BTW, we now have an "insider" at the local (Newburgh) Lowes. Member "katwillny" now works there. Too bad he's in the appliances section, but hopefully can get some insider news on pellet related stuff.
Stopped at the local Lowes tonight and they had many tons of "Timber Heat" pellets. I would have picked some up for testing, but they are still charging $5.58/bag! Too bad, because I've seen some good comments about them here and would like to give them a shot. Wish they were at $5.19/bag like the other stores these days.
$5.58/bag here too. We used to have unlimited pellets at $3.99/bag before this "shortage". Not to get into an argument with a well meaning pellet producer or anything, but I put the word "shortage" in quotes because as soon as they jacked the price, the skids of pellets sat there for weeks. They just got in a trailer load of Prestos. I ran breathlessly to the skids, hoping for the Presto softies. No luck.
I still think the "shortage" is an inefficient management of the supply chain. Take a look at areas where it hasn't been an issue. There are pellet places that prefer to deal with a shortage vs an oversupply. Helps keep prices up and no money just sitting. Then there are those that look at the larger picture and have the structure to deal with it. Our Augusta HD seems to have a good handle on the matter. We have a few mom and pop places that have been good at keeping their customer base well supplied. I can go buy pellets at at least a dozen places within 10 miles.
I was doing last second shopping the other day TSC had Freedom 's & EZ Heat's , HD had Green Sup. Lowe's by me hasn't had a bag in stock for close to 9 weeks , so they are around just might not be the brand you like ,but if you need them as sailors say "Any port in a storm".
My firewood biz all but completely stopped around Thanksgiving (still actually filling orders from Oct) with oil dropping through the floor. I bet pellet sales stopped too. Dino juice wont stay where it is long. Stock up.
Oil man delivered today - $2.42/gallon - Haven't seen the price that low around here since July 2009.
Yes I agree tt, was ready to maybe buy a ton, but I have twin 275 tanks half full, I max them out may not need oil for a year or two. Very close to break even point vs pellets, but I do not burn more than 50-60 bags a year, so I will not give up the stove for anything!
That's fantastic. I heard on the news this AM that there are some places where gas has dipped below $2/gallon as well, but the national average is still $2.20 - Of course we here in CT with one of the highest gas taxes in the country are still floating around $2.50 - $2.60 per gallon, at least in my neck of the woods. I drive to MA every day, so I fill up there where it's typically $0.25 - $0.30 per gallon cheaper.
