Heating Costs

[eljr]

It's been a very cold winter out here in NY and the cost of heating has sadly become an issue. I took many precautions this year that I had never taken before anticipating big bills based on the summer gas prices. All that aside, the price for a gallon of Propane was $4.12 in November when I filled up and last week when I filled up again $3.81.
I tried to shop for a better price but the industry is set in a way that makes that very difficult. I have come to learn that that is intentionally so. Be that as it may I was wondering how much a gallon of Propane is where you are.
I found one recent article in a Vermont paper that quoted the average price of Propane in New England at $2.74 and across the US at $2.31!!!!!!!!
I know NY is always more expensive but that much?
I intend to call the propane company, again on Monday and was curious what others pay per gallon?:scratch2:

 

[cabinover]

I bought 1,000 gallons at the start of the season. $2.99/gallon.

I've since had deliveries to my garage at a cost of $2.89/gallon.

You are right though, it's a vicious scam they have going on. It costs them no more to deliver 25 gallons than 250 gallons at a time but the charge sure is different. I liken it to you driving a Cadillac that gets 4 mpg and I driving a Toyota that gets 20mpg. Your cost per gallon is $1.00, mine is $5.00 because I don't use as much. What a crock.

 

[bigstereo]

I run a nat gas forced air furnace in a drafty leaky garage apartment with 3 unheated garages below me. Temps here have been single digits to teens and not much higher for all of January. Needless to say I was fearful of the day my December/January bill would arrive.
When I got it I was overjoyed as it was a little more than half of what I was expecting and this was a company meter reading not an estimate. 37 days-$177.00

Breakdown as follows:

Gas Supply Charges
110 ccf x 1.112356 = 122.36
Sales tax = 8.07

Total Gas Supply Charges 130.43

Delivery Service Charges
Customer Charge (including 5 ccf) = 17.90
Delivery of 53 ccf x 0.375987 = 19.93
Delivery of 52 ccf x 0.101444 = 5.28
Delivery Adjustment Charge 110 ccf = 2.59
Weather Adjustment = -0.34
Billing Service Charge = 1.24
Tariff Surcharge = 0.95

Total Delivery =47.55

Whew!
What a relief, I immediately ran to turn up the thermostat!

 

[eljr]

So you are pretty much in line with the prices quoted in the Vermont paper I refereed to. Why should NY be 35% higher? :scratch2:

I have also found out that the propane company normally owns the tank and then you can only buy from them. They also, "discourage" people from buying their own tank. Quite an industry. All these years and this is the first time I questioned them. Live and learn.

 

[cabinover]

How much propane do you use? That is usually the key to $/gallon.

For instance my brother in law uses it for cooking and a little "love fire" wall hanging stove. His cost is over $4.00/gallon. He only uses 50 gallons a year or so at the most. I use around 1100 gallons.

 

[eljr]

I run a nat gas forced air furnace in a drafty leaky garage apartment with 3 unheated garages below me. Temps here have been single digits to teens and not much higher for all of January. Needless to say I was fearful of the day my December/January bill would arrive.
When I got it I was overjoyed as it was a little more than half of what I was expecting and this was a company meter reading not an estimate. 37 days-$177.00

Whew!
What a relief, I immediately ran to turn up the thermostat!

I appreciate the input and I am glad to hear prices are reasonable for you. :yes:

 

[cabinover]

I only wish we could get natural gas here looking at his monthly cost :yes:

 

[eljr]

How much propane do you use? That is usually the key to $/gallon.

For instance my brother in law uses it for cooking and a little "love fire" wall hanging stove. His cost is over $4.00/gallon. He only uses 50 gallons a year or so at the most. I use around 1100 gallons.

last year I used about the same as you, I have a wood stove that I only used as decorative in the past that is on 24/7 this year in an attempt to save but the cold winter has me on target to use the same as last year in spite of , sealing the basement (for the first time) keeping zones off completely for days at a time and only using heat at night when it is predicted to go under 15 at night! Wood is not cheap either.

 

[bigstereo]

I've kept a close eye on the price of natural gas and as it happened when oil prices went down, natural gas prices also fell.

Do propane prices follow along with oil prices or no?

 

[cabinover]

Propane has it's own scale. While it bounces upwards with oil it never falls like oil.

Kind of like the price of food lately, it hasn't gone down either.

 

[bigstereo]

I appreciate the input and I am glad to hear prices are reasonable for you. :yes:

If you own your home have you ever given any thought of converting to natural gas? It seems that propane always has and always will cost more.

 

[eljr]

If you own your home have you ever given any thought of converting to natural gas? It seems that propane always has and always will cost more.

Is it available in rural locations? I always wanted to own a farm house but I do miss city sewers, water, garbage pick up.........
I hear the city calling me home!

 

[bigstereo]

Is it available in rural locations? I always wanted to own a farm house but I do miss city sewers, water, garbage pick up.........
I hear the city calling me home!

Around here it is widely available in the suburbs of Buffalo I would say oh about 25 miles out from the city. I live 15 miles south of the city and it's available everywhere. My mom lives 20 miles out and it's available everywhere out there.
Also, if you have enough acreage and are lucky enough to be sitting on top of a deposit of natural gas (which is also everywhere around here) they will drill a well and you will get free gas and an annual check from the gas company for letting them tap into it.

 

[tasha]

Around here it is widely available in the suburbs of Buffalo I would say oh about 25 miles out from the city. I live 15 miles south of the city and it's available everywhere. My mom lives 20 miles out and it's available everywhere out there.
Also, if you have enough acreage and are lucky enough to be sitting on top of a deposit of natural gas (which is also everywhere around here) they will drill a well and you will get free gas and an annual check from the gas company for letting them tap into it.

Ah, the beauty of living in Eastern Kentucky is wonderful. I still haven't tapped my country property but there is gas under the land. Living in town presents a different NG problem. Our municipal utility signs multi-year contracts. So at the last signing NG was sky high and so went our rates. This year it's $19 and some change per mcf. But the contract is up this fall. I hope the inexpensive rates allows us to lock in some savings.

 

[cabinover]

Here in my area there is no natural gas. I believe Burlington has it but not sure. Trust me, the propane folks would fight like hell to keep it out of the area.

 

[merrylander]

No natural gas here so we are all electric. Constipation Energy nicked us for $493 last month, I expect it will be closer to $600 for January. This winter has been a bitch.

 

[Mark W.]

We heat with a wood pellet stove. 1650 sqft living space. Last year I completely redid the South side of the house (largest exposure by a factor of 2) with new insulation new windows another layer of wood, Tyvek house wrap, and Hardie plank cement board siding. This fall I got to work on the front of the house (very small wall but it's part of the livng room where the stove is located and has the front door and two 12sqft windows, Adding insulation, Tyvek and replacing the drafty front door and jam and new windows. The wall is ready for Hardie plank soon as I get back to it (it's all under a full lenght porch so out of the weather)

And in a normal year we use approx 3.25-3.5 tons of pellets at a current cost of $239.00 a ton for our heating (Mid Oct thru Mid April) and it looks like this year based on when we have bought our second ton we should be using about 1/2 ton less maybe even a little better. It has been colder this year hear so I figure about 8 years the savings in heating costs should payback the cost for all the new windows and the front door. The rest of the residing I have to chaulk up to turning a 86 year old shack into a decent looking home.

 

[usedto]

Here in central CA there are restrictions by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District as to when you can and can't use your fireplace. With the abundance of almond, walnut, and fruit trees in farm production and the excess of firewood, it's kind of ironic. If your house has access to natural gas (mostly in town) you are regulated by the restrictions. Where I live there is no natural gas, so I'm exempt (for now) and can burn the fireplace whenever I want. Otherwise, our house is heated by propane, as well as our stove and water heater.

I have two 250 gal tanks that are filled twice a year. I also learned that if you have a liquid line valve installed in the tank and give them a reason that you need it, they'll give a commercial rate instead of residential. Since I have a few propane forklifts, I use the liquid line, and get propane cheaper. I can also fill my BBQ tanks or any other refillable tank.

I had the tanks filled 12/12, for $1.609.

Of course, there is a LOT of competition in the propane market around here, with seven or eight reputable suppliers who are kept in check by each other. And, they all get their propane from the same place.

 

[Hifirob2]

It is heart breaking to read of all these HUGE fuel bills resulting from the markets and a very cold winter. Basics like heat should NOT cost this much.

I won't tell you how sickening low my combined NG and electric bills were this last month, but they were the highest ever for me. And my apartment has no insulation, and those horrible louver windows that make my blinds dance with even a little wind. Any heat I turn on simply goes up and heats the upstairs apartment, so he has to open his windows!! So it is in southern California....

If I win the lottery, I'll fill all your tanks on my dime, and that should free up some money for more AUDIO GEAR!!!

Kudos to Mark W. for his uber-conservation efforts. Future generations will thank him.

Rob

 

[salred]

Greetings from SE of Washington, DC.

I buried (i.e. I own it) a 500 gallon LP tank last summer & filled it in early August at about $3.72/gallon. We run the cooktop, a log set (with a @#$# standing pilot -- THAT's gonna change), and a 16KW generator that really hasn't been used.

Got my first refill early last week -- 50+ gallons (little over 5 months) at $3.52 a gallon. Yow! I guess LP is not a by-product of oil production as is natural gas, but jeez, louise...

Since I own the tank I guess I can shop around, but there are only a few LP sources within delivery distance, so I'm not optimistic.

-- Steve A.