Propane costs?

[SuperChooch]

Hi all,

I'm moving to the pine barrens next week and the home we are buying has propane for heat, which, as I found when we were shopping around, seems quite common. I know it is going to be more expensive than the natural gas that I used in my previous home, but I'm wondering how much more expensive. What have you folks found your monthly bills to run in the summer and in the winter? I know there are lots of variables in this equation, so maybe you could let me know roughly how big your home is and whether you keep it relatively warm or cold in your home. Thanks for any input you could provide. Looking forward to making the pine barrens my new home!

 

[Boyd]

Wood is really my primary heat source (burned about 2 cords last year). My house is small (~1200 sq ft) and has electric baseboard heat with individual thermostats in each room that I keep set around 50 degrees. But I have a propane gas log in the living room that is more for "fun" than serious heat since it's not very efficient. I paid about $7.80/gal last March when they topped off the tank and my total propane cost last year was $530.

So I'd say to expect a pretty big bill to heat a full house with propane since I only burn that gas log for a few hours every few days during the winter. In upstate NY I switched from oil to propane and even though I got one of the new furnaces that was over 90% efficient (no chimney, just a PVC exhaust pipe), my heating costs went way up compared to my ancient clunker of an oil furnace. Bad decision on my part. That was almost 20 years ago, so the costs wouldn't be relevant today. Of course, the winters were longer and colder up there too.

 

[Teegate]

Looking forward to making the pine barrens my new home!

Glad to have you around! Make sure you take your camera and let us see some of the interesting places you visit. There is a lifetime of places to go so you will never get bored.

Guy

 

[SuperChooch]

Thanks for the info Boyd. Thanks Teegate! I've always loved visiting, now I'm glad to live here!

 

[Boyd]

Let me also add my welcome to the site as well as the Pines! I hope that the new home made it through the hurricane OK. Unfortunately, this is the kind of event during which some people probably learned a few things that the previous owner didn't disclose (or didn't know themselves).

 

[Jode Hillman]

It depends how big your tank is, and if you own or lease the tank. Most companies lease you your tank + you can only buy from them. Thus pricing is not as competitive as if you own your tank and can shop around. I had a local company that I used for years try to charge me almost 7.00 a gallon during last years blizzard. I own my tank and told them that was way to high and I can buy from company X for 3.50 a gallon. They quickly changed ther tune and adjusted the price.

Don't be afraid to shop around and get a few prices. If you have a very large tank most competing companies will remove and replace with their own for a small or no fee..............

 

[46er]

Welcome and some info that may help. Most utility companies will do a free comparison between your prior home and your new one's heating systems at no charge. They will ask some specific questions, such as square footage, insulated, windows, etc. They are pretty accurate.

I also had a cabin in upstate NY, about a hour south of the Canadian border. We heated with oil fired HWBB and added supplemental portable electric baseboard. These units were very efficient and I now use them in the basement and garage. We also had a soapstone woodstove, but that was mostly for atmosphere or emergencies. Unless you have a good supply of wood on your property or take advantage of NJ's firewood program, wood burning can also get expensive. I have attached a link to the baseboard manufacturer.

http://www.hydrosil.com/

 

[PINEY MIKE]

When I moved from Brick to Bamber Lake, we went from gas to propane. First thing I did to the house was take out the propane fireplace (still have forced hot air from propane) and put in a wood stove. I scavenge wood and never pay for it and burn 24/7 from from mid october to around April (4-5 cords of wood). My propane bill was about $30 for ALL of last winter.

 

[bobpbx]

I hate, absolutely detest my propane company, Amerigas. They now charge a hazardous material carry charge, a truck fuel charge, and their prices are outrageous. Of my $51 bill, I paid $18 for that nonsense. I only use it for cooking and the dryer. They all keep jacking it up slowly until you scream. I wish it were more regulated.

 

[Boyd]

Hey - welcome back Bob!

 

[Teegate]

I wish it were more regulated.

That is government involvement. What you need is more competition. But the fees are most likely government involvement anyway.

Guy

 

[Boyd]

I should point out that when I said I paid $7.80/gal, that price included all the detestable fees you mention. I just divided the total invoice amount by the number of gallons delivered. Since I have a small tank and use very little, those fixed costs would have the effect of driving the cost per gallon higher than it would be when filling a big tank. But either way, it sure has gotten expensive.

 

[bobpbx]

Hey - welcome back Bob!

Thank you sir. It was about 55 hours without power. The only time I was really complaining to myself was when I realized how clammy the house was without even the heat from the refridgerator motor. Started to feel like I was living in a cardboard box.