heat range at. Now I will say that I have both of my units drawing outside air and coming on under the burn pot. I keep everything low because at a higher draft setting, the fly ash migrates down the venting and needs cleaned out regularly and I'm kind of lazy in that respect plus with a low draft setting, the fire spends more time in the firebox and transfers more heat. My view glass gets black with soot about every other day but I just open the door and take a natural bristle paint brush and sweep it off. No big deal.
I guess inflation has caught up to pellets, that and the cost of diesel for big trucks because big trucks deliver pellets to retailers. Diesel here is around $5.59 per gallon.
Your killing us New Englanders who can't touch pellets for less than $305 at a big box store, to 405+ for a premium pine like Vermonts.
It's apparent that everything costs more east of the Delaware Water Gap. Pellets, electricity and diesel fuel. Even rice coal went up from what I've heard.
Coal is almost double the btu of wood pellets, so very cost effective for heat. But only a few dealers left. I know of 2, and they are $465 a ton for anthracite coal
Rice coal (Blashack) is non existent here. You only have 3 choices here, electricity, propane or wood pellets. Besides, a stoker stove is pretty expensive to purchase.
Home heating oil has been dripping in price over the past two weeks, in New England. Many dealers are selling HHO for less than $5.00/gal.
Around here, HHO was $4.88/gal on 11/19. Today it’s $4.28/gal. A $0.60/gal drop in 11 days, interesting - hope the trend continues!
Ran to the Wallingford Home Depot the other day and they are stocked up! I should have taken a picture. Curious to see what happens going forward with heating oil prices slowly going down.
TSC is at 270 a pallet but they will price match plus 5% and I printed the Menards ad. They are at $233 a pallet. So I'm going to get another pallet from TSC (because it's close to me) and let them price match plus 5%. I'll put them on my TSC card, 6 months no interest. Couple months ago TSC was $199 a pallet. Inflation is impacting everything. Local propane is currently at $2.66 a gallon but we pre bought 500 gallons at $1.99 and I'm glad I did. Wonder what the pricing on propane and pellets will be next year. I'm pretty sure it will be substantially more. The Congressional Budget Office just released their projected costs for 2023 the other day and it's not good.
Todays update, matras gone, Down to 12 brands available, more increases, 4 below $400, but barely at 395, 390, 380 and 375.
Bought some hho at 3.80 this week. Only got matra's and my stove dislikes them, but heat is great. I am calling robbins and having them send me my money back for the logik-e. I ordered these in may and its almost January. I have been using the GS and matras together and the stove seems to be happier.
my Harman P61A has no problem with the Matra.. been using 4 yrs now.. my only tic is the bags have lots of fines but the harmy eats the sawdust up along with the pellets. very hot and close to doug firs in btu output.. very close as i burn both.
