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From The Chimney Sweep
Inc.
Comparing Heating
Costs With Various Fuels
The chart below shows how
much it costs to get one million British Thermal Units (MBTU)
of heat value from new appliances using the types of fuels listed.
Fuel prices shown are current as of April 1998.
The EFFICIENCY column shows the listed overall heat extraction
efficiency of the appliance used. For this chart, we used the
manufacturer's listed efficiency ratings for the Avalon 945/990
woodstove, the Waterford Erin pellet stove, the Hearthstone Sterling
natural gas and LP stoves, and the Efel Harmony II oil stove.
The ANNUAL COST column shows the average fuel expense required
to heat a typical 1500 sq. ft. house for one year (64.5 MBTU).
Because BTU content varies among species of fuel wood, the chart
lists separate figures for the four most commonly available local
fuel woods.
(Washington U.S.A.)
|
TYPE OF FUEL |
PRICE |
EFFICIENCY |
$/MBTU |
ANNUAL COST |
| ELECTRICITY |
6.2¢/KWH |
95% |
$19.12 |
$1,233.38 |
| LP GAS |
86¢/GAL |
75% |
$12.33 |
$ 795.07 |
| WOOD PELLETS |
$150.00/TON |
79% |
$11.58 |
$746.76 |
| FUEL OIL |
$1.01/GAL |
70% |
$10.39 |
$670.06 |
| NATURAL GAS |
57¢/THERM |
80% |
$7.60 |
$459.56 |
| ALDER |
$90.00/CORD |
72% |
$7.02 |
$452.95 |
| DOUGLAS FIR |
$90.00/CORD |
72% |
$6.15 |
$396.87 |
| MAPLE |
$90.00/CORD |
72% |
$4.88 |
$315.03 |
| BIRCH |
$90.00/CORD |
72 % |
$4.70 |
$303.23 |
Note that the above chart
compares NEW appliances. Efficiency ratings have improved dramatically
in almost all appliance catagories in recent years: for example,
if you're currently heating with a typical 10-year-old woodstove,
you could save up to 30% on your fuel bill by replacing it with
a new, high efficiency model.
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